North Vietnam Holiday Adventure – 11 Days

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 go for a short walk around town or a gentle trek to some Tay villages in Ha Giang City. Dinner and an overnight stay in Ha Giang.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Accommodation: Hotel in Ha Giang.

Drive to the Dong Van Karst Plateau after breakfast. On the way, you’ll get to see the beauty of Pac Sum Pass, Heaven Gate, Fairy Mountain in Quan Ba, and a bird’s-eye view of Tam Son town. 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 go to the Vuong family’s house (Palace of Hmong King). Continue on to Lung Cu Flag Tower and the Lo Lo minority village at the mountain’s foot. Dong Van Town is a great place to end your day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Accommodation: Hotel in Dong Van.

After breakfast, visit the Dong Van Old Quarter, which is lined with houses that are one or two hundred years old, to experience more of Dong Van’s ancient atmosphere.

The rest of the day is spent driving through the remote and beautiful countryside of Dong Van, passing through several villages and along tracks used by the locals.

You’ll be rewarded with a stunning backdrop of rice paddie-covered valleys. The local ethnic minorities, the H’mong and Hoa, show their friendliness through their colorful clothing and warm hospitality.

Return to the same hotel in Dong Van later.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Accommodation: Hotel in Dong Van.

After breakfast, take a different route back to Ha Giang town. The van will make a photo stop at Ma Pi Leng Pass, Vietnam’s and South East Asia’s deepest valley. Visit the Meo Vac market and town. Stop for lunch on the way and arrive in Ha Giang in the late afternoon. After checking into the hotel, you are free to explore the town or rest up for the next day.

Ma Pi Leng Pass is ranked fourth among Vietnam’s four most beautiful passes. O Quy Ho Pass (Sapa – Laocai), Khau Pha Pass (Yen Bai), and Pha Din are the others (Dien Bien).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Accommodation: Hotel in Ha Giang.

After breakfast, depart from Ha Giang Town for a full-day trip to Sin Man and Hoang Su Phi. The rough but scenic route winds through dense jungle before crossing a pass and descending 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. You may come across the Nung Ing, Tay, Red Dao, Dao Ao Dai, La Chi, and Co Lao, to name a few of the many hill tribe groups that have settled there. Overnight in Sin Man at a homestay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Accommodation: Homestay in Sin Man.

This morning, drive to Bac Ha (40 kilometers from Sin Man), the capital of the Flower Hmong region and a relaxed base for exploring the northern highlands and hill-tribe villages. Arrive in Bac Ha and visit the coloful market (only on Sunday), the H’mong King’s House, and the Flower H’mong’s Ban Pho village. After lunch, take a 90-kilometer drive to Sapa Town. Check into your hotel and spend the rest of the day relaxing or exploring the town on your own.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting out on a full day’s trek to explore Sapa’s cultural diversity and haunting natural beauty. Hike through yawning valleys dotted with terraced rice fields, passing through remote hill tribe villages. You have three trekking options: soft trek (3 km), medium trek (6 km), and long trek (12 km). Trekking is an excellent way to learn about daily life and the cultures of the H’mong, Dzao, and Dzay people who live in 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.

After breakfast at the homestay, drive to O Quy Ho to see Sapa’s Silver Waterfall and Hoang Lien Son Pass, Vietnam’s highest pass at 2,000 meters above sea level. You will have a couple of hours in Sapa town to relax and enjoy lunch before driving back to Hanoi on the highway (5 hours).

Meals: Breakfast.

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Please keep in mind that the itinerary below is subject to change without notice and is dependent on weather conditions. The cruise itinerary varies as well; please contact our travel consultant for more information.

Meet your tour guide and driver in the lobby of your hotel before embarking on a 3- to 4-hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay. The following is a list of the best restaurants in the area.

Arrive at the dock around 12:00 p.m. and board your junk. As we sail out into the mystical bay, enjoy a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard. Cruise around some of Halong’s many islands in the afternoon, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Visit one of the bay’s three largest caves along the way (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, serenaded by the gentle rocking of calm waters.

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 cup of coffee or tea in the morning before rowing to nearby islands. Return to the junk for breakfast, then relax on the sundeck and admire the incredible rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you make your way 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.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Accommodation: N/A.