Journey Through Off-the-Beaten-Path Vietnam & Laos

Meet your guide and set out to discover a different side of Hanoi, wandering quiet alleys and local neighbourhoods where daily life unfolds at an unhurried pace. Pause at a traditional café for a glass of cà phê sữa đá before visiting St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the city’s oldest church, then slip into a lively breakfast alley where locals gather among stalls of fresh produce and street food. Step inside a local home to meet a long-time Hanoian, who shares personal stories of the city’s past and its gradual transformation over the decades. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before spending the remainder of the day at leisure.

Begin at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, an introduction to the traditions and lifestyles of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups that sets the scene for the communities ahead. Leave Hanoi behind and travel along sections of the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail towards Pu Luong Nature Reserve, where limestone mountains, rice terraces and traditional villages gradually replace the urban skyline. Arrive in time for lunch before checking in to your retreat, then set out on a gentle afternoon walk through the surrounding hills, meeting local farmers and strolling through rice fields as daily life continues around you. Return to the retreat for dinner.

Drive to Dong Dieng Village, where today’s walk begins along quiet trails threading through terraced rice fields towards Kho Muong Village, a small settlement tucked into a secluded valley. Along the way, discover native herbs and forest plants long used in daily village life. At a traditional Thai stilt house, experience a herbal foot bath prepared from locally gathered ingredients, a practice passed down through generations, before lunch is served in the same home. Spend the afternoon exploring Kho Muong Cave, hidden beneath the limestone mountains, then continue on foot towards Bang Village, taking in rice terraces, forested hills and quiet hamlets before transferring back to the retreat.

Set out this morning on a walk to Leo Village, where a local family welcomes you into their home to reveal the traditional craft of tube wine, also known as straw wine. Join your hosts in gathering forest herbs for the natural leaf yeast, then follow each stage of the process, from preparing and steaming the ingredients to fermentation and storage. Taste the finished wine and bottle a small sample to take home. After lunch, continue through the mountains to Moc Chau Plateau, where rolling tea hills, fertile farmland and a cool climate have shaped generations of agricultural life. Check in to your hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure, taking in the peaceful surroundings.

Spend the day exploring the highlands of Moc Chau, one of Vietnam’s principal tea-growing areas since the late 1950s. Begin at a Tea Plantation, where rolling hills of Oolong tea provide the backdrop to learn about its cultivation and production. Continue to Na Ka Plum Valley, where the landscape shifts with the seasons, delicate white blossoms in spring giving way to ripening orchards by early summer. Return to your hotel for lunch and a short break. In the afternoon, venture to Hang Tau Village, locally known as the “Primitive Village.” Hidden in a remote valley beyond the national electricity grid and mobile coverage, this small Hmong community lives at a traditional pace, with wooden houses, dirt paths and farming still at its heart. On the way back, stop at Bach Long Glass Bridge, one of the world’s longest glass-bottom pedestrian bridges, for sweeping views across the forests, limestone peaks and valleys of Moc Chau.

Leave Moc Chau this morning and transfer to the Long Sap – Pa Hang Border Crossing. After completing immigration formalities, continue into northeastern Laos, where the landscape gradually gives way to forested mountains and quiet rural communities. Arrive in Sam Neua, capital of Houaphanh Province, and check in to your hotel, with the remainder of the day free to relax or explore the town at your own pace.

In the remote mountains of northeastern Laos lies the Viengxay Caves, an extensive limestone network that played a defining role in the country’s modern history. During the Second Indochina War, the caves served as headquarters for the Pathet Lao revolutionary movement, sheltering thousands of people over nearly a decade of conflict. Explore several of the cave complexes, where schools, hospitals, government offices, a market, a theatre and even a radio station once operated beneath the mountains. Accompanied by your guide, gain insight into this remarkable underground community and a pivotal chapter of Laos’ history, before a short walk through the surrounding limestone karst landscape. Return to Sam Neua to relax for the rest of the day.

Begin at Sam Neua’s lively local market before visiting Wat Phoxaysanalam, home to a revered Buddha image dating back to 1565. Leaving Sam Neua behind, continue towards Muang Hiam along a scenic mountain road through the Nam Xam River Valley, passing quiet villages and forested hills. En route, stop at Hintang Archaeological Park, where dozens of stone monoliths — believed to be more than 1,500 years old — stand scattered across the hillside, their original purpose still unknown but thought to mark an ancient ceremonial site. Continue through the mountainous landscapes of Houaphanh Province, arriving in Muang Hiam by afternoon.

Depart Muang Hiam for a scenic drive through the mountains to Ban Son Koua, a Khmu village on the edge of Nam Et–Phou Louey National Protected Area. Follow your park guide on a short walk through the village to learn about local traditions and daily life, before continuing by long-tail boat along the Nam Nern River into the park’s Total Protection Zone, passing upland farms and forested riverbanks while keeping watch for birds and other wildlife. At the eco-camp, enjoy a local lunch and learn about the park’s community-based conservation programme and its work protecting endangered species. After time to relax, venture deeper into the park by boat, where you can spot the tracks and signs of animals along the river. As evening falls, gather for a campfire dinner on a sandy riverbank before setting off on the park’s signature night safari, drifting silently downstream with the engine switched off, watching for sambar deer, barking deer, otters, civets, porcupines, slow lorises and owls. Spend the night at the eco-lodge, surrounded by the sounds of the forest.

After breakfast, begin the return journey by boat along the Nam Nern River, drifting quietly through the protected forest with one more chance to spot otters, sambar deer and a variety of birdlife. Continue by road through the mountainous landscapes of northern Laos to Nong Khiaw, taking in forested hills and peaceful rural villages en route. At Ban Anoulak, a Tai Lue cultural preservation village, gain insight into the community’s heritage and traditional way of life. In the evening, take part in a Baci ceremony, a meaningful Lao blessing ritual held to welcome guests and wish them health, prosperity and safe travels. Spend the night in a Tai Lue homestay, experiencing the quiet charm of village life firsthand.

Rise early for a walk through the village as it slowly comes to life, elders gathering for their daily conversations, women preparing meals, children beginning their day. Afterwards, join a traditional craft workshop, choosing between Tai Lue weaving with natural plant-based dyes or bamboo weaving, as local artisans share the techniques behind these long-established crafts. After breakfast, depart for Luang Prabang through the picturesque landscapes of northern Laos, stopping en route at the Pak Ou Caves, a revered pilgrimage site overlooking the Mekong River, home to thousands of Buddha images placed by devotees over the centuries. Continue to Luang Prabang and check in to your hotel, with the remainder of the day at leisure.

Spend the morning at Kuang Si Waterfall, one of Luang Prabang’s best-known natural attractions, where a series of limestone cascades tumble into striking turquoise pools framed by lush forest. En route, visit the Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre, a social enterprise dedicated to preserving traditional Lao textile weaving and handicrafts, before continuing to the waterfall for time on the nature trails and, season permitting, a refreshing swim in the pools. Return to Luang Prabang in the afternoon to discover the charm of this UNESCO World Heritage town, visiting the former Royal Palace — now the National Museum — and some of the city’s most significant temples, including Wat Visoun, Wat That Luang, Wat Mai and the beautifully preserved Wat Xieng Thong, renowned for its intricate “Tree of Life” mosaic. Conclude with a climb to the summit of Mount Phousi, where panoramic views stretch across the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and the surrounding mountains.

Set out on a cycling journey through the quiet countryside surrounding Luang Prabang, following peaceful back roads and riverside trails rarely visited by tourists. After a short ferry crossing over the Mekong River with your bicycle, continue to Hoy Khua Waterfall for time to relax and enjoy a picnic lunch in a natural setting. Cycle on through traditional Lao pottery villages, where artisans still shape earthenware using time-honoured techniques, before visiting a secluded forest temple overlooking the Mekong — a peaceful place where monks live and practise away from the bustle of town. Schedule permitting, meet some of the resident monks for insight into daily monastic life, present a small offering, and receive an introduction to the principles of Buddhist meditation. Close the day with a period of quiet meditation within the temple grounds or beneath the forest canopy, before returning by boat to Luang Prabang in the late afternoon.

Free at leisure until your transfer to the airport for onward flights.