DAY 1 : ARRIVE IN HA NOI
Take off the Flight … to …
Arrival in Hanoi at …
Customs formalities and luggage recovery (Estimated time approximately 30 minutes).
You will then be greeted by your guide and driver, outside the airport, transfer to Hanoi city for a day tour of the city
Lunch at the restaurant
HANOI CITY : is the capital of Northern Vietnam and keeps this role until now. The city is located on the right bank of the Red River and far about 1760 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi features a warm humid subtropical climate with plentiful precipitation. In addition, Hanoi is considered one of the main cultural centers of Vietnam, where most Vietnamese dynasties have left their imprint.
Hanoi Cyclo : an hour cycling around and take photos in the Old Quarter.
The Old Quarter (36 old streets) : has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city. Ha Noi Old Quarter with its old-styled narrow streets full of antique brick houses seems to nostalgically resist the flow of time while still actively trying to adapt to the dynamic atmosphere of the modern city. Once a bustling area where merchants and artisans gathered to sell their products, Ha Noi Old Quarter consists of many small, meandering streets, each bears the name of the goods that was specifically traded there such as Hang Bac (Silver Product), Hang Ma (Paper Product), Hang Go (Wood Product), just to name a few.
Water Puppet show : is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large bamboo rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers, who are normally hidden behind a screen, to control them. Thus the puppets appear to be moving over the water.
Overnight at the hotel in Ha Noi.
DAY 2 : HANOI – WEST OF HANOI
Breakfast at the hotel
After breakfast, visit:
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology : this fabulous collection relating to Vietnam’s ethnic minorities features well-presented tribal art, artefacts and everyday objects gathered from across the nation, and examples of traditional village houses.
Saint Joseph Cathedral Ly Quoc Su : is a Roman Catholic cathedral with neo – gothic fashion, which was constructed about 120 years ago. The structure with domes of the cathedral follows the Gothic style and design of Paris Cathedral. It’s 64.5m in size, 20.5m in width with two bell towers of 31.5m-height. Although the looks of the cathedral, from the doorways, the colourful window glass, to the non secular work for adornment follows Western model, the primary inside half is adorned in Vietnamese approach with two typical colours yellow and crimson. Outside, in front of the cathedral is the statue of Mother Maria.
Lunch at the restaurant.
Thay Pagoda : is dedicated to Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha). The temple is also known as “Thiên Phúc Tự”. The temple was established in the 11th century during the reign of Emperor Nhân Tông of the Lý dynasty. It is dedicated to Vietnamese Thiền master Từ Đạo Hạnh . It is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Vietnam, It is well maintained by the monks.
Tay Phuong Pagoda : also known as Sung Phuc Pagoda, consists of three single-level structures built in descending order on a hillock that is said to resemble a buffalo. Figures representing ‘the conditions of man’ are the pagoda’s most celebrated feature – carved from jackfruit wood, many date from the 18th century. The earliest construction dates from the 8th century.
Back to Hanoi
Overnight at hotel in Ha Noi
DAY 3 : HA NOI – BA VI – HA NOI
Have breakfast at Hotel
Depart to Ba Vi farm (65km from the center), explore the traditional agriculture of Vietnam.
10h00 Come to Ba Trai Tea Village. Visit the vast hills of green tea, engage in the picking
Go to the farm and visit.
Enjoy lunch of fresh produce from the plantations.
Relax in the open air with hammocks, rugs.
Participating in Cultural Exchange, Muong ethnic dance
Lunch at the restaurant.
Hiking through the rice fields. participate in rice activities: rope hitting bucket of water, milled rice, pounding rice. Cooking class to learn how to prepare the dish “banh cuon” with rice then enjoy.
Visit fresh vegetables grown organically (Office vegetables). Here, the group will participate in the different stages of growing vegetables, harvesting, cooking and tasting.
Back to Hanoi.
DAY 4 : HANOI – NGHIA LO
Breakfast at the hotel
Welcome by the guide and the driver to your hotel in Hanoi.
Depart to Nghia Lo (Yen Bai province) at 08:00. Some stops planned on the way to visit the villages of the tribes inhabited by the roadside. You will meet the H’môngs and Thais. In particular, you will see tea fields as far as the eye can see, and a picturesque landscape during flowering (fishing, plum etc).
Lunch at the restaurant.
You can have a coffee break before turning right taking the small road along the Black River.
Arrival at the Muong Lo basin where the town of Nghia Lo is located at the end of the afternoon. Muong Lo is the second largest rice granary in the northwest and the capital of the Thais. Here, for 700 years, they cultivate rice “flooded” and build their traditional houses made of ironwood (iroko wood) and bamboo. Depending on the weather, possibility of a short visit to the village of Thais.
Overnight at hotel in Nghi Lo
DAY 5 : NGHIA LO – TU LE – MU CANG CHAI
Breakfast at the hotel
Depart in an air-conditioned vehicle to Hoang Lien Son where are the highest mountains of Indochina. Stop at Tu Lê valley to start the hike.
You will cross rice terraces and suspension bridges to reach the Thai and H’mông villages. People are in traditional costumes and welcome you with open arms. Opportunity to see boys and girls bathe naked together in the river.
Lunch at the restaurant.
After lunch at Tu Le, continue your journey in northern Vietnam. You will reach the Khau Pha pass (celestial horn). The pass is the ideal place to get the best pictures on the rice terraces. The landscapes are of exceptional beauty with cultivated valleys, mountains carrying rice terraces on their slope.
Mu Cang Chai is considered as the unusual paradise and one of the best places in Vietnam for landscape photographers.
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight at a homestay in Mu Cang Chai.
DAY 6 : MU CANG CHAI – THAN UYEN – SAPA
Breakfast at the inhabitant.
Depart to Sapa via Than Uyen where you will see tea fields and you can stop for the walk in the Thai villages. Then, the road climbs to the highest pass of Vietnam (2047m). Stop at the pass to enjoy the coolness and see the roof of Indochina Mount Fansipan (3143m).
Arrival in Sapa, installation in the room.
After lunch at a local restaurant.
You start to discover Sapa by visiting its church, its central square and its market. 2-hour walk to visit the Cat Cat Black H’môngs Village.
You walk through the bamboo forest before reaching a beautiful waterfall. You will have the opportunity to discover the life of one of the largest ethnic minorities in the Sapa region: Black H’môngs in traditional costumes.
Return to Sapa for the night.
Easy walk of 2-3 hours.
Overnight at hotel in Sa Pa
DAY 7 : SAPA – SUOI HO – MA TRA – TA PHIN – HA NOI DEPARTURE
Have breakfast at Hotel
Depart from your hotel, transfer to Suoi Ho located in a large valley.
Walk on average in a peaceful and beautiful setting, through terraces, streams, villages of the H’Mong people will satisfy you.
Picnic lunch
Continue the trip to Ma Tra village and end up with Ta Phin village where the Red Dzaos live.
Contact with local people. Discover the life of Red Dzaos.
Transfer to Lao Cai train station for the night train to Hanoi.
Arrive Hanoi early the next morning
Overnight on board
DAY 8 : HA NOI – NINH BINH
Then transfer to Ninh Binh with lunch on the way.
NINH BINH : is a province in Red river delta. It is far about 90 kilometers from Hanoi with convenient transportation system. The city itself is a fairly uneventful place, but it is surrounded by a stunning landscape of lush green paddy fields and striking limestone outcrops and is the hopping off point for sights and attractions including Tam Coc and Trang An, Bich Dong, Hoa Lu, Phat Diem Cathedral, Van Long and Cuc Phuong National Park.
King Dinh Tien Hoang’s Temple: The temple is located in Truong Yen village, Hoa Lu town, in a garden of 5 hectares wide. It faces the East, and stands in front of Ma Yen Mount, where King Dinh Tien Hoang’s tomb was located.The temple was built in the 17th century, with a special architecture.
King Le Dai Hanh Temple: is almost the same as Dinh Temple in term of architectural design, except for some details. Le Dai Hang temple also consists of three parts: Bai Duong used for the community, Thien Huong, in memory of the royal mandarins of King Le, and finally, the altar in memory of the King.
Lunch at the restaurant.
Trang An Eco-Tourism Complex : is a complex beauty – landscapes called as an ‘outdoor geological museum’ with numerous caves, mountains, valley water, trees and the historic relic. The Trang An eco-tourism site is considered the “Ha Long Bay land”. Here, space was so quiet that the only sounds were those of the trains. In the distance, visitors have the opportunity to perceive the white flowers of the reeds in the foothills. While enjoying fresh air and mountain scenery, which takes visitors into a magical world. On June 25th, 2014, at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Qatar, the UNESCO named Trang An Landscapes Complex as a world heritage, becoming the first recognized cultural and natural heritage site in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Phat Diem Stone Cathedral : is one of the most famous and beautiful churches in Vietnam with special architecture: an elegant combination between Western church architecture style and Vietnamese religious buildings. This is an Eastern architectural ensemble including Lake, Phuong Dinh, cathedral with 4 churches on the sides, 3 man-made grottos, stone churches.
Overnight at hotel in Ninh Binh
DAY 9: NINH BINH – LA BAIE D’HA LONG
Breakfast at the hotel
depart to the famous Halong Bay, for a memorable cruise on the bay.
Town of HA LONG: Its bay, newly designed among the 7 new wonders of the world, offers one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world.
Halong Bay Cruise: On board a junk, you’ll have a memorable cruise. Enjoy a delicious seafood meal on board and spend your day admiring one of Vietnam’s natural wonders. Visit islets, caves, If the heart tells you, you can make a dip in the jade waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.
Overnight on the junk at Halong Bay
DAY 10: HA LONG BAY – HA NOI
Breakfast at the hotel ,
you will have the opportunity to see the sunrise over the bay.
After we continue the cruise to Bai Tho Mountain in the other beautiful bay of Bai Tu Long.
Lunch and return to the pier
Back to Hanoi
Overnight at hotel in Ha Noi
DAY 11 : HA NOI – RETURN FLIGHT
Breakfast at the hotel,
Then visit :
Temple of Literature : founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, the Temple of Literature is dedicated to Confucius (Khong Tu). Inside you’ll find a pond known as the ‘Well of Heavenly Clarity’, a low-slung pagoda and statues of Confucius and his disciples. A rare example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture, the complex honours Vietnam’s finest scholars and men of literary accomplishment. It is the site of Vietnam’s first university, established here in 1076, when entrance was only granted to those of noble birth.
Ngoc Son Temple was built in the 18th century on Jade Island in the centre of the ‘Lake of the Returned Sword’ or Hoan Kiem Lake. Legend describes how an emperor was once given a magical sword which helped him defeat the Chinese Ming Dynasty and in doing so saw the return of the Golden Turtle God to the lake.
Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) : refers to a legend of the great Vietnamese hero, Le Loi, who led a successful uprising against the Chinese in the fifteenth century. Tradition has it that Le Loi netted a gleaming sword while out fishing in a sampan and when he returned as King Ly Thai To, after ten years of battle, he wanted to thank the spirit of the lake. As he prepared the sacrifice there was a timely peal of thunder and the miraculous sword flew out of its scabbard, into the mouth of a golden turtle (Vietnamese use the same word for turtle and tortoise) sent by the gods to reclaim the weapon.
Lunch at the restaurant.
Then free time for shopping at Dong Xuan Market
Dong Xuan market : is the oldest and largest market in Hanoi. Established in 1889, Dong Xuan Market is housed within a four-storey Soviet-style building on the northern edge of Hanoi Old Quarter. It’s also known as Hanoi’s largest indoor market, offering a wide range of goods such as fresh produce, souvenirs, accessories and clothing, as well as electronic and household appliances.
Tonight transfer to the airport for the return flight
Take off on the flight … to…