Northern Vietnam Exploration 11 days

DAY 01: HANOI ARRIVAL (-/-/-)

Upon arrival at Noi Bai international airport, being picked up and transferred to the hotel. Have first discovery of city by your own. Stay overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

DAY 02: HANOI CITY TOUR – LAO CAI (B/-/-) - overnight train

Have Breakfast at hotel. Discover Vietnam’s capital, including Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, traditional stilt house, the revered One Pillar Pagoda and visit Vietnam’s first university - the thousands years old Temple of Literature. Then, move to the typical Vietnamese places of worship - Quan Thanh temple and Tran Quoc pagoda, along the shore of West Lake.

Later explore Ethnology Museum and enjoy a wonderful cyclo in the Old Quarter (36 old handicraft streets) of Hanoi to explore the very busy part of Hanoi, Hanoi Opera House with beautiful architecture, Dong Xuan market and Long Bien Bridge (built in French colony).

Later, take part in the water puppet show (the traditional art type in Vietnam) before transferring to the railway for overnight train to Lao Cai.

DAY 03: LAO CAI – BAC HA MARKET – BAN PHO VILLAGE – SAPA (B/L/-)

Be picked up by guide at Lao Cai railway, early check-in at hotel for showering and enjoy breakfast. After that, transfer to Bac Ha market one of the most colorful markets in Northwest of Vietnam where you can meet different ethnic minorities. Not only do people attend for trading but also do enjoy rice-wine drinking, social communication, meeting, friend making in the market. Have lunch at a local restaurant and then transfer to Ban Pho which is the village of Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province. It’s takes you about 15 minutes from Bac Ha town and 2 hours from Lao Cai station. This is the village of Black H’Mong and Flower H’Mong.

Finally, depart to Sapa for check-in hotel. Have your own dinner and overnight at hotel in Sapa.

DAY 04: SAPA - TA PHIN – MA TRA – SAPA (B/L/-)

Enjoy breakfast before the tour. Stroll around the village and visit hospitable Red Zao families to learn about their culture. You will go off the main road, onto hilly mountainous trails. Your surrounding is filled with lush vegetation, pine forest and fresh air. You will experience the untouched beauty of the area. Ma Tra is about 3 km walking from Ta Phin which is the newly added location in a series of villages in Sapa that visitors can go to. The village is about 5km from the town of Sapa. This has around 50 households, resided by only H’Mong people. Ma Tra village has restored the traditional flax weaving loom, forging tools and carved silver production as part of tourism.

Experience tribal life on mountain, see how the locals make clothes and handicrafts, and enjoy amazing scenery that you can never forget. Transfer to the center for overnight at hotel.

DAY 05: SAPA – Y LINH HO – LAO CHAI – TA VAN - HANOI (B/L/-) – overnight train

Enjoy breakfast at hotel before going down to Muong Hoa valley. Beginning of the trip is the moment for admire the panorama view of the town and then the valley from the main road. After 4km on the main road, we start going down to the valley by the small trails through the terrace rice fields to get to Y Linh Ho hamlet, a small village of the Black Hmong people.

From Y Linh Ho village, we go along the river to go to Lao Chai village (means "old village" in the local dialect). It is time for you to visit the local families, listen to your guide's explanation about the local culture: how they live, way of building the traditional house, and techniques of making clothes... or listen about the way of treatment for a sick person. Stop for lunch. The lunch is served in one of the local refreshment restaurants on the side of the river.

In the afternoon, we leave Lao Chai to continue to Ta Van village, the Giay people's residence. The guide to bring you into some family: listen about their life, enjoy some green tea, and learn about the differences of their culture from the other hill tribes even they leave close to each other.

Finally, return to bus station in Sapa for the evening bus (at 4 pm) to Hanoi. Upon arrival, be picked up by our car, transfer to the hotel in the old quarter.

DAY 06: HANOI – MAI CHAU – MAI HICH VILLAGE (B/L/D)

After breakfast at hotel, depart to the south-west to Mai Chau district in Hoa Binh province. On the way, discover the weekly market of Huong Son which sells a lot of stuff from domestic animals such as pigs, chickens to local fruits: sugar cane, oranges, mandarins ... then continue to Thung Khe Pass passing fields of sugar cane, oranges at two road sides. Stop at the top of the pass to enjoy the panoramic view of Mai Chau valley (the pass is located at the altitude of 1000 m above the sea level). Arrive at Mai Hich village around noon. Enjoy lunch at a local house on stilts. The afternoon is devoted to bike ride around villages nestled at the foot of the Poc Mountain (altitude 600m) through rice terraces fields, bamboo forests. This discovery helps you feel better about the new figure of the Vietnamese countryside. Later, prepare dinner with your hostess. Overnight at homestay in Mai Hich.

DAY 07: MAI CHAU – TAM COC – NINH BINH (B/-/-)

Take your time in Mai Hich to discover this place further until being transferred to Tam Coc. Arrive at hotel/resort in Ninh Binh in the late afternoon. Take your free time to explore the area around your hotel/resort. Have your own dinner and overnight at hotel/resort in Ninh Binh.

DAY 08: TAM COC – BICH DONG – MUA CAVE – HANOI (B/-/-)

After breakfast, visit Hoa Lu which was once depicted the ancient capital of Viet Nam, settling up in the 10th century. Also, visit temples of two dynasties of Dinh and Le with a very unique architecture in the old time. Learn about ancient culture through an excavation of vestiges of Royal Palaces ground dated 10th century.

Next, board the sampan in Tam Coc going along river among the villages, mountains and rice fields. Pass through 3 caves "Hang Ca - First cave, Hang Hai - Second cave, Hang Ba - Third cave" to get a wonderful feeling. Boat returns to the dock continue our trip to Bich Dong (Jade Cave) by bicycle to visit three ancient pagodas built on mountain cliff (the Lower, Middle and Upper pagoda).

Return to Hanoi in the late afternoon, check-in hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 09: HANOI – HALONG BAY – OVERNIGHT ON JUNK (B/L/D)

08:00: Pick up at hotel in Hanoi old quarter to Halong Bay.

12:00: Embark from Tuan Chau Marina by tender, transfer to cruise. Welcome drink on board, followed by a cruise briefing.

13:15: Enjoy delicious lunch served on board with seafood and Vietnamese cuisine while cruising to Dark and Light Cave.

15:00: Explore the most fantastic water cave (Dark and Light Grotto) in Lan Ha bay by kayaking for an hour or bamboo boat.

16:30: Come back to the cruise. Cruise head to Soi Sim Island. Enjoy swimming at sandy beach and emerald water or climbing up to the top of this island to take your amazing views of the bay.

17:30: Tender take you back to cruises to relax. Enjoy Sunset happy hour with variety of beverages.

18:00 -18:30: It’s time for Vietnamese cooking demonstration on the sun deck of cruise.

19:00 – 19:30: Dinner served with Vietnamese food and BBQ Seafood.

20:00: Joining some board games, squid fishing. Stay overnight on cruise.

DAY 10: HALONG BAY – HOA CUONG VILLAGE - HANOI (B/L/-)

06:00: Welcome dawn in the early morning. Join Tai Chi lesson on Sundeck.

07:00: Breakfast served with Western Style.

08:15 – 09:15: Arrive at Surprising Cave (Sung Sot Cave) and join tour with guide to explore the cave. Return to the cruise. Continue exploring Halong Bay and pass through Hoa Cuong floating village on the way back to Tuan Chau pier.

11:00: Enjoy delicious lunch served on board with Vietnamese cuisine.

12:00: Disembark at Tuan Chau Pier. Return to Hanoi City.

16:30: Arrive in Hanoi.

Check-in hotel, enjoy your own meal. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

DAY 11: HANOI – DEPARTURE (B/-/-)

Take your free time to discover Hanoi further until being transferred to airport for the flight back to your country.

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INCLUSION

• Private car for the whole trip with experienced, helpful, and skillful drivers
• Accommodation at mentioned 3/4/5-stars hotels and homestay or equivalent based on the availability
• Private competent, knowledgeable and inspired English-speaking local guides (unless otherwise state)
• Meals mentioned in the program (B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner)
• All entrance fees at the mentioned destinations
• 2 days 01 night on the beautiful and luxury cruise with all meals on boat (English speaking guide on cruise included)
• Cyclo ride around the old quarter
• Round overnight train: Hanoi – Lao Cai - Hanoi
• Day boat trip in Tam Coc, Ninh Binh
• Towels and mineral water

EXCLUSION

• Drinks during meals
• Visas and Immigration fees on arrival (can be done by our Visa service)
• International airfares
• Travel and/or Medical Insurance
• Tip and other personal expenses
• Services not mentioned in the program

NOTE: 

Hotel check-in: 14:00 and check-out 12:00

FOC for 01 person (at DBL/TWN room) for group from 21 people