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ICSTT Vietnam Study Tour

2 Weeks – Saigon, Hoi An, Hanoi, Ha Long Bai

Programme Overview

Day 1 Activity

Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels

Half day city tour of Saigon (Presidential Place, War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon

Central Post Office)

Lunch at a local restaurant

Exploring Cu Chi tunnels

Return to Saigon

Day 2 Activity

Ho Chi Minh – Cai Be floating market – Vinh Long – Homestay on An Binh Island

Pick up at the hotel, depart for Cai Be

Boat ride to stilt houses and fruit plantation

Floating market of Cai Be

Stop at a village to view making pop-rice, rice paper and coconut candy

Lunch at An Binh Island in the heart of the orchard

Trekking through fruit plantation

Dinner and overnight with a cozy and friendly family on An Binh Island.

Day 3 Activity

An Binh Island – Vinh Long – Can Tho

Bicycle trip around the island

Cooking with family for lunch

Boat trip to Vinh Long and visit to a flower pot making village

Travel to Can Tho and check-in at a hotel

Day 4 Activity

Travel to Hoi An

2 options to choose

Option 1

My Son + Hoi An biking

Option 2

Hue day tour

Overnight stay in Hoi An

Day 5 Activity

Travel to Hanoi

Hanoi city tour (Ho Chi Minh complex, comprising Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, stilt house, pillar

pagoda, West Lake with Tran Quoc pagoda, temple of literature, museum of ethnology)

Cycle tour (trishaw about 1 hour) or electricity car tour to Hanoi old quarter

Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son temple and famous water puppet show

Overnight stay in Hanoi

Day 6 –

Day 9 Activity

For the Bac Ha – Sapa tour you have 2 options to choose. Both tours take 3 nights and 4 days

Option 1

Day 6 Travel from Hanoi to Lao Cai by night train

Day 7 Sa Pa Trekking to 4 villages (Ylinh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Giang Ta Chai)

Day 8 Trekking to Giang Ta Chai – Su Pan – Sa Pa through bamboo forest

Day 9 Sa Pa colourful market – night train back to Hanoi

Option 2

Day 6 Travel from Hanoi to Lao Cai by night train

Day 7 Bac Ha market, Trung Do Village, boat trip along Cahy River, Vietnamese and Chinese

border

Day 8 Trekking to Lao Chai– Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai

Day 9 Trekking to Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan - Ban Ho - Sapa - Lao Cai through bamboo forest

Day 10 –

Day 12 Activity

Travel to Ha Long Bay

Ha Long tour (3 days/2 nights) + Ninh Binh (1 night/1 day), you have 2 options to choose.

Option 1

Day 10 Hai Phong – Speed boat to Cat Ba Islands – floating village – kayaking through islands

Day 11 Cat Ba National Park - swimming, hiking,… - floating farm

Day 12 Boating to Cat Ba – motorcycle tour – speed boat to Hai Phong – back to Hanoi

Option 2

Day 10 Hai Phong – Speed boat to Cat Ba Islands – floating village – floating fish farm – kayaking

Day 11 Kayaking through lagoons and caves – bathing

Day 12 Bathing at secluded beaches – motorcycle tour – speed boat to Hai Phong – back to Hanoi

Day 13 –

Day 14 Activity

End of the programme and independent time

Detailed Programme and Events

Day 1

On the first day you will visit the well-known former Presidential Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the

Vietnamese landmark –Notre Dame Cathedral and Saigon Central Post Office which was designed from

famous Gustave Eiffel. To conclude the city sightseeing you will stop at lacquer ware workplace where you

see how this important good is produced.

In the afternoon, you will drive to the extraordinary Cu Chi tunnels which are about 65 km (1.5 h drive) from

Saigon. The tunnels of Cu Chi are a complicated system of underground networks which were built by Viet

Cong guerillas. The network includes innumerable trapdoors, constructed living areas, storage facilities,

weapons factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens. En route, you will have the chance to see

rural people live and work.

The last stage of this day is a visit to occupations such as cashew nut farming, duck breeding, rice farming

and production of rice paper, which is a key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. This will give you a good

insight, of how Vietnamese farmers live and what they do for a living.

Day 2

On the second day, you will take a boat ride through the natural canal and view the traditional Vietnamese

stilt houses and lush fruit plantation along the river sides.

After the boat trip you will visit Cai Be floating market which was established in the 19th century. Here, you

can observe locals trading fruit and other wholesale goods, hung from poles aboard boats and rafts, in the

bustling floating market.

After the floating markets you will stop at a village to have a closer look at how pop-rice, rice paper and

coconut candy are made. Next, you will proceed to Tan Phong Island and enjoy the rowing boat ride along

the creeks.

You will proceed to An Binh Island where your Lunch is served in the heart of a picturesque orchard.

After this relaxing break you will visit a family where you can experience the traditional agricultural lifestyle.

To further explore the island you will be trekking through the fruit plantation in An Binh Island.

You will have your overnight stay and dinner in a cozy friendly family on An Binh Island.

Day 3

After your breakfast at your homestay, you will take a bicycle trip around the island on countryside roads to

visit villages and fruit gardens.

Back at home, after a decent rest from your bicycle trip, you will go down to the kitchen to cook lunch with

your family and learn about the traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

After your lunch you will go on with a boat to Vinh Long and visit the flower pot making village.

Finally you will proceed to Can Tho and check-in at your hotel.

Day 4

On your fourth day at Vietnam you have a choice between two different day tours.

Option 1

Half day My Son and half day cycling tour

In the morning our guide will meet you at your hotel at 8.00 am. Together you go to My Son, a

World Heritage site, 40 km southwest of Hoi An. Located in a lush valley; My Son was a capital and

religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries. My Son, is

considered as being in the same league as some of Southeast Asia’s greatest archaeological sites,

including Angkor in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, Ayutthaya in Thailand and Borobudur in

Indonesia. These towers and sanctuaries were built from the 7th to 13th centuries. Within this ancient

scenery you will have your lunch at a local restaurant.

The afternoon is the best time to see the countryside of Hoi An. Most people stay in the old town

and they miss one of the most beautiful parts of Hoi An. During 2.5 hours cycling with a local guide

along the small tracks, you have chance to discover the authentic countryside and the daily life of

the locals. The path takes you through rice fields, nipa trees, peanut farms, and you will see people

fishing along the rivers.

Option 2

Day trip to Hue

Our tour guide will pick you up at 7.45 am from your hotel in Hoi An and travel with you to Hue,

which will take you about 2.5 hours.

You will visit the Forbidden City of Hue, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Forbidden City,

located inside the citadel, was once only accessible for emperors, concubines and a few other

people. The punishment for unauthorized trespassing was death in these times.

Before taking the boat trip on Perfume River you will have your lunch at a restaurant. During the

boat trip you will stop to visit Thien Mu Pagoda (Heaven Lady) and the tomb of a king. Afterwards,

you will drive to Hue or Da Nang airport.

Day 5

In the morning, at 8.00 o’clock you will be picked up from the hotel to visit Ho Chi Minh complex,

comprising the Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, stilt houses and a pillar pagoda.

You will visit West Lake with its famous Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. It was built in the 6th

century and is now more than 1,400 years old. The imposing attraction was relocated from Hanoi to the

West Lake in the 16th century.

The next stop of the programme is the Temple of Literature which is the first university of Vietnam. The

temple impresses with beautiful pavilions, halls, statues and stelae of diverse doctors.

Afterwards, you will have a lunch break in a restaurant to be refreshed for the visit of the Museum of

Ethnology which provides deep insights in the culture of Vietnamese folks.

Then, you will take a cycle tour (trishaw - 3 wheels for 1 hour) or an electric car tour (35 minutes) to Hanoi’s

old quarter. This area of the city is famous for its small artisans and merchants including many silk shops.

Finally, you will visit Hoan Kiem Lake including the Ngoc Son temple and enjoy the famous and unique

water puppet show.

Day 6 – Day 9

On this day you will have the choice between two Bac Ha – Sapa tours which each last 3 nights and 4 days.

Option 1

Day 6 Hanoi – Lao Cai by night train

At 19.30, on the first day of the tour, our tour guide will pick you up from your hotel to go with you

to Hanoi station for the 21.15 train to Lao Cai. The train takes about 8 hours where you have time to

sleep.

Day 7 Sa Pa Trekking to 4 villages

Early in the morning, at 5.15 you will arrive Lao Cai station. Our guide will pick you up and drive you

to Sapa. First of all, get a shower, store your luggage and then enjoy a hearty breakfast.

Afterwards, you will be trekking to the hamlets Ylinh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Giang Ta Chai and visit

two different kinds of minority tribes.

First of all you will visit YlinhHo and Lao Chai village, which are the homes of the black H’mong

people. Within Sapa, the black H’mong community makes up the majority of the population. They

are not as active in the tourism products here but play a major role in hemp production as well as

brocade supply to some tourist shops in Sapa and Hanoi.

After a picnic lunch, you will keep on alongside Muong Hoa Stream, over suspension bridges to Ta

Van Village of the Dzay people.

You will keep trekking to Cau May (Rattan Suspension bridge) - Giang Ta Chai I.

Next, you will visit and stay overnight with a local family of the Dzay minority tribe.

With your tour guide and the house owners, we will set up a temporary cooking class to learn how

to cook Vietnamese food for dinner.

Enjoying your dinner you get to know typical local customs, culture, etc.

Day 8: Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan - Sa Pa

The 5 – 6 hour trekking tour will surprise you and offer you views that you have never seen before.

In the early morning you will get a wakeup call from your households and you will luckily see the

daily motivation for a new day of the households.

Enjoy some pancakes made by your tour guide’s skillful hands and start a new trek into Hoan Lien

Son National Park where you will see more stunning landscapes and other ethnic minorities. You will

come through Giang Ta Chai Village, which is home of the Red Dao minority. The Red Dao people

are colorful and proud. For at least four hundred years they have lived in small communal villages

amongst the rice-terraced mountains of Sapa. Welcoming and generous, the women, who are

much less shy than the men, will quickly grab you by the arm befriend you and compare how many

children you have, where you are from, how old you are...

You will continue your trail to Su Pan Village for lunch.

Afterwards, you can choose if you would simply like to enjoy the magnificent view of Ba Ho Valley

or visit some local houses of the Tay. Then, you will take a car to Sapa.

There you will check-in at your hotel and if you are not too tired you can explore Sapa on your own.

Day 9: (Sun) Sapa - Ba Ha Market – night train back to Hanoi

At 7.00 o’clock on the last day, you will leave Sapa for Bac Ha market – a colorful market of the local

hill tribes.

You will attend the impressive market, which is known as the most colorful ethnic market of all

Northwest Vietnam, independently. This market is a fusion of many different hill tribes inhabiting

around the Bac Ha mountain district. You can easily distinguish them by their different colorful

costumes.

Attending the market, you will find out not only about typical traditional customs but also the way

of bartering that exists in the daily life of the Tay, the Dzay, the Red Dzao, the Black H’mong.

After lunch you will go back to Lao Cai. From the main road you will walk down a hill (about 2km) to

Trung Do Village of the Tay minority located by the Chay riverbank.

Afterwards you will go back to Lao Cai stopping in Ha Khau to visit the border gate Vietnam –

China.

At 17.30 this day, you are dropped at Lao Cai station where you have free time to get dinner and

finally catch the night train back to Hanoi where you have 8 hours to sleep.

Option 2

Day 6: Hanoi - Lao Cai

At 20.00, on the first day of the tour, our tour guide will pick you up from your house to go with you

to Hanoi station for the 21.15 train to Lao Cai. The train takes about 8 hours where you have time to

sleep.

Day 7: Bac Ha - Sapa

After 8 hours by train you will get to Lao Cai station. You will be picked up from Lao Cai station and

have breakfast at a restaurant.

After another 1h45 of driving, you will get to Bac Ha market – the most colorful markets in the

Northwest of Vietnam. Here you have independent time to have a closer look at the market and

view the traditional goods the locals provide. Enjoy your lunch at the markets.

On the way back to Lao Cai you will stop at Trung Do Village which is the home of the Tay minority.

These folks are generally agriculturalists and cultivate mainly rice.

After this visit you will take the boat along the Chay River and stop to see the Vietnamese and

Chinese border in Lao Cai. Finally, you will go on to Sapa and check-in at your hotel. After this, you

will have independent time to explore Sapa on your own.

Day 8: Lao Chai - Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai

After a good night in the hotel, have a decent breakfast and prepare for the trekking tour to Y Linh

Ho and Lao Chai, villages of the Black H’mong people. Just take necessary things (as little as

possible) with you for the trekking tour. The picturesque small path will lead you via rice terraces to

Ta Van, a village of the Dzay people. There, you will have a rest and a picnic while enjoying the

great landscape.

The trek brings you further to Giang Ta Chai Village, which is home of the red Dzay people. You will

have a homestay and learn the daily activities of the locals. You will join them by cooking dinner

with the guide and your family.

After dinner, you will spend a lovely night in the village with its fresh air and peaceful atmosphere.

Day 9 Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan - Ban Ho - Sapa - Lao Cai

The uprising sun greeting you through the mountains will wake you up gently. You will have

breakfast and prepare for another trekking day.

On this last day, you will visit Giang Ta Chai Village and trek through bamboo forests. You will keep

trekking up and down the hills to get to Su Pan.

Back from lunch, a car picks you up to take you back to hotel for a refreshing shower.

Finally you get the bus/car to Lao Cai station and take the night train back to Hanoi, where you will

have 8 hours to sleep.

Day 10 – Day 12

For the 10th day you will have another 2 programme options to choose. Both programmes last 2 nights and

3 days.

The programmes can be extended for a 2 day and 1 night trip to Ninh Binh.

Option 1

Day 10 Hai Phong – Cat Ba Island - Halong Bay – Trai Dao

At 6.30, on the first day, a guide will pick you up from your hotel and will go with you to Hai Phong

– the most important sea port city of Vietnam. The beautiful city is also called “The city of the red

flame trees” because many Delonix regia, which have fire red blossoms, are planted throughout the

city.

After a 2 hours you will arrive in Hai Phong and take a hydrofoil (speed boat) from Hai Phong to Cat

Ba Island, which is the biggest island of Halong Bay. This journey will take you about 45 minutes.

There you will have time for a relaxing coffee.

Afterwards, a junk will take you to pass by the floating village; where you can enjoy a lunch with

fresh seafood on Lan Ha Bay.

Cruising to the most scenic areas of the bay with hundreds of beautiful islands you will finally arrive

at the unique Halong Bay. The UNESCO World Heritage Site impresses with its marvelous landscape

and incredible natural beauty.

Kayaking through the narrow lagoons you will drive through tunnel caves called Hang Ca which

means Bat Cave.

Afterwards, you will cruise to Ba Trai Dao Beaches which are separated into 3 beautiful beaches.

Here, you can enjoy swimming, kayaking or have a relaxing time on the beach and refill your sun

tanks.

Anchor at a calm water area for dinner and experience the peaceful night on the junk among

beautiful mountains.

Day 11 Cat Ba National Park – floating farm – Hang Luon

Wake up to see the dawn on the bay and have breakfast enjoying this amazing view.

After your breakfast, a boat takes you to Viet Hai Port where you start walking or cycling to Viet Hai

Village inside Cat Ba National Park. The tour will help you to understand how the locals can make

the livings while the whole village is surrounded by mountains. You will climb up to see one natural

cave and then walk or cycle back to the boat.

After the trip you deserve extensive refreshment with swimming and lunch.

In the afternoon you will visit one floating farm which gives you even deeper insight into the

agriculture of the farmers.

After this, you will kayak through another tunnel cave called Hang Luon ending up at a wonderful

beach. Enjoy swimming once again before the dinner is served.

Day 12 Cat Ba – Hai Phong – Hanoi/Ninh Binh

On the 3rd day you will have your breakfast on the boat. You will cruise to a small beach for relaxing

and swimming.

After a few hours of relaxing you will take a boat to Cat Ba. There you will take a motorbike tour

(with or without guide) to go around; or you walk by yourself to see the impressing Cat Ba town, the

beautiful beaches and the lively local market (optional).

You will have your lunch in a local restaurant before taking the hydrofoil from Cat Ba to Hai Phong.

From there you go back to Hanoi (arrival at Hanoi around 17.30 – 18.00) or if you would like to

extend the tour, you go on to Ninh Binh for a Tam Coc trip.

Option 2

Day 10 Hai Phong – Cat Ba – floating fish farm – Hang Luon

At 6.30, on the first day, our guide will pick you up from the hotel and you will go to Hai Phong –

the most important sea port city of Vietnam. The beautiful city is also called “The city of the red

flame trees” because many Delonix Regia, which have fire red blossoms, are planted throughout the

city.

After 2 hours you will arrive in Hai Phong and take a hydrofoil (speed boat) from Hai Phong to Cat

Ba Island which is the biggest island of Halong bay. This journey will take you about 45 minutes.

There you will have time for a relaxing coffee.

Afterwards, a junk will take you to pass by the floating village; where you can enjoy a lunch with

fresh seafood on Lan Ha bay.

The boat will take you further to some narrow lanes of the bay and stop at a floating fish farm

where you will see how the local people make their livings. You may also try fishing there.

To get closer to the islands, you will pass through a tunnel cave (Hang Luon) and get to secluded

beaches. If the tide is low, you will kayak at Ba Ham tunnel caves instead.

Anchor at a calm water area for dinner and experience the peaceful night on the junk among

beautiful mountains.

Day 11 Cat Ba Islands – Ba Trai Dao

Wake up to see the dawn on the bay and have breakfast enjoying this amazing view.

You will keep cruising to the most scenic areas of the bay with its hundreds of beautiful islands. The

kayak will take you through the narrow lagoons and tunnel cave called Hang Ca which means The

Bat Cave.

At Ba Trai Dao (Three Pearls) you will have a stop for lunch. Then you will have time for swimming

or kayaking to beaches.

Enjoy the sunset before your dinner is served and spend another lovely night at the peaceful bay.

Day 12 Cat Ba Town – Hai Phong – Hanoi/Ninh Binh

On the 3rd day you will have your breakfast on the boat. You will cruise to a small beach for relaxing

and swimming.

After a few hours of relaxing you will take a boat to Cat Ba. There you will take a motorbike tour

(with or without guide) to go around; or you walk by yourself to see the impressing Cat Ba Town,

the beautiful beaches and the lively local market (optional).

Have lunch in a local restaurant before taking the hydrofoil from Cat Ba to Hai Phong. From there

you go back to Hanoi (arrival at Hanoi around 17.30 – 18.00) or if you would like to extend the tour,

go on to Ninh Binh for a Tam Coc trip.

Day 13

On the 13th day you have the choice to go on to Ninh Binh or rather stay in Hanoi and have independent

time. The tour programme to Ninh Binh takes 1 night and 2 days.

Day 13 Ninh Binh – Tam Coc

On the first day you will drive to Ninh Binh and check-in at a hotel in Tam Coc where you will have a dinner

and a quiet night in peaceful Tam Coc.

Day 14 Tam Coc – Trang An Ecotourism Complex – Hoa Lu – Kenh Ga (optional) - Hanoi

At 7.30 on the following day, you will start cycling from Tam Coc to Trang An. You will pass by local villages

and rice fields. This is a good chance to see how people work on the fields. After about one hour cycling

you will get to Trang An Ecotourism Complex – a great site for nature lovers. Take the three-hour boat trip

to go through dozen of limestone grottoes and enjoy the beautiful scenery mountain ranges, valleys, caves

and rivers. The area is described as “outdoor geological museum” with the system of 32 million-year-old

limestone caves.

After this amazing insight you will cycle to Hoa Lu – the ancient capital of Vietnam and visit 1 of the 2

temples of 2 emperors Dinh and Le from the 10th century and hear about historic events. The cycling tour is

not exhausting as the path is plane and only 12 km long. Here, you will have lunch in a local restaurant.

If you wish, your driver will take you on to Kenh Ga (Kenh Ga tour is optional). Take the motor boat along

the river to visit Kenh Ga riverside village and learn how the local people make their livings.

Finally you will go back to Hanoi around 17.00-18.00 where the tour programme ends.