Situated on a peanut and maize farm in central Quang Binh province, Rustic ChayLap stands beneath the towering limestone cliffs which punctuate the beautiful but seldom visited World Natural Heritage Site of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. While 80 percent of Vietnamese live in the countryside, visitors to Vietnam are rarely given the opportunity to peak beneath the veil of this age-old culture.

The journey begins when you board the night train from Hanoi to Dong Hoi. The train is well equipped with air conditioning and soft sleeper berths.

The highlights of the ecotour includes such activities as kayaking trip along the blue Chay River to the Phong Nha Cave (4km) and the Dark Cave (2km), a bicycle ride from Chay Lap village to the Nuoc Mooc Cold Spring, a visit to the war memorial site of Tam Co Cave.

The tour also offer the opportunity for volunteering in Chay Lap village by helping in the fields, doing some painting or some garden or construction work. The villagers are mostly poor farmers and need assistance in the areas of education, environmental conservation, and building construction. By volunteering with local families you are helping to enrich the lives the villagers.

“It is our goal to set a benchmark in ecotourism here that can be replicated throughout the region. In order to do this, we need to continue to show our guests how most Vietnamese actually live, far removed from the tourist hot spots which dot the country. The beautiful natural surroundings notwithstanding, it‘s not the surroundings nor the brick and mortar of villages which make up communities. It‘s the people. Here in Chay Lap, it is important to us that you feel welcomed and included. We do this by offering true Central Vietnamese hospitality.” Said the homestay manager.

Spending one night in the four-star Sun Spa Beach Resort or visiting the Vinh Moc Tunnel Complex are both possible before the tour finishes.

Lotussia Travel is a privately-owned tour company offering the widest selection of multisport tours in Vietnam such as jungle trekking, mountain hiking, road cycling, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, scuba diving and more. The company is headquartered in Hanoi with branches in Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. The company sells Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

For further information email to sales at lotussiatravel.com or visit the company official website at lotussiatravel.com

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Cat ba island is the largest of 366 islands in the Cat Ba Archipelago, and has a surface area of about 140 square km. Cat Ba Island also has coral terraces, sandy beaches, freshwater wetland areas, tidal flats, mangrove forests and willow swamp. Spectacular scenery and a high diversity of landscapes make Cat Ba a special place for both family and honeymoon couples.

Catba Island Resort and Spa is the biggest beach resort in Catba island, the World Natural Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO and Catba itself was recognized as a World Biosphere. Isolated lie on Catba Island a spectacular natural wonder, Catba Island Resort and Spa honors to offer you the memorable and meaningful holidays… With the unique design “East meets West” French colonial architecture combined with ancient original style of Vietnam having 109 spacious and elegant, well appointed rooms with hardwood floor and bamboo furniture all create luxury & warmth, offering a comprehensive range of guest facilities and services, all with individual bay view balconies, 4 star amenities, multi-channel TV, and a mini bar.

Honeymooners will be transferred by private car from Hanoi to Hai Phong port whey they will take a speed boat for Cat Ba island. After 45-minute boat ride, honeymoon couples will arrive Cat Ba island and they will be immediately greeted by the hotel representatives and transferred to the resort. Complementary welcome drink will be offered upon the guest‘s check in.

The honeymooners will have the opportunity to spend two or three nights in a Deluxe Ocean View Room of the luxury beach resort. The honeymoon couples will also have one dinner under sparkling candle that make the night more romantic and meaningful. They will have the chance to enjoy a short trip to discover the Canon Fort, one of the most famous attraction of Cat Ba Island. Booking the package will offer the honeymooner the opportunity to enjoy free access to luxury facilities of the hotel such swimming pool, private sandy beach, game house and tennis court.

“This is the first promotion we customize for honeymoon couples this summer. I do hope the 5% discount will help our clients to make the cost a little bit down. Their oversea vacations can be easier” Said Cuong Nguyen, Travel Consultant at Lotussia Travel Hanoi.

Lotussia Travel is a privately-owned tour company offering the widest selection of active outdoor adventure tours including jungle trekking, mountain hiking, road cycling, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, river rafting, scuba diving, snorkeling, honeymoon, beaches vacation ,bird watching and more.

The promotional package is valid from September until December 2011. For more information, please contact sales at lotussiatravel.com or visit www.lotussiatravel.com

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The one-day bicycle tour starts in Hanoi city center and ends up in Dong Ho handicraft village taking bikers through Hanoi rural area where they will be able to experience the real life of Vietnamese farmers.

The sharing cycle tour starts at 8:00am at Lotussia Travel front office at 33 Pham Ngu Lao street. After briefing and a short warming-up exercise is made by Lotussia Travel biking guide, travelers will leave Hanoi busy streets cycling out of the city center. The first part of the tour is a little bit challenging because of the local busy traffic.

After about a half hour cycle, bikers reach the Duong riverside where the cycling tour really begins. The name of the Duong River sounds intimately in the heart of every Vietnamese because of the charming and peaceful countryside the river meanders through. The numerous pagodas bordering the Duong River through history have added a major attraction to the Kinh Bac (northern) region.

Travelers will cycle through small villages, rice and popcorn fields meeting up with friendly local countryside farmers before they arrive in But Thap Pagoda in time for lunch. The name "But Thap" (Pen Stupa) was given by King Tu Duc in 1876 when, in Kinh Bac, he saw the beautiful stone stupa shaped like a pen at this pagoda, which had previously been known as Ninh Phuc Tu (Pagoda of Peace and Happiness).

After lunch, travelers will visit the But Thap pagoda before they continue the bike tour on to Dong Ho village. Dong Ho village is famous for an old and special art form called Dong Ho. This art is attractive to the local and foreign people alike. Coming here visitors watch the artisan‘s produce pictures using carved boards painted with various colors of ink.

“We carefully choose the most authentic places for our clients to cycle. They will discover the old places in a new way that is fun and enjoyable. Besides, the short cycling trip is customized for both amateurs and professional bikers. We believe the tour will be highly appreciated by both Hanoi visitors and local expats” Said Thierry Nguyen, Lotussia Travel‘s Product Manager.”

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi-based tour operator offering a wide selection of multi-activity tours in South-East Asia such as jungle trekking, mountain hiking, road cycling, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, scuba diving and more. The company is headquartered in Hanoi with branches in Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. The company sells Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

For further information visit www.lotussiatravel.com

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Pu Luong Nature Reserve is situated in Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc districts of Thanh Hoa Province, North Central Coast region of Vietnam. The reserve is located along two parallel mountain ridges, that run from north-west to south-east, and are divided by a central valley, which contains several human settlements and a large agricultural land area.

The trip begins with a scenic drive from Hanoi to Mai Chau village takes around four hours. Along the way guests will pass fields of tapioca and sugar cane as well as rice paddies. Guests will have lunch in Poom Coong village in Mai Chau before travelling further into the Pu Luong Nature Reserve where they begin the trek.

The first day, guest will have about three hours trekking before they arrive in the Hang village where they spend the night. The second day, they will continue trekking for 6 hours with several stops in route for having lunch and talking with local people. The second night will spent in a stilt house of the Muong.

Guests will have some more trek before they reach Pho Doan where the vehicle is ready to transfer them to Tam Coc (“Halong bay in-land”).

The river boat trip in Tam coc is wonderful for photo hunters, especially when local people come to harvest the water rice planted along the river, or when they transplant some seedling for the next crops. The tourists often compare the place with Guilin - China, or more closely, to the limestone islets of Halong Bay in the Tonkin Gulf for their similar geological structures and shapes.

“This tour has been carefully designed by our professional adventure team for those who love active outdoor adventure travel. Guests will only need 4 days to experience the most authentic places in Northern Vietnam such as Mai Chau, Pu Luong Nature Reserve and Tam Coc” Said Nguyen Khuong, a Business Development Manager at Lotussia Travel.

Lotussia Trave is a privately-owned tour company offering the widest selection of active outdoor adventure tours including jungle trekking, mountain hiking, road cycling, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, river rafting, scuba diving, snorkeling, bird watching and more.

For further information, email info at lotussiatravel.com or visit www.lotussiatravel.com

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The first highlight of the three-day active adventure tour is a kayaking trip on the emerald water of Halong Bay, a spectacular location for sightseeing in Vietnam. Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, Halong bay forms an amazing seascape of limestone pillars along with more than 1,600 islands and islets. The visitors seem to discover paradise in Halong Bay with the clear water of the Bay, with some large islands and small alcoves with sandy beaches facilitating a relaxed swimming in the calm bay water.

The trip continues with another active adventure travel activity is a half day rock climbing when travelers reach Cat Ba island. The process of rock climbing is relatively straight forward. Two people are all that is needed to ascend a rock face safely. They consist of one person engaging in the activity the rock climber, and the other person securing the rope system the belayer. The belayer will always be an experienced rock climber who is knowledgeable in securing the ropes for the climber.

The last adventure travel activity travelers will enjoy before they end the trip is the half day trekking in Cat Ba national park.

Cat Ba National Park was established in 1986. After a re-arrangement of the park boundaries in 2006, the park now comprises of 109 square km of land area and an additional 52 square km of inshore waters and mangrove covered tidal zones. Cat Ba National Park was Vietnam‘s first national park to include both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Travelers will trek through jungle and have a chance to see the panorama of Halong Bay from one of the mountain summits we would conquer during the trek.

“This tour has been carefully designed by our professional adventure team for those who live active outdoor adventure travel. Travelers will only need 3 days to experience the most amazing places in Northern Vietnam Halong bay and Cat Ba island” Said the Operations Manager of Lotussia Travel Nguyen Thu Phong.

Lotussia Trave is a privately-owned tour company offering the widest selection of active outdoor multi-activity adventure tours including jungle trekking, mountain hiking, road cycling, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, river rafting, scuba diving, snorkeling, bird watching and more.

For further information, email info at lotussiatravel.com or visit www.lotussiatravel.com

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Lotussia Travel, a Hanoi-based tour operator announces the offer of free visa to Vietnam for foreign visitors if they book any tour package with Lotussia Travel and travel to Vietnam during the period May September 2010.

Travelling during this low-season in Vietnam, travelers would also receive value added tax refund when they buy goods in Vietnam. In addition, a state promotion campaign with reduction of 10-40 percent on goods prices would be run at the same time in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City.

“This is a good opportunity for foreign visitor to come and experience Vietnam when everything become cheaper, especially when Hanoi local authorities prepare to celebrate the 1000-year anniversary of Vietnam‘s capital Thang Long - Hanoi. Travelers will have chance to participate in lots of cultural activities will be held throughout the country before the grand ceremony opens on the 10th October 2010.” Said Nguyen Khuong, Lotussia Travel‘s Business Development Manager.

Vietnam Airlines will also continue to implement the campaign to stimulate domestic tourism demand. The fares from southern and central provinces to the north will be cut by 30-35 percent.

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi-based tour operator offering the widest selection of multisport adventure tours such as jungle trekking, mountain hiking, road cycling, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, scuba diving and more. The company is headquartered in Hanoi with branches in Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. The company sells Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

For further information about Lotussia Travel‘s sample tour packages, visit www.lotussiatravel.com

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Vietnam used to be one of most preferred travel destination in Asia for those who look for off-the-beaten path tour itineraries and authentic places. The Hanoi travel market attracts visitors from countries worldwide and these visitors speak a wide variety of languages.

To accommodate the diversity of languages, one of the dynamic adventure travel company covering the Hanoi market, Lotussia Travel, have now released a copy of their website pages in French at lotussia-travel.com to satisfy the demands of their French customers. The website exposes lots of useful information about Vietnam landscapes, Vietnamese culture, local weather, hotel information and sample tour packages ranging from easy-touring to challenging adventure.

French tourists make up a significant percentage of the Hanoi tourist market and traditionally French speakers find a much higher level of value in being able to book in their native French language, rather than through an English worded site.

As one of the founders of Lotussia Travel, Khuong Nguyen reports that “the French market is important to Lotussia Travel and we are happy to now be able to offer a French site version offering French customers one more travel resource they can read in their mother language”.

He continues: “2009 was a quite difficult time for many travel companies in Hanoi but we believe the image of 2010 will be much nicer. We keep finding out more new travel products that make the tour price lower without degrading our service quality”.

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi based travel company offering the widest selection of multi-activity adventure tours and value-for-money travel service in Vietnam such as jungle trekking, mountain biking, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, river rafting, scuba diving, snorkeling, golf packages and more.

For further information please visit http://www.lotussia-travel.com or contact Public Relations Manager Michael Nguyen by email: pr [at] lotussiatravel.com

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Travelers will take an overnight train trip from Hanoi and spend a night on board/train before reaching the famous market town of Bac Ha and beyond over one of Vietnam‘s highest road passes. Bac Ha market, located in the heart of Bac ha small town is the largest one in the area. Every Sunday, the different and colorful ethnic minority come all here to sell their homemade products or buy something for the family. They are Hmong, Phu La, Back Dzao, Tay or Nung minorities. Some of these ethnic minorities can‘t be met in any other areas.

Upon leaving Bac Ha travelers set off on a full day journey through Sin Man and Hoang Su Phi to Ha Giang Town. The rough but scenic route traverses a dense jungle before crossing over a pass and dropping down to Sin Man. This day is a real challenge for our driver as we travel by winding roads with many uphill and downhill drives. Along the way we may encounter the Nung Ing, Tay, Red Dao, Dao Ao Dai, La Chi and Co Lao, just some of the many hill tribe groups who have settled there.

Upon arrival in Ha Giang, travelers will trek to Khau lan village, a small village of the Dao people. You have the unique opportunity to share the daily life of your host family, which might include working in the fields, fetching wood, cutting grass for the livestock and cooking meals.

The next highlight of the trip will focus on the district of Meo Vac. The Transfer take travelers through a beautiful landscape of rolling and imposing mountains and steep valleys leading from Dong Van to Meo Vac District. This is the most remote corner of Vietnam, where the traditional life of ethnic minority people is the most vivid and colorful. If Sunday, travelers will have an opportunity to visit Meo Vac market as well. Groups of Mong, Dao and other ethnic peoples in their colorful costumes walk from every corner of the mountains down to the market to buy and sell life‘s necessities as well as oxen, pigs, horses, chicken and other cattle and fowl that ethnic people raise at their homes and on the fields. Visitors will get excited over noisy bargains at the trading area for animals and the tinkling sounds of spoons, pots and bowls when food sellers prepare dishes for patrons and guests to eat at the market.

“After many inspection trips we have made in this remote areas, we were finally able to customize out a 11-day off-the-beaten path trekking itinerary for those who look for the beautiful sceneries, authentic life experience in Vietnam. The trip offers a truly experience of the Vietnamese hilltribe villagers culture.” According to Mr. Phung Cao Lotussia Travel Product Manager.

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi-based travel company offering the widest selection of multi-activity adventure tours in Vietnam including jungle trekking, mountain hiking, road cycling, motorcycle touring, sea kayaking, river rafting, scuba diving, bird watching and more.

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Starting in Hanoi, Vietnam‘s capital, travelers will discover a city rooted in ancient traditions yet increasingly embracing modern lifestyles. The wet-rice cultures of South East Asia present in the old village of Duong Lam as a trio of familiar images: rice, water buffaloes, and bamboo. Sapa, the most favorite mountain retreat destination is such a colourful town thanks to the H'mong and Dzao people from the local hill tribes who head into the town's market every day to trade their produce. There's a main market every Saturday when the place is packed but there's a lower key one every other day during the week.

The experts at Lotussia Travel have created this tour with a focus on exclusive cooking course and meals at the top restaurants so this tour is sure to please the taste buds in Hue where still remains the cultural heart of the country with its many ancient buildings, museums. Hoi An was once an important trading port town and the traditional shop houses and small laneways offer a glimpse into Vietnam's storied past.

The 11-day tour concludes in the bustling south. Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is the fast-paced commercial capital of the country yet is still filled with architectural remnants of the French Indochina period. Travel to the nearby Mekong Delta and experience the rustic lifestyle of this region as you explore the labyrinth of waterways, floating markets and fertile rice fields.

Whether as an extension to a Vietnam package tour or as a luxurious escape, this tour was created for the discerning traveler wishing to see the true beauty and hidden charms of the south.

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi-based travel company offering a wide selection of tailor-made trips, star hotel reservations and free travel tips in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. The company was founded in 2005 with head office in Hanoi and branches in Danang, Sap, Ho Chi Minh city.

The post Lotussia Travel Launches Luxury Holiday Package in Vietnam appeared first on 12 Press Release.

Duong Lam village is the maintain style of ferralitic architecture over 4000 years ago only far away 50km from North West of Hanoi.

The tour will start around 08am from Hanoi. Leaving the hotel, travelers will enjoy two-hour drive south-west Hanoi. Pass through the surprisingly little noise of bike horns, take the short biking follow the narrow clay road to the old village, travelers will bike along the paddy rice field in the countryside, the green plantation, small channel water, thin bamboo bridge show on the river with small boats waiting in the shading trees.

Explore the way of farmer living is playing into the farmer as the history time in 19th century wearing with the old brown pajamas, non hat ( bamboo Vietnamese hat), irrigating the plantation into green herbs vegetable by hands, carrying the short grances rice or the long one. Before lunch time, travelers will learn how to make their own desserts which is a famous course traditional desserts from long time ago. Keep biking to the Mia pagoda where was built in 15th century containing 287 statues of different sizes and more Ngo Quyen temple, Phung Hung temple before returning by the private car to home.

According to the company‘s director Nguyen Khuong, this new excursion is a good choice for those who want to experience the real life of Vietnamese farmers. The destination is old. But Lotussia Travel has discovered a new way for travelers to enjoy the journey differently.

Further information about the tour departure and price can be found at http://www.lotussiatravel.us

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The tour starts at 8:00am. A biking guide from Lotussia Travel will meet the guest up at their. He then give a brief explanation about the biking route, riding tips and related information. Leaving hotel, bikers will follow an narrow road where there is surprisingly little noise of bike horns. Keep cycling along these small streets until you reach the peach garden there you cross the river to join an immense corn field. As you cycle through the corn field, and vegetable gardens, you will see how the life is quiet and peaceful after just few minutes cycle out your hotel.

The dog barks; farmers plant vegetable working on their fields; children play on their house court with simple toys…these are common sceneries you will experience during the trip. Stopping by a local house and talking with local people will make this trip more enjoyable.

After around two hours bike, travelers will arrive the Long Bien historical bridge. It is a good time to have some short rest before biking to another part of Hanoi. Long Bien bridge is a historic cantilever bridge across the Red River that connects two parts of the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. It is also commonly referred to as the Paul Doumer Bridge. After crossing the bridge, continue cycling through local villages, rice fields and smiling faces. With the guide, you will know further on how the Vietnamese farmers plant rice and how their culture, customs are.

According to the company‘s director Nguyen Khuong, this half day bicycle tour is a good choice for both business and leisure travelers, those who like discovering Hanoi on their own way actively and differently.

For more information about the tour either visit its website http://www.vietnamcycling.com or email to info@vietnamcycling.com

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