BEST NORTHERN VIETNAM 7 DAYS

DAY 1: ARRIVE HANOI

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Your driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. Visit Temple Of Literature – Quoc Tu Giam, the first national university in Vietnam. Check out hotel at 18:00 then have a walking tour, visiting Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple.

21:00 transfer to the railways station to catch the night train to Lao Cai. O/N on the train.

DAY 2: LAOCAI- SAPA- BAN HO- SINCHAI HOMESTAY( B, L, D)

Pick up from Lao Cai station and transfer to Sapa for breakfast ,after breakfast Sapa local guide and driver then transferred to Ban Ho. We will trek through the scenic valley of “Ban Ho”. This is a village of Tay ethnic minority. The Tay preserve a traditional and fairly developed agriculture with cultivation of all kinds of plants including rice, maize and sweet potato as well as seasonable fruit and vegetables. Then we continue walking
to Thanh Phu village where your lunch will be provided in a local house. After lunchtime, you head to Sin Chai village. This is a village of of Red Dao people. Dinner and overnight at the village.

Approx: 1-hour driving/ 5 hours walking/ 1-hour lunch.

DAY 3: SIN CHAI – NAM TOONG- SAPA – HANOI(B, L)

After breakfast, we start our day by walking downhill toward the My Son village which is inhabited by the Xa Pho ethnic minority, one of the smallest group’s ethnic in Northern Vietnam. After one and a half hours walk to the Red Dao village of Nam Toong, we bill stop for lunch.
In the afternoon, we continue our trip towards Ban Ho village where it will be possible to take a swim. Please check your guide’s advice before jumping on the water. Then our vehicle will transfer you back to Sapa from ban Ho. Check in hotel in Sapa to take shower. Then return to Lao Cai and catch the night train to Hanoi. O/N on the train.

DAY 5: HANOI- TAM COC –HOA LU ( B, L)

AM : You arrive Hanoi at 5:00AM. Check in a hotel near the railways station. Have breakfast at the hotel, at 8:00 leave for Ninh Binh- 100km south of Hanoi. The first place for visiting is Hoa Lu citadel, the capital of Vietnam in 10^th century. You will visit the famous ancient temples of Le King and the Dinh King. Then keep on going from Hoa Lu to Tam Coc by van. Have lunch at local restaurant around at 12:30PM.

PM : After lunch, boat trip to visit Tam Coc to see the beauty of the karst formations as you pass along their base and row into one of the many caves carved through the limestone. Then, cycle for an hour on quiet roads through villages, rice fields, rivers and rocky outcrops in Tam Coc – Bich Dong (around 5 km). Check in hotel in Ninh Binh. Overnight in Ninh Binh.

DAY 6: NINH BINH – HALONG( B, L, D)

After breakfast, set out on a 3 to 4 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay. Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as we 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 permitting). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.
DAY 6: HALONG- HANOI ( B, L)

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, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for breakfast then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier. Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Hanoi. Check in hotel then free at your leisure. O/N in Hanoi Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi to catch your departure flight home.
DAY 7: HANOI DEPARTURE( B)

Free at your leisure until transfer to the airport to take flight home. End of trip.