Northern Charm Discovery 8 days

Arrive at Noi Bai Airport. You are welcomed by our driver at the exit gate. Transfer to the hotel (45min). Check in and have a restful overnight stay at the hotel.

Tour guide: English-speaking guide
Meals: N/A

The full day tour takes you around Hanoi’s highlights sites, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum and his stilt house, Presidential Palace, and the One Pillar Pagoda to learn about Buddhist practices in Vietnam. You also have a chance to visit a historic University – The Temple of Literature dates back to the 11th century. Continue the trip to the Ethnology Museum, a very informative museum including indoor and outdoor exhibitions.

Back to the Old Quarter to walk through the narrow streets that were famous for their specialized craft-making guilds, the guild streets were named for their product or location, and still bear such names nowadays. Then later that evening, our staff will escort you to your cabin on the train to Lao Cai.

Overnight on the train.

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

Arrive at Lao Cai train station at around 6 am. Pickup and transfer to the hotel in Sapa (1-hour drive). Once in Sapa, have breakfast and check in at your hotel (the early check-in is dependent on availability and the hotel’s policy). Some free time is offered to explore the town by yourself. Meet your guide and driver for a leisure trip.

The drive uphill offers the most spectacular scenery of Fansipan Mount. Just a kilometer out of the town, rose flower farms and later chayote grow on bamboo frames covering a vast area. You’ll stop at the magnificent Silver Waterfall before continuing the road trip for some kilometers further to Heaven Gate and Tram Ton Pass.

At 2047 m above sea level, the Heaven Gate & Tram Ton Pass are the highest mountain passes in Vietnam. From here, enjoy walking around for half an hour to see the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. The wind blows stronger to force the clouds to move constantly.

This is also the best point here to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the two sides of the Fansipan Mountain Range. Amazingly, the weather is very different by the side: on many days, it is foggy and cloudy on the Sa Pa side and sunny and bright on the other side.

Leaving the Heaven Gate for the way back downhill 7 km, you may stop to take pictures of some lush farmland in O Quy Ho, where different kinds of vegetables, flowers, fruit trees, and even medicinal plants have grown for years, which makes this part of Sapa evergreen. Transfer back to Sapa, and the trip ends with a drop-off at the hotel.

Tour guide: English-speaking guide
Meals: Breakfast

Located just about 5 kilometers southeast of Sapa town, Ma Tra Valley attracts you for its stunning scenery, highlighted by impressive terraced rice fields. The Hmong people changed from a sifting lifestyle into a sedentary one in the early 20th Century and built terraced fields to ensure their permanent earnings by farming wet rice.

The trip commences from Sapa at 08.30 am or 01.30 pm by a 5-kilometer road transfer out of Sapa town. Then the walk starts from here downhill and crosses the stream to the other bank, where Suoi Ho village beautifully sits on the top of a low hill.

Spend half an hour visiting several local homes to understand local life before continuing walking along a large path on hillsides that is paved with rock to get through Ma Tra village. This portion of the walk offers beautiful scenery of the valley and terraced paddies, as well as a flower farm.

Late afternoon, we bring you back to Lao Cai Railway Station for an overnight train to Hanoi. Overnight on the train.

Tour guide: English-speaking guide
Meals: Breakfast

Around 5:00 am, arrive in Hanoi, and our staff will pick you up at the train station. Rest and breakfast in a hotel in Hanoi.

Around 8:30 am, our guide and driver will take you to visit Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh, the ancient capital of Vietnam, where you can explore the historic temples dedicated to King Dinh and King Le. Immerse yourself in the rich history and admire the architectural marvels.

Afterward, head to Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, embark on a tranquil boat ride through a stunning network of rivers, caves, and lush greenery. Marvel at the limestone karst landscapes and enjoy the serene beauty of the natural surroundings.

Then, return to your hotel in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

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

After breakfast, at around 8.00 am, we will pick you up to embark on a journey to the mesmerizing Halong Bay. 

On arrival, you are welcomed on board and served a mouth-watering lunch while cruising through the bay. Depending on which cruise you choose, the detailed itinerary will include a visit to a karst cave, kayaking (an extra option on most of the boats, some boat has kayaking included), swimming in crystal water, enjoying the landscape, or relaxing at the sundeck. The day will end with a sumptuous dinner on board, and you will spend the night under the starry sky. 

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

Wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves, fresh air, and a breeze. A brand new day comes. Following breakfast, you can discover a breathtaking limestone grotto before returning to the boat for a scenic cruise back to the dock.

Your boat will arrive at the harbor by 11:30 am, and your driver is waiting to take you to the hotel in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

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

Free for your own leisure until pick up and transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Tour guide: English-speaking guide
Meals: Breakfast