Duong Lam village itinerary 1 day (Advices from local experts)

Duong Lam village itinerary

Duong Lam ancient village has become a top choice for a village tour near Hanoi; just 1.5 drive from Hanoi Old Quarter, you’ll see the real Vietnam countryside with numerous temples, pagodas, communal houses, banyan trees which are signature signs for rural Vietnam scenery.

Hanoi Eco Tour provides you with the ultimate Duong Lam village itinerary in a day tour for both self-guided travellers and guided tour visitors from a local guide in Hanoi, David Nguyen, who has been working as a tour guide for 12 plus years with tons of visits to Duong Lam ancient village on guided tours for visitors from all over the world

Why Duong Lam village day tour?

Duong Lam village isn’t a huge place to explore for several days. A day trip to Duong Lam ancient village is more than enough for you to see almost everything Duong Lam has to offer.
Duong Lam isn’t far from Hanoi, just 1.5 hour-drive from/to Hanoi so it’s unnecessary for an overnight stay there unless you want to explore the remote regions in the North West of Vietnam like Mai Chau valley or Pu Luong Nature Reserve.
There are many choices for accommodation in Duong Lam village unless there is a couple of homestays in the village areas and some local guest houses in Son Tay town
There’s nothing to do in the evening unless you want to relax and chill out. Just a couple of family-run coffee shops in the village.

Duong Lam village itinerary one day trip option (For both the self-guided traveler and guided tour visitor)

Mong Phu Communal house in Duong Lam

8.30am : The full-day tour of Duong Lam village starts with a pick-up from your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter. Transfer to Duong Lam by car, minivan or bus based on the group size within a one-and-a-half-hour drive.

Once you arrive at the old village gate aka Cong Lang Mong Phu (see on Google map ), buy the entrance fee, 20k VND per person (less than 1 USD), if you can’t walk properly, you can hire an electric car to take you around. Start a walking tour around the village. Our first stop should be Chua Mia (Mia pagoda), only 10 minutes walk from the Mong Phu gate, which closes before 11 am during the weekdays, then check out Hien Bao peanut candy workshops to try out some local candies with a cup of green tea.

Next, visit the local cafe shop – Caphe Lang , see the map here (opposite the kinder garden) with a lovely garden and nice decor. Then pay a visit to Mong Phu communal house (opposite the big yard where many vendor drinks stalls are. Don’t forget to have a teatime at Giang Van Minh worship’s house. There’s a caretaker man who often sits on a wooden bench.

It’s time to have lunch. There are many choices, from local host families to local restaurants.

Here is a list of local restaurants in Duong Lam village

Com Que Hung Hanh
Bep Lang Duong Lam
Chiko Duong Lam (reviews on Trip Advisor)
Com Que Hung Cay

A list of local families who offer lunch meals in Duong Lam

Nha Co Tam Vung (On the other side of the fish pond) is right at the Mong Phu gate
Mr Hung’s house – the oldest house in Duong Lam village – is a popular lunch spot for Vietnamese and foreign visitors who take a guided tour.
Mr Huyen’s house : a common lunch spot for the guide tour group and less busy than Mr Hung’s house (nice decoration
Mr The’s house: isn’t far from Mr Huyen’s house
Mrs Duong Thi Lan’s house

All lunch spots above is good for set menu lunch, pre-arranged by your travel agents or tour guides not for DIY visitors.

After lunch, take a push bike ride to check out two kings’ temples: Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung (just 100 meters from each other) , about 2 kilometers from Mong Phu village.

The tour ends around 3pm so you will arrive in Hanoi around 4.30pm to complete a Duong village day tour from Hanoi

Personal thoughts: Some tour operators combine Thay Pagoda and Son Tay Fortress in the tour. In my opinion, it makes it a hectic day with lots of things to see, and you’ll spend more time on transportation and less time for your exploration.

We hope that this ultimate Duong Lam village itinerary in a day trip helps you plan a perfect Duong Lam day tour