Ba Vi National Park – Duong Lam Ancient Village Day Tour

Itinerary

This Ba Vi and Duong Lam day tour offers a peaceful escape from Hanoi’s urban energy, designed for travelers wanting to experience rural northern Vietnam at a comfortable pace. You’ll visit Duong Lam Ancient Village – one of Vietnam’s few remaining traditional settlements with 300-year-old houses, and Ba Vi National Park’s mountain landscapes, all with private transportation and a knowledgeable guide throughout.

The full-day experience balances cultural exploration with nature appreciation: walking through village lanes to see ancient architecture and meet local families, then ascending Ba Vi’s mountain roads for fresh air and panoramic views. We’ve paced the day with sitting breaks for traditional lunch in the village and rest stops suited to senior travelers.

Duration: Full day (8:00 AM – 6:00 PM)
Meal: Lunch included
Transport: Private air-conditioned vehicle
Tour guide: English-speaking guide
Highlights: Ba Vi summit, French church ruins, Thuong Temple, ancient houses, traditional village life

Want to spend more time in the village than the park, adjust walking distances, or focus on specific cultural aspects? Contact us via this form or email [email protected] to customize your countryside experience.

Highlights

• Immerse yourself in nature of Ba Vi National Park
• A short trek through scenic landscape of Ba Vi Mountain
• Get a glimpse of the local life of calm and peaceful Duong Lam Ancient Village
• Enjoy lunch at a local family
• Cycle along this beautiful ancient village

Morning: Ba Vi National Park

After breakfast, depart Hanoi around 8:00 AM for the scenic 65-kilometer drive to Ba Vi National Park. The journey takes approximately 1.5 hours through increasingly rural landscape where rice paddies replace buildings and water buffalo outnumber motorbikes.

Ba Vi National Park encompasses over 7,000 hectares of protected forest on Ba Vi Mountain (also called Three Summits Mountain for its three peaks). The park shelters diverse flora and fauna, including over 1,200 plant species and numerous birds and mammals, though the mountain’s most distinctive feature remains visible from afar: the ruins of a French colonial-era church perched atop the highest peak.

Ascend the mountain via winding roads that climb through multiple climate zones. The temperature drops noticeably as altitude increases, explaining why French colonists established hill stations here to escape Hanoi’s oppressive summer heat. The summit area, often shrouded in mist creating an ethereal atmosphere, reaches approximately 1,296 meters elevation.

Explore the atmospheric ruins of the old French church, its weathered stone walls standing as silent testimony to the colonial period. When mist clears, the summit provides spectacular panoramic views encompassing the Red River Delta’s patchwork of rice fields stretching to the horizon, distant limestone mountains, and on exceptionally clear days, even Hanoi’s skyline.

Descend from the summit to visit Thuong Temple complex, an important spiritual site where Vietnamese come to pray for prosperity and health. The temple grounds, shaded by ancient trees and featuring ornate architecture, offer peaceful respite and cultural insights into Vietnamese religious practices that blend Buddhism, Taoism, and ancestor worship.

Lunch: Enjoy a lunch featuring local specialties at a restaurant in the Ba Vi area.

Afternoon: Duong Lam Ancient Village

After lunch, drive approximately 30 minutes to Duong Lam Ancient Village, one of Vietnam’s few remaining traditional villages where architecture, customs, and ways of life have been preserved relatively intact. Recognized as a National Heritage Site in 2006, Duong Lam represents over 1,200 years of Vietnamese history visible in its narrow lanes, ancient houses, and community traditions.

Enter the village through one of its original laterite gates and step back in time. Unlike most Vietnamese villages that have modernized extensively, Duong Lam retains approximately 900 ancient houses built from laterite (a distinctive local reddish-brown stone) and traditional brick. These structures, some dating back 300-400 years, demonstrate remarkable architectural techniques adapted to Northern Vietnam’s climate – thick walls for insulation, elevated floors for flood protection, and courtyards providing light and ventilation.

Walk or cycle (bicycles available for rent) along the village’s narrow lanes, which wind between high laterite walls enclosing traditional family compounds. Your guide explains the significance of architectural features, introduces you to villagers who maintain traditional crafts, and shares stories about the community’s history.

Visit Mong Phu Communal House, the village’s social and spiritual center where community meetings and festivals occur. The ornate woodwork, ceramic decorations, and ancient bonsai trees reflect the craftsmanship and pride villagers maintain in their heritage.

Stop at several ancient homes where families welcome visitors to explore their centuries-old residences. These elevated wooden structures feature intricate carved details, traditional furniture, and ancestor altars that demonstrate the Vietnamese reverence for family lineage. The families often prepare local snacks and tea, offering opportunities for genuine cultural exchange through your guide’s translation.

Duong Lam is also famous as the birthplace of two Vietnamese kings: Phung Hung (8th century) and Ngo Quyen (10th century), whose temples you can visit within the village. These historic figures hold significant places in Vietnamese history for their roles in resisting foreign invasions and establishing independence.

The village maintains traditional industries you can observe: soy sauce production in ceramic jars following recipes perfected over generations, rice wine fermentation, and other crafts that have sustained the community for centuries.

As afternoon progresses, begin the return journey to Hanoi, arriving at your hotel around 5:30-6:00 PM. The day provides refreshing contrast to urban exploration – a chance to breathe clean air, observe authentic rural life, and understand the traditional Vietnamese culture that still exists beyond cities. End of services.

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