Vietnam
Sixteen travellers at most, homestays and the regions the big tours skip
Vietnam
A Vietnam closer to local people, in a group of 16 at most: early-morning Hanoi and a water-puppet workshop, the tea gardens of Moc Chau and a night with the Hmong, two days' walking in the Pu Luong reserve, Tam Coc and Thung Nham by rowing boat, a night on a junk in Lan Ha Bay (quieter than Ha Long), Hue and calligraphy at a former mandarin's house, Hoi An, then the Mekong Delta with two homestay nights in Ben Tre and Soc Trang. With 3 beach nights (20 days) from €2,969 per person (Mui Ne) or €3,149 (Phu Quoc); with a Cambodia extension from €3,661; private version from €3,625.
When
Feb to April
Price
From 2 669€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
14 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-3
The capital, from the street to the puppet theatre.
Day 1
Flight to Vietnam
Flight to Hanoi. Dinner and night on board.
Day 2
Arrival in Hanoi
Welcome by your French-speaking guide and a city tour: Ba Dinh square, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, the presidential palace, the Opera House and the Temple of Literature. A walk in the 36 guilds quarter before dinner.
Day 3
Hanoi at dawn and the water puppets
On foot to the Lake of the Restored Sword, pho at a street stall and egg coffee. Across the Red River, a meeting with a water-puppet maker: a private show and making your own puppet. In the afternoon, Tran Quoc pagoda and Truc Bach lake.
Days 4-6
Tea gardens, Hmong villages and terraced rice fields.
Day 4
Hanoi – Moc Chau
Drive to Moc Chau and its more than 3,000 hectares of tea. In the afternoon, Hua Tat village, a house on stilts and a walk to meet the Hmong. Homestay night (a private room in an ecolodge as an option).
Day 5
Moc Chau – Pu Luong
Drive to the Pu Luong nature reserve, its forests, limestone hills and terraces. An easy walk of about 3 hours through the villages of Ban Uoi, Ban Don and Kho Muong. Night in a house on stilts.
Day 6
Pu Luong
A walk to the Suoi Cham spring and 45 minutes by sampan, then a suspension bridge and lunch with a family. A free afternoon: other villages, walking or relaxing above the rice terraces.
Days 7-9
'Ha Long Bay on land', then a night on a junk.
Day 7
Pu Luong – Tam Coc
Drive to Ninh Binh. Bich Dong pagoda, built into the rock, then about 2 h 30 by rowing boat in the Thung Nham reserve, between cliffs and rice fields.
Day 8
Lan Ha Bay by junk
Board a shared junk for two days in Lan Ha Bay, next to Ha Long and less crowded. Lunch, dinner and night on board (English-speaking guide on the junk).
Day 9
Lan Ha – Hanoi – night train
Tai chi at sunrise and brunch on board, then back to Hanoi with a possible stop at But Thap pagoda. A dinner of specialities with Bia Hoi beer, then the night train to Hue (flight as an option).
Days 10-12
The imperial city, a mandarins' village and the old town.
Day 10
Hue, the imperial city
A bowl of bun bo Hue on arrival, the citadel, Thien Mu pagoda and a boat on the Perfume River. Cycling in the countryside and a cookery class with a family, then the tomb of Minh Mang. In the evening, street food by cyclo.
Day 11
Kim Long, the Hai Van pass – Hoi An
The mandarins' village of Kim Long and An Hien garden, with an introduction to calligraphy. Then the Hai Van pass, Lang Co and the Cham museum before Hoi An.
Day 12
Hoi An
The old town of Hoi An, a UNESCO site, and its old houses along the Thu Bon river. A cao lau lunch, then a free afternoon. Optional: a lantern workshop, a boat on the river or a traditional treatment.
Days 13-17
Two homestay nights, then the great city of the south.
Day 13
Flight to Saigon – Ben Tre
Flight from Da Nang to Saigon, then drive to Ben Tre. By boat on the river at Ben Tre: coconut workshops, arroyos and medicinal plants, then by bike to a lunch of elephant-ear fish. Back by rowing sampan through the narrow canals. Night there.
Day 14
Ben Tre – Soc Trang
Check in with a host family in Soc Trang. The afternoon by motorbike taxi: workshops making rice cakes, coconut-leaf mats and cassava crackers. You can help prepare dinner.
Day 15
Nga Nam market – Saigon
A boat along the canals to Nga Nam river market, then back to Saigon. The centre on foot in the afternoon and a dinner of grills and hot pot in a popular local restaurant.
Day 16
Saigon – flight home
Free time, then transfer to Saigon airport and fly to France.
Day 17
Arrival in France
Arrival in France during the day.
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