Best of Northern Vietnam - 6 Day Tour

Morning or afternoon departure depend on availabilitiy - Routes can change subject to client’s interest.

Begin the first day of the trip with a tour of Hanoi. Depart from the hotel for a visit to Vietnam’s first university: the Temple of Literature. Founded in 1076, Quoc Tu Giam was established within a temple to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite.

Continue with a visit to the iconic One Pillar Pagoda, one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples. Nearby is the Mausoleum of the historic father figure of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, and his modest house on stilts. (Sites are viewed from outside; closed Mon and Fri and from Jun - Aug)

Visit the picturesque West Lake and its sixth century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda. Tran Quoc Pagoda is regarded as the most ancient pagoda in Hanoi with its history line of more than 1,500 years.

After visiting, you will have a meal at an authentic Vietnamese Restaurant.

Pick up from hotels in Hanoi Old Quarter and head to Ninh Binh with comfortable A/C car. Enjoy the fresh air at the middle of the giant rice fields. Arrive in Tam Coc.

Start our full day excursion by a small boat rowing by a local for about 2 hours. The reason Tam Coc is called Halong Bay on land is because this area consists of many limestone mountains with many different shape. Cruising through Ngo Dong river, you will have chance to take a lot of beautiful pictures with peaceful scenery of mountains, rice fields and temples all along the way. If you go on harvest season, you will have chance to see the golden rice carpet along the river banks. After a wonderful adventure, you will head back to the main land to have lunch prepared by Vietnamese professional chef. The delicious cuisines are made from traditional, organic ingredients, obey strictly the Yin Yang balance of Asian culture.

After lunch, you will have free time to do some optional activities like fishing, visiting local people, etc. (Depend on the itinerary on that day) Have free time to hop on a bicycle and go around beautiful villages, enjoy fresh air in the rural area and discover huge limestone mountains, etc.

Arrive at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital – The ancient capital city of Vietnam one thousands year ago. With the guide’s description, you will understand more about Vietnamese history which is not popular to the world but still very interesting and worth knowing. Leave Ninh Binh and go back to Hanoi. Taking bath at hotel closed to the railway station.

Meet at hotel in Hanoi at around 21:00 hrs and transfer to Hanoi train station. Overnight train trip to Lao Cai in shared sleeping compartments (sharing with other passengers in 2 lower & 2 upper berths per compartment). Train departs at approximately 21:35 hrs.

Notes:

- Our tour guide will not accompany during the train trip

- Train schedule is subject to change.

- Private compartments on request at surcharge.

- Train journeys are part of a great local experience. Cabins are shared with other local passengers (unless private cabin is requested and all berths paid for - with supplement). Restrooms at either end of the carriages complete the local experience.

05:30 ~ 06:00 Arrive at Lao Cai Train Station. Pick up at the train station and transfer to Sapa by a tourist shared bus (1 hour to get to Sapa). Early check in upon arrival is possible upon room occupancy (Surcharge applicable). Relax for awhile to get ready for our full day tour.

Start the trip at around 9:30. Meet up your local guide and start trekking. The first part is on the road but we soon turn to the right and walk on a small path down the valley to Y Linh Ho village settled down by the Muong Hoa River and from here to the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai. Black H’mong is one of the biggest minority groups in the Sapa area. They have their own language and wear traditional indigo blue clothing. The H’mong peoples have just recently changed their living way from sifting style into the sedentary one. So there are still a lot traces of the past time can be seen: rudimentary houses, stone wall around homes… After this you continue to Ta Van village (1.200 m) to visit Zay people. Zay is a fairly small minority group of about 38.000 people who live mainly in the mountains in Northwest Vietnam.

After visiting Ta Van village the car will return you to Sapa. Free at leisure the rest of the day. Overnight at Sapa Hotel.

In the morning, have breakfast at the hotel and then check out.

Take a walk down to the South-west of Sapa (around 3 km) to visit Cat Cat Village of the Black H’mong, one of the more well-known ethnic village of Sapa. Relax at the foot of the stunning waterfall and the vestige of a hydroelectric power station that was constructed by the French during the colonial time in Vietnam.

Enjoy picnic lunch by the side of the river, and then continue trekking to 3 km to Sin Chai Village, located at the foot of Fansipan Mountain - “the Roof of Indochina”, where you enjoy a stunning landscapes of the mountain.

Then come back to the main road to be transferred to Sapa town on a jeep for 3km.

You will be transfer to Hanoi by sharing limousine.

After breakfast at hotel, driver picks up and transfer to Halong Bay, listed as a World Heritage of outstanding natural beauty, known in Vietnamese as “Dragon descending to the sea”.

Upon arrival, the boat crew welcome you and check in then enjoy a cruise around Halong Bay with a delicious local seafood lunch served on board. You can also behold thousands of limestone islands and grottoes rising from the clear, emerald water.

Following break, depending on each cruise’s itinerary of the day, you’ll join some activities on boat to discover the beauty of the bay such as visit a cave, doing kayaking or enjoy swimming in the sea before getting back to the junk for relaxing and dinner. Overnight on board.

You might start your 2nd day in Halong with an early tai-chi class, or simply wake up and witness the amazing sunrise on the bay. After breakfast, cruise take you to explore the most stunning caves in Halong.

The early lunch will be served on the way getting back to the main dock for transferring back to Hanoi. Drop off at your hotel (hotel in Hanoi is not included)