Vietnam, eine Schleife von Ost-Tonkin bis zur Halong-Bucht

Hanoi Arrival / Walks and First Discoveries (A)

Arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam.
After formalities, you will be greeted by your tour guide and driver at the international airport , then transferred to your hotel and checked in.

While you wait for your rooms to be available,
take a discovery walk through Hanoi's lively old 36 Guilds Quarter, including Ta Hien Street, Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Hang Bac Street, Ma May Street, and the Dong Xuan Market. The walk will also take you to the Paul Doumer Bridge (Vietnamese: Long Bien), a structure commissioned by Gustave Eiffel in 1890 during the French occupation.

Welcome dinner at a restaurant in the city. Overnight stay in Hanoi.

Hanoi, the thousand-year-old capital, lies in the heart of northern Vietnam. The city's 64 lakes, along with its numerous parks and the trees that shade its avenues, make it a very livable city. Hanoi impresses with its architecture and surprises with its cultural sites and monuments. Lively and vibrant, it is a pleasure to explore: the old quarter of 36 streets and guilds (Hang Bac, goldsmiths, and Hang Gai, silk) also offers other historical and cultural attractions such as the Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi's most famous, on the shore of West Lake. Behind the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (left) lies the One Pillar Pagoda, a symbol of Hanoi. Van Mieu (Temple of Literature), the first university built in Vietnam, is now an oasis of calm in the heart of the city.

Hanoi / Sightseeing, walking and discovery day (F,M)

After breakfast,
meet at 8:00 am for a full-day sightseeing tour and walks in the city of Hanoi, visiting the historical, cultural and essential sites of Hanoi such as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (from the outside), the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, the Tran Quoc Pagoda and the Quan Thanh Temple.

Lunch at a local restaurant featuring specialties from Hanoi.

In the afternoon, a visit to the Ethnographic Museum and a look at the "train street" for a Vietnamese coffee.

Evening performance of the water puppet theatre , a typical art of Vietnam.

Dinner at your leisure and overnight stay in Hanoi.

Hanoi - Ba Be Lake / Walks and encounters with people (F,M,A)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting point at 8:00 am for departure to Ba Be Lake via a road lined with beautiful scenery.

Visit to the town of Thai Nguyen with its Ethnographic Museum.
Photo stops and visits to ethnic villages and the tea hill to discover the processing of green tea.

Lunch at a local restaurant along the way.

Arrival at Ba Be Lake , one of Vietnam's most unique and beautiful natural attractions, formed by geological structural changes over millions of years that have created the limestone mountains and caves.

Walk around the village of Pac Ngoi , where you will be spending the night.

Dinner and overnight stay with locals in a stilt house.

(In a stilt house, simple but clean comfort with a private dormitory for tourists, mat, mattress, clean bed linen, pillow, fan. Each bed is separated by opaque sheets and equipped with a mosquito net. Shower room with sink and private toilet.)

Ba Be / Walks, sightseeing during the excursion (F,M,A)

Breakfast with the locals.

Full-day walks and local sightseeing .

Motor sampan cruise to discover Ba Be Lake and the surrounding forested mountains. Boat trip across the lake to the famous Dau Dang Waterfalls. Lunch during the walk.

Afternoon walk to the caves and relaxation in the village.

Dinner and overnight stay with the locals in a stilt house.

Ba Be - Cao Bang / Ban Gioc Waterfall (B,L,D)

Breakfast with the locals.

Departure for Ban Gioc Waterfall (approx. 5-hour drive), via the town of Cao Bang.
Photo stops and sightseeing along the way, especially at the Cao Bang Market.

Arrival in Ban Gioc.
You will visit the Truc Lam Pagoda on the mountaintop for a panoramic view of the waterfall.
Dinner and overnight stay with the local Tay people.

(In a stilt house, simple but clean comfort with a private dormitory for tourists, mat, mattress, clean bed linen, pillow, fan. Each bed is separated by opaque sheets and equipped with a mosquito net. Shower room with sink and private toilet.)

Ban Gioc / Walks and sightseeing - ethnic incense village Phia Thap - Cao Bang (F,M)

After breakfast,
meet at 8:00 am for a visit and exploration of the Nguom Ngao Cave , before heading to Cao Bang.

Stops along the way to visit ethnic villages :

• Phia Thap village over beautiful mountain landscapes with stops for visits and photos in the ethnic villages: Khuoi Son for beautiful photos.
• Village of Phuc Sen for drilling.
• Visit to the vermicelli village before arriving in the city of Cao Bang.

Lunch at a local restaurant en route. Dinner at your leisure and overnight stay in Cao Bang.

Cao Bang - Ethnic Village LoLo Noir / Visits and Discoveries - Meo Vac (F,M,A)

Breakfast,
meeting point at 8:00 am for departure to Meo Vac , a district in the far north of Vietnam, via beautiful mountain landscapes and passes.

Stop to visit and meet the inhabitants of the village of the Lo Lo Noir ethnic group , well-known from the documentary "En terre inconnue". Lunch en route.

Continue to Meo Vac for rest, dinner and overnight stay in a homestay.

Meo Vac / Walks at Tu San Canyon and Ma Pi Leng Pass / Summit hikes - Dong Van / Walks (F,M)

Breakfast,
meeting at 8:00 AM for departure for a wonderful 1.5-hour exploration of the Tu San Canyon , unique in Vietnam. Afterwards, take the scenic route to Dong Van, the highest district in the north, passing Vietnam's most beautiful mountain pass, "Ma Pi Leng," with photo stops at the summit. From there, enjoy a pleasant 2-hour walk to the H'mong ethnic village, before continuing on the road to Dong Van.

Upon arrival in Dong Van,
enjoy a leisurely stroll through the village and explore the old town, perfect for photos and ethnic encounters.
Dinner is at your leisure, followed by an overnight stay in a hotel or homestay.

Dong Van / Ethnic Fair - Ethnic Villages - Ha Giang (F,M,A)

After breakfast,
you will follow the ethnic groups to the Dong Van ethnic market , which is only open on Sundays. If it's not Sunday, another traditional visit will be arranged instead.

On the way to Ha Giang with stops for visits and photos in the ethnic villages:

• Visit to the palace of the Hmong king (Dinh Vua Meo), almost 100 years old.
• Visit to the village of Pho Bang , mainly inhabited by the Hoa ethnic group, immigrants from China.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Continue to Ha Giang via the Quan Ba ​​Pass with a photo stop at the summit to admire the town of Quan Ba ​​and the famous Fairy Twin Mountains (Nui Co Tien).

Leaving Quan Ba, arrival in Tha village on the outskirts of Ha Giang at the end of the day.
Dinner and overnight stay with locals.

Ha Giang / Walks in the ethnic villages of the Tay – Hanoi (F,M)

After breakfast with the locals,
take a pleasant stroll through the village for encounters and photos . Weather permitting, you might even see the sunrise.

Return to Hanoi with a stop for lunch at a local restaurant.

Arrival in Hanoi, direct transfer to the hotel for rest.
Dinner at your leisure and overnight stay in Hanoi.

Hanoi - Dry Halong Bay (Tam Coc or Hoa Lu or Ninh Binh) / Visits and Excursion (F,M)

After breakfast,
we meet at 8:00 AM for our morning departure to Ninh Binh – the "dry Halong Bay" – through stunning landscapes.

Upon arrival in Ninh Binh, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant featuring regional specialties.

Sampan ride to the Thung Nham site , including a visit to Thien Ha Cave, inaccessible to tourists, which runs beneath the longest cave in the limestone mountain. Bicycle tour to the authentic villages of Thung Nang and Bich Dong, including visits to the Thai Vi Temple and the Bich Dong Pagoda , nestled within a cave.

Dinner at your leisure and overnight stay at the hotel.

Ninh Binh (Dry Halong Bay)
Located southeast of Hanoi, Ninh Binh province is the southernmost point of Southeast Asia's karst plateau. It is also the area in Vietnam where these rock formations are most impressive, hence the name "Dry Halong Bay ," the smaller counterpart to the maritime Halong Bay. The Tam Coc site (and the less touristy Van Long) is beautiful, with small rivers winding between the rocks and rice paddies. Not far from there lies Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam. This region boasts the highest concentration of Catholic churches in Vietnam.

Tam Coc (or Ninh Binh) - Halong Bay / Cruise, visits and relaxation, with one night on board a junk (B,L,D)

After breakfast,
meeting point at 7:45 am for departure to Halong Bay via the Red River Delta with photo stops along the road.

Arrival in Halong around noon,
embarkation on the junk for an unforgettable 24-hour cruise in Halong Bay, a very famous site recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1994.

Lunch on board after embarkation.

During the cruise you will see islands and islets of all shapes and sizes rising from the emerald green waters, and visit natural caves on one of these islands, with time provided for swimming or diving from our junk.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the junk in the bay. (The exact program will be determined by the junk of the day, depending on the season and the tides.)

The legendary Halong Bay, meaning "descending dragon," is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This magical place, considered the "eighth wonder of the world," is a vast geological museum: Covering an area of ​​approximately 1,500 square kilometers, over two thousand islands, islets, and diverse karst formations, riddled with caves, delight tourists.

The three areas of Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha (the latter belonging to Cat Ba), together form the so-called "Ha Long Maritime Bay".

Please note that depending on the availability of junks and your chosen itinerary, your cruise will take you to Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long, or Lan Ha Bay.

Halong Bay / Cruise – Hanoi (F,M)

Early morning Tai Chi exercises for those who wish, on the upper deck, followed by a light breakfast of bread and croissants.
The cruise then continues to the other bays to admire the beautiful scenery of Halong Bay.

Around 9:30 a.m. cabins are vacated, then there is time to relax on the upper deck of the junk to view the islands and islets before brunch is served around 11:00 a.m.

Disembarkation at the same pier and return trip to Hanoi.

Arrival in Hanoi, direct transfer to the hotel for relaxation or personal exploration.

Dinner at your leisure and overnight stay in Hanoi.

Hanoi / Leisure – Departure (F)

Breakfast at the hotel,
free time for any last-minute shopping, and check-out around noon.
Meet your driver (no tour guide) for transfer to the airport for your return flight.