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14 Day itinerary in Vietnam, Asia

Vietnam School & Volunteer

A trip for school students or those who like explore the highlights of Vietnam’s North with the volunteer activities to support the remote village that needs.

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Overview

Physical Difficulty

Average
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Recommended Age

Everyone

Operated in

English

GUIDANCE

On Some Day Trips

starting point

Hanoi

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Indigenous culture

Visit markets

Meet local people

Kayak & Canoe

Rural home stays

Culture & History

Purposeful Travel

Nature & Wildlife

Start/End

Night

Highlights

1

Join the lively night market in the Old Quarter

2

Hike through the beauty of the Pu Luong nature reserve

3

Fund raising to buy materials and facilities to link water from far away to Son village

4

Enjoy the sunrise and the quiet, breath-taking beauty of the bay’s landscape on cruise

Itinerary

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Day 1

place Welcome to Hanoi

Chao Ban! Welcome to Hanoi! We pick you up at the airport and take you to your hotel room for the check-in. Today is one of your free days to rest or explore the city. Get your own first impressions of Vietnam on walking outside of the hotel (if you still have time). In the evening, there are chances to attend cultural shows such as the water puppet show or other cultural shows such as Ca Tru, Tuong, Cheo. If you arrive on the weekend, you can join the lively night market. Stay overnight in Hanoi.

Inclusion: Airport transfer, guide pick up, hotel.

Guide: Included for the day

Day 2

place Hanoi full day city

Depart at 8:00 AM from your hotel by van. We begin our day by visiting Uncle Ho at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and residential grounds learning about his great life. Next stop is the nearby Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam´s first University. Here we also have a chance to see a traditional music performance. Have lunch on your own.


In the afternoon, choose from one of the numerous museums or temples around Hanoi (Museum of Ethnology, Women´s Museum, History Museum or Quan Thanh Temple).


In the late afternoon, take an electric car trip around Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi´s fascinating Old Quarter. This is your chance to be in the midst of typical Hanoi life and Vietnamese culture. We finish our relaxing but informative day by attending a Water Puppet Show - a favorite experience for all visitors to Vietnam. We can help you to get back to your hotel if you wish, but often our guests would rather just spend the evening enjoying a drink with a view of the city. Back your hotel around 5:00 PM. Have dinner on your own and stay overnight in Hanoi.


Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, electric car ticket, hotel

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Day 3

place Hanoi - Mai Chau – Pu Luong

You depart from your hotel at 8:00 AM and be transferred to Mai Chau. Upon arrival at the Poom Coom village in Mai Chau (home to a majority of the Thai people), we take a short walk to visit the ethnic Thai people before lunch is served. 


Around 1:00 PM, we take a short car ride for approximately one hour before we set off for our hike through the beauty of the Pu Luong nature reserve. The trek is on an intermediate level and requires some walking uphill but it is worth your effort, as we see many spectacular views of the villages and terraces.  

 

 We arrive at the Don village in the late afternoon at around 4.30 PM, where we check in the Pu Luong eco lodge - an incredible view of the rice terraces and the mountain range. You have some time to walk around the village of the Thai minority or take a swim in the swimming pool of the lodge. In the evening, have dinner at the lodge and spend your night here. Stay overnight in Don Village.

Distance: 7 km
Trail Difficulty: 3/5

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, all meals, water, and house on stilt at the lodge.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4

place Hieu Village

Waking up early today is recommended as your chance to witness more local activities in the morning. After having our breakfast, we leave by around 8.00 AM for our good hike ahead. More trek today through hidden gems of Pu Luong including beautiful view of valleys, nice terraces and peaceful villages. We stop for our picnic lunch then continue our trek through more villages to reach to Hieu village in the afternoon. Take rest as you wish then you are free to stroll around the village to interact with the locals and visit the beautiful waterfall nearby. Back to the homestay at around 5:00 PM for dinner and overnight at homestay. 


Trekking Distance: about 12 km (5 – 6 hours)

Trail Difficulty: 3/5


Inclusion: Guide, homestay, all meals

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5

place Hieu village – Nua village

Breakfast at the homestay, then at 8:00 AM, we take another day of village-to-village trekking, stop at different villages and meet with the locals to talk and learn more about them. Pause for lunch en route then following the local paths (possibly muddy ones) via rice paddies to our homestay at around 4:00 PM. On arrival to the local house, we take a rest, have a shower then have dinner with the family.


Trekking Distance: 10 -12 km (about 5-6 hours)

Trail Difficulty: 4 /5


Inclusion: Transfer, guide, homestay, entrance fee, all meals, permit

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6

place Nua village - Son village

This is our very hard day, we should leave our homestay at 7:00 AM or sooner, start our full day trek climbing uphills to Son village, through tropical forest, deeper into the Pu Luong Nature Reserve. Have picnic lunch on the way then we continue our trek passing through ethnic villages. We might end our day with a wonderful sunset in Son village (depends on your fitness and the weather) or we can get to the homestay in dark. Have dinner and overnight at our Thai homestay.


Trekking Distance: about 15 km 

Trail Difficulty: 3/5


Inclusion: Guide, homestay, all meals.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7

place Project in Son village

Project in Son village: This village is located in the altitude of more than 1000 m above the sea level, they do not always have enough water for their living, therefore in 2016, we have discussed with the locals and try to bring different groups to support with the water. 

We need to have some fund raising from our participants to buy materials and facilities to link water from far away to their village.

Project fund: minimum USD 1100/group



Inclusion: Guide, homestay, all meals.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8

place Project in Son village

Project in Son village: This village is located in the altitude of more than 1000 m above the sea level, they do not always have enough water for their living, therefore in 2016, we have discussed with the locals and try to bring different groups to support with the water. 

We need to have some fund raising from our participants to buy materials and facilities to link water from far away to their village.


Project fund: minimum USD 1100/group


Inclusion: Guide, homestay, all meals.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9

place Project in Son village

Project in Son village: This village is located in the altitude of more than 1000 m above the sea level, they do not always have enough water for their living, therefore in 2016, we have discussed with the locals and try to bring different groups to support with the water. 

We need to have some fund raising from our participants to buy materials and facilities to link water from far away to their village.


Project fund: minimum USD 1100/group



Inclusion: Guide, homestay, all meals.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10

place Project in Son village

Project in Son village: This village is located in the altitude of more than 1000 m above the sea level, they do not always have enough water for their living, therefore in 2016, we have discussed with the locals and try to bring different groups to support with the water. 

We need to have some fund raising from our participants to buy materials and facilities to link water from far away to their village.


Project fund: minimum USD 1100/group


Inclusion: Guide, homestay, all meals.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11

place Ton village - Hanoi

Breakfast is prepared by your guide then start trekking by 8:00 AM. Today we have an easy day with small ups and downs through rice paddies and the Pu Luong jungle. After about 2.5 hours we get to Ton village. Our driver will be waiting for us there to transfer us to Muong Khen town for lunch. We arrive back to Hanoi after a 4 hour drive. Stay overnight in Hanoi.

Trekking Distance: 5 km

Trail Difficulty: 2/5


Inclusion: Transfer, guide, breakfast, lunch, entrance fee, hotel.


Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 12

place Hanoi – Bai Tu Long Bay

The departure for Ha Long Bay is 8:00 AM (or around due to the traffic) in a shared van from your hotel. You arrive at the port at noon after an approximately 4-hour ride. You are taken to your cabin before our briefing of the trip. Have a fresh and local seafood lunch while you cruise to Bai Tu Long Bay. In between, we stop for a swim and visit a mysterious cave. Afterwards, you can relax at a secluded island-beach or explore the bay by kayaking. In the evening, have dinner and get the chance to enjoy the sunset. Stay overnight on the cruise.


Inclusion: Shuttle bus, guide on boat, entrance fees, kayak, boat/junk, lunch, dinner, permits.


Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13

place Bai Tu Long Bay – Hanoi

Early risers can enjoy the sunrise and the quiet, breath-taking beauty of the bay’s landscape. Breakfast is served around 8:00 AM, before we go on a short rowboat ride with the locals. Later on, you can take one more swim in the middle of the bay. There is ample time until the cabin check out at 11:45 AM. Lunch is served on the boat as we slowly cruise back to the harbor. After that, we drive back to Hanoi and arrive around 5:00 PM. Check in hotel and free at your leisure for dinner and stay overnight in Hanoi.


Inclusion: Shuttle bus, guide on boat, entrance fee, boat/junk, breakfast, lunch, hotel.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Lunch

Day 14

place Hanoi, departure.

On your last day, you have some breakfast at hotel and check out before 12:00 PM. Depending on your flight, you may have some time for shopping or for a last walk around the city. When it is time, you are taken to the Noi Bai international airport for your flight back home. Goodbye and we hope to see you again soon!


Inclusion: Breakfast, transfer drop off

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Meals expand_less

  • Breakfast (12)
  • Lunch (11)
  • Dinner (9)

About Moon

TEAM LEAD

verified Baboo Certified

Expertise: 

Indigenous culture

Visit markets

Meet local people

Hiking

Kayak & Canoe

Rafting

Rural home stays

Snorkeling/Diving

Culture & History

Cycling

Nature & Wildlife

Food & Culinary

Purposeful Travel

Water & Coastline

 With almost 20 years of establishment, Footprint Travel offer tours ranging from trekking over cycling to educational tours while dedicating our work to responsible travel to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Travel that Makes a Difference

By choosing to travel with us, you support local communities, wildlife, and the environment. We are dedicated to positively impacting the world through every journey we offer.

Let’s regenerate the planet together

We overcompensate your entire journey’s carbon footprint including flights - for free.

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FROM PRICE PER TRAVELER

$883.00 USD