Summary

Hiking and Trekking in Vietnam

Despite the huge variety of facilities and methods of transport available to the modern day traveller, in the end, there is nothing to beat the oldest travel method of all - walking!

Whether that means strolling around the old Quarter in Hanoi or reaching some hill tribe village after trekking through dense rainforest and crossing mountain paths, there is a great satisfaction to having done it under your own steam. And there are some places that can only be reached on foot.

Vietnam offers innumerable opportunities for hiking and trekking, whether it be in the highlands of the north, the fertile plateau of the Central Highlands, or the flat wetlands of the Mekong Delta in the south.

The highlands of north-west Vietnam are real hiking territory. You can get out among the hill tribe villages and meet the various ethnic minorities. The Mai Chau valley is one good starting point. From here you can trek to H'mong minority villages such as Sa Linh, then on through tropical rain forest, using the local tracks to reach the Thai area where you can spend the night in a typical Thai stilt house. Next, you can walk on towards Mai Chau town which is surrounded by picturesque Thai villages.

The more energetic, may choose to tackle Phan Xi Pang or Mount Fansipan, Vietnam's highest mountain, dubbed "the Roof of Indochina". The trek begins in the town of Sapa from where you walk among the hill villages, home to the H'mong people. The mountain here is covered in forest and most treks climb to 1,650 metres before pitching tents and enjoying a meal around the camp fire.

The next day is the most strenuous as you continue to the summit. A lunch break at 2,220m allows you the chance to look back at the breathtaking views of the Sapa valley before climbing to 2,900m and another overnight stop. The third day takes you through bamboo forest to the Pahan Si Pan Summit at 3,143m. It is a strenuous climb, but worth the effort to find yourself standing on the roof of IndoChina.

In the Central Highlands, the Ba Na region around Kon Tum offers ideal hiking. You can pass through cassava and sugar plantations and have dinner in a communal village house, known as a Rong. You can the nearby Lak Lake and perhaps give your legs a rest by taking a short elephant ride then spend the night in a traditional longhouse.

The Mekong Delta, too is full of minority villages and waterways, but the land here is much more flat, allowing for more sedate hiking. You can visit the many floating markets, ethnic villages, farm lands etc.

Around Ho Chi Minh City are many reminders of the Vietnam War, most of which can be reached by foot for those interested in this period of history. One memorable site is the 75-mile long complex of tunnels at Củ Chi which has been preserved and turned into a war memorial park.

The most popular trekking, hiking package tours in Vietnam are jungle trekking, mountain hiking, countryside hitch-hiking, walking, rambling adventures; The most wanted destinations for trekking, hiking are located in the North Vietnam such as Sapa, Mai Chau, Hoa Binh, Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Ha Giang. The central highland including Dalat, Kon Tum, Pleiku, Dak Lak can also be good places for short trekking, hiking tour.

Althrough the non-stop growth of our business, our mission remains unchanged - to customize high quality jungle trekking, mountain hiking, countryside hitch-hiking, walking, rambling tours at low cost for those who like discovering the real and authentic Vietnam.

Here we have only given a few suggestions for hiking and trekking in Vietnam. The possibilities are limitless.

* GTT Vietnam Hiking & Trekking Tour Package

Detailed Itinerary

Itinerary in brief
Day 1: HA NOI - ARRIVAL 
Day 2: HA NOI - CHO RA - BA BE
Day 3: BA BE - CAO BANG
Day 4: CAO BANG - MO SAT
Day 5: MO SAT - NA CHAO
Day 6: NA CHAO - SOC GIANG - CAO BANG
Day 7: CAO BANG - DONG KHE - PAC HOAN
Day 8: PAC HOAN - COC XA - NA BAN
Day 9: NA BAN - THAT KHE - LANG SON
Day 10: LANG SON - HA LONG
Day 11: HA LONG
Day 12: HA LONG - CAT BA
Day 13: CAT BA - HAI PHONG - HA NOI
Day 14: HA NOI - PERFUME PAGODA - NINH BINH
Day 15: NINH BINH - TAM COC - BICH DONG - HOA LU
DAY 16: HOA LU - PHAT DIEM - HANOI
DAY 17: HA NOI - DEPARTURE

Detail Itinerary

Day 1: HA NOI - ARRIVAL
Arriving at Noi Bai airport. Transfer to hotel. Visit Hanoi "The city situated on the side of Red river ." Walk in the residential district where was the Presidential Palace, the house and the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the One-Pillar pagoda. Next, we will visit the museum of ethnology, Quan Thanh temple and Tran Quoc pagoda established by the West lake, the temple of literature (the first university of Vietnam in the 11th century) and Ngoc Son temple. In the late afternoon, we go by cyclo in the old quarter. Have lunch and dinner in city. In the evening: water puppet show. Night at hotel.

Day 2: HA NOI - CHO RA - BA BE
Departure for Ba Be, passing through the mountainous region of Tonkin . There are superb landscapes with the rice fields in terrace, the paddle wheels in bamboo on the two sides of the river. Have lunch on road. Upon arrival at Cho Ra, take a boat on Nang river that slips in a cultivated country before penetrating in a landscape of chalky cliffs whose flank are characterised by small wild gardens, where hang the lianas and its long roots in quest of earth. Sometimes, the jungle, the purple canes, the silver spindly marbled trunks and the old trees bending their twist above the river swallow some earthy mounds. In the other view, it is the spectacle of fishing. The lobster pots stake out the course of river, some men throw the sparrow hawk, and others hit the rocky banks to dislodge some of lower-case shrimps. Then we enter into the Puong Cave . The river flows, making up a wonderful site where you can enjoy the stalactites on foot of this pothole. We continue going by boat to Pac Ngoi- a village of Tay ethnic situated no far from the lake on the flank of hills. The Tay lives on fishing, rice and corn cultivation. Their stilt houses with the thatched roofs disperse in the austere surrounding landscapes. Have dinner and overnight at the inhabitant.

Day 3: BA BE - CAO BANG
We take a boat in the fairy decor of Ba Be lake; "the lake of three seas" that stretches on 9 km long and from 100 to 1800 m large, at altitude of 145 m. It is located at the outlet of 3 valleys that join together in bow of circle. Ba Be is not only a site for the imaginative, but also for the nature lovers. About over forty pieces of mammal live there, as well as hundred pieces of bird and butterflies. You can visit Dau Dang cascade, a village of the Dao ethnic. Then, we leave for Cao Bang, a small city at the extremity northwest of the country. Arrive and dinner in city. Night at hotel

Day 4: CAO BANG - MO SAT
Departure from city to the northwest. Following the itinerary, we turn left to go along the track of Thong Nong. A six hours trek to get to Mo Sat village of Tay , through the narrow small valleys, go round some skywards slim peaks. Here we have an opportunity to pass through the suspended bridge that was made of bamboo to make contact with the Tay villagers and see them working on their rice fields in terrace. At noon: Picnic. Dinner and night at the inhabitant

Day 5: MO SAT - NA CHAO
A six hours trek from the Mo Sat village to the Na Chao village of the Tay . We go back up toward the frontier with ChinaTay while running along the track edged by stream to the superb wild mountainous landscapes with the rice fields in terrace and the paddle wheels in bamboo on the two sides of river. Then the path abandon very quickly to the well organised world of and to the dispersed isolated houses of the Dao. Their low houses are constructed in the land that they reclaim and cultivate on the burnt land. A short stops to visit a village of the Dao. At noon: Picnic. Dinner and overnight at the inhabitant

Day 6: NA CHAO - SOC GIANG - CAO BANG
A trek for one hour from Na Chao to Soc Giang. Visit a typical market, where the Tay and Nung women come with conical hats, black trousers and blue or red short tunics, the black Hmong in indigoes. This market takes place on every fifth day of the lunar calendar. Then walking in one hour to the Chinese frontier. Then, we take our minibus to the Pac Bo grotto, one of the most historical sites where the uncle Ho stayed over years. Return to Cao Bang. Dinner and night at hotel

Day 7: CAO BANG - DONG KHE - PAC HOAN
The run is characterised by its beauty. It is a continuation and combination of the mountains, the hills and the thick forests. This road is famous for its name RC4 - Colonial Road number 4 which implies the several fighting between French and Vietminh in the 1950s at the time of the frontier battle. After arriving in Dong Khe, we have lunch and continue to Pac Hoan village of Nung . Dinner and night at the inhabitant

Day 8: PAC HOAN - COC XA - NA BAN
A six hours trek from Pac Hoan to Na Ban a village of the Tay . Following our itinerary, we will explore the tracers of the colonial attendance that now became rare. Outsides, in the small flap of the Dao - Coc Xa where 5 000 French legionnaires had been killed by the Viet Minh, during the time of the frontier war. We Continue going to Na Ban. Dinner and night at the inhabitant

Day 9: NA BAN - THAT KHE - LANG SON
A five hours trek from Na Ban to That Khe with the superb karstic landscapes and the culture of corn, cassava, rice. After lunch, we leave for Lang Son by bus, then continuing on the same road that lead up to the valley and runs along Ky Cung clinching, which is the continuation of the Canton river . You will see the beautiful perspective on the river and the surrounding rocky peaks. Dinner and overnight in Lang Son

Day 10: LANG SON - HA LONG
Lang Son, a small dynamic city that was went trough a disaster in 1979; it woke up in the beginning of the year 90 with the reopening policies of trade between China and Viet Nam . In the early morning, we visit Dong Kinh central market, Tam Thanh grotto. Then, depart for Halong. The road is very nice with the beautiful mountainous landscapes and the coasts of Tonkin gulf. On arrival in Halong, check in Tuan Chau bungalow. Tuan Chau island has a surface of 3 square km and populated by 1200 fishers. At an ideal location, the hotel is composed of three villas that were constructed during the year of 1960s to receive Ho Chi Minh. Today, the High Dignitary Families of the Communist Party often come again to spend their weekends and vacation there. The hotel has a very beautiful view on the bay. It is really a privileged place that doesn't normally available for tourists, my personal relations with the Director Board of hotel, will enable you to enjoy it. In the afternoon, take a walk to a fishing village. Have lunch and dinner with seafood. Night in the bungalow.

Day 11: HA LONG
If Hanoi was Thang Long, "Ascending Dragon", the Halong bay, "Descending Dragon". This name is originated from a legend explaining the present of its rocky peaks that are the remains from a fierce battle of a great dragon. The fantastic peaks cutting the horizon in bluish teeth or sunken mountains which emerge only their summits, caves and grottoes where the streams disappear, game of mists and clouds. The most typical is that these peaks with the strange shapes seem floating on the surface of water and here the silence of this spreads sea dominates everywhere, sometimes broken by the scream of a sea bird. Take a private boat, and cruise all day on the bay. Have lunch and dinner with fresh seafood. Night on board.

Day 12: HA LONG - CAT BA
We continue cruising to Cat Ba island. You will discover Cat Ba national park that includes humid forests, inshore mangrove swamps, numerous small fresh water lakes, sandy beaches and reefs of beautiful coral. It is the home for 28 pieces of mammal, 37 pieces of bird, 20 pieces of reptile and 200 pieces of fish. There you will find a rare tree "stick tree". It is named following its wood, which is reactive with the poisonous foods and often used to manufacture the sticks utilized in the court. Lunch and dinner with fresh seafood. Night at hotel

Day 13: CAT BA - HAI PHONG - HA NOI
You can visit a fishing village, the market of fish. But especially, you will have an impressive memory of Cat Ba with the lifestyle of its local fishers and the magnificent sites. Embarking on a hydroplane for one hour journey to Hai Phong. Discover Hai Phong, the city with French colonial style is very famous for its streets and avenues edged by flaming. Then we visit Du Hang pagoda, Hang Kenh Communal House. Return to Ha Noi. Night at hotel

Day 14: HA NOI - PERFUME PAGODA - NINH BINH
Departure for the Perfume pagoda, one of the most beautiful sites of Vietnam . The pagodas and temples are perched on the flank of chalky mountain whose architecture integrates perfectly with avery lush nature. Take a sampan which drive you on the Yen river to the root of the Perfume mountain, but according to the rules of pilgrimage, a stopover should be made at the Trinh temple to ask the Genius -guardian permission to pursue our journey. Then you will need a 3 hours round-trip to climb up to the Huong Tich pagoda, an immense cave where stalactites and stalagmites form candelabra and altars. Have lunch there. We leave for Ninh Binh, crossing the superb landscapes of mountain filled with tea trees. Dinner and night at hotel

Day 15: NINH BINH - TAM COC - BICH DONG - HOA LU
Departure for Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century. Visit the commemorative temple dedicated to Dinh and Le kings. Have lunch at Tam Coc. An excursion by boat on the Ngo Dong river that snakes between the hills and the rice fields in a marvellous landscape, often called "Ha Long on land". Visiting Bich Dong pagoda situated on the flank of hills. Dinner and night at hotel.

DAY 16: HOA LU - PHAT DIEM - HANOI
Take a light trek in surrounding villages of Tam Coc for 4 hours. After lunch, we depart for Phat Diem, one of the most beautiful cathedrals of Vietnam which was constructed in 1891. It is very remarkable by its material (marble, granite and wood). Return to Hanoi . Night at hotel

Departure & Price

INCLUDING
+ Transportation in private air-conditioned vehicle with driver in delta and local transport in mountain
+ Accommodation: twin sharing room at mentioned hotels, guesthouses or similar one and home stay during the trek or tent
+ English or French speaking guide and local guide for trekking
+ Meals as mentioned:B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner
+ Train ticket ( soft sleeper cabin for 4 passengers)
+ Entrance fee to indicated sights
+ Permit and porter for trekking
+ Sleeping bag and mattresses
+ Waterproof bluebag for luggage
+ Tents if needed
+ Mosquito net
+ Water puppet show
+ Cyclo trip
+ Boat trip
+ Motorbike
+ Water, Fruit and Snack (3L/ pax/ day)
+ Equipment

NOT INCLUDING
+ Other meals
+ tip
+ drinks
+ airport tax
+ single room supplement
+ personal expenses
+ travel insurance
+ visa
+ flight in/ out of Vietnam
+ any optional additional tours or activities during free time
+ surcharge for peak season
+ local holiday days and gala dinner (X’mas, New Year & Tet “Lunar New Year”)

We turn what you have in mind into fabulous experience!
You might have decided a specific plan to visit Vietnam and countries around. Now, you need a trustworthy tour operator to review, optimize and carry out this plan. As a tailor-made tour operator specializing in Vietnam and countries of Indochina (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and/or countries around), we are confident that Green Trail Tours will be your best choice. Because no other company puts more efforts in every detail of your personal requirement than we do. Our service guarantees not only a smooth journey but also an enjoyable experience belonging to you and yours. (more about us)

Travel facts

Green Trail Tours - Traveller Tips for Vietnam

GEOGRAPHY: Vietnam stretches over 1600 km.along the eastern coast of the IndochinaPeninsula. The S-shaped country is broad in the north and south and very narrow in the centre. Almost 80% of Vietnam consists of mountains and hills. The TruongSonMountains extend almost the length of Vietnam along the borders with Laos and Cambodia.

VISAS: All visitors are required to have a valid visa to enter Vietnam. A one-month tourist visa is usually sufficient for most visitors though it is possible to arrange 3-month and 6-month multiple entry visas for regular visitors. All visitors must obtain visa approval from the Vietnamese Immigration Department before a visa is issued.

MONEY: The currency issued by the Vietnam State Bank is the dong (abbreviated "d" or VND) which is used informally throughout the country. Bank notes in denominations of 200d to 100,000d are presently in circulation. The exchange rate is approximately 18,000d = US$1. Australia Dollars are accepted in many hotels, restaurants. Banks are open Monday to Friday and some are open Saturday morning. Traveller's cheques can be exchanged at banks, some international hotel and some exchange bureaux but can be difficult to change outside of the major cities. Visa Card and MasterCard are now accepted in many hotels, restaurants and shops.

ELECTRICITY: Electric current in Vietnam is 220 volts and will operate all Australian appliances. Always carry a torch with fresh batteries. Recharge photographic batteries regularly.

CLOTHING: Comfortable lightweight clothing in natural fabrics such as cotton is most suitable for travelling in Vietnam. The dress code is fairly casual as in most parts of the tropics but it is advisable to cover arms and legs in the evenings against biting insects. A lightweight raincoat is a good idea in the rainy season. During the winter months warm clothing is needed for visiting the north of Vietnam. Visitors to Buddhist countries should not wear shorts, short skirts or other skimpy clothing when visiting religious buildings and shoes should be removed before entering a private home

CLIMATE / WEATHER: Vietnam’s weather conditions are pleasant for visitors throughout the year. The WINTER monsoon comes from the northeast between October and March with wet chilly conditions in the north, but dry warm temperatures to the south. From April to October the southwest monsoons bring warm, humid weather to the whole country.

LANGUAGE: Because Vietnamese has six different tones, it is a difficult language for most foreigners to speak despite the fact that the Roman alphabet is used in modern Vietnamese. The same word can have six different meanings depending on the tone used to pronounce it. In the cities and larger towns English is becoming popular and is now spoken by many younger people while some of the older generation still speak fluent French. Russian and Chinese are also spoken by some people

ACCOMMODATION: All group tour hotels have been especially selected. All have private western bathroom facilities. Laundry service can launder clothing within 24 hours. It is not customary for all hotels to have refrigerator and tea/coffee facilities.

FOOD / DRINK: The cuisine of Vietnam comes as a pleasant surprise to many visitors and is definitely a part of the Vietnam experience not to be missed. One of the characteristics of Vietnamese food is that it is always fresh being bought the same morning straight from the market. Food is usually prepared with a minimum of oil and served with the ubiquitous fish sauce called nuoc mam. Typical Vietnamese dishes you can expect to try include pho, a type of rice noodle soup eaten for breakfast, cha gio, deep-fried spring rolls and goi ngo sen, a delicious salad made with lotus stems, shrimps and peanuts. Due to the strong Buddhist influence in Vietnam, vegetarian food is widely available.

SHOPPING: Souvenirs to look out for in Vietnam include lacquerware, silk, conical hats, woodcarvings, hill tribe fabrics and handicrafts, embroidery, marble, ceramics, silver jewellery, antique watches and paintings. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have the best choice when it comes to shopping but Hoi An in the centre of Vietnam is also a very good place to hunt for bargains.

TOILETS: Public toilets can sometimes be difficult to find. Take every opportunity you can to use clean toilets in hotels and restaurants. Make this a habit on your stay.

HEALTH: Consult your medico or visit the Traveller Medical and Vaccination Centre for professional medical advice well in advance of your departure, Wash hands before and after eating. Carry ‘wet-ones’,anti bacterial handwash, insect repellant, band aids and emergency medicines eg. Diarrhoea. Drink plenty of water and have adequate rest. Seek medical care, if needed. Don’t take risks with health and personal hygiene.

SAFETY / SECURITY: Always maintain a high level of personal security. Cash or wallets in pockets, obvious jewellery and open bags attract unwanted attention. Beware of pickpockets in crowded places. Lock your case, Carry a hotel card so that taxis know where to take you.

LUGGAGE: All passengers are limited to TWO items of luggage each. One case with maximum weight weight of 20 kg. and maximum size of 70 litres. It is essential to lock this case. One piece of hand luggage with maximum weight of 5 kg. It is advisable that hand luggage consist of a ‘daypack’ to carry camera, water, toilet paper, umbrella, hat etc.

TIPPING: Tipping for good service is not expected but is always appreciated in these developing nations. It is customary, though not compulsory, to tip tour guides and drivers at the end of a tour. Hotel and station porters should also be tipped.

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