North Vietnam: High Mountains & High-End

Arrival in Hanoi / rest and first discoveries (-) Flight and arrival time?

Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport.

Welcome by our French-speaking guide and driver, then transfer to your downtown hotel. Rooms available from 2:00 PM.

Afternoon:

Walk through Hanoi's Old Quarter of 36 Guilds and visit the typical Dong Xuan market with its colonial architecture.

Visit the old traditional heritage house at No. 87 Ma May Street and the Jade Mountain Temple (Ngoc Son) in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Hanoi, the millennial capital of Vietnam, has preserved its charm from the French colonial era with its large shaded avenues, numerous lakes, and well-maintained gardens.

Meals at leisure and overnight at Pan Pacific 5* Hotel in Hanoi.

Hanoi / visits and walks as per your wish (B,L)

After breakfast,

Meet the team at 08:30 for a day of walking in Hanoi with the planned visits:

• The Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius and his disciples. This complex was the first Vietnamese University.
• The Tran Quoc Pagoda (Buddhism), which means the Pagoda of the Defense of the Country, located on a beautiful peninsula in Ho Tay Lake (West Lake), undoubtedly the most beautiful lake among the lakes in Hanoi city.
• The Quan Thanh Temple (Taoism), dedicated to the genius of Tran Vu – an important protector of the ancient citadel of Hanoi.

These three central monuments of Hanoi help you better understand the three dominant religions in Vietnam.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, photos in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which dominates Ba Dinh Square, for the changing of the guard – the essence of political life.

Visit the One Pillar Pagoda, famous for its original construction born from a legend dating back to the 11th century.

Towards the end of the day, you will take a beautiful walk towards the Long Bien Bridge (or called Paul Doumer Bridge during the French era) and a glance at the "Train Street" area.

Dinner at leisure and overnight at Pan Pacific 5* Hotel Hanoi.

Hanoi - departure to the mountains, Mai Chau - Moc Chau valley (B,L)

Breakfast,

Departure for Mai Chau via Hoa Binh province.

Upon arriving from Moc Chau, you can enjoy the splendid view of Mai Chau from the pass.

Located in the center of a magnificent valley, Mai Chau is surrounded by vast rice fields and lush green mountains. You can also appreciate the calm and harmony of "Man and Nature" that reigns in the village. The stilt houses with thatched roofs of the White Thai families, who make up the low mountain village (800m altitude). They offer an authentic character that makes Mai Chau one of the most tourist destinations in Northwest Vietnam.

A beautiful walk through the ethnic villages and rice fields of Mai Chau.

Lunch at a local's home - Thai ethnic group, tasting their specialties.

En route to Moc Chau, photo stops and visits to villages and flower gardens are planned, photo on the legendary "S" shaped bend.

We will then continue with a walk in the H'mong ethnic village along Road No. 6 to see the plum and peach orchards.

And we continue our journey to Moc Chau - a plateau very well known in recent years for its French-style cow farming.

Dinner at leisure and overnight at Thao Nguyen Resort 4* in Moc Chau.

Moc Chau / visits and walks on site (B,L)

Breakfast

A day of walks, visits and discovery on site in the Moc Chau plateau. A beautiful walk in the village to meet the families of the H'mong ethnic group, participate in their daily life activities.

Departure to visit the heart-shaped tea hill.

Visit of Dai Yem waterfall, followed by the discovery of the Bac Long glass bridge, the longest glass bridge in the world to date.

Tickets already included for the suspended glass bridge: 30 USD / person.

Visit to Hang Doi cave and a plum garden.

Free dinner and overnight at Thao Nguyen Resort 4* hotel in Moc Chau.

Moc Chau - Nghia Lo - Tu Le (B,L)

Breakfast,

En route to Nghia Lo, a charming village with beautiful landscapes and pretty tea hills.

In Nghia Lo, you will take a walk in the Muong Lo valley through rice fields to connect with the local population and admire beautiful landscapes.

You will continue the road for about fifty km to Tu Le.

Check-in at a beautiful luxury hotel in the heart of nature.

Relaxation time after this long journey (by soaking your feet or bathing in the hot mineral water pools or enjoying the 4-season pool)

Free dinner and overnight at Le Champs Tu Le 4* hotel in Tu Le.

Tu Le / walks and visits (B,L)

Breakfast,

Day on site where the guide and driver are available to accompany you on visits and/or walks in the surrounding villages:

White Thai ethnic village

Lim Mong ethnic village – with the Flowery Hmong

Lunch on site

In the afternoon, rest time and relaxation to enjoy a bath in the hotel's hot spring.

Free dinner and overnight at Le Champs Tu Le 4* hotel in Tu Le.

Tu Le - Khau Pha Pass / photos and walks - Mu Cang Chai (B,L)

Breakfast,

Meeting around 8:00 AM, departure for Mu Cang Chai.

Cross the Khau Pha Pass at 1700m altitude, one of the 4 longest and most beautiful passes in Vietnam.

Photo stop at the summit for panoramic views.

Continue the road to La Pan Tan where a walk in the most beautiful corners of Mu Cang Chai, classified as National Heritage, is a must.

Dinner and overnight at Garrya Resort 5* hotel in Mu Cang Chai

Mu Cang Chai / walks and rest (B,L)

Breakfast at the hotel,

Day of walks on site by scooter (driven by ourselves) to admire the terraced rice fields: La Pan Tan rice fields and Che Cu Nha rice fields, visit H'mong villages and take photos of rice fields.

Visit to the H'mong village of Mo De on foot followed by the H'mong village of Kim Noi then return to Mu Cang Chai after sunset over the rice fields.

Road to the village of La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nhai and the rice plateau.

Dinner and overnight at Garrya Resort 5* hotel in Mu Cang Chai

Mu Cang Chai - Than Uyen - Sapa / walks (B,L)

Breakfast,

Road towards Sapa passing through Than Uyen where you will see tea fields and take a walk in the Thai villages.

Then, the road climbs to the highest pass in Vietnam (2047m) - O Quy Ho Pass (Tram Ton).

Stop at the pass to enjoy the freshness and admire the roof of Indochina - Fansipan mountain (3143m).

Stop to visit and take photos at Thac Bac waterfall "silver waterfall" before arriving in Sapa.

Transfer to Sapa, visit the central ethnic market and the church

Free dinner and overnight at Silk Path Sapa 5* hotel

Sapa - Fansipan Mountain / visits – Sapa (B,L)

After breakfast,

Meeting with the guide and driver for the transfer to Hoang Lien Son mountain where you will take the cable car (round trip) for a day of walks and discovery of Fansipan mountain (3,143m altitude) – the roof of Indochina.

Cable car tickets included for round trip with 35 USD / person.

The panoramic and fantastic view from the summit

Lunch at the restaurant at the foot of the mountain before taking a beautiful walk in Cat Cat village (which means waterfalls) for 2 hours for encounters and beautiful photos along the spring.

Return to Sapa town for rest and personal discovery.

Free dinner and overnight at Silk Path Sapa 5* hotel

Sapa / walks in ethnic villages – Sapa (B,L)

Breakfast at the hotel,

Meet up and then you depart for a walk that leads you to the Muong Hoa valley, crossing the villages of Lao Chai (of the colorful Hmong) and Ta Van (of the Day people).

The valley, stretching along the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, promises to offer unique scenes for your camera: terraced rice fields appearing like 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 pleasant and surprising hike, encountering members of many ethnic groups: H'Mong, Giay, Dao...!

Lunch at Ta Van village.

Then, free time to stroll through the village and meet the villagers before continuing the easy hike towards Giang Ta Chai village, crossing bamboo forests and waterfalls where the Red Dao live.

The driver will be waiting for you at the other end of Giang Ta Chai village to transfer you to Sapa.

Dinner at leisure and overnight at Silk Path Sapa 5* hotel.

Sapa – Thac Ba Lake / cruise - Hanoi by highway (B,L)

Breakfast,

Meet up at 08:00 with the guide and driver to go to Thac Ba reservoir, named "the Halong Bay in the mountains". As the largest reservoir in Northern Vietnam, over 80 km long, it will impress you with its turquoise water where you can observe countless verdant islets.

A beautiful boat trip to discover a part of the lake with over 300 islets emerging from the water to admire the landscape and also fishing activities.

Lunch with locals.

Return to the Dzao ethnic village for a walk and visit to the village before taking the road back to Hanoi with planned photo stops.

Arrival in Hanoi, direct transfer to your hotel / or to the airport for the flight to Central or Southern Vietnam or return.

Overnight at Pan Pacific 5* hotel in Hanoi.

Hanoi - Halong Bay / Lan Ha Bay cruise and overnight on board (B,L,D)

After breakfast.

Meet up at 08:15 for departure to Halong Bay via the Red River Delta.

Arrival in Halong, where you will embark on the 5* Deluxe Junk for the cruise in Lan Ha Bay depending on the availability of the Junks.

You will benefit from the exclusive program carefully selected by the junk, presented as follows:

12:15: Boarding the boat for the 24-hour cruise.

Lunch on board the boat.

You will enjoy an extraordinary landscape, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, nearly three thousand islets and limestone peaks with fantastic shapes: turtles, sampan sails, etc... scattered in the emerald water over an area of more than 1,500 km².

A stop to visit the natural cave is planned; you will be projected into a mysterious atmosphere amidst thousands of stalagmites and stalactites.

You can then enjoy a moment of relaxation at the end of the day, admiring the sunset on board.

Dinner and overnight on board. Mon Chéri 5* boat.

Halong / subsequent cruise - Ninh Binh (B,L)

For those who wish, you can practice Tai Chi in the morning with traditional teachers.

Breakfast and continuation of the cruise in Halong Bay, passing through magnificent landscapes before lunch.

After lunch on board, we will disembark around 11:30 and be picked up by the driver and guide to head towards Ninh Binh via the fertile provinces of the Red River Delta.

Arrival in Ninh Binh, check-in at the hotel and rest.

Dinner at leisure and overnight at Emeralda Resort 5* in Ninh Binh.

Option (please book as early as possible to secure seats, at least one month before the flight)

We offer an option for discovering Halong Bay differently, with a view from the sky, with a seaplane flight.

This flight departs from Tuan Chau Island to discover Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, and Lan Ha Bay:

• 25 minutes: 100 USD / Pax (from 04 pax or 12 pax maximum / flight)
• 35 minutes: 125 USD / Pax (from 04 pax or 12 pax maximum / flight)

Notes:

• Booking must be made one month in advance (and follow SeaPlane's cancellation policy with cancellation fees applied by SeaPlane if the cancellation is from your side)
• A 50% surcharge applies to individuals weighing 110 kg or more, verified on-site before boarding.
• 100% refund if these flights are not operated due to weather conditions, or cancelled by SeaPlane.

Ninh Binh / local walks and visits (B,L)

After breakfast

A day of visiting temples and pagodas: a bike ride (or by vehicle, according to your preferences) to visit Bich Dong Pagoda and Thai Vi Temple.

(Note that if you do not want to cycle, a car is at your disposal for travel between sites.)

Continue the walk towards Hang Mua mountain for an ascent to the summit of the mountain for a panoramic view.

Resume the car journey to visit the enclosed Tuyet Tinh Coc lake surrounded by limestone peaks.

We continue with a beautiful sampan ride on the preserved sites of Trang An.

Dinner at leisure and overnight at Emeralda Resort 5* in Ninh Binh.

Ninh Binh / free time - Hanoi and departure (B) Flight and arrival time?

Breakfast,

free time until check-out.

Meeting for transfer to Hanoi airport for the return flight.