Vietnam Hill Tribe holiday
| country: | Vietnam |
| location: | North Vietnam, Hill Tribes |
| trip type: | Moderate trekking holidays |
| departures: | We offer a complete tailormade service and this suggested sampled itinerary can be tailormade to suit your requirements |
| price: | From US $1605 (14 days) excluding flights, based on twin share accommodation in mid range hotels. We can arrange flights from the UK. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
After a brief visit to Vietnam’s capital city, this fourteen-day tour takes you on an odyssey through the rich variety of northern Vietnam’s many and varied ethnic minority communities. Most wear colourful traditional costumes and have distinct languages, buildings and lifestyles. Pu Luong, in a remote area south of Hanoi, has distinctive minority cultures and striking scenery.
Expect plenty of hiking because the more interesting and unspoilt villages are not accessible by road. Another feature of the tour is working with the villagers from time to time – there’s no better way to get close to the people and their cultures.
This tour offers rich rewards for seasoned travellers who want to escape the mundane in favour of braving the rigours of basic local food and accommodation in ethic minority dwellings. You’ll be leaving the comforts of soft beds, en-suite bathrooms, indulgent breakfasts and lavish meals far behind you. Instead, you might find yourself sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor with a hard pillow, eating what’s put in front of you, washing in cold water and using an ‘al fresco’ latrine.
What you get in return is an unforgettable experience of totally different cultures and lifestyles among colourful ethnic minorities. The privations of life in rarely-visited remote areas soon fade away in the presence of striking scenery, exotic flora and fauna, fascinating customs and traditions, and some of the friendliest people you could wish to meet. This isn’t a typical holiday – it’s a close encounter of a lifetime.
This tour is designed for travellers who want to delve deeper into real culture of a country. Consequently, although it might excite mature teenagers, it’s likely to be unsuitable for children. You’ll have complete freedom to modify the programme to suit your preferences and circumstances – head straight for the mountains and valleys and relax later at one of South China beaches or vice-versa, add more time to see the heritage sites of Vietnam, or whatever else takes your fancy. For those interested in a broader view of Indochina, you can include visits to Cambodia and/or Laos. Dates, durations of stay, activities and so on are up you - we design all our vacations individually, so you can have exactly what you want.
Best time to go: The best months for this tour are from October to December and from March to early May.
Expect plenty of hiking because the more interesting and unspoilt villages are not accessible by road. Another feature of the tour is working with the villagers from time to time – there’s no better way to get close to the people and their cultures.
This tour offers rich rewards for seasoned travellers who want to escape the mundane in favour of braving the rigours of basic local food and accommodation in ethic minority dwellings. You’ll be leaving the comforts of soft beds, en-suite bathrooms, indulgent breakfasts and lavish meals far behind you. Instead, you might find yourself sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor with a hard pillow, eating what’s put in front of you, washing in cold water and using an ‘al fresco’ latrine.
What you get in return is an unforgettable experience of totally different cultures and lifestyles among colourful ethnic minorities. The privations of life in rarely-visited remote areas soon fade away in the presence of striking scenery, exotic flora and fauna, fascinating customs and traditions, and some of the friendliest people you could wish to meet. This isn’t a typical holiday – it’s a close encounter of a lifetime.
This tour is designed for travellers who want to delve deeper into real culture of a country. Consequently, although it might excite mature teenagers, it’s likely to be unsuitable for children. You’ll have complete freedom to modify the programme to suit your preferences and circumstances – head straight for the mountains and valleys and relax later at one of South China beaches or vice-versa, add more time to see the heritage sites of Vietnam, or whatever else takes your fancy. For those interested in a broader view of Indochina, you can include visits to Cambodia and/or Laos. Dates, durations of stay, activities and so on are up you - we design all our vacations individually, so you can have exactly what you want.
Best time to go: The best months for this tour are from October to December and from March to early May.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival at Hanoi. Arriving at Noi Bai airport, you’ll be met & driven to your hotel. You’ll have time to relax before a welcome dinner at a good restaurant in a colonial building. In the evening, you’ll have tickets for a performance of traditional Water Puppetry. Overnight in Hanoi. |
| Day 2: | Hanoi/Lao Cai. You’ll have the whole day to explore Vietnam’s capital city. Your guide will take you to the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups in anticipation of your trip to Sapa. After lunch, you’ll call in at the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s Ho Tay (West) Lake. Board the 10 pm overnight sleeper train to Lao Cai. |
| Day 3: | Try the Tay ethnic minority’s lifestyle in Sapa. You’ll be met in the early morning and taken up into the mountains by jeep to Sapa, a small town perched on the mountainside opposite Mt. Fan Si Pan, Vietnam’s highest peak. After breakfast and a drive along a scenic valley to Ban Ho, a Tay ethnic minority village, you’ll meet some of the members of the hiking management board and ‘check-in’ to the stilt-house where you’ll spend the night. After lunch, you’ll hike to the Nave waterfall (swimming if the weather permits). In the evening, you’ll join some of the locals in the village’s communal house to listen to folk songs and watch the traditional dancing of Tay and Red Dzao people to music played on the community’s vernacular musical instruments. |
| Day 4: | Sapa. A 6km route developed by local residents takes you through bamboo thickets along the mountainside to Jumping Fish waterfall. After lunch, you’ll be able to join in some traditional sports such as archery, one-legged racing, and tug-of-war, visit another H’mong ethnic minority village and plant a tree as a contribution to the re-forestation of the area. In the evening, you’ll probably find the householder will be eager to learn some simple English sentences from you! In return, liberal amounts of rice ‘wine’ will help you to acquire some of the H’mong language. |
| Day 5: | Sapa/Hanoi. After breakfast, you’ll plant a tree to contribute to the re-forestation of the area, help with painting the local school, or whatever else needs to be done. After lunch, you’ll return to Sapa, and thence to Lao Cai to shower and freshen-up before boarding the sleeper train to Hanoi. |
| Day 6: | Hanoi free. Arrive in Hanoi station in the early morning; our representative will take you to your hotel, then the day will be your own to unwind. Overnight in Hanoi. |
| Day 7: | Hanoi/Mai Chau/Pu Luong (Sai Village). You’ll drive to Mai Chau, passing mountainous landscapes, then you’ll have lunch in a stilt house in Lac village, the home of a Thai ethnic minority group. After lunch, you can wander around the houses to see the daily life of local people. They specialise in weaving brocade products, and are happy to show visitors their skills. The village is operated as a community co-operative, set up by the people themselves. You’ll then drive a further 15km to board a sampan on the Ma River, stopping en-route to visit some ethnic minority villages. Later, you’ll dock and hike to Sai Village where you’ll spend the night in the stilt house. |
| Day 8: | Pu Luong (hiking to ethnic minority villages). 3 hour hike to Hang Village, a Thai ethnic minority community where you can stroll, visit local families and meet in their stilt house for a cup of green tea. Your route will take you to Eo Ken village to have lunch, prepared by a local family. After lunch, you’ll be taken by a land-cruiser for one more hour, then continue your hike down a slope to reach Kho Muong Village where your bathroom will be a natural stream. You’ll spend the night with a local family who will be your host in a traditional house built on stilts. |
| Day 9: | Pu Luong (hiking continues). After an early breakfast, you’ll explore a large limestone cave near the village. Your guide will be on hand to see all goes smoothly - the cave is worth the effort! From there, you’ll continue through the forest, passing thorough villages on the way with a picnic lunch en route. Your dinner and overnight stay will be in a stilt house. |
| Day 10: | Pu Luong/Thanh Hoa/Hanoi. This morning, you’ll visit a local market & see the local people going about their business. On the way to lunch, you’ll see the remarkable water wheels of Muong people. After eating, a ferry crossing over the Ma River and a short walk takes you to Cam Thuy’s ‘Sacred Fish Stream’. Not only will you see these obliging fish in a shallow stream, but also be able to paddle among them! Then it’s back to Hanoi, arriving in the late afternoon. |
| Day 11: | Hanoi/Da Nang/Hoi An. Morning flight to Danang. Upon arrival, you’ll have a brief look at the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum before leaving for Hoi An. After lunch, you’ll have a guided visit of the Ancient Town. Overnight in Hoi An. |
| Day 12: | Hoi An rural life. After breakfast, you’ll cycle through the rural scenery of Hoi An to a small village located on the banks of the Tra Que lagoon, 3km northeast of the old town. You’ll join local people in their daily work of planting and watering vegetables before returning to the old town to learn how to make simple silk lanterns at a local house & view the complex process of creating Hoi An-style lanterns. Your lunch will be prepared and served by the family. Your afternoon will be free. Overnight in Hoi An. |
| Day 13: | Hoi An free. The day will be free for strolling in the town, lazing on the beach, or whatever takes your fancy. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An. |
| Day 14: | Departure. After breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
 To deepen the experience, we encourage travellers to engage in voluntary activities – tree-planting, working on on-going projects, helping older school children with their English lessons and so on. Wherever possible, we generate income for people living in poor areas by using local materials, transport, food and guides and paying directly to the individuals concerned rather than intermediaries. Our members of staff visit the destinations from time to time to look for new opportunities to benefit families and communities. We also provide advance information about the areas and peoples featured in the itinerary with particular emphasis to raise awareness of the need for environmental protection and cultural conservation. To assist in a practical way, we are developing a scheme to persuade clients to make donations to under-funded small-scale projects. This tour fits our philosophy admirably. It’s a means of alleviating poverty, conserving our indigenous culture, protecting the natural environment and, at the same time, providing our customers with an unforgettable holiday. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |