Arrive in Vietnam’s capital city and meet your Rustic Pathways Program Leaders, who will give you a brief orientation of what to expect during your trip. Drop off your bags and hit the streets. Learn about the country’s 54 ethnic groups at the Museum of Ethnology, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and take a stroll around Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

• Customisation Example: Add a three-day excursion to Danang. Fly south to visit a traditional lantern village in Hoi An and learn about the craft. Explore areas of significance to the Vietnam War before heading back to Hanoi.
• Customisation Example: Fly into Ho Chi Minh City and visit the Mekong Delta and other sites associated with the war before heading to Hanoi.

Marvel at the landscape on the three-hour drive through the mountains. Arrive at a hill tribe village off the beaten path inside Ngoc Son-Ngo Luong Nature Reserve. Enjoy lunch with a local family before hiking the remaining four miles to your home for the next few nights.

Head to your service site to assist with an ongoing project designed to support the protection of the area’s natural resources, provide alternative income opportunities, or improve infrastructure of the surrounding villages. Spend your afternoons and evenings exploring the surrounding rice fields and interacting with your homestay family. Conclude your homestay experience with a community celebration showcasing traditional Muong song and dance.

• Customisation Example: Add one or two more days of service to extend your trip and spend more time assisting the community and immersing in the local culture, or add some overnight trekking in.

Say goodbye to the host families and trek to the village where you’ll board the bus and return to Hanoi for an evening in the city.

Drive to Ha Long Bay and climb aboard a traditional Chinese junk boat for a cruise among the jagged limestone karsts. Explore Sung Sot Cave and swim in the waters off Ti Top Island. Settle in for a night under the stars on the deck of the boat.

Continue your loop around Ha Long Bay, kayaking in Luon Cave and stopping by Bai Tu Long Bay and Fire Island to see the exotic birds, monkeys and antelope. Return to Hanoi for dinner.

Head to the airport and prepare for your flight home. We hope your time spent here, the experiences you’ve shared and the things you’ve reflected on will stay with you for a lifetime.