Itinerary

1. Day 1: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay – Lan Ha Bay (Lunch/Dinner)

   • 08:30: Pick up from the hotel or private address in a shuttle bus. Take a short break halfway.

   • 12:00: Arrive at Got Ferry Terminal, transfer by tender to La Pandora Cruise, and enjoy welcome drinks, receive cruise briefing, safety instructions, and check in to your cabin and set sail through Ha Long Bay while having time to admire the magical landscape go by. The Cruise Pass Da Chong Islet, where you can see a lighthouse built by the French over 100 years ago.

   • 13:00: Dine on a special lunch in Vietnamese cuisine of fresh seafood and an assortment of appetizing favourites served while sailing through Islets of Con Vit.

   • 15:30: The Cruise sails through Lan Ha Bay. The area is surrounded by extraordinary limestone karsts landscapes. Progress to Ong Cam area of Lan Ha Bay - a separate part of Ha Long Bay. This is a quiet tourist paradise in Vietnam, enjoy kayaking and/or swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Bay.

   • 17:30: Back to La Pandora Cruise, drop anchor for staying overnight. Enjoy the complimentary sunset party on the sundeck with local wine and fresh fruits.

   • 19:00: Eat dinner served in the restaurant. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served for you by the wonderful onboard catering staff.

   • 21:00: Retire to your cabin or join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, or play exciting games.

   Overnight on board.

2. Day 2: Ha Long Bay – Lan Ha Bay

   • 06:00: Enjoy sunrise and admire the never-ending miraculous scenery of the Bay. Practice an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck.

   • 07:00: Relish a light breakfast, coffee and tea.

   • 08:30: Transfer to the day boat to visit Viet Hai village. Take the bicycle trip along the village path and go through rain forests and dark tunnels. Enjoy stunning scenery of rice fields on the way. Stop at the village to relax. Visit an ancient local house made from straw, mud, bamboo. You will have the chance to see the local life in a valley of local people.

   • 11:30: Back to the day boat for visiting Lan Ha Bay. Lunch is served on the day boat.

   • 13:30: Visit Lan Ha Bay, kayak to discover the BBay yourself and swim in the blue water. Visit the Van Boi area, which is the heart of Lan Ha bay; there are a lot of white sand and coral beaches.

   • 16:30: Return to La Pandora Cruise, time for relaxation. Enjoy the complimentary sunset party on the sundeck with local wine and fresh fruits.

   • 19:00: Savour dinner served in the restaurant. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served by the beautiful onboard catering staff.

   • 21:30: Retire to your cabin or join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, access the internet or play exciting games.

   Overnight on board.

3. Day 3: Dark & Bright Cave – Ha Long Bay – Hanoi

   • 06:00: Enjoy sunrise and admire the never-ending miraculous scenery of the Bay. Practice an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck.

   • 07:00: Have a light breakfast, coffee and tea.

   • 07:45: Visit Dark & Bright Cave and islets by local rowing boats, a wild and mysterious beauty.

   • 09:15: Return to the ship and relax before checking out

   • 10:00: Join a cooking class demonstration (teaching you how to make the speciality, Spring rolls).

   • 10:30: Eat lunch served on board.

   • 12:00: Disembark at the Got Ferry Terminal by tender. Take the shuttle bus to return to Hanoi.

   • 15:00: Arrive at your hotel or home.

4. Day 4: Hanoi – Sapa – Lao Chai – Ta Van

   • 06:00 - 06:30: Pick up at the hotel or at the meeting point and then start departure to Sapa by Limousine Bus, following Noi Bai – Lao Cai highway. Along the way, contemplate the beauty of northwest mountains that terraced fields are sparkling in sunlight or dim in thick fog.

   • Have a short break for 30 minutes then continue the trip to Sapa.

   • 13:00: Arrive in Sapa, check-in at the hotel and have lunch.

   • After lunch, your Vietnamese tour guide will pick you up from the hotel and you will join the trek down to Lao Chai village to visit the Tay and Dzay tribes. Keep going along the bottom of the Muong Hoa valley to visit Ta Van village, home to the Dzay minority. This is the most beautiful ethnic village in the area.

   • Check-in the homestay; get to know the family of Dzay People. Spend time to enjoy the mountain life on Sunset. You may attend cooking local dishes with the family and enjoy dinner in peace.

   • In the evening, join the local bar nearby with music and socialize with other tourists.

   • Spend overnight at the local homestay with the family. The accommodation for the evening is clean; basic bedding and mosquito nets are provided, along with a western toilet & shower. You will sleep on a mattress on the floor in a mixed-gender dormitory.

5. Day 5: Giang Ta Chai villages – Sapa – Hanoi

   • Enjoy breakfast at the homestay and start the day early at 8 AM.

   • After breakfast, start the day with an easy trek of 5 km to visit villages of the H’mong. The trekking will take you along local paths, up and down rice terraces and into the villages and homes of local hill tribes. Enjoy a beautiful waterfall and rattan bridge with picturesque landscapes through bamboo forest on the way to the main road to get to the jeep to return to Sapa.

   • 2:00 PM: The bus will pick you up from Ta Van village to Sapa Town.

   • Enjoy your free time in Sapa to refresh.

   • Around 3:00 PM, the driver is waiting for you for your short drive to Sapa town, where the staff has prepared a takeaway sandwich for the way to Hanoi.

   • 21:30: Arrive in Ha Noi. 

6. Day 6: Hoa Lu – Tam Coc – Mua Cave

   • 8:10: Pick up at hotel or meeting point in the Old Quarter by the driver to get to Ninh Binh province located in the south of Northern Vietnam.

   • 9:30: Visit Hoa Lu- the ancient capital of Vietnam from 986-1010. Visit Ding king temple and Le king temple in the 10th century, finding out the heroic histories of these two Kings in Chinese Wars.

   • 10:30: Explore Mua Cave (Dancing cave), where you can get the impressive panoramic view of Tam Coc and Ninh Binh city when you reach the top point of Ngoa Long mountain (about 500 stone steps).

   • 12:00: Enjoy the set menu of Vietnamese cuisine lunch at Wonderland bungalow (cooking class activity is available).

   • 13:00: Discover Tam Coc (Three water caves) on the sampan (bamboo boat) in almost 2 hours, passing through 3 caves: Hang Ca- first cave, Hang Hai- second cave, Hang Ba- the third cave by boat.

   • 15:00: Be amazed by the beauty of the countryside in the North of Vietnam by cycling.

   • 15:30: Attend a Sunset party at the swimming pool. After discovering the incredible beauty of Ninh Binh by walking, hiking, cycling, tourists can relax by swimming, drinking local tea, and eating fresh fruits while the sun is setting (swimming in an acceptable condition).

   • 16:00: Have a pick up to the homestay in Ninh Binh - Ham Rong Homestay for dinner, take a rest.

   • Around 20:30: Let the car take you to the train station to take the night train from Ninh Binh to Dong Hoi (Phong Nha National Park).

   • Depart at 21:47.

7. Day 7: Phong Nha – Paradise Cave

   • 07:30 - 08:00: Pick up by the driver and guide at Dong Hoi station, airport, bus station or hotel at Dong Hoi city or Phong Nha town to go to Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. 

   • 09:00: Visit Paradise cave, discovered by the scientists of the British Caving Research Association in 2005. It has a length of 31km and is the longest dry cave in Asia. You will be taken by the electrical car from the parking to the foothills of the cave (2km). You will go in the jungle, see many kinds of trees and hear the sound of animals. Explore the cave about 1km on the wooden floor and see lots of stalactites with different shapes. With naturally primitive features, Paradise Cave looks like a landscape painting, making it attractive to visitors. There are a series of white crystal stalactites resembling glass pillars and many other spectacular formations.

   • 12:00: Eat lunch at a restaurant with local specialities.

   • 13:00: Continue the journey to visit the Phong Nha Cave.

   • 13:30: Visit Phong Nha Cave which is considered “First Cave wonders". Take a boat about 5km along the Son River to Phong Nha Cave (river cave). On Son river, the children can have fun on the waterfront and get the opportunity to experience the daily life of the neighbourhood riverside village bearing the Vietnamese country soul.

   • Return to the boat station.

   • 16:00 - 16:30: A vehicle will transfer you back to Phong Nha town or Dong Hoi City.

   • 17:00 - 17:30: Go back to Nam Long Plus Hotel to stay overnight.

8. Day 8: Train from Dong Hoi – Hue

   • After breakfast, the car will bring you to the train station to take a train to Hue, as the train departs at 8:05 AM. 

   • Arrive Hue around 11:05 AM.

9. Day 9: Easy Rider from Hue to Hoi An

   • 08:00 AM: Pick up by tour guide and motorbike from Hue hotel. 

   • Embark on a full-day trip from Hue to Hoi An by motorbike. This scenic coast route is simply the best way to travel to Hue if you only have one day. 

   • First stop is Elephant Springs where you can wade in the rock pools. 

   • Next, stop for photos at Lang Co Beach before travelling over the Hai Van Pass. Hai Van means “Sea of Clouds”, and when crossing the top of the pass, you are literally surrounded by clouds on one side with stunning ocean views on the other.