What to expect in 11 Day North Vietnam Tour ?

The Day 1:  Hanoi arrival – Welcome dinner (D)

Upon arrival at Hanoi airport, pick up and transfer to hotel for relaxing after your long flights. Tonight enjoy our welcome dinner and tour briefing hosted by our tour leader.

Meals: dinner

The Day 2: Full Day Hanoi Sightseeing (B)

Today full day sightseeing tour to main attractions of Hanoi

Morning: 8.00 am after breakfast in hotel, you will be picked up and transferred to see Ho Chi Minh residence complex including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, presidential Palace, House on stilt… the sites provide a more intensive look into the life of the national hero. Close by, the famous One Pillar Pagoda is worth a passing look. Built by King Ly Thai To in 1049, the structure has become an important symbol for the Hanoi culture.

Then we visit the Temple of Literature and Quoc Tu Giam – Vietnam’s first University, constructed in 1070. Its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past. Leaving here we continue to the visit to Tran Quoc or national protection located in the West Lake. This is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi.

Afternoon: Lunch will be served in a Vietnamese restaurant before we spend the first 2 hours of afternoon section to see the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. This is the most recent, probable the largest and undoubtedly the most interesting museums in Hanoi. The next stop is Hanoi Hilton to learn a bit about Hanoi during the war time. A rickshaw ride around the old quarter is highly recommended to a relax and sightseeing trip to the special streets of the city. We conclude today activities by sit down to enjoy a water puppet show.

Meals: Breakfast at hotel

Day 3: Hanoi – drive to Mu Cang Chai(B,L,D)

Mu Cang Chai – paradise for photo hunters of Rice Terraces.

Every year, during grain season, thousands of flocks of tourists and photographers go to mountainous areas in Northern Vietnam for the most scenic rice terraces in the world. Mu Cang Chai (Mù Căng Chải), Yen Bai province, is one of most attractive destinations of all. Many photographers said that Mu Cang Chai is ranked number one among the top three including Mu Cang Chai, Sapa and Hoang Su Phi for their hillside rice terraces.

You will not only enjoy the majestic and beautiful terraces but also learn the unique and rustic life of H’mong ethnic group. It’s a hard but warm-hearted life – a rare thing in the modern world. Mu Cang Chai’s highlights include: majestic rice terraces, sticky rice in Tu Le (xôi Tú Lệ), Tu Le hot stream and unique life of ethnic H’Mong

Some highlights in this itinerary: La Pan Tan terraces, Lim Mong valley (thung lũng Lìm Mông), Khau Pha mountain pass (đèo Khau Phạ – the longest mountain pass in Northern Vietnam).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Mu Cang Chai – drive to Sapa (B)

After breakfast say goodbye to our host and set for Sapa this morning. Drive through beautiful valley, villages and rice paddies. We will pass another mountain pass of Ô Quy Hồ, silver waterfall and heaven gate. Stop at the silver waterfall and climb to see this biggest waterfall in Sapa. Continue our road to Sapa town and have lunch before we visit Cat Cat village of Black Hmong people. We will visit some families, waterfall and enjoy their traditional music performance (depending on their performance time). Check in hotel and relax.

Meals: Breakfast at hotel

Day 5: Sapa – trekking to Lao Chai and Ta Van villages (B)

After breakfast, take a morning walking tour of Sapa for a visit to the busy market where Red Dao, Black & Flower H’Mong, Tay and other ethnic minority people converge from the surrounding countryside to sell their silverware and handicrafts, and to buy provisions. Afterwards, we will do one of the most beautiful Sapa Tours with the drive to visit Lao Chai and Ta Van Village of the Black H’mong and the Day people where you can enjoy fresh air, amazing scenery of the imposing mountain range, trek down world’s most beautiful terraced rice fields, visit some local families of Hmong on the way and learn unique culture and life of these ethnic groups. Back to Sapa by private car, free at leisure for the rest of the day.
—Ta Van Village: It is lying peacefully in the valley of Muong Hoa, inhabited by Giay, Hmong and Red Dao minority with approximately 1000 people.

Meals: Breakfast at hotel

The Day 6: Sapa – Cat Cat village – Silver waterfall and Love waterfall (B)

After breakfast at hotel, we start trekking to Cat Cat Village – a small village of Hmong tribe nested in evergreen Muong Hoa Valley, visit the waterfall and down a hydroelectric station built by French in early 20th century. Occasionally, we can attend tribal musical performance by the Cat Cat waterfall. Along our trek, we will visit some local Hmong families and witness their living conditions, handicraft making process….. After Lunch, transfer visit Silver Waterfall, enjoy the beautiful Silver Waterfall, which is about 100m tall, and you can even hike to the middle the waterfall with hundreds of staircases. There is a bridge connecting 2 both banks of water, we may just cross over it and come down on the other side. From the Bridge the view to the Sapa valley was very unique and impressive. Afterwards, A further 3km drive will take you to the start point of your next walk, a descent through the jungle to the Love Waterfall & Golden Stream. This area is known for cardamom crops, used for medicine, cooking and a significant source of income for the minority people.  we will drive back to Sapa. Have dinner and free time to visit Sapa . Overnight in Sapa.

Meal: breakfast at hotel

Day 7: Sapa –Bac Ha Sunday Market – Hanoi (B)

Breakfast and farewell to Sapa this morning we drive to Bac Ha Market. This market is held every Sunday and is the biggest minority peoples market in Northwest Vietnam. Alive with the bright colours and extravagant costumes of the local people, here you will meet Flower Hmong (Red Hmong), Black Dao, Tay, Nung, La Chi, Phu La and other minority groups who come from far and wide to buy and sell a wide variety of goods and livestock, to exchange news and to renew friendships. In the past the market was a centre for trading horses but now that motorbikes have replaced them it is more common to see buffalo, cows, goats, fish and other livestock being traded. The market opens at around 7.30am and closes mid-afternoon, so an early start is advisable. We will explore the market with our guide and experience this interesting market to see how local hill tribes sell and buy things. If time allows we will visit a nearby village of Flower Hmong before driving back to Hanoi.

Meal: Breakfast at hotel

The Day 8: Hanoi – Halong – Overnight onboard (B, L, D)

The Au Co Luxury Cruise

As the leading luxury cruise line in Halong Bay, The Au Co is the first cruise that brought 5-star cruise concept to the waters of Halong Bay in 2012. The Au Co’s sophisticated services are available on exclusive 3 days journeys encompassing the breadth of the world-renowned Halong Bay, as well as less crowded destinations of the neighbouring Bai Tu Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island.

The fleet is composed of 02 luxurious twin ships, boasting 32 spacious private cabins each and belongs to the biggest cruises available in Halong Bay at the present. Boarding a maximum of 80 passengers per ship, The Au Co provides the most unique yet comfortable cruising experience with a strong touch of Vietnamese culture exploration

Cruise Itinerary

The Day 9: Halong Cruise – overnight onboard (B, L,D)

The Day 10: Halong – Hanoi (Brunch)

The day 11: Hanoi departure

Today enjoy your day at leisure until transfer to airport to fly out. End of services

You have endless options to extend your vacation to other cities in the central or southern Vietnam.