Northeast Vietnam Explorer 7 Days

We pick you up at your hotel after breakfast, say goodbye to the bustling Hanoi, and venture your way to Ha Giang. You stop en route for photo shoots at times, when passing through many of the magnificent views along the way.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant, and you will continue your drive further until Ha Giang arrives. Check into your accommodation and stay overnight in Ha Giang.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

After a simple breakfast, take a short trek from the beautiful village of Phuong Do to Thon Tha. Then continue to feast your eyes with splendid views along the ride until we get to Quan Ba, home to Dao and Tay minorities, seasonal farmlands, and verdant hillocks. We will do some hiking on green and dirt tracks to walk to a village and to discover their daily life.

Also, a stop will be made to hike up the Heaven Gate, from here you can have a wonderful photo of the Fairy Mountain. After lunch, we will continue our way to Dong Van, a beautiful town surrounded by its limestone rock formation.

On the way, make a visit to the astonishing Palace of the H’mong King. You will uncover the fortress which was built by a local chief, Vuong Chin Duc, whose son later became a good friend of Uncle Ho. Arrive in Dong Van in the late afternoon. Overnight at a hotel in Dong Van.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

If today is Sunday, then your day will start with a visit to Dong Van Market, where you can see the local people stocking up before heading back to their eagle’s nest towns high in the mountains.

Otherwise, the day will begin with climbing up the pass to the French Fortress of Pu Lo, which was built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945. From here, you can enjoy spectacular views of the entire region.

Continue your trek through the remote and beautiful countryside of Dong Van, where you pass through some villages along the beaten tracks used by the locals. Stop at a restaurant for lunch before moving to the well-known mountain pass of Ma Pi Leng.

This scenic journey takes you up through rugged outcrops to the beautiful town of Meo Vac. Set amongst towering mountains, Meo Vac is home to some H’mong and Bo Y, and Tay farming families. Overnight at a hotel in Meo Vac.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

It's not a place to see, you need to feel it too

After breakfast, you will do some trekking through the beautiful countryside of Meo Vac town. It is a great chance to interact with local people and take some great photos with them.

Next, rejoin your vehicle and descend toward Bao Lac to visit Black Lo Lo ethnic minority, who still maintain their special traditional costume. The areas where those people live are considered the poorest areas of Vietnam, as there is little infrastructure, terrible-quality roads, and a lack of running water and electricity.

Continue the journey on the mountainous road from Bao Lac to Cao Bang. Overnight in Cao Bang.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

After driving down one of the most scenic roads in Vietnam, you will arrive at the magnificent Ban Gioc Waterfalls. The peaceful and poetic landscape along the way, with many terraced rice paddies dotted with traditional houses, will keep you awake the whole long drive and nonstop for taking pictures.

Arrive at Ban Gioc waterfall, the fourth-largest waterfall in the world. After spending some time relaxing and taking nice photos, you have an opportunity to raft near the falls and feel the water splash on your face.

Later on, visit one of the most spectacular grottoes in Vietnam, Nguom Ngao, which is made up of several kilometers of superbly lit galleries and a huge 100-meter cave. Drive back to Cao Bang for your overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

About 150 km east of Cao Bang, you depart Cao Bang at 8 am and embark on a route up into mountain areas, onwards to Ba Be Lake National Park. This is one of the largest natural lakes in Vietnam, home to many kinds of birds, scenic valleys, towering rocky outcrops, underground river tributaries, and a gigantic cave.

All of the villages in the park are necessarily ethnic Tay. Those located high up on the slopes are inhabited by Green Hmong and Red Dao hill-tribe people. Following a relaxing boat trip and a hike along the riverfront, you stay overnight with a Tay family in a traditional house.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

After breakfast, take a bike and cycle through the scenic road of the village, then end up visiting Hua Ma Cave, the biggest dry cave in Northeast Vietnam. Leave your bike, then transfer back to Hanoi.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before arriving back in Hanoi around 17.00.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English-speaking guide