Welcome by the tour guide upon your arrival at the airport, and transfer by private car to the hotel

In the afternoon, try cyclo for 1 hour to discover:

• From the colonial district with its charming architecture, to the avenues lined with greenery
• Hoan Kiem Lake and its legend and Ngoc Son
• From the maze of streets teeming with small shops in the heart of the famous and fascinating “old quarter of the 36 corporations” and its famous silk street (Hang Gai)

Depending on your wish, the evening entertainment will be scheduled either on the 1st day of your arrival or on a following day to be chosen with your guide, depending on the timing of the days in Hanoi

• Water puppet show
• Welcome dinner with our host
• Overnight in hotel

Depending on your centers of interest and the timing, you manage with your guide the choice of these visits and the order in which you wish to do them!

• The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• The One Pillar Pagoda
• Quan Thanh Temple & Tran Quoc Pagoda
• Visiting Dong Xuan Market
• Visiting the Women’s Museum
• The visit to the Ethnography Museum, the result of Franco-Vietnamese cooperation, is marvelous
• The street of the train: surprising... houses glued to each other and crossed by a railway line and the inhabitants who live on the rails
• A workshop for making lacquer, the specialty of Vietnam. You will have the explanations of the different stages, the inlay of mother-of-pearl, eggshells, etc...

Around 8:30 PM, transfer to the Hanoi train station to take the overnight sleeper train to Lao Cai with your guide

Overnight on train

Lao Cai - Bac Ha: 75 km - 2h

Very early arrival at Lao Cai station. Breakfast at a local establishment before starting the visits

Transfer to Bac Ha where the relief from tourists is apparent

• Tour to the H’mong Kings House that was built by the French in 1920
• Arrive at Ban Pho village and meet with the colourful Tay and H’mong members
• Continue to engage with local people by familiarizing yourself to your homestay
• Overnight in homestay

Bac Ha - Hoang Su Phi: 85 km - 3h

Transfer to Lung Phinh market which takes place only on Fridays

10 km from Bac Ha, this small market is in the valley, surrounded by mountains and rice terraces. The minority ethnic groups, Flower Hmong, Black Dzao, Black Hmong, Tay, Nung, Phu La gather in the markets because they are places of meetings and commercial and social exchanges. Different costumes for each ethnic group, total dazzling! You will taste rice and corn alcohols made by minorities

Departure for Hoang Su Phi via Coc Pai. Short stop to fully enjoy the grandiose landscapes. Except during foggy days, especially in January and February, the landscapes offer spectacular, breathtaking views. Visit a village perched at around 1000m altitude on the side of a mountain which dominates the valley. Lunch at Hoang Su Phi then visit Mount Kiou Leou Ti, which rises to 2402 meters. Hike uphill, through beautiful rice terraces and villages. Welcomed into a black Dao family

Lunch and dinner included

Overnight in homestay

Hoang Su Phi - Ha Giang - Ha Thanh: 100 km - 3h

2-hour hike on a mountainous road where rice terraces and hamlets populated by Dao people follow one another

Drive through the Hoang Su Phi region en route to Ha Giang. After crossing two passes called “gates of heaven”, we descend towards the basin of the Lô river. Between these two passes, discovery of the renowned and classified landscape: the magnificent rice terraces of Thong Nguyen, developed by the Red Dao

Starting from the town of Tan Quang, we head north for a distance of 45 km along the river to the superb village of Ha Thanh. This set includes around fifty houses on stilts with wooden partitions and roofs made of latan leaves. Charming, peaceful and relaxing, this village is nestled at the foot of the Tay Con Linh massif

At the end of the afternoon, according to your wishes, walk to discover the village and the rice fields. Rice fields, vegetable gardens, small ponds dedicated to fish breeding and houses on stilts surrounded by greenery make up the landscape which shapes the living environment of local inhabitants

Dinner included

Overnight in homestay

Hike for a few hours in the Tay Con Linh massif through a path shaded by broad-leaved palm trees. Visit the village of Red Dao. The rice fields surrounding the village extend over the rolling slopes of the mountains like the flanks of an immense animal. Their appearance varies considerably depending on the season

In winter and spring, bare crops expose raw soil dotted with burnt straw. From the end of April to the end of May, the flooded terraces reflect the sky. From July to October, they are adorned with a palette of colors, ranging from bright green to golden yellow. Continuation of the hike towards another Tay village, a true haven of peace

In the afternoon, meeting with a villager, artisanal producer of the most popular drink in the ethnic villages of the north, which has become a distinctive cultural trait: rice alcohol. He explains the entire production process of this drink to you. Then with another villager for his explanations of rice growing techniques. Introduction to agricultural work according to the seasons

Lunch and dinner included

Overnight in homestay

Ha Thanh - Thac Ba Lake: 175 km - 4h

Departure for Thac Ba Lake, the road winds through pretty hillsides in a charming region of small rice-growing valleys, punctuated with small hamlets of the Dao ethnic group

Thac Ba Lake covers an area of ​​23,000 hectares and reaches a depth of more than 50 meters in places. Depending on the season, it retains between 3 and 4 billion cubic meters of water. Its creation in 1970 flooded a vast area of ​​hills, resulting in the formation of more than 1,300 islands

Stop at the town of Cam Nhan for a one-hour walk in its valley. Visit to the Tay hamlets of Ban Hung

Arrival at the charming Dao village of Ngoi Tu early in the afternoon. A boat trip on the lake will allow you to discover local activities along the water

Lunch and dinner included

Overnight in homestay

Thac Ba Lake - Hanoi: 150 km - 3h

Morning exploring Thac Ba Lake: according to your wishes with activities of your choice:

• Cao Bien mountain hike
• Bike ride around the lake
• Swimming and fishing on the lake
• Discovery of Dao fishing activities
• Visit to historical sites: Thac Ba Temple, Sao Pagoda
• Walk on the lake and the Chay river (motor canoe)
• Visit to the Thac Ba hydroelectric center
• Visit Thuy Tien Stalactite Cave, Xuan Long Cave

Return to Hanoi by road and arrive in Hanoi late in the afternoon

Overnight in hotel

Hanoi - Cat Ba Island - Viet Hai Village: 3h

Tu Long Bay, the eastern part of Halong Bay, was already in the spotlight of our programs, away from the hordes of junks in a world of charm. Today, further south of Halong Bay, and close to the island of Cat Ba, further out in the sea, and far from common routes, Lan Ha Bay wins the beauty list!

Departure from the hotel, transfer to Hai Phong. By ferry (30 minutes), navigation for the island of Cat Ba, the largest island around Halong Bay, renowned for its reliefs and its forest

Boat tour in the magnificent Lan Ha Bay to the east of Cat Ba Island

At the end of the day, disembarkation at the port of Viet Hai and collection of bicycles to reach the village. The path runs along the sea, passes a pass then crosses a valley surrounded by limestone peaks

Overnight in hotel

Viet Hai Village - Cat Ba Island - Hanoi: 3h

Morning hike in the heart of the Cat Ba national park, relatively strenuous (around 4 hours). The trail, difficult at first, crosses a fairly dense forest before turning into an easier path towards the entrance to the park

Transfer to the port of Cat Ba, then boarding for a cruise of approximately 2 hours in the middle of the 1969 islands and islets of the famous Halong Bay. Lunch on board

Road back to Hanoi

Overnight in hotel

Free time for personal activities until transfer to the airport for your departure flight