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North Vietnam Tour – Ban Gioc and Ba Be Lake

Highlights

  • Discover Vietnamese history at Chi Lang, the Mother’s Temple, Dong Khe and the Quy Mon Quan gate, both integral locations in the Vietnam war
  • Visit to meet the indigenous local people of the village Phoc Sen, which is on the border of China
  • Stay in a traditional Vietnamese house and have dinner with an indigenous local family
  • Adventure to Ba Be Lake and discover the fascinating wildlife that surrounds it
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2 Nights

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What you'll do

Overview

This tour will take you from the vast lakes and chalky karsts of Ba Be National Park to the wild and rugged landscapes of Cao Bang to visit the most spectacular Ban Gioc waterfall in Vietnam. You will travel through the remote areas in the north of Vietnam, brushing along the Chinese border and staying with local families to find out about the unique cultures and customs of Vietnam.

*From price based on travel for 2 people in 2024. For larger groups or solo travellers please enquire dire...Read All

Hanoi - Lang Son - Quang Uyen

Early morning your local guide will pick you up at your hotel, then you’ll transfer to Lang Son. You’ll head up towards the Vietnam and Chinese border. After about 3 hours, you’ll stopover at the historic Chi Lang – a 20-km-long structure formed between a narrow valley between two mountains. This place is associated with a great victory of Vietnam in the past and considered as the strongest citadel at the time. You have 1 hour to walk to explore and visit the “Quy...Read All

Cao Bang - Ban Gioc Wterfall - Ba Be Lake

After breakfast at the homestay, you will depart for Trung Khanh which lies on the border with China. Here you will have the chance to meet the Nung people in the village of Phuoc Sen, a mountainous village famous for its traditional blacksmith craft.

The farming tools made here are an integral part of the lifestyle which is evident in the surrounding rice paddies and fields. Nestled in amongst these amazing landscapes is the breathtaking Ban Gioc Waterfall which spans over 300 meters,...Read All

Ba Be Lake - Hanoi

Today you’ll spend the day exploring Ba Be Lake. As you float on the lake, you can relax on board, spot some wildlife  or if you need to cool off, jump into the cool waters for a refreshing swim!

You can take in the scenery of the surrounding karsts decorated with patches of wild vegetation and inhabited by all sorts of interesting creatures. The boat ride also takes you along the Nang River, with time to visit the caves of Puong Grotto where you can explore the stalactites and ...Read All

What's included

Included

  • Accommodation for nights 1 & 2, as mentioned in the itinerary
  • Meals mentioned in the itinerary
  • Local experienced guide
  • All sightseeing tickets

Accommodation

Mr Kim's Homestay (or similar)

Mr Kim’s Homestay is located in the green rice paddy fields of Phia Thắp Village, home to 50 families from the Nùng ethnic minority in Cao Bằng Province.

The traditional structure of Kim’s stilt house is still preserved, the first floor which used to be a cattle holding area has been extended to make a cozy living room with wooden tables and chairs. The well-organised second floor is where visitors sleep, each person will be provided with a mattress, pillow, mosquito net, lamp and an electricity socket.

Ba Be Jungle Houses (or similar)

Staying at Ba Be Jungle Resort you will have chance to unwind yourself with the nature and try the local organic specialties that cannot be seen elsewhere and made by Tay people. The resort is designed based on the rustic style of local communities houses.

Located only 200 kilometers from the bustling city of Hanoi yet a world different in terms of mood, Ba Be Jungle Houses is the ideal Northern Vietnam hideaway for anyone looking to get off the beaten path.

The resort has an infinity swimming pool and garden which can be enjoyed. A restaurant located on site which offers traditional Tay people cuisine which is produced using fresh local vegetables from markets, fields, and the lake. It is cooked over an open fire in the traditional manner.

Breakfast and dinner can be served on the balcony, which has stunning views on the legendary lake.

Your local host

Nguyen Tuan Linh

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born in Vietnam up in the rural areas of the tea country and growing up I developed a passion for the outdoors and just exploring the unexplored. I worked for my grandfather, in the rice fields in the Phu Tho province. And as I grew, so did my curiosity for the world, bringing the ambition of working to discover the world.

At 19, I took my first footsteps in following my dream, and travelled to Hanoi to study tourism at university and to learn English.

With a dream of becoming a professional tour guide, I continued studying tourism and spent three years working in the tourism industry as a tour guide for a number of travel companies in Hanoi. Responding to the travel aspira... Read All

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born in Vietnam up in the rural areas of the tea country and growing up I developed a passion for the outdoors and just exploring the unexplored. I worked for my grandfather, in the rice fields in the Phu Tho province. And as I grew, so did my curiosity for the world, bringing the ambition of working to discover the world.

At 19, I took my first footsteps in following my dream, and travelled to Hanoi to study tourism at university and to learn English.

With a dream of becoming a professional tour guide, I continued studying tourism and spent three years working in the tourism industry as a tour guide for a number of travel companies in Hanoi. Responding to the travel aspirations many international travellers seek, I sought out off-the-beaten-track places to show visitors, and approached many ethnic minority villages to arrange visits there too. I gained expertise in everything from giving travellers tips on how to get around the country, to itineraries ideal for business travellers.
The combination of volunteering, environmental protection and sustainable tourism development gave me the idea of forming my own tour company and have been doing this ever since.

What inspired you to work in travel? 

The one thing that sticks out as being the main inspiration has to be the country I grew up in, Vietnam.When I was working as a tour guide, I would ask people where they were going and it would always be the main tourists places. So I realised there was so much that people were not seeing and I wanted to change that.

I also love travelling myself, the people you meet, the stories you hear, and the things you learn are just fascinating. So I wanted to share this passion with others.

What makes your experiences special? 

Finding off the beaten path experiences has always been a passion of mine. I always make sure the experiences I offer are truly authentic, that you can’t find anywhere else.

All of our partners are local people living in and around the places that we visit. We make annual trips to all of our destinations to research and re-verify the quality of service provided, as well as spend time training and teaching the people how to best run accommodation and other services for visitors. When staying in luxury hotels, we always pick ones situated near nature, and the homestays we work with work exclusively through us, ensuring that we offer unique experiences through our partners that you can’t find with anyone else.

Nguyen Tuan Linh image

What our travellers are saying...

This trip was amazing. My friend and I really wanted to experience parts of Vietnam which weren’t the classic travelling destinations and tourist traps, and this did not disappoint. Your friendly guide drives you quite far north, but gives you the chance to have regular stops and experience some authentic food on the way. Both home-stays are great, with friendly hosts and very luxury accommodation, especially considering that they are in the mi

Jonty Stephenson

This was a fantastic tour and well worth the long journey to get to Ban Gioc. Our tour guide, Loi, was excellent and made the journey interesting with several impromptu stops for photographs, walking through isolated villages, rice fields etc. Loi was always willing to take group photos and help with any requests. The scenery was amazing and the stay at Ba Be lake was beautiful, loved the boat trip, too! We were a little concerned about "Homestay

Louise

This trip does NOT disappoint. It is a relatively far drive from Hanoi, so you're in the van for a while, but it was totally worth every single second. Staying in the incense village and Mr. Linh's homestay on Ba Be Lake were incredible. What really made the trip stand out was our awesome tour guide, Nhã, who spoke English wonderfully, was extremely knowledgeable, always offered to take pictures of us, and always made sure we were comfortable

Linda

I have just returned from a 3 day fun packed tour. It was more of a journey through local eyes. Great food with lots of local things to try. Homestay were very clean and comfy. Waterfall was amazing, Ba Be national park was spectacular. Boat trips, caves, kayaking, swimming and much much more. Loi our guide was very helpful, caring and informative about local culture. Well done everyone. Great fun!

Chris

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