Northern Vietnam Explorer

Hanoi / Arrival (-)

Welcome at Hanoi Airport.
Welcome and transfer to the hotel by a Typic Travel driver.

While waiting for the rooms to become available, you will begin your visits with the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university, featuring original 11th-century architecture and now dedicated to the worship of Confucius and scholars.

You will then continue with a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword), a legendary place close to the hearts of Vietnamese people, followed by a walk through the Old Quarter.

Dinner at your own expense and overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi / City Tour (B,L)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Begin the day with a visit to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which offers an engaging overview of the mosaic of Vietnamese cultures, as well as traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments and typical minority houses reconstructed in the outdoor area.

In the afternoon, take photos in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, overlooking Ba Dinh Square, and watch the changing of the guard, at the heart of the country’s political life.

Then, visit Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house to better understand the life of a great man who lived very modestly.

Continue with a visit to the One Pillar Pagoda, famous for its original architecture inspired by an 11th-century legend.

Towards the end of the day, enjoy a pleasant walk to Long Bien Bridge (known as Paul Doumer Bridge during the French colonial period), followed by a look at the “Train Street” area.

Then, visit Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple), located on the shores of the lake.

In the evening, end the day with a water puppet show, a traditional folk art typical of Vietnam.

Return to the hotel. Dinner at your own expense and overnight in Hanoi.

Ha Noi – Giuong (Ethnic Village) (B,L,D)

Breakfast.

Depart for the mountains via the provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang. The beautiful road passes through magnificent scenery.

Stop for lunch along the way and arrive at Giuong Village at around 15:00 — a very poor village inhabited by the Tay ethnic group. Visiting this beautiful and authentic village is an opportunity to meet ethnic communities and interact with local people.

Please note, as this is important, that you will be the first foreign tourists to discover this site and immerse yourselves in local life. This is an exceptional new discovery made by our agency and offered to you exclusively.

Living conditions remain very basic and untouched.

Dinner and overnight at a local homestay.

Phuc Hoa - Nguom Ngao Cave - Ban Gioc Waterfall - Phia Thap (B,L,D)

Breakfast.

Meet at 08:00 for a day of photography in the village, then continue towards other ethnic villages and enjoy the beautiful Ban Gioc Waterfall in Upper Tonkin.

An ideal site for photography and a refreshing nature break.

A discovery stop at Nguom Ngao Cave and other ethnic villages punctuates the rest of the journey, which takes us to the authentic village of Phia Thap, a very poor village inhabited by the Nung ethnic group.

Dinner and overnight at a homestay in Phia Thap.

Phia Thap (B,L,D)

After breakfast at the homestay,

we follow the host family and take part in seasonal rural activities such as rice transplanting, harvesting, incense-stick making and farming.

Dinner and overnight at the homestay.

Phia Thap - Cao Bang - Kolia Organic Plateau (B,L,D)

Breakfast at the homestay.

Then, we take a leisurely walk to discover the daily life of the local people.

We then depart for the Organic Plateau, perched at an altitude of 300 meters, which charms us with its beauty and authenticity. We also enjoy its mild temperatures, among the most pleasant climates in the North, somewhat similar to Da Lat.

Ideal for exploring the surroundings!

Dinner and overnight at Kolia Lodge on the Organic Plateau.

Geopark (Organic Plateau) - Black Lo Lo Village - Meo Vac (B,L,D)

After breakfast at the lodge,

meet at 08:00 and depart towards Meo Vac, with an essential stop at a Black Lo Lo ethnic village, well known from the documentary “Rendez-vous en terre inconnue.”

We will also meet other ethnic minorities throughout our journey, which forms a beautiful loop through Bac Lac – Meo Vac – Dong Van – Ha Giang, a district in the far north of Vietnam, passing through beautiful mountain scenery and impressive passes.

Stop for a visit and encounters at a Black Lo Lo ethnic village, well known from the documentary “Rendez-vous en terre inconnue.”

Lunch en route.

Continue towards the highland district of Meo Vac, an area inhabited by H’Mong and Dao communities who originally came from China.

Check in and rest at the homestay.

Dinner and overnight on site.

Meo Vac / Tu San canyon - Ma Pi Leng Pass - Dong Van (B,L,D)

Breakfast at the homestay.

Depart to discover and photograph the beautiful Tu San Canyon, including a boat trip on the river.

Continue towards Dong Van along the Happiness Road, passing one of Vietnam’s four highest and longest mountain passes — Ma Pi Leng Pass.

Enjoy a beautiful walk towards the summit of the pass, offering magnificent panoramic views, and towards an H’Mong ethnic village.

Arrival in Dong Van, direct transfer to the homestay for rest, followed by dinner and overnight in Dong Van.

Dong Van / Ethnic Market, Sunday Fair, Visits and Discovery - Ha Giang (B,L,D)

Vietnamese-style breakfast,

Follow the ethnic communities to visit the weekly Dong Van Market. Depending on the lunar calendar, the markets take place as follows:

Meo Vac and Dong Van Markets only on Sundays, Du Gia Market every six days, and Lung Phin Market on the lunar days of the Tiger and the Monkey.

Then, visit the H’Mong King’s Palace (Dinh Vua Meo), dating back nearly 100 years.

On the way, stop to visit Pho Bang Village, mainly inhabited by members of the Hoa ethnic group, originally from China.

We continue towards Thon Tha Village, passing through Quan Ba Pass, with a stop at the summit to admire Quan Ba town and the famous Fairy Twin Mountains (Nui Co Tien).

After leaving Quan Ba town, we head to Tha Village, on the outskirts of Ha Giang.

Dinner and overnight at a homestay in Thon Tha Village, Ha Giang.

Ha Giang – Thac Ba / Walks, Visits and Ethnic Encounters (B,L,D)

After breakfast, ready for visit surrounding ethnic villages for approximately 2 hours.

Then, the driver will meet us and take us to Thac Ba.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Arrival at Thac Ba.

Check in with our host and enjoy a beautiful two-hour motorboat ride, following the rhythm of local activities around the lake: forestry and cassava plantations, lift-net fishing and traditional shrimp traps, fish farming in cages, cattle and goat farming, and more.

Dinner and overnight at a homestay.

Thac Ba Lake – Nghia Lo / Ethnic Encounters (B,L,D)

After breakfast, depart for the far west of Yen Bai Province, heading towards Nghia Lo.

Travel around the southern side of Thac Ba Lake, cross the Red River near Yen Bai City, and continue up towards the foothills of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range.

We arrive at Muong Lo — the Thai name for Nghia Lo — in the late morning.

Meet and have lunch with a White Thai family in Nghia An Village, located against a hillside in the beautiful rice-growing valley of Muong Lo, the second-largest rice valley in Northwestern Vietnam after Dien Bien Phu.

In the afternoon, enjoy a cycling or walking tour through the Black Thai, White Thai and Muong ethnic villages of Muong Lo.

Return to the homestay for dinner with our hosts, who will be delighted to share stories about the past and present customs and traditions of the Thai people of Muong Lo.

Dinner and overnight at the homestay.

Nghia Lo - Tu Le Valley / Khau Pha Pass - Mu Cang Chai (B,L,D)

After breakfast, start a new day with a walk through Nghia Lo Market.

Then, depart for Mu Cang Chai via Tu Le.

After leaving Nghia Lo, we cross a hilly region inhabited by Dao people on the hills and Thai people in the valleys. Chance encounters along the way offer excellent opportunities for photography.

We arrive in Tu Le Valley.

There is an opportunity to enjoy a hike through Tu Le Valley, where Thai people live in traditional stilt houses.

Numerous spontaneous encounters allow us to immerse ourselves in the authentic daily life of the local people.

In the afternoon, we continue by road, climbing Khau Pha Pass, which offers splendid panoramic views over the valley of terraced rice fields.

Then, the vehicle takes us to La Pan Tan, nicknamed the “Legendary Roads of Photographers.”

Here, the landscape is filled with terraced masterpieces created by generations of H’Mong farmers.

A short hike allows us to fully enjoy this majestic scenery.

Transfer to a homestay for the night.

Dinner and overnight at the homestay.

Mu Cang Chai – Ha Noi (B,L,D)

After breakfast, depart from the narrow valley of Mu Cang Chai, which has recently been developed through hydroelectric dams along the middle valley of the Nam Mu River and, more broadly, within the basin of the Da River (Black River). However, the route only follows the edge of this valley for around 20 km.

After Than Uyen, turn west along a beautiful and little-traveled road leading towards Khau Co Pass to cross the Hoang Lien Son mountain range and the watershed between the Black River basin and the Red River basin.

On the slopes of the pass, we stop for a magnificent panoramic view over Than Uyen Valley.

We continue towards Van Ban, passing through White Thai hamlets, an ethnic group living in the high valleys, followed by H’Mong and Dao hamlets, ethnic groups living in the high mountains.

From Van Ban, we follow the Red River for around 50 km to Lao Cai, where we join the new road on the right bank of the Red River.

The road crosses successively the upper and middle regions of Tonkin, characterized by forested and hilly landscapes.

Finally, we reach the entrance to the Red River Delta, where vast rice fields surround centuries-old villages.

Arrival in Hanoi at the end of the day.

Overnight at the hotel.

Ha Noi – Ha Long Bay (B,L,D)

After breakfast, depart by shuttle bus towards Ha Long Bay.

Arrival at the site and boarding of a 3-star junk boat for a 24-hour cruise through Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visits to natural caves during the cruise, relaxation, walks on the beaches and swimming will be the highlights of the cruise.

Meals on board.

Dinner and overnight on board in a private cabin.

Activities such as swimming and squid fishing vary depending on the junk boat and its onboard program.

Note:
During these two days in Ha Long Bay, the cruise may take place in Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay depending on the junk boats available at the time of your decision and choice.

Ha Long Bay / Cruise and Walks – Ha Noi (B,L)

Early in the morning on the outdoor deck, Tai Chi exercises are available for those who wish to participate. This depends on the season.

Light breakfast at the onboard restaurant, followed by time to enjoy the cruise as the boat sails through magnificent scenery and around different islands.

Check out of the cabin.

Brunch is served on board before disembarkation at around noon.

The driver will be waiting for us for the return journey to Hanoi via the road across Tonkin.

Arrival in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi / Free Time - Departure (B)

After breakfast, free time and check-out at around noon.

Meet your driver for the transfer to the airport for your return flight.