located in Hoa Binh province in the northwest of Vietnam about 160 KM (99 miles) from Hanoi. The 3.5 hours drive from Hanoi by bus takes you passing wonderful limestone moutains, lush rice paddies, endless sugarcane plantations and small villages. This off-the-path destianation offer a wonderful combination of cultural immersion and pleasurable activities. Beautiful and peaceful Mai Chau is a place where the air is clean and fresh, the women are skilled by generations of silk wearing and naturally beautiful, a place where a simple and slower paced lifestyle is enviable . . . a perfect 2 days culture an trekking excursion!.
Nearly one thousand years ago, this place used to be the Capital of Grand Viet ruled by Dinh and Le Dynasty. In spite of many feudal and historical conflicts, Hoalu still preserved its heritages with many temples and pagodas. Your one day tour will be filled with legend and myth. Additionally, one thing that make this tour the most exiting is the boat trip through winding stream to visit Tam Coc (three grottoes) - regarded as "inland Halong Bay"
16 km north of Hanoi in Dong Anh district are the remains of the Co Loa citadel fortress. This was once the ancient capital of the Thuc Dynasty ruled by King An Duong Vuong from 257 to 208 B.C. The walls of the citadel have the ingenious structure of an oyster shell that allowed guards to sound an alert (using a conch shell) that could be amplified, heard anywhere within the city and in surrounding villages.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, its political and cultural center. Such a statement, however, cannot do justice to what Hanoi has been ¿ a city begat by mythology, inspired by legends, a survivor of countless violent struggles and political intrigues, sustained on patriotism, ideology and the willful independence of its people. This is a city that has experienced an eventful millennium.
Ha Long bay and Cat Ba Island are the two most beautiful seascapes in Viet Nam. Ha Long is an excellent example of a Karsts landscapes created by a complex chain of millions of years of geological movement. And Cat Ba Island, formerly named is The Pearl Island, is the largest one in Ha Long Bay vicinity, with 1354 square km of area.
