Vietnam – The Charming North

Welcome to Hanoi – The Capital City of Vietnam!
Upon arrival, welcomed by the local tour guide and transferred to downtown to check in the hotel.
Have a short break to freshen up before gearing up the exploration.
Late afternoon, have an overall view of the capital by a “cyclo” visit, which will go through the fascinating network of narrow alleys and shop houses also known as ‘The 36 Streets’ – each street being named after the merchandise traditionally sold there, ranging from fabrics to crafts and from medicines to tombstones. Drop by at Ngoc Son Temple located on the Hoan Kiem Lake. Welcome dinner will be followed at the fine dining restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.
Note: check-in at the hotel is at 2pm. Early check in is subject to hotel availability.
 

Have breakfast at hotel. A 90km driving south of Hanoi will lead you to Ninh Binh, the site of the one capital city of ancient Vietnam before Hanoi took its leading role in 11th century. The area is featured by lots of well-known sceneries, which include Tam Coc Caves and Hoa Lu ancient capital with the old temples dedicated to King Dinh & King Le reigned in 10th century. 
The visit in Ninh Binh starts by a boat trip in Tam Coc where spectacular limestone karsts jut out from the green paddy fields reminding about Guilin (China) and Halong Bay of Vietnam, which gives this scenery the name “Halong-bay-on-land”. 
Lunch at local restaurant.
Further discovery in Ninh Binh will be continued by visiting Bich Dong Pagoda situated on a mountainside consisting of 3 separated pagoda located from low to high. When you reach the top of the stairs, you’ll be welcomed with a stunning view out of the valley of the distant mountain peaks and vast rice fields. Afternoon drive back Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.
 

After breakfast, check out and get ready for a 5-hour driving to Sapa, home to the hill tribe people.
Upon arrival, have lunch and check in your hotel.
Afternoon, hanging around with our guide to visit the Sapa town including the church, walking streets where we can meet the montagnards and admire their handicrafts made of wood, silver, or dyed and embroidered fabrics and clothes. 
Have a walking tour in Cat Cat Village, located on the Muong Hoa Valley. This is the village of the H’Mong hill tribe and on the slope of the hill and easy walking, rice field and corn are grown here. Visiting Cat Cat village, we can have a chance to visit a big waterfall on the stream and the old Hydro Electric Power Station built by the French here. After that visit Silver Waterfall, which offers stunning views over surrounding mountains and lush forests belonging to Hoang Lien National Park.  You are advised to stop by a farm for a cup of tea and talk with people to understand their local life. Drive back to the town late afternoon. Overnight in Sapa.
 

Route: Sapa - Su Pan - Thanh Phu – My Son – Nam Sai – Nam Cang – Sapa
Approx: 3 hrs driving/ 2 hours walking/ 1 hour lunch.

Leaving Sapa at about 08.30 am by vehicle and traveling southwards of Sapa along a narrow and bumpy tarmac. The first 16 km of the road ride offers spectacular landscapes of Hoang Lien mountain range, Fansipan peak as well as marvelous terraced rice fields of the Muong Hoa valley. Enjoy several photo stops before taking half an hour walk around Hoa Su Pan, a small hamlet of the Black Hmong, paying visiting to local homes and meeting peoples doing their everyday works.
Continue the trip along the road further south to Muong Bo valley of Thanh Phu Commune. Enjoy another walk for an hour along the large village path, paying visiting to several homes of the Tay people who live in spacious houses built on stilts, witnessing their daily life and experiencing their hospitality. Lunch break in a local home in open air on the grass, depending on weather.
Take a short drive after lunch along the rocky road to My Son and spend half an hour to explore this charming village of the Xa Pho ethnic, whose population is only more than 6 thousands peoples, for a brief understanding of their unique culture and customs.
Then process further for 10km to Nam Cang Commune for visiting a beautiful and prosperous village of the Red Zao people in Nam Than village. This portion of the road ride offers beautiful scenery of the Nam Sai valley.
Leave Nam Cang in mid afternoon and driving for an hour along the same way back to Sapa. Continue drive to Lao Cai for overnight. 
 

Have early breakfast at hotel then check out.
Morning drive to Bac Ha District where you will have opportunity to visit the colorful weekly market of the hill tribe people, depending on the day.
With a dozen of tribes living in the surroundings, including Flower Hmong, Chinese, Nhang, Dzao, Nung, Phu La, Thai and King (or Viet), the market is extremely exciting especially in the early morning. The winding road to Bac Ha helps maintain the colours (in both literal and figurative sense) of the area. In the market, we can meet hundreds of beautiful women from Flower Hmong tribe, who are famous for their wonderful craft and hand-made flowering clothes and textile fabrics, or intermingle with people from Black Hmong, Dzay, Dzao and other ethnic groups coming to the market not for purchasing stuffs, but for meeting and chatting – just once a week - like in a real cultural center. After lunchtime drive back Lao Cai, stop to visit Vietnam – China Ha Khau Border. Drive back to Hanoi in the evening time. Check in hotel and overnight.
 

Breakfast at hotel.
At 9am, head East for about 3 hours to Halong Bay, the pride of the Gulf of Tonkin, a Natural World Heritage as designated by UNESCO in 1994 and 2006. Upon arrival in Halong, check in the overnight cruise to discover the magnificent beauty of this “Descending-dragon” bay, created by thousands odd-shaped limestone rocks and karst grottoes. After a lunch on board, we can visit the Grottos, stop for swimming or kayaking, passing floating houses and approach islets to enjoy their beauty in close distance. Back to the cruise, enjoy cooking demonstration before having dinner. Evening attend activities on the boat or relax at your own leisure. Overnight on the cruise. 
Please note the program may be little varied upon the cruise you choose. 
 

You should wake up early to enjoy the dawn on the sea in the early morning. The Vietnamese call the "East Sea" by a point-oriented name "Eastern Sea", so you may guess how miraculous seeing the sunrise over the islets of the Bay. After breakfast our boat will continue to cruise in marvelous areas, where almost each islet has its own name, adopting its shape or reminiscent like Sail Island, Fisherman’s head rock, Butterfly rock or Turtle islet etc. Check out your room and have brunch on board while the cruise coming back the pier. Disembark from the cruise, transfer back to Hanoi. 
Upon arrival, visit Hoa Lo Prison, also known as Maison Centrale, well-known as one of the most inhuman prisons with terrified punishment. In this prison, you’ll see the horrified iron shackles and many artifacts and photographs of prisoners who are wearing leg chains. Prisoners often starved, tortured, are always beaten and isolated. Thereby, visitors can understand the spirit of the revolutionary soldiers and their sacrifice for their communist ideals. 
Continue visiting Ba Dinh Square where the most solemn ceremonies of Hanoi take place. We first visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (from outside) where is the last rest place of Ho Chi Minh President, we then visit One-Pillar pagoda nearby with unique architecture first built on 1049 by King Ly Thai Tong. Return your hotel in the evening. Overnight in Hanoi.
 

Breakfast at the hotel. Time at leisure until check out time and transfer to the airport for the departure flight back to your sweet home.
Please note: Normal check-out time at hotel is 11:00/12:00. Late check-in is not included.