DAY 1 : ARRIVE IN HANOI
Meeting at 14:00 at the hotel reception
The capital of unified Vietnam, Hanoi has retained the old-fashioned charm of the French colonial era. The modernization of the city undertaken by the French from 1882 continued until 1955 and the face of Hanoi has not changed much since. Some remarkably preserved or restored buildings stand out from a harmonious architectural ensemble. Hanoi is undoubtedly the most charming city in Vietnam with all its authenticity, large shaded avenues, many lakes, and neat gardens.
Free time at the edge of the small lake.
Installation at the hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 2 : HANOI – HA LONG
Breakfast at the hotel
Depart to Halong Bay.
Halong Bay is part of the Tonkin Golf Course. It covers an area of 1553 km2 and is sown with thousands of limestone rocks with karstic relief. Known in Vietnam for many centuries as one of Vietnam’s most spectacular natural attractions. This site was classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1994. It is one of the places where the action of Indochina (with Catherine Deneuve) takes place.
Technical stop in handicraft center for handicapped people of Daï Viet. Boarding a junk
Seafood lunch.
Discover Halong Bay aboard your junk and visit a cave. Swimming possible (depending on weather conditions).
Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 3 : HA LONG – NINH BINH
Breakfast on board and new navigation in the famous Halong Bay with changing landscapes.
Disembarkation for lunch, then drive to Ninh Binh. Scenes of Vietnamese peasants’ country life will accompany you all the way.
Arrival at the end of the afternoon, check-in at the hotel
Dinner.
DAY 4 : NINH BINH
Ninh Binh is a province located in the Red River Delta. It has forests, the sea and a diverse system of fauna and flora. Ninh Binh is known by many landscapes of interest, very attractive to foreign tourists and Vietnamese.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transportation to Bai Dinh Pagoda, the largest complex of Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia.
Boat trip to discover Van-Long that is nicknamed the “Halong Bay terrestrial”.
Depart to Phat Diem, the village known for its cathedral with Sino-Vietnamese architecture and which was built between 1875 and 1899.
After lunch at the inhabitant, visit the site.
Then visit the temples of Dinh and Le.
Return to the hotel. Dinner.
DAY 5 : NIHN BINH – MAI CHAU – MOC CHAU
Breakfast at the hotel.
Road to the west admiring the rice fields and beautiful scenery along the road.
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Arrive at Mai Chau for lunch.
Lunch at the inhabitant and you can attend a traditional music show presented by the young Thai girls and taste the local specialties: corn alcohol.
Then, bike ride to discover the surrounding countryside with the villages in the middle of rice fields and varied cultures.
Free time.
Depart to Moc-Chau.
Moc Chau , located about 170 km from Hanoi, in the province of Son La (North-West), is particularly popular with young tourists and photographers. The air is fresh all year, but spring is probably the best time to admire the vast fields of flowers. You can get there by motorbike or by car.
Installation at the hotel
Dinner and night.
DAY 6 : MOC CHAU – SON LA – DIEN BIEN PHU
Breakfast at the hotel
Depart to Son La. Visit en route Thai villages. Walk in the village to discover the village and greenhouses of vegetables and flowers.
Stop at Son La for lunch.
Visit the Penitentiary of Son La then continue to Dien Bien Phu via the Col Pha Din, one of the four most spectacular passes in the Northwest.
Installation at the hotel.
Dinner.
DAY 7 : DIEN BIEN PHU – MUONG LAY
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning visit of famous historical sites: the headquarters of Commander De Castries, the moving memorial of the French, the museum with its animated map of operations and the hill Eliane was the last to fall, stroll through the city. Lunch.
In the afternoon, continue to Muong Lay, the ancient Lai Chau, a beautiful city next to the “Black River”. Having dinner.
Night at the hotel.
DAY 8 : MUONG LAY – LAO CAI – SAPA
Breakfast at the hotel
Depart to Sapa to discover one of the picturesque destinations of Vietnam.
Lao Cai is the name of a mountainous province in northern Vietnam, on the border with China. It includes the famous tourist sites that are Sapa, Bac Ha … Sapa is 1650 m above sea level, very tourist place now because the surroundings of Sapa with their rice terraces and their beautiful extracts of life in the countryside offer many hiking opportunities.
Stop at the spectacular “cascades d’Argent” of almost 100m high, the most beautiful waterfall in the region before arriving at the hotel in Sapa.
Lunch in City .
Visit the village of Ma Tra, through beautiful landscapes where you can discover minority ethnic H’Mong. There are not many tourists in this village.
Installation at the hotel
Have dinner.
DAY 9: SAPA
Breakfast at the hotel
Visit the Cat Cat village which attracts tourists with its splendid landscapes, but especially the original customs and cultural activities of the Mong people.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Walking in the valley of Lao Chai – Ta Van between typical villages and rice terraces.
Discover the city with the colonial district around the church and the covered market frequented by minorities especially black Hmong recognizable by their costume.
Having dinner. Night at the hotel.
DAY 10 : SAPA – HA GIANG
Breakfast at the hotel ,
Road to HaGiang. Lunch along the way.
Arrival in Ha Giang in the afternoon, visit the village of Thon Tha of Tay ethnic group with beautiful houses on stilts.
Installation at the hotel. Having dinner.
DAY 11 : HA GIANG – DONG VAN
Depart to Dong Van, breakfast on road. Stop in Quan Ba for the beautiful view of the valley of Nui Doi and the beautiful village of weavers.
Lunch at the local restaurant in Yên Minh
Visit the house of King Hmong.
Stop at Dong Van to visit the old city.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 12 : DONG VAN – MEO VAC – CAO BANG
Breakfast.
Visit the market of Meo Vac (every Sunday). Every Sunday morning, many different ethnic groups such as Hmong, San Chi, Tay and Dao collect to buy and sell local products that can not be found elsewhere.
Lunch on along the way.
Depart to Cao Bang.
Dinner at the local restaurant.
Night at the hotel.
DAY 13 : CAO BANG – BA BE
Breakfast.
Depart to the village of blacksmiths before arriving at the famous waterfall of Ban Gioc delimiting the border with China.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Depart to Ba Be.
Dinner and overnight at the house of the village of Pac Ngoi where the Tay live.
DAY 14 : BA BE – HA NOI
Breakfast.
Cruise on Ba Be Lake by boat. It is not by chance that this site is called “Halong Bay in the mountains”: bay of 3 freshwater lakes Pelam, Pelu and Peleng according to local residents, Ba Be was ranked among the 20 most beautiful in the world. This region has beautiful landscapes: waterfalls, rivers, valleys, lakes and caves.
Then depart to Hanoi. Lunch along the way.
And finally the visit lacquer factory.
Dinner and night the hotel.
DAY 15 : HA NOI – RETURN
Breakfast at the hotel
Visit the Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shores of West Lake.
You will discover the life, manners and customs of the 54 ethnic groups by visiting Vietnam museum of ethnography (closed every Monday).
Walking around Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword), finding its name in a legend, is located in the city center and compared to a bouquet of flowers in the heart of Hanoi. Visit Ngoc Son temple (Temple of Mount Jade), erected on the island Ngoc, and dedicated to Van Xuong, genius of letters and General Tran Hung Dao, winner of the Yuan-Mongol in the thirteenth century.