After all your preparations, your departure day has arrived. Depart from Sydney International Airport on Vietnam Airlines VN786 at 14:15 and arrive in Hanoi at 21:20 (direct flight from Sydney) On arrival at Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi), you will be met by your World Expeditions Schools guide who will accompany you throughout the program in Vietnam. Due to your late arrival time, we head to your hotel for check in and overnight. Overnight Hanoi hotel

Meals:  Nil

Today we rise for breakfast and join our guide to head out to visit some of Hanoi's key culturally and historically significant locations and learn about different facets of Vietnam’s culture and periods of History. You'll walk from the hotel through the old French colonial district to the Vietnamese Women’s Museum where you will learn about the significant influence of women in Vietnam’s history. You will then transfer to the Temple of Literature, one of the most interesting shrines in Hanoi, called “Le Pagoda des Corbeaux” by the French, because of the huge flocks of crows gathering in the mango trees near the entrance. Built in 1070, the complex consists of five courtyards dedicated to Confucius and the pursuit of Confucian thought and behavior. It is here that Vietnam’s first university was founded. Lunch will be at a nearby local restaurant called KOTO (Know one Teach one), a social enterprise that trains disadvantaged youths in hospitality. After lunch we transfer to the Old Quarter of Hanoi where you will enjoy a walking tour (and a bit of shopping) as well as enjoying a wander along the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake. Later in the afternoon you'll head across one of Hanoi's beautiful green spaces to the edge of the West Lake where you will hop in an electric cart to explore the area on wheels. You return to the hotel to rest and refresh before dinner. Overnight Hanoi hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we transfer to Hang Kia. Hang Kia is in the heights of the Mai Chau province in a dry, rocky and mountainous area inhabited predominantly by Hmong people. It will take you around 3.5 – 4hours from Hanoi to Hang Kia, including a stop on route. You will have lunch on arrival into Hang Kia at your traditional guesthouse with your hosts. After lunch, we will visit the site where we will complete our service program and start splitting ourselves into groups and assessing the work that needs to be carried out by the group. Over the next three nights you will sleep in a traditional stilt house converted to a open dormitory configuration. Each night we will enjoy traditional meals prepared carefully by your hosts. **Whilst our accommodation in a traditional stilt house converted into a dormitory is rustic it is a highlight of many people's journey. Each student will have an individual mattress as well as clean bed sheets. There are western style flushing toilets and bathrooms are equipped with hot running water.

Meals:  B,L,D

Over the next two days we will work on our designated project for the local community as part of our regenerative program. The hours that you work each day are flexible, however it is anticipated that you will be involved in labour work for up to 6 - 7 hours a day. You will need to bring a pair of sturdy work gloves with you from home and wear clothing which you do not mind getting dirty. The people from the village will be anticipating your visit and the assistance and capacity building you are providing will bring long term benefits to the village. The exact details of the project will be decided by the village heads in the months prior to your travel and be discussed with your team prior to your departure. Lunches will be taken at the at the project site or back at your guesthouse (depending on location of project site). The project is set up alongside our Travel, Give, Grow regenerative travel concept offering unique experiences to help foster respect for the natural world as well as the diverse people and cultures that live in it. This style of travel helps develop confidence, resilience, tolerance, problem solving abilities, team work, fitness and key life skills. At the completion of the project, a celebration will be held with the group and community. Overnight: Traditional Guesthouse

Meals:  B,L,D

We enjoy breakfast at our guesthouse before we farewell our hosts and transfer to a small settlement for a Batik dyeing workshop with the Hmong women of the village. This hands on session gives us a wonderful insight into an ancient tradition and culture. Everyone will try our hand at making a Batik design which we will be able to keep and take home. We enjoy lunch with our hosts at the guesthouse. In the afternoon we commence our trek (11km/approx 3 hours) to Cun Pheo Valley, an area inhabited by White Thai people. We meet our vehicle here and then take a short transfer to Ban Buoc village for our overnight stay. Overnight traditional guesthouse (multi-share, dormitary style with individual mattress and bedding on the floor - exclusive use for students)

Meals:  B,L,D

We depart after breakfast this morning and commence our walk along village paths and through small hamlets, rice fields and vegetable gardens to Mai Hich hamlet. You will enjoy a fresh lunch in Mai Hich and following lunch we transfer to Hanoi, where we will have a light dinner and freshen up before boarding our overnight train to Hue. Overnight sleeper train, 4 berth cabins (exclusive cabin use for students).

Meals:  B,L,D

On arrival into Hue in the morning, you will be picked up and transferred to a local restaurant for breakfast before starting to explore Hue City. Your first stop is a visit to Thien Mu Pagoda. The pagoda is situated on a hill overlooking the Perfume River and is known for its stunning architecture and beautiful gardens (you also can see the car of the famous monk who burned himself to protest against the persecution of Buddhists by the local authority in the South at that time). Next, take a leisurely boat ride across the Perfume River before reaching a local garden house where your host will welcome you with hand-made ginger jam and tea, before enjoying some traditional dishes of Hue prepared by the family. After lunch, transfer to Imperial Citadel, the best-preserved remnant of the vast citadel and royal quarters that once existed on the site. Here you can see the ravages of time and war on what was the carefully designed capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. Built in the early 19th century by armies of conscripted laborer’s under Emperor Gia Long, the citadel was surrounded by a 10-kilometre moat while earthen walls formed the outer perimeter. Transfer back to your hotel to rest and refresh before heading out to dinner at local restaurant.

Meals:  B,L,D

Breakfast at hotel, we will then head to the South, pass by Lang Co bay and stop at the top of the Hai Van Pass. This afternoon walk the ancient streets of Hoi An, lined with Chinese traders’ homes and wooden houses reincarnated as restaurants, cafés, and outlets for local artists, craftsmen and tailors. Hoi An's unique architecture is well displayed in what is arguably Vietnam's most tourist-friendly town. Explore the beautiful 16th century Japanese Bridge. A symbol of Hoi An and a testament to its fascinating history, the Japanese Bridge was constructed around the early 17th century, though the exact date is unknown. The bridge, also known as the Pagoda Bridge (Chua Cau), was built by Japanese craftsmen who were part of a larger community of foreign merchants active in Hoi An. There is no travel allowed in the main streets during certain times making it a delight to explore on foot. Dinner at a resturant in Hoi An with night market visit. Overnight Hoi An

Meals:  B,L,D

You will be picked up at the hotel in the morning and accompany a local chef on an exciting cooking experience. First, we will visit the market to purchase the necessary ingredients, while the chef points out the various herbs and spices that shape the flavors of Vietnamese cuisine. We will then transfer by boat to a beautiful villa set on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Enjoy a hands-on cooking lesson and culinary experience, and dine on the dishes you have prepared. In the afternoon, the group will transfer to Cam Kim where the Green Youth Collective located. Meet with a local youth collective that acts for a more sustainable future. They will introduce the group the current coastal erosion situation, explain the challenges, the risks and the possible answers to this. Then the group will help with activities at the nursery. This is an operational and educational space where regenerative strategies and actions take place. Students will: - Learn about the practical role of some key native and adaptable plant species that grassroots people appreciate and hope to preserve - Learn how to prepare the soil substrate and start plants from seeds and cuttings - Understand the importance of the nursery and its activities in empowering local communities in traditional knowledge and skills preservation Final dinner celebration at local restaurant with a final visit to the night markets planned. Overnight Hoi An

Meals:  B,L,D

In the late-morning, the group is transferred to Danang airport to take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Connect with your evening flight to Sydney. Depart Danang (DAD) on VN129 at 14:15 and arrive in Ho Chi Minh (SGN) at 15:45. Connect with: VN 773 departing SGN at 20:45

Meals:  B

You will arrive into Sydney on VN773 at 09:15 where a warm welcome awaits!

Meals:  Nil