Voyage Vietnam MOTOTOURS ASIA Vietnam Tet 2012 tour Tet fiesta

Tet is the biggest and the most sacred festival. It is the most attractive to a majority of the Vietnamese.
Tet falls on a time when the old year is over and the New Year comes by lunar calendar. This is also the time when the cycle of the universe finishes: winter ends and spring - the season of birth of all living things, comes.
Tet is an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions. It is a time when one pays respect to his/her ancestors and grandparents who have brought up him/her. It is an occasion when everyone sends each other best wishes for a new year, stops thinking about unhappy things and says good things about each other.
This is the special offer from Voyage Vietnam to our clients. We organize this tour to discover the special way the Tet holiday is celebrated in the countryside. You will stay with local families for a completely integrated and unique experience. During Tet, all offices, agencies and organizations are closed in Vietnam but we here at Voyage Vietnam will ensure all our services are met while on tour.

1/ Wed, 18/01/2012 (25/12/2011 Lunar year): Hanoi – Vu Linh, 175 km ~ 5h
To head out of Hanoi city, we follow the Red River to avoid the city traffic jams. This exciting river road will gives a taste of things to come, including testing your biking abilities. We will have lunch in a local restaurant in a small village.
Arrive in Vu Linh around 4:00 PM, leave the motorbike and luggage in the family we make a short hiking in the village to see how they are preparing for the Tet. Learn how to make “Banh Chung” – steamed cake – and decorating their houses to be ready for the Tet. You also have a chance to learn about local cuisines. Join the family for dinner and villagers would come later for chatting.
- L, D
- Overnight in Dzao family

2/ Thu, 19/01/2012 (26/12/2011): Vu Linh – Luc Yen, 75 km ~ 2h
We follow along the side of Thac Ba lake with beautiful villages, limestone mountain, rice and palm fields. Make a stop in Luc Yen town for Tet market and visit gem-stone picture galleries. Here the locals are proud of having precious stone mine and they make it become artistic works.
After lunch, make a short ride to Red Dzao village where we spend a night. Take few hours of walking around and explore life there.
- B, L, D
- Overnight in Red Dzao family

3/Fri, 20/01/2012 (27/12/2011): Luc Yen – Ha Giang, 140 km ~ 3h
Quite easy day on flat road, driving in the magic land of limestone karts surrounding villages heading to the national road No2. From here we continue riding along Lo river to Ha Giang.
- B, L, D
- Overnight in Tay family

4/ Sat, 21/01/2012 (28/12/2011): Ha Giang – Meo Vac, 165 km ~ 7h
Rise and shine for a few hours trek to many of the Heaven Gates such as Quan Ba, Yen Binh, and Dong Van. They are so called because one gets the feeling of touching the sky, the heaven gates. This is the best time and place to enjoy the wonderful sightseeing of the vast limestone mountain range and perpendicular rock walls which give a feeling of adventure while being lost in a magic land. Here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes. After lunch at Yen Minh town, the scenic route climbs over a pass before arriving in Pho Bang, also called Pho Bang Street, which was built many centuries ago and features multi-storey houses made of clay bricks and tile roofs.
Visiting these remote areas, we will see how hard the local people struggle with their environment for their survival and development. Because the living conditions are extremely hard, there is barely any arable land within the rocky mountains; the people who live there survive on a diet of corn, which is about the only crop able to grow in the poor rocky soil. The local people are simple and friendly, yet develop strong attachments to other people. They are the soul of this remote area.
- B, L, D
- Overnight in Hoa Cuong Hotel.

5/Sun, 22/01/2012 (29/12/2011): Meo Vac - Bao Lac, 85 km ~ 3h
Today, it’s Tet’s eve. Let’s party!
Say farewell to the magnificent Meo Vac, we ride down valley to Nhiem river and head to Lo Lo village where we celebrate Tet with Lo Lo ethnic people.
With the Lo Lo, Eve is the busiest night of the year, for whole village. The children and women seat along near the fire cooking rice cake (rice cake or Banh Trung) and tell tales ; the old men sip a cup of wine; the young people are going through the other houses to look for "new year luck" by "stealing" dry wood sticks or vegetables.
Youth and children go out and gather in the playground, waiting for light breaking rooster. Traditionally, Lo Lo people celebrate the New Year with first rooster's crow.
- B, L, D
- Overnight in Lo Lo family

6/Mon, 23/01/2012 (1/1/2012 Lunar year, first day of Tet): Bao Lac
Full day no driving, just "fiesta and fiesta" in the warmly welcome of local people. Let go around, meet people, visit many families and send best greetings!
- B, L, D
- Overnight in Lo Lo family

7/Tue, 24/01/2012 (2nd day of Tet): Bao Lac – Ba Be, 150 km ~ 5h
Another great day of riding through rural area with crossing over many streams, villages on small path.
Ba Be is Vietnam’s largest natural lake and is now the centerpiece of an extensive National Park. The park and the surrounding area is limestone country, so lakes, waterfalls, caves and unusual rock formations abound. The whole area is richly forested and home to many ethnic minority communities.
A quick ride to Babe lake & national park where the landscape is amazing and one of our best homestays is waiting for you there to share the Tet.
- B, L, D
- Overnight in Tay family

8/Wed, 25/01/2012 (3rd day of Tet): Ba Be – Hanoi, 200 km ~ 7h
We will take an interesting road passing through Tan Trao Security Zone, the head-quarter of Viet Minh during the French War. By taking this road, we will pass by Son Duong with beautiful limestone mountains with rice fields, palms and villages surrounded the mountain with lunch in our Tay ethnic friend before return to Hanoi.
- B, L

(Note; B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
Price: 998 USD/pax
Upgrade to Honda XR 250: 200 USD/bike

Including:
- All meals
- Accommodation
- Motorbike Minsk/Scooter (option to upgrade to Honda XR 250 Baja)
- Fuel needed for the ride
- English/French Speaking Tour guide leader
- Permits to enter restricted/frontier areas
- Riding gears: pans, jacket, helmet, saddle-bags, sleeping bag…
- Chip and snacks and coffee on the open road
- New year tips for children in villages
- Boat trip in Ba Be Lake
- Travel insurance

Not including:
- Personal expenses, insurance, drink
- Tips
- Other not mention