Presentation

Stages: HANOI – LAO CHAI – SAPA – TA VAN – GIANG TA CHAI – SU PAN – HALONG BAY – HANOI

Description: Discover the must-see attractions of northern Vietnam. Duration 9 days / 8 nights from €828.

Day 1: HANOI

Your northern Vietnam tour will begin with a welcome at the airport then transfer to the hotel for installation. Free lunch then first discovery on foot in the Quartier des 36 corporations. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 2: HANOI / LAO CAI

Discovery of Hanoi with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and his former residence. In the afternoon, you will visit the Ethnography Museum. Return to the hotel at the end of the afternoon. In the evening, transfer to the station and board a sleeper train to Lao Cai. Night on board the train in an air-conditioned compartment.

Day 3: LAO CAI / SAPA

Arrive early in the morning at Lao Cai station. Then, departure for Sapa passing through landscapes of rice terraces. Then, short trek near Sapa, in the picturesque villages of the Hoang Lien Son mountain. End of the afternoon and free evening. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4: SAPA / Y LINH HO / LAO CHAI / TA VAN

You will take a hiking trail which passes through the village of Lao Chai then the village of Tavan. Lunch will be served in the valley not far from Lao Chai. You will dine with a Giay family, and spend the night with a local. Opportunity to swim and rest in these breathtaking mountain landscapes.

Day 5: TA VAN / GIANG TA CHAI / SU PAN / LAO CAI / HANOI

Breakfast at the locals’ home. The last beautiful day of hiking will take you to the village of Giang Ta Chai. En route you will pass through landscapes of bamboo forests and waterfalls where you will have lunch and rest before continuing the hike towards Su Pan where a vehicle will be waiting for you to take you by road to Sapa. Free time in Sapa. Rooms available in a hotel for a hot shower before transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Lao Cai. Boarding the night train to Hanoi. Night on board the train in comfortable four-berth compartments.

Day 6: HANOI / HALONG BAY

Arrive early at Hanoi train station. Your private vehicle awaits you at the exit, then transfer to the hotel near the station for breakfast and a well-deserved shower. Departure for Halong Bay, through the entire Red River Delta. We discover the traditional agricultural activities of the delta. Boarding the traditional junk boat.
We meet our crew and set off by boat to discover the magical landscapes of Halong Bay and its astonishing islands and islets (nearly 2000) with karst reliefs covered in vegetation, often nicknamed the “eighth wonder of the world”. where water, wind and erosion have carved numerous caves and tunnels. At sunset, the boat anchors in the bay. Night on board the boat and meal based on fish and seafood.

Day 7: HALONG BAY / CAT BA ISLAND

Continuation of the more in-depth discovery of Halong Bay with more sporting activities. Transfer to a smaller wooden boat then sail to Cat Ba Island. Disembarkation at the pier of Viet Hai village then bike ride in Cat Ba National Park, located in the interior of the island. This natural paradise with rocky reliefs bordered by a tropical forest has seen almost half of its surface declared as a protected national park. Return to the boat around noon for lunch on board. In the afternoon, kayaking takes over the emotional discovery. You will wind through karst formations of Lan Ha Bay. Return to the large junk boat at the end of the afternoon. Dinner and overnight on board the boat.

This morning you will take a bike ride in the surrounding countryside. Mrs. Hong, the mistress of the house, is a middle school geography teacher. She will be delighted to accompany you to a school to discover the Vietnamese education system. This is the time to blend into the crowd of students and understand the omnipresent influence of communism in national education. The walk continues through paths with bucolic charm. The path will take us to a dike where we can easily spot seafood sellers. In Vietnam, whenever there is a coastal area, there is a fish sauce workshop, the famous “nuoc mam”. Guided by Mr Van, we discover the process of making this sauce in a family business. The rest of the morning will be devoted to agricultural activities depending on the seasons: rice transplanting (March or June), rice harvesting (May or September), shrimp fishing (August-November), work in the salt pans (April-September ), tropical fruit harvest (all year round) or simply an introduction to the art of bonsai with Mr Van.

Lunch with the locals.
Return to Hanoi in the afternoon.

Day 9: HANOI

After breakfast, free time before transfer to the airport for a new destination of your choice