08.00 Meet your tour guide and visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology which offers an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-cultural diversity within the country. Visitors are welcome to browse some of the vast research on offer at this public museum which is also a centre for ethnographic research.
After that, you’ll have a chance to explore the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shore of west lake (One of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam).  From there, it’s onto the Temple of literature, which was Viet nam’s first university and is dedicated to Confucius. 
Depart for Bat Trang ceramic village which is about 20 km away from Ha Noi, this is pottery village with a half- millenary historic development. Take the car come back to your Hotel in Hanoi.
Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi.

08.00: Car and guide will pick you up at your hotel, depart for Mai Chau (150km – 3,5 hour for transferring). Along the way, you will have chance to contemplate the beauty of northwest mountains that terraced fields are sparkling in sunlight or dim in thick fog. Have a short break in 30 minutes then continue the trip to Mai Chau valley
12.00: Arrive Mai Chau, have traditional lunch in local village (vegetarian available).
14.00 - 16.00: Ride a bicycle with our guide, see farmers working in fields, locals weaving scarves and visit surrounding peaceful villages. 
16:30 - 18:00: Free time for walking, shopping,...
18.00: Enjoy the local dinner and watch the Thai’s traditional dance and drink the traditional wine “ruou can”. 
Overnight at the Hotel in Mai Chau.

Water wheels walk and rafting | 3 km easy walk – 1.5 hours | 1 km rafting – 1 hours 

- Morning: Have free time in Mai Chau until get pick up for transfer to Pu Luong (60km – 2 hours for transferring).  Arrive at Pu Luong Nature Reserve in time for a delicious lunch, followed by free time to explore the beautiful retreat, with its captivating panoramic views and tranquil setting.
- Afternoon: You will be transferred 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 bamboo river rafting. 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.

Enthralling trekking routes | 19 km easy walking – 6 hours 

- Morning: 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. Savor the ever-changing scenery as you trek to a beautiful spot to enjoy a simple picnic lunch.
- Afternoon: After enjoying delicious food, you have free time to explore the refreshing water to the nearby river, before moving to our pick up point to be transferred back to the Retreat.

Village life and the community | 4,5 km easy walk – 2 hours

- Morning: You have the chance to get close to village life and interact with locals living in the hills above the Retreat. Glimpse at daily life, walk around working farmland and rice fields, and learn about making weaving colorful textiles, followed by lunch at the Lodge.
- Afternoon: Check out the Lodge. Then get pick up for the transfer to Ninh Binh (150km – 3,5 hours for transferring). Arrival Ninh Binh, check in hotel and relax. 
Overnight at Hotel in Ninh Binh. 

After breakfast at Hotel, get pick up for a Ninh Binh full day:
Firstly, You will reach Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh declared himself as the King. Since then Hoa Lu existed as the capital for the next 41 years (968 – 1009), of which 12 years was under the Dinh dynasty – King Dinh Tien Hoang, the country named Dai Co Viet, and 29 years later was under the Le dynasty – King Le Dai Hanh. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long – present day Hanoi. Hoa Lu became the old citadel. In Hoa Lu there are now 2 temples have been built on the ground of the old royal palace, one is dedicated to King Dinh Tien Hoang, the other is to King Le Dai Hanh. The visit offers a chance to know more about part of feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.
After that you will be taking the rowing boat at Tam Coc Harbor. Arranged by local people here, the boat is rowed by both hand and legs. The boat will take you to 3 specular caves with hundreds of limestones on the way. If you travel during harvest season, you will see many terrace rice fields in golden colors. The boat rowing will be in around 2 hours. Not only you could see the peaceful scenery of mountain, rice paddy fields, temples, you also have chances to learn about local people cultures on their daily life.
In the afternoon, our tour guide will take you to Mua Cave to enjoy the panoramic view of Tam Coc Region. Get ready with a good pair of shoes to climb up 500 steps to the top. Then we will visit Phat Diem cathedral, this is one of the most beautiful and unique cathedral in Vietnam, it become the center of Catholicism in north Vietnam.
The whole complex were built by stone between 1875-1899 and has been classified as a historic and cultural relic. The cathedral is the main focus of worship for Ninh Bình Province. Overnight at Hotel in Ninh Binh. 

Please note that the itinerary is subjected to be changed based on the weather condition and up to each Cruise. 

08.00 After breakfast get pick up for the transfer to Halong. After 3 hours and 30 minutes, the vehicle reaches Hon Gai Tourist Wharf.
12.15 Embark on cruise. The staff provide the safety instruction and give the key to your room.
13.00 Lunch is served on board while the boat is sailing to your first destination- Vung Vieng Fishing Village. You admire the amazing scenery of Bai Tu Long Bay with hundreds of limestone islets, caves with special ecological system. In Vung Vieng Village, you can choose one in two options written below:
•    Option 1: You hop on a small boat rowed by local people to move around to explore the village, observe the daily life of fishermen.
•    Option 2: You can kayak by yourself around the village with the instruction of the tour guide. 
17.30 Come back to the boat, take a shower and relax on sundeck in sunset. It is time for Happy Hour at the bar and on deck. In this trip, a cooking lesson is included and it is perfect for anyone who loves cooking and wants to learn about Vietnamese traditional cuisine. The chief will teach you how to make some dishes and enjoy your works with your partners.
19.00 Have dinner in our restaurant. After that, you are free and easy. You can hang out with other people at the bar, sing and dance, take a rest in your room or join in the group of squid fishing on board. Those activities are available till 22.00.
Overnight on Cruise at Cong Do area.

06.30 Wake up and attend in a Tai Chi exercise class on deck. Studies have shown tai chi improves muscular strength, flexibility, fitness, improve immunity, relieve pain. It has value in treating or preventing health problems and can be easily adapted for anyone. The class lasts for 30 minutes.
07.00 Enjoy the morning sunrise with a cup of tea or coffee, have breakfast while the boat sails to Thien Canh Son Cave. The cave attracts a lot of tourists because of the wild natural beauty, incredible stalactites in different shapes and cool atmosphere. 
You return to the Cruise, pack your stuff, check out and transfer your luggage to the reception area. 
We cruise back to the harbor and disembark at around 12.00. Early lunch is served on board on the way back.
12.00 You get in vehicle back to Hanoi. You reach your Hotel at about 4:30 – 5:30PM. Check in the room and relax. 
Overnight at Hotel in Hanoi. 

Have free time for relaxing and shopping until get pick up for transfer to Noi Bai Airport for departure flight. End of North Vietnam Holidays in 10 days.
Saying goodbye to Vietnam & Far East Tour Team see you again.