Day 1: Hanoi Arrival – Hanoi City Tour in brief
Welcome to Hanoi: Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Your guide and driver will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, take a walk around the center, visiting some of Hanoi’s main attractions: the Opera House, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. In the evening enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese Art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture – followed by a welcome dinner at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.
Meals: Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi – Ha Giang
After breakfast at the hotel, your guide and driver will meet you at the hotel and transfer you to Ha Giang via Tuyen Quang province. Arrive in Ha Giang in the early afternoon and check in the hotel. Then take a short walk around the city or take a soft trek to some Tay villages in Ha Giang City. Have dinner and overnight hotel in Ha Giang.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Ha Giang
Day 3: Ha Giang – Quan Ba – Yen Minh – Dong Van
After breakfast, take a drive to Dong Van Karst Plateau. On the way, you will have a chance to see a beauty of Pac Sum pass, Heaven Gate, Fairy Mountain in Quan Ba, looking down the Tam Son town from above. Stop at Yen Minh for lunch then continue driving to an old clay house, set in a breath-taking primitive landscape in the mountainous province of Ha Giang, surrounded by flower gardens of Tam Giac Mach (buckwheat), roses and corns (corn season in summer only), famed for a Vietnamese movie: "Pao’s Story". Then visit the residence of the Vuong family (Palace of Hmong King). Continue a drive to Lung Cu Flag Tower and visit the Lo Lo minority village in foot of the mountain. Finish your day at Dong Van Town.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Dong Van.
Day 4: Dong Van
After breakfast, visit the Dong Van Old quarter, lined with houses of one or two hundred years old, enjoy more of the ancient atmosphere of Dong Van.
The rest of the day is through remote and beautiful countryside of Dong Van where you pass through several villages along tracks used by the local people.
You are rewarded with a brilliant backdrop of picturesque valleys covered in rice paddies. The H’mong and Hoa people, who are the local ethnic minorities, exhibit their friendliness through their colorful clothing and warm hospitality.
Later, return to the same hotel in Dong Van.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Dong Van.
Day 5: Dong Van – Ma Pi Leng Pass – Meo Vac – Ha Giang
After breakfast, start a trip back to Ha Giang town on another way. The van will stop at Ma Pi Leng Pass* for taking photos – the deepest valley in Vietnam as well as in South East Asia. Visit Meo Vac market & its town. Stop for lunch on the way and arrive in Ha Giang in the late afternoon. Check in the hotel and you are free at leisure to explore the town or recover your health for the next day.
* Ma Pi Leng Pass is one of the four most beautiful passes in Vietnam, ranked number 4. Others are O Quy Ho Pass (Sapa – Laocai), Khau Pha Pass (Yen Bai) and Pha Din (Dien Bien).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Ha Giang.
Day 6: Ha Giang – Sin Man
After breakfast, set off on a full day journey to Sin Man and Hoang Su Phi from Ha Giang Town. The rough but scenic route traverses a dense jungle before crossing over a pass and dropping down to Sin Man. This day is a real challenge for our driver as you will travel by winding roads with many uphill and downhill drives. Along the way you may encounter the Nung Ing, Tay, Red Dao, Dao Ao Dai, La Chi and Co Lao, just some of the many hill tribe groups who have settled there. Overnight at homestay in Sin Man.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Homestay in Sin Man.
Day 7: Sin Man – Bac Ha – Sapa
This morning you will drive to Bac Ha (40km from Sin Man), the capital of the region of the Flower Hmong, a relaxed base to explore the northern highlands and hill-tribe villages. Arrive in Bac Ha, visit Bac Ha coloful market (on Sunday only), H'mong King's House and Flower H'mong's Ban Pho village. Have lunch in the town then spend a 90km drive to Sapa Town. Check in to your hotel and spend rest of the day at leisure or explore the town yourselves.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.
Day 8: Sapa – Trekking to Lao Chai & Ta Van
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting out on a full day’s trek to explore Sapa’s cultural diversity and haunting natural beauty. Take a guided hike through yawning valleys decorated with terraced rice fields and pass through remote hill tribe villages. You have three trekking options to choose from: Soft trek (~ 3 km), medium trek (~ 6km) and long trek (~ 12km). Trekking is an excellent way to explore the daily life and familiarize yourself with the cultures of the H’mong, Dzao and Dzay people who populate the region. Have lunch at a hill tribe village then explore the village by our own. Having dinner with a local family and enjoying a homestay in their long house.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Homestay in Ta Van.
Day 9: Ta Van – Sapa – Hanoi
After breakfast at homestay, drive to O Quy Ho to visit Sapa's Silver Waterfall and Hoang Lien Son Pass, the highest pass in Vietnam with an altitude of 2,000m above sea. You will have a couple of hours to relax and enjoy lunch in Sapa town before driving back to Hanoi on the highway (~ 5 hours).
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.
Day 10: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise
Note: The below itinerary is subject to change without prior notice and depends on weather condition The cruises' itinerary is also different, pleasee contact our travel consultant for more details.
Meet your tour guide and driver at lobby of your hotel then set out on a 3 to 4 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay. Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters.
Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as we sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (weather permitting). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise.
Day 11: Halong – Hanoi – Departure
Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for breakfast then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City. Your driver will meet you at the Halong jetty and take you back to Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi for your departure flight home.
Good bye & Safe travels!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: N/A.