Best of Northern Vietnam

Trip Highlights

• In-depth Sapa experiences with local homestay
• Learning Vietnamese ethnic minorities' way of life
• Intense trekking through bamboo forest of Hoang Lien National Park

Trip Summary

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival

You will be warmly welcome upon arrival Hanoi airport and transferred to your hotel by our driver. Free at the rest of the day. Meals are on your own. Overnight in Hanoi.

 Red Bridge in Hanoi

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour

Morning pick up and enjoy a day Hanoi city tour including Ho Chi Minh complex (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum, The Presidential Palace, House on stilt and One Pillar Pagoda). Continue to visit the Temple of Literature - the First University of Vietnam. Lunch in a local restaurant. Afterward, visiting Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Return to Hanoi Old Quarter for a daily-life-discovering walking tour. Return to hotel. Dinner is on your own. Overnight in Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Day 3: Hanoi > Halong

Morning pick up and transfer to Halong Bay. Arrive to Halong at noon and get on our traditional wooden boat/cruise. Enjoy your time for relaxing, sightseeing and swimming. Visit the Floating Fishing village and go swimming if the weather permits. Meals are included. Overnight on board.

Floating Fishing village  on Ha Long Bay

Day 4: Halong > Hanoi > Night Train To Lao Cai

Wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves and birds welcoming the new day. View the sunrise over the bay and after breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto. Have a walk back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Drive back to Hanoi and stay overnight. Dinner is on your own. Free until time for transfer to the train station for your night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train.

 Sapa by night

Day 5: Lao Cai > Sapa - Trekking to The Village

Early morning arrive at Lao Cai. Transfer to breathtaking-landscapes Sapa (a home to various Vietnamese ethnic minorities) with our local guide. Local breakfast at Sapa before trekking to the villages. Sneak through the market and leave the busy town behind before going downhill to idyllic Cat Cat village. Stop by a waterfall and a hydroelectric station for a while. Trek on a dirt trail through rice paddy terraces and enjoy spectacular scenery while walking along a narrow river. Arrive at Y Linh Ho village of Black Hmong minority, where you can take a rest while river-nearby lunch is served. Head to Muong Hoa valley then pass through Lao Chai village of Black Hmong minority and then Ta Van village of Giay minority. Spend the night in local house of Giay minority. Walk along the valley to enjoy the view as well as swim in the river nearby. Dinner and homestay with local people.

Cat Cat village

Day 6: More trekking – Sapa > Night Train Back to Hanoi

Leave for Giang Ta Chai village of Red Dao minority after breakfast. Trek through bamboo forest belonging to Hoang Lien National Park. Pass by a romantic waterfall, take a rest and enjoy the surrounding. You will find a nice place to enjoy lunch. Continue toward Su Pan, a small village located by the road after luch. Back to Sapa by car. Free until time for transfer to Lao Cai train station for your night train back to Hanoi. Dinner is on your own. Overnight on train.

 A village in Sapa

Day 7: Hanoi

Early morning arrive to Hanoi. Trip ends

 Flower vendors in Hanoi