12 Days North Vietnam Scenic Tour with Ha Giang Loop

Welcome to Hanoi!

Upon arrival, our tour guide and driver will welcome you at the airport. You will escorted to the hotel and check-in. The rest of the day is at your leisure for recovery.

Note: if your arrival time is early, and you prefer to explore the city instead of taking a nap, please kindly tell our travel consultant, and we’ll recommend one of our suggested activities like enjoying the Hanoi food tour by motorbike at night, or having a half-day cooking class, or walking around the Hanoi food street.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: NA

Enjoy your breakfast. In the morning at 8:00-8:30, you will be met by our tour guide at your hotel, and start to explore the city of Hanoi. The morning’s activities include:

1. Tran Quoc Pagoda: located on the shores of West Lake, this pagoda is full of amazing Buddhist symbolism, a must-see for any of Hanoi city tour.
2. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: one of the most famous works in Vietnam. With great cultural and historical value, it will expand your understanding of the country.
3. One Pillar Pagoda: Hanoi’s iconic landmark not to be missed, famous for its extraordinary architecture. This Pagoda is not only a famous tourist attraction but also a religious stop for local pilgrims.
4. Temple of Literature: one of the top historical attractions in Hanoi, is the first university in Vietnam. The temple represents Vietnamese ancient architecture and traditional fondness for learning.

End of the sightseeing, you will have lunch at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, then take a rest.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy the following activities:

1. Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son Temple: famous for its peaceful beauty, cultural as well as historical values.
2. Taking a traditional cyclo tour through the Old Quarter: the fascinating experience of rickshaws driving around the Old Quarter and experience the daily life of the local.
3. Savor the best street food in the world: Never miss out the Vietnam food

Enjoying local Vietnamese dinner, you will be escorted to watch a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. The show lasts 50 minutes. It’s a unique Vietnam performance to display the daily life in Northern Vietnam villages.

After the show ends, you’ll be transferred to the train station to catch an overnight train to Lao Cai, the gateway to Sapa. Sleep on the train in comfortable sleeping compartments.

Accommodation: Overnight on the train

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Early morning arrival in Lao Cai at 5:55 am. From there, you’ll be transferred to Sapa in 1 hour, a picturesque town located in the mountains.

After enjoying a delicious local Vietnamese breakfast, the rice paddy terrace trekking will start at around 8:00 am. During the trek, you'll visit these stops in order.

1. Cat Cat Villiage: home to the Black Hmong people.
2. Waterfall and a hydroelectric station: trek on a dirt trail through rice paddy terraces.
3. Y Linh Ho Villiage: black Hmong minority, where you can take a rest and have lunch.
4. Muong Hoa Valley: pass through Lao Chai village of the Black Hmong minority.
5. Ta Van Villiage: home to Giay minority.

It’s a very popular trekking route around 15km across different villages of the Hmong, Giay, and Red Dao ethnic minorities, and you’ll enjoy the spectacular scenery of Northern Vietnam highlands. After the trekking, you’ll escorted to the hotel in Sapa.

Accommodation: Overnight in Sapa

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Meet your guide at 8:30 am in the hotel after enjoying breakfast. Then you’ll transferred to Fansipan Cable Car Station.

1. Fansipan Cable Car: the Guinness World Record as the world’s longest cable car.
2. Mt. Fansipan: the roof of Indochina.
3. 20-meter celestial Buddha Statue.

You’ll ride a 15-minute cable car to the Mountain Station, and then go up 600 steps to get to the summit of Mt. Fansipan to breathe in the fresh air and get captivating sights from there.

After climbing Mt. Fansipan, you’ll return to Sapa for lunch and then take a private car to Ha Giang for 5 hours. The rest of the day is at your leisure for recovery.

Accommodation: Overnight in Ha Giang

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Start up the day with a breakfast at the homestay, and then check out for the trip to another destination. At around 8:30 am, you will be leaving to visit the Ha Giang Loop by motorbike with the tour guide:

1. Bac Sum Pass Enjoy your time and stop somewhere to see the beauty and oversee the panorama of Nam Dam at Heaven Gate.

Stop by the local restaurant for lunch, and then continue to:

1. Then you will continue to Lung Khuy Cave, one of the most beautiful natural caves in Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark.

After that transfer to Yen Minh Town, for check in and the rest of the day is at your own leisure time. This will takes around 3 hours until arrival in Yen Minh Town. 

Accommodation: Overnight in Yen Minh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Start up the day with a breakfast at the homestay, and then check out for the trip to go sightseeing in Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark. On the way, you will stop at:

1. Tham Ma Pass is one of the iconic s-shape mountain, which is pass through Ha Giang Mountain.
2. Visit the Vuong Royal Palace, lying inside a valley of Sa Phin.

Stop by the local restaurant for lunch, and then continue to:

1. Heading to the top roof of Vietnam then enjoy the view of Lo Lo village on the top of Lung Cu Fllag Tower.
2. Continue to Meo Vac and on the way, we will pass Thien Huong village, where Tay people known for cooking corn wine.
3. Travel through Ma Pi Leng Pass, the most majestic of Ha Giang.

After that transfer to Pa Vi village, for check in and the rest of the day is at your own leisure time. This will takes around 30 mins. 

Accommodation: Overnight in Meo Vac

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your breakfast and free time in the morning until your tour guide picks you up from the lobby. Then you will transfer to visit:

1. Nho Que River, you will have a boat tour and enjoy the breathtaking Tu San Canyon, one of the deepest canyon in Vietnam and Indochina as well.

Transfer back to Yen Minh for lunch, and then continue to:

1. On the way, you will pass M-shape Pass in Mau Due commune. Arrive in Ha Giang homestay around 5:30pm. Then you will say goodbye to the driver and tour guide and then waiting for the bus to pick up at the homestay for transfer back to Hanoi.

This will be the end of your tour on this beautiful mountain, and then have a sleeping bus to Hanoi. 

Accommodation: Overnight on the sleeping bus

Meals: Breakfast,  Lunch

Today is on your arrangement, enjoy your free time in Hanoi to explore the city. 

 Accommodation: Overnight in Hanoi

 Meals: Breakfast

In the morning, after breakfast, our driver will pick you up at about 8:00, then head to the cruise port of Halong Bay. It takes about 3 hours to arrive. Upon arrival, the cruise staff will help you with the check-in at around 12:00.

Welcome onboard in Halong Bay! You will be greeted with a welcome drink and the introduction and guidelines. Then, you will enjoy the lunch onboard in the elegant dining room.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy some exciting activities such as sightseeing, kayaking, or swimming according to each cruise’s itinerary.

While onboard, you can take advantage of the leisure time of the Spa, Beauty, and Massage services surrounded by the stunning scenery around you. Besides, you can also join in the chef’s cooking class and learn the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.

In the evening, an elegant dinner is ready with a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages from around the world.

After dinner, enjoy a leisurely evening onboard, such as joining in board games, squid fishing, a night movie, or bars & and karaoke.

 Accommodation: Overnight in Halong Bay

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Your second day of Halong Bay Cruise will start with a Tai Chi class for 20 minutes to breathe the fresh air and brighten the day.

After breakfast, continue with the exploration of the tourist sites on Halong Bay. At around 10:00, it is time to pack your luggage for checkout.

At about 11:30, your cruise boat will sail back to the port and you will enjoy an early lunch on the way. 

Then, our driver will pick you up at the port. Upon arrival in Hanoi, private transfer to Ninh Binh.

It is about 2 hour from the city. Upon arrival, the tour guide and driver will transfer you to the hotel for check in and the rest of the day is at your own leisure time. 

 Accommodation: Overnight in Ninh Binh

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Morning, meet our guide and transfer you to Tam Coc - Bich Dong is a popular tourist destination near the city of Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam. Along Hoang Long River, vast limestone cliffs rising out of the rice paddies make Tam Coc somehow similar to Halong Bay, or on-land Halong Bay as described.

Next to Tam Coc is Hoa Lu, the relics of the ancient capital of Vietnam during 10th century.

Finally climbing up almost 500 steps of Mua cave area, you can reach to the top of Lying Dragon Mountain & have an amazing panoramic view of Tam Coc. After the tour, you will transfer back to Hanoi. 

 Accommodation: Overnight in Hanoi

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your breakfast and free time in the morning until your tour guide picks you up to the airport in Hanoi, it may takes about 1hour from the city. Tour service ends here.

Hope you enjoyed a great trip with us and we look forward to seeing you next time.

Note: If you’re planning to continue exploring the Indochina region, like Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, please never hesitate to tell us, we’re tour experts for all of these destinations.

 Accommodation: NA

 Meals: Breakfast