Da Bac Discovery trek and tour 2D1N

Outstanding stay at Xom Sung with our hosts. We spent 3D2N in the village and loved all the activities, food and meetings with locals. We highly recommend this experience. It’s totally worth it. It helps us a lot to have an English-speaking guide with us. It facilitates to connect and understand the customs of the village.

An authentic and unforgettable experience. I came as a solo traveler and could join a family of 3 people for 2 nights. You have the chance to experience the daily life of the Zao community and learn about their customs, history and language. The transport and activities are very well organized (paper making, bees wax and indigo-dyed fabric, herbal bath, hiking, encounter with the wise man, music and dancing). You also have the option to do more than 2 nights and visit other villages.

I can highly recommend this homestay and community based tourism experience for solo travelers, couples, families and groups. Anyone wishing to experience authentic, warm, and welcoming rural Vietnamese village life should sign up. We stayed in a private room with private shower in the home of a village family who prepared meals for us with locally sourced, healthy vegetables and meats. During our 3 days we participated in village activities including traditional Dó paper making (highly esteemed artisanal paper made from bark of local trees), lost wax indigo fabric dying, herbal medicine gathering, and forest gardening with bamboo shoots, and ancient calligraphy with a wiseman who carried on the 700 year old village tradition of writing the ancient Dao Tien language using Chinese characters. For all of these activities we were accompanied by Quang, our interpreter who in addition to excellent English was able to explain the significance of everything we experienced. The experiences themselves were led by a variety of villagers who were so clearly proud of their traditions and proud to share them with foreigners interested in their culture. Making all this even more special was the commercial model, where almost 80% of the fees we pay for this experience stay directly in the village, with the families providing these services. “Community based tourism” its called, and it’s a great way for tourists to experience authentic local life while ensuring their dollars stay local. Where: Sung Village, located in Cao Son Commune Da Bac District, an area rich in rice terraces and forest, a 3 hour or so ride from Hanoi. The accommodations are a private room attached to their simple and beautifully crafted traditional buildings of carved wood with fan palm roofs that stayed cool in the heat. Food is delicious. People are warm and authentic.

Our 4-day stay with the ethnic minority Dzao Tien in Sung Village was one of the most impressive and warmest experiences of our trip. From the first moment we were received incredibly open and friendly and immediately felt welcome. What was particularly impressive was that we were not only shown how to make paper, but were allowed to lend a hand ourselves in a real workshop. Step by step we learned about the traditional process and produced our own paper. In addition, the village Wise Man took a lot of time for us and introduced us to their traditional writing – a unique and very valuable experience that gave us deep insights into their culture. The production of traditional clothing was also fascinating: The artistic patterns with beeswax and the subsequent dyeing with indigo were explained and demonstrated to us with a lot of patience. We were also shown how to build roofs out of palm leaves and bamboo poles – we were also allowed to help ourselves, which made the experience even more authentic and tangible. We were particularly touched by our host mother Qui: so warm, attentive and loving. Although there would have been a separate area for tourists, neither we nor the family wanted to eat separately. Instead, we ate together every night, laughed and got to know each other better with the help of our great guide and translator Quang. These evenings together were full of warmth, openness and real encounters. This stay was much more than a visit – it was a real immersion in another culture, marked by respect, warmth and humanity. An unforgettable experience that we can heartily recommend.

I've meet Toni on a bus and just went with it. Didn't know how the tour would go with family (2 adults + 2 kids) in remote region of Da Bac. Surprisingly the trip turned out very well! extremely happy with Toni and his company throughout the Tour. He is very knowledgeable and accommodating whenever we need. Management was amazingly, prompt on service when we needed to change some plans around due to unpredicted rains. Overall highly recommend this to anyone/family who seeks adventure and homestay in remote area. Thank you Toni/Duc for giving us the amazing experience!

Found this Community Based tour through Tripadvisor. Emailed sales@actiononcbt.com and Anh was able to come up with an amazing itinerary for our family (we have a 6 and 8 year old). She was flexible and accommodating too. Our trip itself was a very good experience, memorable and fun! Our guide Duc/Toni exceeded expectations! He was incredibly patient, accommodating, and helpful throughout our trip. His knowledge shone through, and what really stood out was how quickly my young kids warmed up to him - he made our experience truly special

We had the best stay during our visit in Vietnam. The houses are beautiful and the views are amazing. We very much enjoyed hiking and visiting the cave in the village, with a fascinating story as well. The activities included in the tour are varied, educative and hands on - you will also leave with gifts to treasure forever, like homemade flower press paper and tie dye scarves. All locals are friendly, they made us feel welcome and made sure we have everything needed, despite the simple lifestyle they live. We had special dietary requirements and we were provided with delicious and varied food for every meal, without compromising on the experience of enjoying local meals. Their knowledge of crafts, arts, agriculture and medicine is fascinating. Our host taught us how to paint in the local tradition, showed us ancient family books, and answered all our questions about their history and life. Special thanks to Ahn who managed our booking and organized everything by email before we arrived in Vietnam, ensuring the trip goes smoothly. Also a million thanks to our friendly interpreter Quang, without whom the visit would not have been the same - he tirelessly translated for us and helped us understand the life and the story of the lovely people and their villages. We highly recommend this tour, a once in a lifetime experience.

We had an unforgettable 2-day, 1-night tour in the Vietnamese ethnic village with our amazing guide, Pham! He was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and passionate about sharing the rich culture and traditions of the local ethnic communities. From exploring the village to enjoying authentic home-cooked meals, every moment felt special. Pham made sure we were comfortable and truly immersed in the experience. Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking to connect with Vietnam’s diverse heritage!

Enjoyed and learned a lot from the trip, and met amazing people. The CBT is nicely done in the area. Quang, my guide, was friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

We wanted an authentic experience of village life in rural Vietnam and we certainly got this! Our translator guide Duc was wonderful and very informative. Our hosts at both villages were very welcoming and provided some amazing and fresh food for us to enjoy. The fish farm and the fabric dying were the highlights.