North Vietnam Holiday Adventure – 11 Days

After breakfast, your guide and driver collect you from your hotel for the drive north through Tuyen Quang province, with lunch along the way.

Arrive in Ha Giang in the early afternoon and check in. Then take a short walk around town, or a gentle trek to the Tay villages on its edge, where stilt houses stand among the rice fields.

Dinner is served in Ha Giang.

Leave Ha Giang and climb the Bac Sum Pass to Heaven Gate, where the view opens over Quan Ba, its valley and the two rounded hills known as Fairy Mountain, then look down over the little town of Tam Son.

Stop in Yen Minh for lunch.

Continue to an old clay-walled house set in wild mountain scenery, surrounded by flowering buckwheat, roses and, in summer, maize, which became famous as the setting of the Vietnamese film Pao’s Story. Visit the Vuong family mansion, the palace of the Hmong king who once ruled this border region, then drive on to Lung Cu Flag Tower at the northernmost tip of Vietnam and the Lo Lo village at the foot of its hill.

End the day in the small market town of Dong Van, where dinner is served.

Walk through Dong Van Old Quarter, a short row of houses one or two hundred years old, with tiled roofs, lanterns and thick earthen walls.

Spend the rest of the day exploring the remote countryside around Dong Van, driving through small villages and along tracks used by the local people. Steep valleys are carved into terraces of maize, and the Hmong and Hoa people you meet along the way greet you warmly in their colourful clothes.

Return to your hotel in Dong Van for dinner.

Take the road over Ma Pi Leng, which clings to the cliffs high above the Nho Que River as it winds through one of the deepest canyons in Southeast Asia. Stop to take photos of the jade-green river far below, then visit the market town of Meo Vac.

Stop for lunch along the way and arrive back in Ha Giang in the late afternoon.

After checking in, explore the town or rest up for the road ahead, before dinner.

Leave Ha Giang on a rough, scenic road that winds through dense forest and over a pass towards Hoang Su Phi and Sin Man. The road twists up and down all day, so settle in and enjoy the views.

Descend into Sin Man, where the Nung, Tay, Red Dao, La Chi and Co Lao are just some of the hill tribe groups who have made their homes.

Spend the night with a local family in Sin Man, sharing dinner in their home.

Drive about 40 kilometres to Bac Ha, the heart of the Flower Hmong region and a relaxed base for exploring the highlands. On a Sunday, its market is a riot of colour as people from the surrounding villages come to trade. Visit the Hoang A Tuong Palace, the mansion of the local lord once known as the “King of the Hmong”, and the Flower Hmong village of Ban Pho.

After lunch, drive about 90 kilometres to Sapa. Check in to your hotel and spend the rest of the day relaxing or exploring the town at your own pace.

Set off from your hotel and walk down into deep valleys carved into terraced rice fields, passing through hill tribe villages along the way. Choose the trek that suits you: a soft walk of about 3 kilometres, a medium walk of 6 or a long walk of 12. It is a wonderful way to learn about the daily life of the Hmong, Dao and Giay people who live here.

Lunch is served in a village, then explore it at your own pace.

Spend the night in Ta Van, sharing dinner with your host family in their home.

After breakfast with your hosts, drive up to the O Quy Ho Pass across the Hoang Lien Son range, one of the highest passes in Vietnam at about 2,000 metres, stopping at the Silver Waterfall on the way.

Spend a couple of hours in Sapa town to relax and have lunch.

Drive back to Hanoi on the expressway, a journey of about five hours.

Your guide and driver meet you in the hotel lobby for the drive of three to four hours to the coast.

Board your junk around midday and enjoy a seafood lunch as the boat sails out into the bay.

Cruise among the islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi, and step inside one of the bay’s great caves, such as Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot. Later, drop anchor at a sheltered cove with a white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm water of the Gulf of Tonkin.

Dinner is served on board, and the night is spent on the water with the gentle rocking of the boat for company.

Rise early for tai chi on the top deck, or simply watch the sun come up over the islands with a cup of coffee or tea. Then row out to the nearby islands.

Back on board, enjoy breakfast and relax on the sun deck, admiring the rock formations as the junk cruises back to the harbour, with lunch served on board.

Your driver meets you at the jetty for the transfer to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport and your flight home.