North Vietnam Grand Adventure

Xin Chao! Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s charming colonial capital. After clearing your immigration and picking-up your luggage, meet your driver and guide who wait for you outside the arrival hall. Transfer to your hotel in the city center for check-in and refreshments.

In the afternoon, take a walk around the center, visiting some of Hanoi’s main attractions: the famous St. Joseph Cathedral, Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. 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.

Wake up today local way!

For early risers, have a taste of Hanoi by taking a walk on your own around the central Hoan Kiem Lake where you can find yourself among thousands of local people meditating, doing tai chi, exercising and playing badminton. Enrich your experience with a trial of some local dishes on the street-restaurants before making your way back to the hotel where your full breakfast is served.

Your guide and driver will then pick you up at hotel lobby and take you on a full day city and its surroundings tour. Start with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and stilt house), the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Temple of Literature; and Hoa Lo Prison with its infamous nickname “Hanoi Hilton”.

In the afternoon, challenge yourself with a biking tour to Bat Trang Pottery Village in the outskirts of Hanoi. The biking tour starts at Long Bien market before crossing Red River historical Long Bien Bridge, which stood still during Vietnam War.

Cycle along the dike of Red River to Bat Trang – famous for its high quality ceramic and pottery products. Upon arrival, visit the pottery market and a local workshop and learn about the process. You can even try it yourself!

Afterwards, return to the city and enjoy your time at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Home to a diverse array of ethnic minorities, spectacular mountain scenery, and rugged terrain, the remote north of Vietnam has much to offer…
After breakfast, commence your long journey to Quan Ba in Ha Giang Province. The drive will take you through the delta of North Vietnam with very few stops. You will reach Ha Giang City in the afternoon and walk leisurely at Thon Tha – a village of Tay tribal people.

Continue your trip to Quan Ba with a stop at the amazing Pac Sum pass, Heaven Gate, Fairy Mountain eventually providing a spectacular view over the Tam Son town and the surrounding countryside.

Have dinner and spend your night at the special lodge here.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Lodge in Quan Ba.

Have breakfast at the lodge before leaving for your road-trip again. Today you will experience a spectacular day of driving through amazing mountainous landscapes nestled up against the border with China. 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) with its mixture of European and Chinese architecture. 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 – an isolated town atop a small hill. Dong Van is very beautiful with mountains, forests, hidden grottoes and multi-colored orchid forests.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Dong Van.

Enjoy your simple breakfast at hotel; or you can choose a local restaurant in the Old Quarter. Then, 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. If you are lucky enough, you might also visit the lively Lung Phin hill tribe market which is held on each Tiger and Monkey days (Lunar Calendar). If not, you will visit Meo Vac market and learn about the local life here.
Stop for lunch on the way and continue to drive to Hoang Su Phi. Your accommodation for tonight is a unique eco-lodge hidden at the heart of the High Song Chay Mountains.

(*) 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 Hoang Su Phi.

After breakfast, set off on a full day journey to Bac Ha the capital of the region of the Flower Hmong, a relaxing base to explore the northern highlands and hill-tribe villages. 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. Arrive in Bac Ha Town in the late afternoon and check-in to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.

This morning, 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.

Today is devoted to a beautiful hike through the breathtaking scenery of Sapa valley which boasts awe-inspiring views of the morning mist blanketing the rice terraces beneath it. Following a small track, cross the Muong Hoa river and pass well-tended rice terraces, where you will learn how the rice is cultivated, on your way to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai. Reaching Ta Van, there is time to explore this village, which has a mixture of Hmong, Zay and Red Dao residents. Return to the town for your night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.

After breakfast, 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.
Optional: You can also choose to experience Muong Hoa funicular and take the cable car to Mt. Fansipan – the rooftop of Indochina (ticket excluded in the tour package):

The world’s most modern three-rope cable car system, Fansipan Legend, was opened to public use on February 2016.
At the inaugural ceremony, representatives from Guinness World Records presented a certificate recognizing the system as the world’s longest three-rope cable car (6,292.5 meters). The facility was also named the three-rope cable car system with the world’s biggest height gap between its departure and arrival stations (1,410m).

The cable car system stretches from Muong Hoa valley in Sapa Town, Lao Cai Province to the peak of 3,143-meter Fansipan, known as Indochina’s rooftop.
Passengers used to spend two days climbing to Fansipan summit, but now it takes only 20 minutes thanks to this system. The dream of reaching Indochina’s rooftop, which used to be hard to do, becomes easier for everyone.

As soon as you reach Fansipan station in an altitude of 2,800m above sea level, 600 stairs await for you to climb up to the summit. Standing on the top of Fansipan, it seems that you are enjoying a life on heaven. Surroundings are range of mountains and cloud only. And then you return the station for a ride back to Sapa.

WORKING HOURS: Start: 7:30 A.M – End: 17:30
PRICE:
Adult and child (taller than 1.3m): 30 USD/ person.
Child: 20 USD/ person.
You will have a couple of hours to relax and enjoy lunch in Sapa town before driving back to Hanoi on the highway (~ 5.5 hours).
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

After breakfast at hotel, get picked-up for a 2.5-hour drive to mystical Halong Bay. With its jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters, Halong Bay is among the most popular tourism destinations in Vietnam. It is also voted as one of seven World Natural Wonders and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Upon arrival, embark and being greeted by our boat crew and captain. Check-in at your en-suite cabin and get refreshment before returning to the main restaurant. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as you 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 Tonkin Gulf (weather permits). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.
(The route and activities depend on specific cruise, weather condition and permission of the Halong Authority and could be changed by season).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise.

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 and light breakfast, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk and check-out of your cabin as you navigate back to Halong City. It’s time for you to take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of the bay. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier. Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi for your departure flight.
Goodbye & Bon Voyage!
Meals: Brunch.
Accommodation: N/A.