Sapa adventure - Hotel stay 2days/3nights by train

Night 1: 21:00 pickup at the hotel. Transfer to railway station for a night train SP1 at 22:00 to Sapa

Accommodation: Overnight on train

Day 1: Sapa - Cat Cat - Sin Chai

AM: 7h30 arrive Lao Cai, pick up at Lao Cai Station then transfer to Sapa. Check in and have breakfast in the hotel. After lunch, trek. to Cat Cat and Sin Chai villages of Black H'Mong tribe. Enjoy the waterfall in Cat Cat and beautiful scenery along the way. Back to hotel for dinner and enjoy the night in Sapa town

App. 4 hours trekking. 8 km. - Meals: B - L – D

Accommodation: Hotel

Day 2: Sapa - Lao Chai - Ta Van

After breakfast you check out and leave your luggage in the hotel, get ready for the trip. Trek down to Lao Chai village to visit the Black H'Mong then keep going along Sapa valley to get to Ta Van village to visit Day people, which is supposed to be the most beautiful one in the area. Have a picnic lunch on the way. You go back to Sapa by motorbike/jeep. Get yourself fresh with a shower in the hotel's day room before transfer down to Lao Cai Station for the night train back to Hanoi.

App. 7 hours trekking - 15 km - Meals: B - L - D - Accommodation: Overnight train

Day 3 : Turn back to Hanoi.

Arrive to Hanoi at 5h:00. End of the tour

2 days – 1 night on Cristina Cruise

Halong Bay Exploration

(2 days – 1 night on Cristina Cruise)

Day 1 : Hanoi – Halong

08.00 Depart for Halong in 3 hours and a half (you will have a short break of 20 minutes in Hai Duong province).

11.30 We will take the deluxe Cristina Cruise from Bai Chay Wharf through Halong. En route, you have chances to sightsee many beauty spots of the world natural heritage including Fighting Cock islet, Incense Urn islet, FingerIsland, Toad islet, dog islet, Dragon, Horse Neck, Buffalo Head islet and many other strange shape islands. Especially, you will be cruised to explore the mystery of Sung Sot Cave (the cave of Surprise)

16.30 Arrive at Titov Island. Free time for swimming and kayaking before having dinner in the romantic sunset.

18.00 Get free time, enjoy fresh seafood dinner and you can take part in cuttle – fishing contest and enjoy fresh cuttle. Overnight on boat.

You have unforgettable feelings when staying on the upstairs of the boat, seeing the marvel of sea at night, making friends with many people from the neighbor boats. Etc.

Day 2: Halong - Hanoi

Early risers can enjoy a morning view of bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee. You will spend the morning cruising. Come back to Halong city for having lunch in the restaurant. After lunch, you get on the bus to return toHanoi. On the way back, you will have short break in Hai Duong province around 20 minutes. Arrive in Hanoi at 16.00. Tour ends.

Note : The itinerary above may be changed a little bit at the time of booking, but the mentioned activities will not be changed.

Note : The price above may be changed at the time of booking

 Included:  

• Transport with AC; ; Boat trip and entrance fee;
• Vietnamese meals : 2 lunches, 1 dinner & 1 breakfast
• Fresh fruit, Vietnamese tea;
• English speaking guide; Sleep on boat and swimming; Kayaking to explore Luon Cave
• Rooms with Air-conditioner 

Excluded:  Insurance, Beverage, Single supplement room, Personal expenses, Tips for tour guide & drivers...

Price

ACLASS CRUISE IN HA LONG BAY with VNSTRAVEL

Heritage discovery (2 days – 1 night)

Day 1 

8h00	Hotel or private address pickup with our shuttle bus. Short break half way
11h30	Arrive Halong Bay, welcome drinks. Check in to your cabin and set sail through the Bay while lunch is served
14h30	Visiting Vung Vieng floating village located in Bai Tu Long bay by kayak or local rowing  boat
16h00	Drop anchor in the calm water surrounded by beautiful islets for swimming and snorkeling
17h00	Enjoy the complimentary sunset party on the sundeck with local wine and fresh fruits.
17h30	Join Cooking class
19h00	Dinner is served in the restaurant
21h00	Retire to your cabin or join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, internet access or play exciting games. Overnight on board

 Day 2 

7h30	Breakfast, coffee and tea served, while sailing to Sung Sot cave
8h30	Drop anchor to explore Sung Sot cave (Surprising cave)
9h30	Back to our boat, relax before checking out
10h30	Lunch is served on board
11h45	Disembark at the harbor, Halong city. Take our shuttle bus to return to Hanoi
16h00	Arrival back at your hotel or home
Included: Full furnished deluxe en-suite cabin with A/C, hot water All meals on board (02 Lunches, 01dinner, 01 breakfast) Complimentary morning tea and coffee Complimentary bottled water Welcome drink Cookery demonstrations Entrance and sightseeing fees Kayaking Local rowing boat Fishing equipment, movie, exciting games English speaking guide Shuttle bus (round trip) Fruits and local wine party Internet access On board insurance, tax and service charges		Excluded: Beverages Personal expenses All services and items not mentioned specifically in the list above Your smile is the most valuable return you can give our friendly crew. We have a ‘No Tipping’ policy on board

Cabin Categories	No of Cabins	Double or twin cabin        (Per person in US$)	Single suppleme                  (in US$)
Superior	6	99	30
Deluxe	5	109	30

Vietnam Airline access

Air access Vietnam has 3 international airports and almost in the centre of the cities:
Noi Bai Airport is 34 km from the downtown of Hanoi
Danang Airport (Da nang)
Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)

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Hoi An - Acient Town

The ancient town of Hoi An, 30 km south of Danang, lies on the banks of theThu Bon River.

Occupied by early western traders, Hoi An was one of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century.

Hoi An has a distinct Chinese atmosphere with low, tile-roofed houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets still remains almost intact. All the houses were made of rare wood, decorated with lacquered boards and panels engraved with Chinese characters. Pillars were also carved with ornamental designs.

Tourists can visit the relics of the Sa Huynh and Cham cultures. They can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of the romantic Hoi An River, Cua Dai Beach, andCham Island.

Over the last few years, Hoi An has become a very popular tourist destination inVietnam.

 Light Bright

NO FLUORESCENT LIGHTS. NO MOTORCYCLES. NO TELEVISION. ON THE 15TH DAY OF EACH LUNAR MONTH, THE RIVERSIDE TOWNOF HOI AN GIVES MODERN LIFE THE NIGHT OFF.

In a wood-fronted shops, a woman in traditional dress sits at a desk, bathed in the light of a lantern made from a simple bamboo fish-trap. Outside, two old men are absorbed in a candlelit game of Chinese checkers. These scenes, straight out of the 19th century, still take place in Hoi An, a sleepy riverside town in the central province of Quang Nam.

Hoi An has long been a cultural crossroad. More than five centuries ago the Vietnamese nation of Dai Viet expanded its territory southwards, encroaching on the Indianized Kingdom of Champa, which covered much of what is now centralVietnam. Hoi An, located on the Hoai River, emerged when Japanese and Chinese traders built a commercial district there in the 16th century.

These diverse cultural influences remain visible today. Visitors will find Hoi An's Old Quarter lined with two-storey Chinese shops, their elaborately carved wooden facades and moss-covered tile roofs having withstood the ravages of more than 300 years of weather and warfare. These proud old buildings, which back onto the river, remind visitors of another era, when Hoi An's market was filled with wares from as far afield as India andEurope. Colourful guildhalls, founded by ethnic Chinese from Guangdong andFujian provinces, stand quietly, a testament to the town's trading roots.

While Hoi An's old-fashioned charm is always visible, on the 15th of every lunar month modernity takes another step back. On these evenings the town turns off its street lamps and fluorescent lights, leaving the Old Quarter bathed in the warm glow of coloured silk, glass and paper lanterns. In ancient times, Vietnamese people made lamps out of shallow bowls filled with oil. Later, foreign traders introduced lanterns, ranging from round and hexagonal designs from China to diamond and star shaped ones from Japan.

Let there be light

When developing plans to preserve their town's ancient character, Hoi An residents decided to revive the practice of using coloured lanterns. Starting in the fall of 1998, one night each month is declared a "lantern festival". On the 15th day of each lunar month, residents on Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Le Loi and Bach Dang streets switch off their lights and hang cloth and paper lanterns on their porches and windows. Television sets, radios, street lights and neon lights are turned off.

Vietnam Travel

In the ensuing quiet, the streets of Hoi An are at their most romantic, the darkness broken only by jeweltoned lanterns in all manner of shapes and sizes.

Strolling through the lantern-lit streets is like walking into a fairytale. It is all the more picturesque since motor vehicles are banned from Hoi An's Old Quarter. On Trai Phu Street, stop at the beautifully preserved Faifo Restaurant to sample some traditional Chinese-style pastries. Or walk on to the Treated Caf6, where bamboo baskets, commonly used to wash rice, have been transformed into unique lanterns. These basket lamps are but one example of people's creativity as they experiment with new shapes and materials, including lights made from hollow bamboo tubes.

A Warm Glow

The 15th day of the lunar month is a Buddhist day of worship. Residents place offerings of food and incense on their ancestral altars and visit one of Hoi An's many pagodas. The scent of incense and the sounds of people singing add to the town's enchanted atmosphere. On these evenings, visitors will get a rare glimpse into another era. These nights are a welcome reminder of life's unexpected beauty.

Tuan Chau Island

Ha Long, one of the World Heritages, comprises thousands of big and small islands. Each one has its own characteristic with various caves: Sung Sot Cave,Thien Cung Cave, Trinh Nu Cave. TuanChau Island is the only soil island of all. It is not only a place having beautiful natural surroundings: pine trees, lakes, beautiful beach…but also where President Ho Chi Minh chose to be the relax place of other State officials' and his when they came here in 1959. On the total area of 400 ha, Tuan Chau has the population of 1500. As planned, the total area of Tuan Chau will be widen to 675 ha. It enjoys the advantage of having both road and river transportations. It is about 18 km away from National Highway No.1. This route is an important blood vessel of the robust Hanoi – Hai Phong – Quang Ninh economic triangle. It takes about 3 hours from Mong Cai ( 2 hours by boat) and 1 hour from Hai Phong. Tuan Chau island’s name is the combination between ‘linh tuan’ (the patrolman) and ‘tri chau’ (district chief) because in the feudal time, the royal army set up a guard station here to patrol and defend the borderland. Prior to 1999, the island's residents suffered from a very modest living standard.There was no power network and no clean water. Roads were only trails and there was no mechanical means of transportation. Tuan Chau was a very poor town where fishing with very rudimentary tools is the only means of living. The first project of great significance was to link Tuan Chau and the National Highway No18 by building a road. The work was officially started on February 28th, 1998. All company staff had to overcome numerous hardships to achieve this difficult task, which translated people’s dream into reality. Tuan Chau has become well- known to both international and domestic tourists as an attractive destination with: - a dolphin&seal club - a circus - a crocodile club - an (artificial) beach with 4 km long. - a Vietnamese culinary area - a hotel and resort area of 5-star standard (200 rooms) - a water recreation park with activities such as motor racing, canoeing, parachuting, water skiing, etc. - Ha Long Bay sight- seeing services by canoe, boat, helicopter. - a high tech water fountain with music playing, laser lighting and film projecting on water screens.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Construction work began on September 2, 1973 and the structure was formally inaugurated on August 29, 1975. The mausoleum was inspired by Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow but incorporates distinct Vietnamese architectural elements, such as the sloping roof. The exterior is made of gray granite, while the interior is gray, black, and red polished stone. The mausoleum's portico has the words "Chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh" inscribed across it, meaning "President Ho Chi Minh".

In his will, Ho Chi Minh stated his wish to be cremated and to have his ashes scattered in the hills of north, central, and southernVietnam. He said that he preferred cremation because it would be "more hygienic than burial and would also save land for agricultural purposes". The mausoleum was built in spite of his wishes.

The structure is 21.6 metres high and 41.2 metres wide. Flanking the mausoleum are two platforms with seven steps for parade viewing. The plaza in front of the mausoleum is divided into 240 green squares separated by pathways. The gardens surrounding the mausoleum have nearly 250 different species of plants and flowers, all from different regions of Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh's body is preserved in the cooled, central hall of the mausoleum, with a military honor guard. The body lies in a glass case with dim lights. The mausoleum is closed occasionally for restoration and preservation work on the body but is normally open daily from 9:00 am to noon to the public. Lines of visitors, including visiting foreign dignitaries, pay their respects at the mausoleum.

Rules regarding dress and behavior are strictly enforced by staff and guards. Legs must be covered (no shorts or miniskirts). Visitors must be silent, and walk in two lines. Smoking, photography, and video taping are also not permitted anywhere inside the mausoleum.

Sapa pictures - Vietnam tours part6

Vietnam Travel