An Adventure in Northern and Central Vietnam
Vietnam
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Apr 2 - Apr 22, 2025
We had a very diverse adventure that started in Hanoi for a few days and then proceeded to Ba Be, Cao Bang, and Lang Son. Victor Tran was our guide for the north along with a very careful driver. Victor did is best to be flexible and do what we wanted to do and provided significant insights into the culture. We did an outing to a tea farm, cooking and walking and visited the street food scene in Hanoi along with the Temple of Literature and a general tour of Hanoi. This leg required a lot of time in the car to reach remote areas but the landscape with the karst mountains was amazing sometimes hidden in the mist and a bit of rain. Driving to Ba Be and doing an outing on the lake in the same day meant that the outing was limited since we got a bit of a late start. The Ban Gioc Waterfalls were enjoyable, and we considered the Nui Thung- God eye Mountain very impressive and should not be missed. We were less impressed with Lang Son though the hotel was very nice. One of the highlights of the trip was the Dragon Legend Cruise on Bai Tu Long Bay with cruising the iconic limestone islands, kayaking, beach lunch and visit to the floating village. The boat, rooms and food were superb. The visit to Ninh Binh, though it is a very tourist-oriented town, the boat trips through the caves and hills was pleasurable and the LeClos Du Fil hotel was excellent. Also, the Cuc Phuong park was steamy but the visit to the primate center was memorable. From there we proceeded by air to Phong Nha to visit the amazing cave there, another very memorable experience along with a walk in the Botanic Garden with waterfall. Hue and the Imperial City tour, Tu Doc Royal Tomb, lagoon visit and staying at the incredible Ancient Hue Garden Houses hotel. The last stop was Hoi An, exploring the city, visit to My Son and the incredible dance group performance. All the guides were great, some better than other but very professional and very knowledgeable.
Hotel Reviews
Very comfortable hotel with great service by the staff, excellent location
Huge rooms, great location on the lake, very helpful staff with a homy atmosphere.
The room was fine but the overall service was not very professional. The location was great
The boat was beautiful and in good condition, very comfortable. The rooms were exceptional for a boat, very roomy. The food was great and the outings were very interesting and the staff and guides were professional
Very nice comfortable hotel with a pool and nice restaurant in a good location.
This is an exceptional hotel, with incredible rooms in the traditional style, landscaping was beautiful, pool was great, staff were very professional and helpful. The restaurant was exceptional. A very memorable experience to stay here.
The room was spacious, the ground were beautifully landscaped. The restaurant was not that interesting. The service was not at the same level of other hotels. The pool water was a bit green. The location is half way between Hoi An and the beach so a bit far from the city center.