Dear All,
We have had a wonderful time in your country and I am sure we will try to visit Vietnam once again.
I went through our itinerary once again and here are my summary.
1. Pu Luong and Mai Chau – great trip. Wonderful picturesque area; we enjoyed trekking through the hills and villages, cycling and traditional evening dance show. There were only 2 drawbacks during these days – rafting and homestay. There was nothing spectacular in rafting, no nice views, too far from water wheels, no scenic Tan Lap bridge on the way. I guess it would be better to have longer walk than this kind of rafting. Homestay – already mentioned it in your questionnaire – we slept in owner’s private part of the house, in a room with many private things – clothes, cosmetics, etc. It was a little bit embarrassing situation. I guess they were overbooked and tried to accommodate everybody, but at least they could informed us in advance.
2. Tam Coc and Hanoi – great. The best part for me – Museum of Ethnology (one could spend many hours there) and Hanoi street walk
3. Cu Chi Tunnels and The Reunification Palace – extra interesting “lesson” of Vietnamese history. In fact not too much to see but so many information that I was really impressed.
4. Ben Tre – so – so. Quite boring boat cruise (not too much too see), brickfield and coconut factory ok, but not worth travelling so long from Sajgon to be seen. Trip on the small rowing boat was the best part of the whole day but disappointingly short . I really regretted that we skipped this option with the biggest floating market.
Apart from the itinerary:
1. Hotels – no complaints; the best one in Pu Luong ( we in general prefer small hotels with local touch)
2. Tour guides:
o Mr. Thang – very open and friendly, always smiling and full of energy. His English was not very good. but he had very good contact with our sons keeping them engaged. I really liked it. Moreover – we always started early morning so thanks to this we managed to visit the places before other tourists came, really great planning . He helped us as well with looking for my son’s lost mobile .
o Mr. Brat (not sure if I wrote it correctly) – very good English, very informative, we learned a lot.
This is of course our private opinion. Other people could have completely different ranking than ours.
Overall it was unforgettable experience!
Thank you very much for the photo from your office. I still need to go through our photos
We are planning to do it this week so then I will send you some of the best ones.
Regards,
Anna
PROGRAM DETAIL
Day 01 . Mon 26 December 2016 : Hanoi arrival (-) | Guide and driver
Arrival in Noi Bai airport by VN660 at 18h30 ( From Singapore) , you will be picked up then transferred to the hotel in city center. The check-in is available at 2 pm. The day is free for your own exploration and shopping. Overnight at hotel.
Day 02 . Tue 27 December 2016 : Hanoi- Pu Luong (B, L, D) | Guide and driver
Depart at 08h00 from Hanoi to Pu Luong retreat. You enter Pu Luong Nature Reserve by road via a breathtaking mountain pass giving you a panoramic view of the whole valley. You arrive at your accommodation in time for a delicious lunch, followed by free time to explore the beautiful retreat, with its captivating panoramic views and tranquil setting.
You will be transfer to a suspension bridge over the Cham River, where you begin your walk in search of stunning water wheels. Get up close to each wheel and discover how water is moved from river to handmade bamboo aqueducts via simple constructions of all sizes.
Arriving at a local fisherman’s house, you have a short rest to gear up for the rafting adventure with Dinh and his team. Float along the calm river and enjoy the views, in between learning how to paddle and steer your handcrafted rafts.
Arriving at scenic Tan Lap bridge, you disembark to be transferred back to Pu Luong Retreat for dinner. Overnight at Pu Luong Retreat resort.
2.5 km easy walk – 1.5 hours | 2 km rafting – 1.5 hours
Day 03 . Wed 28 December 2016 : Pu Luong- Mai Chau (B, L, D) | Guide and driver
After breakfast, start early to descend into the beautiful valley facing the Retreat where you walk around tumbling rice terraces. Trek through small paths shrouded in vegetation to slowly reveal a picturesque village sitting at the base of a towering mountain. Your camera will not be able to sit still! Continuing to the base of the valley, you weave between roads and farmland, villages and wild fields, ponds and rivers, mountains and open land. Savour the ever-changing scenery as you trek to a beautiful spot. Then you will be transferred back to Puluong Retreat for lunch.
Depart to Mai Chau, home to many hill tribes including the Dzao, Muong and Thai. Stop in Co Luong village to visit. You will arrive in Mai Chau around noon, check into our hotel and take a rest.
After dinner, you will be treated to a traditional dance show and taste Ruou Can, the local rice wine. Overnight at homestay in Mai Chau
Day 04 . Thu 29 December 2016 : Mai Chau- (Ninh Binh) (B, L) | Guide and driver
Morning, you take a short walk/bicycle through a White Thai village where you will be welcomed by the friendly locals and get a chance to communicate with them and get to know their lifestyle. Don’t miss out on trying your hand at weaving silk with an old loom. Then explore local life with a choice of farming activities to participate in: land preparation, planting, harvesting, etc (all activities depend on the season). Continue to Cycle to the Nhot Village where you can see beautiful scenery full of rice fields surrounded by mountains. Stop on the way to meet locals and visit their houses. Cycle back to have lunch at a local house.
Then you will drive to Ninh Binh. Free time and Overnight at hotel in Tam Coc.
Day 05 . Fri 30 December 2016 : Ninh Binh- Hanoi (B) | Guide and driver
Morning, you will visit Tam Coc (three caves), a peaceful valley among limestone ‘karst' hills, There, you will be rowed along a gentle river between paddy fields and through the caves. After the boat trip in Tam coc, the rest of day we will cycle along winding roads passing lotus ponds, temples and cottages, typical of Vietnamese countryside to visit Bich Dong Pagoda situated on a hillside. Continue to transfer to Mua cave. This place attracts visitors with its many interesting stories. From on the top of the cave, you can see all the way to Tam Coc the boat trip going. Climb 500 stone steps to the top of the mountain to enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the countryside and the wonderful Ngo Dong river. Then you will visit two temples, one of them dedicated to Emperor Dinh and the other in memory of Emperor Le, followed by a brief visit to the remains of the Old Palace. You will return to Hanoi by car. A delightful water puppet show will perfectly wrap up your day. Overnight at hotel.
Day 06 . Sat 31 December 2016 : Hanoi city- flight to Saigon (B) | Guide and driver
A full day spent touring Hanoi, the political, economic and cultural capital of Vietnam. Starting with the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays), which offers informative and well-documented information on the country’s 54 ethnic groups, including elaborate and colorful hill-tribe costumes. The display continues in the outside garden with fascinating examples of traditional houses from the Kinh’s to the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands. We will then visit the Temple of Literature, a temple built in honor of Confucius in 1070, and served as the first Royal National University in Vietnam founded in 1076. This temple and its beautiful garden provide an opportunity to learn more about the Mandarin education that has shaped Vietnam for 1000 years and to relax in this tranquil setting. The afternoon is spent exploring the alleys of Hanoi’s Old Quarter by walking, visit Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple or the Jade Mountain Temple situated in the heart of Hanoi. Then you will be brought to the airport for the flight VN 273- 19:30- 21:40 to Saigon. Arrival to Saigon. Pick up by our guide then transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Saigon.
Day 07 . Sun 01 January 2017 : Saigon- City (B) | Guide and driver
Morning, you then drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels, situated 70km from Saigon. The Cu Chi Tunnel system was created around 1948 to assist the Viet Minh in their combat against French occupiers. Construction and enlargement continued during American bombings and they were turned into an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapon factories and field hospitals. The Cu Chi Tunnels could house up to 10,000 people who lived underground for years, getting married and raising children. During the Vietnam- American War the entire area of Cu Chi was designated as a fire free zone yet was heavily bombarded. Since 1988, two sections of the tunnels are open for visitors to crawl through and better understand the war. In afternoon, you will visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post Office. The Saigon city tour then continues along Dong Khoi Street, where the Opera House and the Peoples’ Committee building, built in 1897 by French architect Ferret Eugene, are situated. The 800 seat Opera House served as the home of the Lower House Assembly of South Vietnam after 1956. You will then visit The Reunification Palace, formerly known as Presidential Palace, which was the residence of the president of South Vietnam until the end of April 1975. Visit Ben Thanh market at the end of day. Overnight in Saigon.
Day 08 . Mon 02 January 2017 : Saigon- Ben Tre -Saigon (B, L) | Guide and driver
Leaving the bustling city of Saigon behind, we will depart to the Mekong Delta considered Vietnam’s biggest rice basket. We will arrive at Hung Vuong Pier in Ben Tre and embark our boat to cruise along Ben Tre River, a tributary of the great Mekong, to explore the local lifestyle and the daily hustle and bustle. We will stop at the brickfield belonging to Mr. Tu Lo to see how bricks are made by hand in Vietnam and a coconut candy home factory located along the canal to witness the process of making this local candy and other souvenirs. You will then have the opportunity to taste bee honey tea at a local honey farm and a variety of tropical fruit that grow amply in the orchards of the Mekong Delta. You can then walk or cycle through the coconut groves and green rice paddies to soak up the atmosphere and relax in the tranquil countryside. The afternoon begins with a trip on small rowing boats through a maze of waterways shaded by two rows of palm trees. We then cruise back to the pier and disembark. Transfer back to Saigon. Overnight at hotel in Saigon.
Day 09 . Tue 03 January 2017 : Saigon departure (B) | Driver
Free time then at 11h00 transfer (no guide) to airport for flight departure to Singapore at 14h20 by VN655.