North Vietnam Wonderful Discovery – 6 Days

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival – City Tour (L, D)

Upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, we will be welcomed by our friendly local guide and transferred to our hotel.

(Note: Hotel’s check-in is 14.00/15.00, Early check-in is NOT included).

After that, we will visit some highlights in the city. Our first stop is Ho Chi Minh Complex where we will visit Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside visit only if later than 10.30 AM), his simple stilt-house and fish pond, the outside of the impressive Presidential Palace, and finally the nearby One Pillar Pagoda that originally built since 11th century. Continue visiting the oldest pagoda in Hanoi – Tran Quoc Pagoda which is located by the West Lake.

Lunch at an Indian restaurant. After lunch, we visit the Temple of Literature, the Temple of Confusion, also the first university in Vietnam that was built in 1070. We finish our day with a cyclo ride around the Old Quarters through the maze of narrow streets and shops. We then sit down for the Water Puppet Show for a 45-minute show. Drop off at the hotel and end the tour.

Day 2: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise (B, L, D)

This morning, we will take 180 KM to Halong Bay, which was recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage in 1994 and 2000. On arrival, we will board our overnight cruise and savor a delicious seafood lunch.

We will be passing through several limestone islands, kayaking among the hidden areas of the Bay, swimming at Soi Sim Beach, or trekking to the top of the island. Dinner and overnight on cruise.

Day 3: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Overnight Train to Lao Cai (B, L, D)

Start your day with Tai Chi exercises before having breakfast. We then explore Sung Sot Cave – one of the most amazing caves in Halong Bay and pass through Ba Hang Fishing Village, Dog Islet, and more.

Watch the cooking demonstration and enjoy lunch before cruising back to the pier and finding our car to take us back to Hanoi. In the evening, our car will take us to Hanoi Railway Station to board the overnight train to Lao Cai.

Note: Day-use hotel in a 3* hotel near the Train Station

Day 4: Sapa – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho Village (B, L, D)

Pick up at Lao Cai Station then we drive to Sapa. After breakfast at a local restaurant, we will hike downhill to Cat Cat Village with stops at a beautiful waterfall and a hydroelectric station. Continue hiking through the rice fields to Y Linh Ho – homes to Black H’mong people. After 3 hours of walking, we return to the town and have free time at Sapa town. Overnight in a hotel in Sapa.

Day 5: Sapa – Fansipan Peak by Cable Car – Limousine back to Hanoi (B, L, D)

After breakfast at the hotel, we then travel southward by car to Muong Hoa Valley. On the way, we stop at some stopovers to get the panorama of Fansipan Mount and Muong Hoa Valley with hundreds of villages. Welcome at the gate of villages are local Black Hmong and Red Dao ladies and children with colorful costumes, who will invite tourists to buy souvenirs.

Leave them behind, we start walking through the largest rice paddy terraced in the Sapa area. On the way, we meet sometimes mothers and babies working in the fields, mothers are working on the water rice field while babies are sitting on the bank with an umbrella covered by the rain or sun.

We also can stop at some local houses and a local school for chatting or a quick look how the daily life of Black H’mong and Giay ethnic minority people living and working.

Later, we walk back up the road and transfer back to Sapa for lunch and check out, we will be in our Express Bus to go back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi at around 9h30 PM, and we will check in at the hotel for the night.

Day 6: Hanoi Shopping – Departure (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Free time for shopping in the maze shops in the Old Quarters or shopping malls. Check out and transfer to the airport for the departure flight. Trip by Vietnam DMC ends.