Colors of Tonkin & Annam, Combined North Central Vietnam Tour

Hanoi arrival / walks and rest (-) Flight arrival by yourself

Arrival in Vietnam, welcome by the guide and driver at the international airport and then transfer to the hotel and check-in. Rooms are only available around 1:00 PM

Depending on your arrival time, you will take a discovery walk in Hanoi's lively old quarter of 36 guilds with the streets of Ta Hien, Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hang Bac, Ma May, and Dong Xuan market. The walk will take you to the Paul Doumer bridge (Long Bien in Vietnamese), a work offered by Gustave Eiffel in 1890 from the French era.

Dinner at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi, the millennial capital, is located in the heart of Northern Vietnam. The city's 64 lakes, as well as the many parks and trees that shade its avenues, make it a very pleasant city to live in. Hanoi astonishes with its architecture, surprises with its cultural sites and monuments. Bustling and lively, it is a pleasure to discover: the old quarter of 36 streets and guilds: Hang Bac (Goldsmiths) and Hang Gai (Silk)..., but it also offers other historical and cultural attractions: Tran Quoc Pagoda - the most famous in Hanoi - on the shore of West Lake. Behind the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (on the left), hides the One Pillar Pagoda, a symbol of Hanoi. Van Mieu (Temple of Literature), was the first University built in Vietnam, but it is also now a haven of peace in the very center.

Hanoi - visits - Thac Ba (B,L,D)

Breakfast.
Meeting at 08:00 AM with the team: French-speaking guide & private driver for the departure for visits and walks in Hanoi city with its historical, cultural and unmissable sites: the Temple of Literature, visit to the Museum of Ethnography.

Lunch at a local restaurant with Hanoi specialties.

In the afternoon, departure for Thac Ba Lake, an artificial lake, one of the three largest in Vietnam, created since the commissioning of the hydroelectric power plant in 1970. With an area of approximately 23,400 ha and a length of 80 km, the artificial lake spares 1300 islands and islets (a kind of mini Halong Bay) and numerous caves.

Check-in with a local family in the village of Vu Linh of the White-Pants Dao. Walk in the village, contact with the villagers to discover their way of life.

Friendly dinner with the host family
Overnight with a local family, in a stilt house of the White-Pants Dao.

Thac Ba / walks - Bac Ha (B,L,D)

Breakfast with the host family.

In the morning, you will take a cruise on Thac Ba Lake through the islands to meet small villages inhabited by Tay and Dao populations. More than 300 islands and islets of red earth, some covered with carpets of grass and bushes, and others with forests, emerge from these waters.
Lunch with the host family and then you say goodbye to the family.

On the way towards Bac Ha, the 2nd highest district of Lao Cai, a border province with China.
Arrival in Bac Ha, a walk in the village of the H'mong Fleuris of Ban Pho.
Dinner and overnight in Bac Ha, Homestay – Tay ethnic group.

Bac Ha / ethnic market – Sapa (B,L,D)

Breakfast with the host family.
In the morning, visit the ethnic market - a multi-colored fair of Bac Ha (every Sunday morning) with the presence of ethnic groups: Tay, H'Mong Fleuris, H'Mong Bleus, Nung and Phu La.
Road to Sapa with stops for visits along the way: Tea Hill, border gate with China. Lunch at a local restaurant en route.

Arrival in Sapa, transfer to the village of Lao Chai – Ta Van for a beautiful walk to the house where you will sleep. Dinner and overnight with a local family _ Zay ethnic group.

Sapa - walks - Mu Cang Chai (B,L,D)

Breakfast with the host family,
You will take a beautiful walk to the village of Giang Ta Chai via the beautiful valley stretching along the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, promising to offer you unique scenes for your camera: terraced rice fields appearing as sculptural masterpieces on earth, roofs of rudimentary houses on hilltops, winding paths from one village to another…

It is in this valley that you will have a more pleasant and surprising hike, meeting members of many ethnic groups: H'Mong, Giay, Dao…!

Return by vehicle to Sapa town where you will have lunch at a local restaurant and then the road to Mu Cang Chai via Vietnam's highest and longest pass "O Quy Ho".
Arrival in Mu Cang Chai, transfer to the hotel located on a hilltop for a magnificent view. Dinner and overnight in Mu Cang Chai.

Mu Cang Chai - walks - Tu Le - Nghia Lo (B,L,D)

Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning, you will walk in the places where the most beautiful terraced rice fields are located. Visit the villages of La Pan Tan and Che Cu Nha before climbing Khau Pha Pass – one of the 4 highest passes in Vietnam.

Stops for visits and taking photos in the unforgettable places of the Northwest Vietnam region. Lunch at a local restaurant in Tu Le.

You continue the road to Nghia Lo and then direct transfer to Muong Lo village.
Check-in with a local family. Dinner and overnight with a local family _ Thai ethnic group.

Nghia Lo - Van Chan – Hanoi (B,L,D)

Breakfast with the host family.
In the morning, you will take a beautiful walk to Sa-Ren village and then the road to Yen Bai via beautiful spots with magnificent tea hills.

Lunch en route and then arrival in Hanoi around 4:00 PM.
Direct transfer to the hotel for rest. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi – Halong Bay (B,L,D)

Morning, after breakfast, departure for Halong Bay via the Red River Delta with photo stops along the way.

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

Lunch on board after embarkation, with seafood from the bay

During the cruise, you will see islands and islets of all shapes and sizes emerging from the emerald water, and you will visit natural caves on one of these islands, as well as have time for swimming at the beach or diving from our Junk.

Dinner with shellfish and overnight on board the Junk in the bay.
(The exact program is determined by the Junk of the day, depending on the period and high or low tides)

The legendary Ha Long Bay, meaning "descending dragon", is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This magical place, considered the "eighth wonder of the world", is a giant geological museum: over an area of approximately 1500 square kilometers, more than two thousand islands, islets, and multi-shaped karst reefs riddled with caves delight tourists.
The three areas of Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long, and Lan Ha (the latter being part of Cat Ba) constitute what is known as the "maritime Ha Long Bay".

Ha Long Bay - Hanoi, train to Dong Hoi (B,L) overnight train

Early morning, Tai Chi practice for those who wish on the upper deck, followed by a light breakfast with bread and croissants, and then continuation of the cruise towards other bays to admire the beautiful landscapes of Ha Long Bay.

Around 09:30, cabin check-out, followed by relaxation time on the Junk's upper deck to contemplate the islands and islets before an early brunch around 11:00.

Disembarkation at the same pier and on the way back to Hanoi.
Arrival in Hanoi, direct transfer to the hotel for rest or personal exploration.

Dinner at a local restaurant and transfer to the station for the overnight train to Dong Hoi.
Overnight on board the train | in a 4-berth cabin | soft sleeper | local and tourist comfort

Dong Hoi arrival - Chay Lap Farmstay (B,L,D)

Morning, arrival in Dong Hoi early around 04:30, welcome by the French-speaking guide and driver for transfer to the hotel for breakfast, and then on the way to the villages of Phong Nha – Ke Bang.

Quang Binh province is home to the famous Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003. Covering 85,754 ha of exceptional geological and ecological value, the site will immerse you in a sumptuous landscape of karst plateaus and tropical forests as you explore its spectacular caves and underground rivers and discover its abundance of endemic species.

You will specifically visit the Phong Nha – Ke Bang cave.
On the way to Chay Lap village for a bike ride to discover this magnificent place. Dinner and overnight at Chay Lap Farmstay (with swimming pool)

Farmstay / visits – Hue (B,L)

This morning, you will have a choice between two options:
- Either visit Paradise Cave (a magnificent cave inscribed on the Heritage List).
- Or enjoy the activities of Song Chay and Hang Toi villages: Zip-line, mud baths in the middle of the cave, adventurous water games (you must decide the day before for organization and preparation).

Lunch with local specialties.
On the way to Hue via the 17th parallel bridge. Direct transfer to Thanh Tan village on the outskirts of Hue.

You will sleep in a magnificent corner of the nature reserve where you can enjoy hot springs and mineral water known for their therapeutic virtues. Rest in hot springs and then a 45-minute spa service. Dinner in town and overnight in Hue.

Hue is undoubtedly the capital of Trung Bo between 1802-1945 (formerly Annam, in French Indochina). A few steps from the South China Sea, the city is built on the banks of the Perfume River (Song Huong), so often praised and painted by artists who have stayed there. Hue has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. An imperial city erected by the Nguyen dynasty, it is today the cultural and intellectual center of the country with its palaces, pagodas, and tombs, each more sumptuous and majestic than the last.

Hue - visits - Hai Van Pass - Hoi An (B,L)

After breakfast, a day of discovery walks and on-site visits to historical and cultural sites in a different way:

Discovery visit of the city with the 03 enclosures: Citadel, Imperial and Forbidden City proper, a major site recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site since 2000, and where the Festival of Culture, History and Civilization of Hue takes place every two years.
A visit to the central Dong Ba market in Hue, built during the French colonial era, located on the banks of the Perfume River where we take a sampan ride along the river to visit the sacred Pagoda dedicated to the Celestial Lady (Chua Thien Mu). Lunch at a local restaurant with local specialties.

Departure for Hoi An, passing through the very famous Hai Van Pass for panoramic views of the South China Sea and the city of Da Nang, Vietnam's 4th largest city.

Arrival in Hoi An, a visit to the silkworm breeding house and then discovery of Hoi An city at nightfall with the magnificent lantern lights. Dinner at leisure and overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An (FaiFo), one of the oldest ports and trading posts in Southeast Asia, Hoi An is now an attractive seaside resort. A popular and colorful destination in Central Vietnam, the city is located on the Thu Bon River. It allows you to enjoy the calm and tranquility of the place and discover a rich local handicraft. Also discover the architecture that makes up the charm of this ancient city.

Hoi An - visits/discoveries (B,L)

Morning, departure for different walks to discover the real life of the locals: Bike ride to the suburbs.
Basket boat ride on the river surrounded by water palms.
Cooking class at a local's home and relaxation with foot massage (not mandatory).
Lunch at a local's home.

In the afternoon, Visit the old town where you discover the Japanese bridge built in 1593, the popular museum, Tan Ky house, the chapel of the Tran family, beautiful houses of Chinese merchants and notables two centuries old...
Discovery of the Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall built in 1690, which houses a pagoda dedicated to Thien Hau Thanh Mau, goddess of the sea and protector of sailors.

Dinner in town and overnight in Hoi An

Hoi An/ free day, transfer to Danang for Departure (B) Evening flight to Hanoi or Saigon

After breakfast, free time and check out around noon.

Meeting with the driver for transfer to Danang airport for the return flight either via Hanoi or via Saigon depending on your international flight.

Domestic flight + Taxes optional: Danang – Hanoi or Saigon: 85 USD / Ticket _ economy class optional and then your return flight