Overview

              Brief itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi
Day 2 Hanoi city tour

Day 03: Hanoi – Moc Chau   (B,L,D)

Day 04: Moc Chau  – SonLa  (B,L,D)

Day 05: SonLa – DienBien    (B,L,D)

Day 06: DienBien – MuongLay  (B,L,D)

Day 07: MuongLay - Sapa  (B,L,D)

Day 08: Sapa  (B,L,D)

Day 09: Sapa – Bac Ha (B,L,D)

Day 10: Bac Ha – Thong Nguyen  (B,L,D)

Day 11: Thong Nguyen – Hoang Su Phi – Xin Man – Thong Nguyen  (B,L,D)

Day 12: Thong Nguyen – Dong Van   (B,L,D)

Day 13: Dong Van  (B,L,D)

Day 14: Dong Van – Meo Vac – Ha Giang  (B,L,D)

Day 15: Ha Giang – Bao Lac   (B,L,D)

Day 16: Bao Lac – Ba Be – Pac Ngoi  (B,L,D)

Day 17: Pac Ngoi – Ba Be  (B,L,D)

Day 18: Pac Ngoi  – Pac Bo – Cao Bang  (B,L,D)

Day 19: CaoBang – Trung Khanh – Ban Gioc – Cao Bang  (B,L,D)

Day 20: Cao Bang – Dong Khe – That Khe – Lang Son   (B,L,D)

Day 21: Lang Son – Halong Bay (B,L,D)

Day 22: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B,L)

Day 23: Hanoi departure  (B)

 
      Highlight of the trip:

- Enjoy the colonial French architecture of Hanoi

- Travel the North of Vietnam along the Laos and China border areas, crossing the highest mountain passes in the country.

- Trek where few western tourists go – in the most remote and beautiful areas of Vietnam.

- Experience how the local ethnic minorities really live by staying in their homes and participating in their activities.

- Visit the sites of many battles during the French war.
- Discover the varied ethnic minorities in the hilly rural North of the country and grab some fantastic photographs as they carry on their daily activities.

- Cruise along Halong Bay with its other-worldly karst islands

Full itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi

Arrive in Hanoi - Noi Bai International Airport.
You will be met at the airport by your English speaking guide and transfer to your hotel in downtown Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour  (B)                         

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is a beautiful city of lakes, shaded boulevards and verdant public parks.  In the morning we will visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Museum, the One Pillar Pagoda and the historical Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam, built in 1070 in honor of Confucius.
In the afternoon we will visit Hoan Kiem Lake (The Restored Sword Lake) and the Ngoc Son Temple, which is on an island in the northern part of the lake,  and then enjoy a Cyclo tour along the narrow streets of the ancient part of Hanoi. We then continue with a walking tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The Old Quarter includes 36 old streets with each name representative of the type of merchandise sold in it.
In the evening we will attend a traditional Water Puppet show. This art originates from rural festivals in Vietnam. The artists – men and women – stand waist deep in the water to manipulate the puppets, making them move about, talk and laugh and even dance on the surface of the water. The audience is meant to experience the atmosphere of a village festival.
Overnight in  Hanoi.

  Day 03: Hanoi – Moc Chau   (B,L,D)

After breakfast you will travel to Moc Chau, via the peaceful gateway to the northwest, Son La town. Moc Chau is the heart of a beautiful valley. As you emerge on the rice fields and rural areas, you will enjoy a real paradise. Most of the people are ethnic White Thai. The women are masterful weavers of the traditional-style clothing that is found in the markets and village center. The stilt houses border both side of the roads. The houses are quite large with palm leaf roofs and bamboo-slat floors. The kitchen is located in the center of the house, where the cooking as well as the weaving takes place. The windows are large and decorated with patterns. Each house also has a pond to breed fish. The Sunday market brings different minorities into the town and is an important social as well as commercial occasion.

Enjoy a minority music show in the evening.

Overnight in stilt house of H’mong, White Thai minority in NA BAI village

  Day 04: Moc Chau  – SonLa  (B,L,D)

Depart for Son La after breakfast in Moc Chau On the way we visit Dao Tien and White Thai villages. Eighty percent of Son La province is covered with mountains and various ethnic groups, including the H’mong, Dao, and Tay live here. Upon arrival in Son La we check into the hotel.

In the afternoon we visit Son La Provincial Museum, which was originally a penitentiary built by the French in 1908. While initially it was only a small provincial prison, between 1930 and 1945 thousand of Vietnamese communists were imprisoned here by the French. There is also an exhibit of the historical and cultural traditions of the ethnic groups living in Son La province. We also visit H’mong villages.

Overnight in Son La

  Day 05: SonLa – DienBien    (B,L,D)

After breakfast depart for Dien Bien Phu, near the Laos border. Dien Bien Phu is the scene of the most decisive battle of the war with the French in 1954.  You can visit the command bunker of De Castries and explore the dense systems of defense lines including many layers of barbed wire in the surrounding area. Visit hill A1, the strongest post of all of the 49 strongholds in Dien Bien Phu and the Museum of Dien Bien Victory.

Overnight in Dien Bien Phu

Day 06: DienBien – MuongLay  (B,L,D)

In the morning we will set out for Muong Lay, a small town nestled in a pretty valley carved from spectacular mountains by the Da River. Along the way we will stop and visit Black Thai, H’mong and Mang ethnic minority villages. We check into our hotel at Lan Anh and have lunch. In the afternoon we will explore the area around Pa So village, which is considered a pristine place. We will see orchid nurseries, butterfly farms, waterfalls and breathtaking scenery. We will visit Dzao and H’mong villages and explore the Da River.

Overnight at Lan Anh Hotel

  Day 07: MuongLay - Sapa  (B,L,D)

After breakfast we will travel toward Sapa, the premier destination in northwest Vietnam. Sapa is a former hill station, built by the French in 1922. It is known as the Queen of the Mountains and it overlooks a beautiful valley, with scenic terraced rice fields all around. Above Sapa, the mountain range includes Vietnam’s highest mountain, Fan Si Pan. The area around Sapa is home to many ethnic minorities, who come into the town to buy, sell and trade. The main ethnic groups include H’mong, Dzao, Tay, Giay and Xa Pho.

On the way to Sapa we will visit the markets of Phong Tho and Binh Lu. We will stop for lunch in Phong Tho. Binh Lu is one of the more interesting markets because of the diversity of the ethnic minorities including the Black Dzao, Coin Dzao, Red H’mong, Lu and Lao. We will also stop and visit Lu and Black Thai villages along the way.

Overnight in Sapa                   

  Day 08: Sapa  (B,L,D)

Today we trek in the My Son area – the remote home to the Xa Pho – one of the smallest and poorest of the ethnic minorities. The day offers fabulous scenery and a chance to meet and interact with the Xa Pho in their villages.

We will stop for lunch in Thanh Phu village, home of the Tay minority.

We return to Sapa and visit Taphin village, home of the Red Dzao. Located in a valley just outside of Sapa, the panoramic views going in to Taphin village are spectacular.

Overnight in Sapa

 Day 09: Sapa – Bac Ha (B,L,D)

After breakfast we depart for Bac Ha. The Sunday Bac Ha market is the largest ethnic market in Lao Cai Province and one of the most interesting and famous in Northern Vietnam. Thousands of ethnic minorities gather here for commercial and social interaction, so that the market has the atmosphere of a festival. We will have lunch in Bac Ha and in the afternoon we will trek to nearby villages of the Flower H’mong ethnic minority and visit the H’mong King Palace.

Overnight in Bac Ha (B,L)

  Day 10: Bac Ha – Thong Nguyen  (B,L,D)

After breakfast we drive to Thong Nguyen through some beautiful mountain scenery. Along the way we will stop and visit Tay and Pathen ethnic minority villages. We will stop for lunch along the way. Our destination is Pan Hou Village, an eco tourist hotel. It is the perfect base for trekking adventurers to discover the variety of scenery in the area, as well as visit ethnic minority villages. At the bath house Tay people prepare herbal baths in traditional fragrant wood tubs for your relaxation.

Overnight at Pan Hou Village

Day 11: Thong Nguyen – Hoang Su Phi – Xin Man – Thong Nguyen  (B,L,D)

The day will be spent in the mountains visiting Lolo, Red Dzao and Tay villages around Hoang Su Phi and Xin Man. Xin Man is located on a rambling mountainside and there is a trail that crosses over picturesque streams and through a number of beautiful villages. Xin Man market is considered the most beautiful market in the north of Vietnam, yet is not know to many tourists. There is a well conserved forest area nearby that the H’Mong believe to be the home of benevolent spirits who can bring good luck and ensure a plentiful harvest. There is also an ancient rock yard filled with rocks of odd shapes and sizes thought to have been inscribed by ancient ethnic civilization.

Overnight at Pan Hou Village Resort                                            

Day 12: Thong Nguyen – Dong Van   (B,L,D)

Today we travel to Dong Van, the last district of North Vietnam, on the Chinese border. Along the way we will visit Flower H’mong and Lolo villages. We will watch the White H’mong while they make their jute ropes. We stop for lunch at Yen Minh village and will visit the White H’mong King Palace of Ha Giang province before arriving in Dong Van.

Overnight in Dong Van

 Day 13: Dong Van  (B,L,D)

After breakfast we leave to visit the Lung Phin market, the most beautiful minority market in Ha Giang. The cultivation by the local people is amazing because of the steepness of the mountains and the number of stones and hard soil. Here you will discover more about the diversified cultures of the local people and watch them as they work and play.

Overnight in Dong Van

Day 14: Dong Van – Meo Vac – Ha Giang  (B,L,D)

 Today we leave Dong Van and head over the spectacular Ma Pi Leng Pass to Meo Vac. The pass stretches along the sides of magnificently beautiful mountain ranges and runs along a section of the Nho Que River that weaves its way like a silver ribbon through the limestone ravines.  The Ma Pi Leng Pass peak is also called Heaven Gate, and you will feel as if you can touch the sky. From here you can see ethnic people farming on small terraced fields on the sides of mountains, and witness how hard locals have to struggle with extreme conditions. Ma Pi Leng provides visitors with the most stunning scenery in northern Vietnam. We stop to visit a remote and penniless Black H’mong village.

The pass decends into a pretty valley and the colorful market and little Flower Lolo town of Meo Vac.

We will stop for lunch in Yen Minh before continuing on to the Tay village of Ban Me.

Overnight home stay in Ban Me

Day 15: Ha Giang – Bao Lac   (B,L,D)

After breakfast we depart for Bao Lac, stopping to visit ethnic minority villages along the way. We stop for lunch in Bac Me.

Overnight in Bao Lac                                                  

Day 16: Bao Lac – Ba Be – Pac Ngoi  (B,L,D)

Today we go to the Ba Be National Park. On the way we will pass Tinh Tuc market and Nguyen Binh and Cho Ra villages. We will stop for lunch along the way. Our destination today is Pac Ngoi, which is a Tay village in Ba Be National Park to the south of Ba Be lake and is a good base camp to explore the National Park.

Overnight home stay in Tay stilt house in Pac Ngoi village.

Day 17: Pac Ngoi – Ba Be  (B,L,D)

In the morning we will take a boat trip from the Bang boat station on the Nang River through Puong Cave and Dau Dang waterfall and then on to Ba Be Lake. Up to 30 animal species such as wild pigs, bears, panthers, monkeys, and birds inhabit the area.

We will enjoy lunch at a lakeside restaurant where we can enjoy the wonderful views.

Overnight home stay in Tay stilt house in Pac Ngoi village

Day 18: Pac Ngoi  – Pac Bo – Cao Bang  (B,L,D)

This morning finds us on the road once again. Our destination is Cao Bang where we will have time to wander around the town and enjoy lunch. After lunch we will go to within 3km of the Chinese border to Pac Bo, the revolutionary resistance base of Ho Chi Minh. This is where he spent the 5 years planning his revolution after he returned from 30 years of self-imposed exile abroad. We will visit Pac Bo Cave – the site where he lived and worked during those years. From there we will trek to a Nung minority village before returning to Cao Bang.

Overnight in Cao Bang

Day 19: CaoBang – Trung Khanh – Ban Gioc – Cao Bang  (B,L,D)

After breakfast we depart for Ban Gioc waterfall in Trung Khanh. The waterfall, the largest in Vietnam, forms a natural border between Vietnam and China. With its three-tiers of water, it resembles a giant white staircase. While here, we will be able to swim and enjoy a picnic lunch near the waterfall. This afternoon we return to Cao Bang.

Overnight in Cao Bang

Day 20: Cao Bang – Dong Khe – That Khe – Lang Son   (B,L,D)

Today we drive to Lang Son, on the frontier with China, via the scenic road. This will take us through Dong Khe and That Khe. Cao Bang, Dong Khe, That Khe and Long Son were all the sites of early battles of the Viet Minh with the French and all eventually fell to General Giap.

At Lang Son we visit Tam Thanh and Nhi Thanh Grottos. Tam Thanh Grotto is the most famous. It has an entrance about 8 m high which opens to a corridor with 30 stone steps carved into the mountain. The poet Ngo Thi Si carved one of his texts on the grotto wall while serving as a Mandarin guard in Lang Son. The poem praises the magnificent natural beauty of the area and the sound of the water falling on hundreds of rocks.

Overnight in Lang Son.

Day 21: Lang Son – Halong Bay (B,L,D)

After breakfast drive to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Whoever comes to Vietnam should not miss the chance to visit Halong Bay, a picturesque blend of harmonious transition between the mountains and the sea.
Halong Bay is in the Bac Bo (Tonkin) gulf and stretches over an area of 1,500 km2 with three thousand green islands that look like jewels. Upon arrival at the harbor we will embark on a junk. We will enjoy a fresh seafood lunch on the boat while experiencing the majestic beauty of Halong Bay. The junk is a wooden sailboat designed in a traditional Vietnamese style while offering a full range of modern amenities. Visit the fascinating Dau Go Cave called “The Cave of Marvels” and Thien Cung Cave, the “Heavenly Palace cave” surrounded by spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.

After dinner, enjoy fishing with local fishermen. The reflection of the limestone outcrops, the sight of fishing boats lit up in the darkness; enjoy these precious moments in one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world.
Overnight on board the junk

Day 22: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B,L)

After gazing at the sunrise, you will navigate through the numerous oddly shaped limestone outcrops. Stop by a cove for a panoramic view of Halong Bay. Seafood feast on board. On the afternoon return to Hanoi we’ll stop at Dong Trieu Village and visit a ceramic craft workshop.
Overnight in Hanoi (B,L)

Day 23: Hanoi departure  (B)

Tour map

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Tour price

The price includes :

-      Accommodation based on twin sharing or house on stilt

-     Daily Breakfast

-     Other meals as indicated

-     Local English speaking guides (other languages available on request )

-     All entrance fees for the itinerary

-     Transportation within Vietnam

-     Service charges, room tax

-     Cruise on (Halong Bay, Ba Be)

The price does not include :

-     Vietnam Visa (can be arranged)

-     International airfare to/from Vietnam

-     Meals not included in itinerary

-     Optional tours

-     Tipping for guides, drivers, porters, maids

-     All personal expenses such as: extra meals and drinks, laundry, excess baggage charges, telephone calls, souvenirs

-     Trip insurance

-     Departure tax