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This 4 week tour gives you the opportunity to experience the wonders of travelling in Vietnam and enjoy the rewards of volunteering in just one trip. Spend 2 weeks absorbing the culture of Vietnam from the bustling capital city of Hanoi, to secluded hamlets in the rice paddies of Mai Chau. Trekking will allow you to take in the breathtaking scenery of the Vietnam countryside while days in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh will give you a chance to see the architectural splendour that the country’s unique history has created.
For your volunteer project; as we have such a wide variety of projects in Vietnam and we know that people have different tastes, you can chose which one of our projects you would like to work with for the volunteering portion of the tour. Click on the link below to view which projects you can choose from in Vietnam.
Volunteer Projects in Vietnam
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Project Facts
• Duration: 28 Days
• Cost: £1899 + cost of chosen volunteer project*
• Requirements: 18+
• Location: Hanoi, Ha Long, Mai Chu, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City
• Tour Activities: Tours of Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City, Trekking, Overnight on boat in Ha Long
• Working hours during volunteer project: varies according to which project you choose
• Project Availability: Weekly start dates all year round. This project runs with a minimum of 2 participants. The price set is per person for a group of 2 or more.
* If you choose the Wildlife Rescue Centre for your volunteer project, we will subtract £55 ($95) from your total fee to account for the flight between Saigon and Hanoi
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What is included
• Accommodation: 2 Star hotels and home stays. Rooms are twin share
• Food: as detailed in itinerary
• Airport pick up
• Training: Vietnamese lesson with English – Vietnamese phrasebook
• English speaking local guides as outlined in itinerary
• Transfers/Transportation as mentioned in itinerary
• Support: 24 hour on the ground support
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What is not included
• Flights
• Visas
• Insurance
• Airport drop-off
• Any excursions over and above your itinerary
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Hanoi
For the first few days, your base will be Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, often described as the most beautiful city in Asia. Day 4 will include a tour of the vibrant city, lunch in a restaurant, and a Vietnamese lesson to equip you with an understanding of the language and some basic phrases.
Ha Long
Spend a night on a cruise in this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site. Experience a unique night sleeping on board the boat in twin share cabins (en suite), aboard a air-conditioned wooden ‘Junk’, a traditional Asian design of boat. Enjoy kayaking (for an additional charge), visit one of the impressive caves, and even engage in some night fishing on a shared boat. Rise to the tranquil beauty of the bay and enjoy breakfast before a swim, or more kayaking, in the beautiful surrounding lagoons and small bays. After lunch you will be driven back to the bustling hub of Hanoi
Mai Chau (Sa Linh, Hang Kai, Van, Khoe)
After breakfast on Day 5, you’ll begin the journey to Mai Chau, 4 hours west of Hanoi. After enjoying lunch in a traditional stilt house, you’ll be tken to Sa Linh village to begin trekking. After about 2.5 hours of trekking to Hang Kai village, you’ll overnight in a traditional Hmong family long house. Here there are basic shared sleeping facilities and Asian toilets. The shower is a standard scoop from the well.
Day 6 will truly take you off the beaten track as you trek through tropical rain forest, using the local paths and passing through cornfields, descending into Mai Chau Valley. The trek usually takes around 5.5 hours and is mostly flat. Lunch will be provided en route. You will arrive at Van village in the late afternoon and will have time to walk around this charming little village, enabling you to gain a little more understanding about how the people live. The village is home to the Thai people; tonight you will be able to sample some of their homemade rice wine!
On Day 7 you will trek some more, passing through several Thai hamlets, including a 2 hours of walking on the valley floor, surrounded by rice paddies and spectacular scenery. At the small village of Khoe, you will meet up with our waiting vehicle and drive back to Mai Chau. Lunch is again provided in Mai Chau where you will have the chance to do some souvenir shopping before returning to Hanoi.
Hue
Day 8 will see your arrival in Hue, after the overnight sleeper train from Hanoi (4 berth cabins, approx, 12 hours). Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Check into the hotel and freshen up. In the afternoon, you will have a tour of the city and visit the main cultural landmarks of Hue, including the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda and, if time permits, one of the late Emperor’s Tombs. A local guide will be sure to show you all the hotspots, before your overnight in a hotel.
Hoi An
Day 9 will involve the 4 hour road journey to Hoi An, accompanied by a local guide. The morning of day 10 will feature a walking tour of Hoi An’s ancient town, before an afternoon of leisure, allowing you to shop, visit the local market or cycle to the beach.
Ho Chi Minh City
Day 11 brings a transfer to Danang airport for the short flight to Ho Chi Minh City. A local guide will pick you up on arrival and escort you to your hotel in the city centre, before an afternoon of leisure. Days 12 and 13 leave you free to explore the city, known as the ‘Diamond of the Far East’, with options to visit the Cu Chi tunnel or take a trip to the Mekong Delta, before flying back to Hanoi on day 14.
