Bavi Eco Tour: Immerse in Authentic Village Life Outside Hanoi

This was our best one day experience in Vietnam. Our guide was fabulous as was the food and local experience. We highly recommend this tour.

5. Fantastic. The whole day was interesting. My guide Trung was a star. We had a lot of fun and he and the driver did everything to make my tour unforgettable.

As first-time visitors to Vietnam, we started our trip in Hanoi. I was very impressed with its vibrancy, its many attractions, and its cheerful and friendly people. It's a joy to visit the main tourist sites, stroll through the bustling markets in the old quarter, and sample the great street food. However, if that's all you do during your visit, you'll completely miss the most important qualities of the country and its people. To discover what makes the Vietnamese so special and impressive, you have to go back a few decades and hear the older generations' stories, experience their lifestyles, and feel their warmth and hospitality. We were able to do all of this by taking the one-day Bavi Eco tour. Our tour guide, Trung, was truly outstanding -- he told us all about Vietnam's turbulent history in the 20th century, its culture and ethnic groups, and its economy. Our first stop was at a tea farm run by Mr. Duoc Nguyen, a Vietnam war veteran. We enjoyed learning how to pick tea leaves and dry them, and it was fascinating to hear Duoc tell of his war-time experiences (a highlight for me.) Next, we visited the traditional village home of Mrs. Chin Nguyen, where we had a lot of fun learning how to make authentic dishes and sauces, which we then ate for lunch. Afterwards, we were treated to a herbal foot bath that was amazingly soothing. We then visited a farming community where we strolled through the fields, watching the farmers work their land. We learned a lot about their traditional practices, the various crops, and the climate. Our day was cut a bit short by a local power outage, but that didn't detract from our enjoyment at all. One point worth mentioning: We've taken several cultural tours in other countries that involved some pressure to buy the local produce. There was no such pushiness at any of our stops in this case. The hosts weren't offering anything for sale -- they were just sharing their homes, their stories, and their hospitality. That made the day especially memorable and worthwhile. We can highly recommend the Bavi Eco tour to anyone who would like to understand what makes Vietnam "tick". And you'll definitely have a lot of fun in the process! Thank you, Trung and Mike, for an excellent day!

This tour was one of the best parts of my trip! Trung was a very enthusiastic tour guide and he was so informative. The information he shared with us really heightened my experience and made it even more special. The people in the village were so friendly and very, very welcoming. It was so nice to join the villagers in their work and take part in an aspect of their culture. Everyone is so nice and hard-working, it really makes you enjoy the experience even more. Getting to pick tea leaves and make a traditional Vietnamese lunch was so wonderful and I definitely recommend taking this tour. You won’t regret it!!

We were very happy we took the Ba Vi Eco Tour. We got a lot done in a day. Visiting the tea plantation was fun. The cooking class was great . We went to visit a household that makes fresh Tofu for the village. We enjoyed learning how Tofu is produced. We finished the trip with a bicycle ride around the rice fields in the area. All in all a great day!

An awsome day trip into the country area on the outskirts of Hanoi. Our guide and driver were excellent, and very patient answering all our questions on a range of subjects. It was interesting meeting Mr Douc a Vietnam war veteran and watch him explain the tea making process..while drinking plenty of cups of green tea! Our lunch was delicious. The cooking lesson just what we needed to inspire us to make spring rolls when we get home. Loved seeing tofu made by hand.....exhausting work every day! Perfect end of tour with herbal foot bath. A day well spent.

We loved visiting the local village and seeing how the local people live. The lunch that we helped make was incredibly delicious. Our wonderful guide Dat was very informative. Thanks for a great day.

We had a wonderful enriching authentic experience on the tour and every part was enjoyable. We enjoyed all of it- the bicycle ride, visits to the different villagers, the cooking class, the amazing lunch, the herbal foot bath and of course the visit to the tea plantation. It was a great excursion.

This was an incredible experience for our family! The tour provided an insight into an authentic, traditional village, and every single one of our host families were lovely and so welcoming. The cooking class with Mrs Chin was amazing to be a part of, and the food was absolutely beautiful. We visited local families and learnt how to make tofu and tea, and very much appreciate and acknowledge all the hard work, time and effort that goes into the making of these products. Our tour guide, Trung, made our entire tour such a special experience and we could not be more thankful for him. He was so knowledgeable, and was easily able to supply us with an endless amount of information on absolutely everything - whether it be the people, the country, the food, etc. We especially enjoyed the 5km bike ride with Trung, and my siblings and I are now his biggest fans. It was lovely to ride through the village and wave at the children on their lunch break. Trung took great care in ensuring we were all having a safe and wonderful time, and made a much appreciated (and successful) effort to engage all the family members, even the young children. He has been the most welcoming and friendly person we have met in Vietnam and we are very appreciative of him. The Bavi Eco Tour has been a highlight of our Vietnam trip, and we recommend it to anyone looking for a wholesome and informative tour around a local village with a range of fascinating activities. We are so grateful to Trung and the host families for such a memorable day.

Excellent trip. The tour guide who was happy to answer all our questions. Lunch was outstanding. We made spring rolls and salad and the rest was provided for us. Very interesting learning how they grow, pick and brew tea. Bike ride through the village allowed us to see the local sights. An enjoyable day out.