VIETNAM, ADVENTURES FROM NORTH WEST TO NORTH EAST
ITINERARY IN BRIEF
DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN HANOI
DAY 2: HANOI
DAY 3: HANOI - MAI HICH
DAY 4: MAI HICH - NGHIA LO
DAY 5: NGHIA LO - MU CANG CHAI
DAY 6: MU CANG CHAI
DAY 7: MU CANG CHAI - SAPA
DAY 8: SAPA - BAC HA
DAY 9: BAC HA
DAY 10: BAC HA - QUANG BINH
DAY 11: QUANG BINH - QUAN BA
DAY 12: QUAN BA - DONG VAN
DAY 13: DONG VAN - MEO VAC - BA BE
DAY 14: BA BE - CAO BANG
DAY 15: CAO BANG
DAY 16: CAO BANG - HANOI
DAY 17: HANOI - DEPARTURE
DAY 1 - HANOI
Arrival in Ha Noi, welcomed by our tour guide and transfer to the city. Hotel accommodation (rooms are normally available from 14h00). Free time in the evening to discover for yourself some of the 36 streets in the old quarter. Overnight stay in Hanoi.
DAY 2 - HANOI
All day dedicated to the visit of Ha Noi, a thousand-year-old city: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outdoor zone) where the old wooden house on stilts and its bucolic garden are located (closed on Monday afternoon), the One Pillar Pagoda dating back to 11th century and linked to the legend of the Ly Dynasty, founder of Hanoi the capital. Following is the water puppet show. Continue to visit the Temple of Literature - the first university in Vietnam and the Ethnographic Museum (closed on Mondays) where life and traditional customs of the 54 ethnic groups present in the area are represented. Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 03 – MAI HICH
Departure to Mai Hich located in Mai Chau province. Arrival after about 4 hours, accommodation in homestay. Walk through village rice fields to discover the fascinating culture of the Thai ethnic minority. In the evening you could enjoy the traditional dance show and taste the typical local rice wine. Overnight in Mai Hich.
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DAY 04 – NGHIA LO
After breakfast transfer by private car from Mai Hich to Nghia Lo through wonderful landscapes and villages of ethnic minorities. Homestay accommodation. Walk around the village to discover the daily life of the local inhabitants. Dinner and overnight in Nghia Lo.
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DAY 5 - NGHIA LO - MU CANG CHAI 90 KM
Departure to Mu Cang Chai, travelling through Khau Pha pass, one of the most difficult mountain paths of northern Vietnam. Arrive to Mu Cang Chai after 2.5 hours driving through fascinating mountain landscape, rice terraces and villages of Hmong people. Stopover along the road to visit La Pan Tan village. Accommodation and dinner in homestay. Overnight in Mu Cang Chai.
DAY 06 - MU CANG CHAI
A walk leads through typical green terrace paddle fields of northern Vietnam: Hmong people are well known for the technic used to build rice terraces, all by hand with the help of cattle. Stay the night in homestay. Overnight in Mu Cang Chai.
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DAY 07 – SAPA
Breakfast in homestay. Departure by car to Sapa. Across O Quy Ho pass, one of the four tallest ones in Vietnam, you would have a chance for a photographing stop to take pictures of an unforgettable scenery. Arrival to the town and hotel accommodation. Free time to wander around to find out about the church and Sapa market, where Red Dzao, Black Hmong and Kinh people sell their goods. Overnight stay in Sapa.
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DAY 08 - BAC HA
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the gate of Lao Chai village (Black Hmong people village), walking to Ta Van village (where Dzay people live), through Muong Hoa valley. Transfer from Sa Pa to Bac Ha. After about 7-8 driving hours, accommodation, and dinner in homestay. Overnight in Bac Ha.
DAY 09 - BAC HA
In the morning, visit a local market (depends on which day: Tuesday Coc Ly market, Wednesday Sin Cheng market, Thursday Lung Khau Nhin market, Saturday Can Cau market, Sunday Bac Ha or Muong Khuong market). Afternoon visit the palace of Hoang A Tuong King of Meo people and walk through different villages. Overnight in Bac Ha.
DAY 10 - QUANG BINH
Departure to Quang Binh. Quang Binh is a peaceful quarter of Ha Giang province where twelve ethnic groups live, it is known for the cultural variety and traditional festive occasions. Accommodation at homestay in the afternoon, visit of a Tay family who still works with fabric in the traditional way. Dinner and overnight in Quang Binh.
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DAY 11 - QUAN BA
Departure for Quan Ba, the town located about 140 km from Quang Binh commune, stopovers along the way to photograph the landscape. Arrival to Quan Ba in the afternoon, accommodation in the homestay and take a walk around the village of Dzao people. Dinner and overnight stay at the house of a villager in Quan Ba.
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DAY 12 - DONG VAN
Visit White Hmong people village, famous for their traditional weaving. Departure for Dong Van Karst Plateau, a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network and Asia Pacific Geoparks Network, officially recognized since Oct 3, 2010. Stopovers along the way to visit Sung La and Pho Cao villages where houses are made with rammed earth, some date back to 100-200 years ago. Visit the King of Meo people house, built in the beginning of 20th century with clear influence from antique Chinese architecture. Overnight stay at hotel in Dong Van.
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DAY 13 - DONG VAN - BA BE 240 KM
Wake up at dawn and departure to visit Lung Phin market. Stopover along the road to enjoy the view from Ma Pi Leng pass. Lung Phin market is among the most beautiful ones of the Northeast region, where people from the surrounding zone come to exchange goods: White Hmong people, Day, Red Dzao, Nung people... The market only takes place in certain days of lunar months (days of the Tiger or Monkey), minor ethnic groups in fact don’t count days like we normally do with Gregorian calendar (Monday, Tuesday...), they use instead the Chinese lunar one in which each day corresponds to an animal (day of the Tiger, Monkey, Mouse, Pig...) At the market you would see typical products of these people such as rice, maze, vegetables and even dogs, buffalos, cows... Women take on the sale of the goods, while men decide the sale of cattle and other animals, once they finish the affair they would be waiting for their wives at the bar drinking rice wine or just chatting. Tourists are hardly found in this colorful market that maintains the unchanged authenticity of the place. Arrival to Ba Be at late afternoon, accommodation, and dinner at the homestay. Overnight in Ba Be.
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DAY 14 - BA BE - CAO BANG 110 KM
After breakfast, boat excursion on Ba Be Lake, the largest and most beautiful lake in Vietnam with a length of 8km and a width of about 400m; the deepest point is 35m. The lake is surrounded by limestone mountain chain traversed by thousands of grottoes and underground streams. Transfer in private car to Cao Bang. Accommodation in hotel. Overnight stay in Cao Bang.
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DAY 15 - CAO BANG
Whole day dedicated to the visit of Ban Gioc Waterfall, the most beautifully breathtaking waterfall in Vietnam, going through terrace paddle fields and houses of different ethnic groups. Continuation of the visit to Nguom Ngao grotto and the forging village of Phuc Sen. Go back to the hotel. Overnight stay in Cao Bang.
DAY 16 – HANOI
After breakfast, transfer from Cao Bang to Ha Noi. Accommodation in hotel in the afternoon. Overnight stay in Hanoi.
DAY 17 - PARTENZA
Free time till the direct transfer to the airport for your flight back home.