HANOI/HO CHI MINH CITY – DIEN BIEN PHU HISTORICAL LAND – ETHNIC HOMESTAY EXPERIENCES
 (4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS)
 

TOUR ITINERARY:
 
DAY 1 | HANOI/HO CHI MINH CITY – DIEN BIEN PHU CITY (MEALS: LUNCH, DINNER)

Landing at the Dien Bien Phu Airport, you are welcomed by professional tour guide and driver at the pickup lobby. Enjoy 10-minute driving to the city center with province's briefing information about the most visited spots, culture, traffic and security....
Arrive in your hotel, check in, have your delicious lunch and take a short rest.

Afternoon:
The car takes you to visit the historical relics:
You will visit the golden stone steles that display the names of outstanding VIETNAMESE FALLEN SOLDIERS, followed by a visit around The graveyard (Cemetery) where these brave men rest eternally. 
Next, you will be transferred to Dien Bien Phu History Museum, where various items and pictures from the French war are on display.The itinerary continues with a visit to Hill A1 (Elian 2), one of the five crucial hills that played a role in protecting the French headquarters.
Finally, you will cross a wooden bridge named Bailey, built in 1953 for infantry and tanks to cross over, then move to visit De Castries' bunker known as French PC GONO Command Post.
Dinner at Thai ethnic village.
In the evening we will have the opportunity to enjoy the dancing show from ethnic Thais who have inhabited this area for centuries. Much of their lifestyle and traditions have remained unchanged over the years, providing an extremely unique experience for all visitors. In this show, the daily life, culture and belief of Thai people are described by the dancing act as singing, Sap skipping, and dancing performed by local teams (th show at your own expense).
Overnight at the hotel.
 
DAY 2 | DIEN BIEN PHU CITY – PHA DIN PASS – MONG VILLAGE (MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER)

06h30: Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Pha Din Pass. Enjoy 2-hour drive from Dien Bien to Tuan Giao. Your journey will pass (passing the most beautiful landscape of valleys and quiet areas) the series of villages and rice fields in mountainous area.
Upon arrival, we will make a short break on the high pass along the route (as you wish) where we can seat and drink coffee, soft drinks, especially being immersed in a sea of floating clouds down the valley (It is possible for there no clouds in someday), breathe the atmosphere and take photographs.
Arrive at Tuan Giao town. Continue your journey to Pha Din Pass. Stop at the scenic check-in area named ​​Pha Din Windy to watch the colorful flowers blooming on the hillside.
Free at leisure for relaxing, then having lunch in a restaurant. We will continue our trip to the top of Pha Din Pass with an altitude of nearly 1650m above sea level. It stands for one of the four great passes in Northwest Vietnam.
Pha Din, in the local language, means “Heaven and Earth.” Accompanied by local legend, Pha Din Pass is the place where the sky meets the earth, so it is considered as the frontier between “Heaven and Earth.”
At this altitude, there is a memorial plaque atop Pha Din Pass stands as a testament to the historic ordeal that emerged as a vital lifeline for transporting weaponry, ammunition, and provisions for Vietnamese forces during the Dien Bien Phu campaign (1954). In 1954, to halt this supply route, the French conducted relentless air raids on National Road 6, targeting key locations including Pha Din Pass and the Co Noi intersection. Over 48 days and nights, these strategic areas bore the brunt of relentless barrages.

A sign of local peole who are in food of tree harvesting
We will continue our journey to a hill tribe village. Arriving in the village in the early afternoon, we will check into the homestay in Ban Long Village (home of the Mong minority people), and will have free time to stroll around the village, relaxing in the nature, then up hill to visit The Tiger Cave, Ham Rong Cliff to take photos and hear the stories and legend of this places;

Free at leisure for relaxing or sitting in a hurt looking down the valley with its wonderful scenery in the late afternoon sunset that is the time to immerse yourself into the authentic local life.
Evening: Savor the unique cultural dishes with a cozy dinner prepared by local people. Having dinner with the host, and if you wish, you can be enjoying a traditional live dance and music performance in the evening (External expenses)
Spend the night at your homestay.
 
DAY 3 | PHA DIN PASS – DIEN BIEN PHU CITY (MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER)

Morning, free at a leisure stroll, do sightseeing and take beautiful photos of the stunning view of the forest. Then back to your homestay, recharge your energy with a delicious breakfast. 

After having breakfast at the homestay, we will begin the morning with a light 4-hour trek on the narrow countryside lane along the village. It is a chance for you to learn about local life by the villager’s activities as you can go and join to pick fruit if it's in season; crossbow shooting experience; See the traditional craft of knife, farm tools forging, flute making, weaving... of the Mong people. You can test your masculinity with the local forging or something (optional for an additional surcharge). Alternatively, you can hands-on experience in activities such as growing wet rice, crab catching, snail digging, fishing, and knitting, offering a diverse and memorable experience of village life.

Then, motorbikes driven by local men in the village will take you on a small dirt road to admire the long rocky beach mixed with the villagers' crops.
Back to homestay and enjoy a delicious lunch. Then take a rest with a short nap.

Check out homestay, farewell to your host of homestay and transfer back to Dien Bien Phu city.
On your way back with a stop over to visit Viet Minh headquater. On arrival, you will cross a wooden check point to the headquarters, from which over 800-meter concrete road through the hilly forest leading to the center of the command post where General Giap and his staff worked during the war time. Then, walk through the Underground Tunnels, which is famous with over 96 meters-underground tunnels hand-dug by local people during the French War which is from Hoang Van Thai hurt to Gen, Giap’s working place.

Arrive in Dien Bien Phu in the late afternoon and check in to your accommodation.
Dinner is served in the restaurant. Free at leisure. Overnight in your hotel.
 
DAY 4 | FLY BACK TO HANOI/OR HO CHI MINH CITY (MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH)

Start your day with a delicious breakfast to energize you for the day ahead. You'll be picked up by a private car and driven to the south on a visit: Noong Nhai monument, Ban Phu Citadel, then transfer to a hotspring and free at leisure for relaxing or swimming.

Back to the hotel, check out and settle your bill at reception.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Car pick up and transfer to the airport for the departure flight.
End of your impressive tour. Goodbye and see you again.

PACKAGE FOR ONE PERSON: 6,144,000 VND (for a group of 20 people)
You will be enjoying the 4-star hotel comfort during your stay, which includes luxurious amenities and exceptional service.
Please kindly review the details of the Terms and Conditions.

The schedule above is subject to change depending on time, budget, and other external factors. To better accommodate your trip, please contact us. Based on your needs, Hoang Nam Travel will be able to design the perfect itinerary for you. Thank you.