Essential North of Vietnam Itinerary

Xin Chao Vietnam! Welcome to Hanoi, our guide and driver will meet at Noi Bai International airport and take you to your hotel, check-in and today is free at your leisure to rest or explore, discovering your own first impressions of Vietnam. O/N in Hanoi.

Morning activities:

After having breakfast at the hotel, this second day starts at 8:00 am from your hotel, after checking out. You will begin our day by visiting Uncle Ho, learning about his great life at the Presidential Palace, and his residential place. Have more a visiting at One Pillar Pagoda for more discover the unique architecture

Next stop is the nearby Temple of Literature. The site of Vietnam’s first University, built in the twelfth century, to teach the royals the Confucius theory. Here we will also have a chance to see a traditional music performance. You can see the first university in Vietnam and learn more of the country’s history as well as unique architecture.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant for a taste of authentic Hanoi Pho.

Afternoon activities:

This afternoon is the time for you to visit Ethnology Museum. You will see 54 nations here and learn more about Vietnamese and their cultures.

Make 1 hour on cyclo around Hoan Kiem lake and Hanoi’s fascinating Old Quarter for some great fun, shopping, and street side traditional food. This is your chance to be part of typical Hanoian style and its traditional Vietnamese culture.

And then you will finish our relaxing but informative day by attending a Water Puppet Show, a favorite experience for all visitors to Vietnam.

We can help you get back to your hotel if you wish, but often our guests would just rather spend the early evening enjoying a drink with a view of the city. Free to have your own dinner.

Evening activities:

At 20.30 pm our driver and guide pick you up at a prearranged meeting spot to the station for your night train to Sapa.The train leaves Hanoi at 22.00 pm.

Spending night on train with AC soft sleeper – cabin of 4.

Special note: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed from 15^th June to 15^th August yearly for maintenance. Also Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museums are closed on Mondays and Fridays, so if you travel on this day, we suggest you visit other visiting sites in Hanoi.

Morning activities:

The train arrives in Lao Cai at about 6:30 am where your Origin Vietnam Travel tour guide will welcome you. Look for the “Origin Vietnam” sign when you exit the train station. You have a morning shower at a hotel close the train station

Then take a morning drive through the clouds by car/van to Sapa (about 1.5 hours). When you arrive in Sapa you will be taken to a local restaurant for breakfast.

And then we will take a short ride from Sapa to our trekking base where we start our trek through terraced rice fields and Hmong villages. Here the chances to meet and talk with locals working in the fields are plentiful. Also this is the best time for us to give children some books, pencils… We will break for a picnic lunch en route then continue trekking to Ta Phin village of the Dao people (4 hours).

Afternoon activities:

Afternoon is the time to continue the trekking time to reach Ta Phin village. Your Dao host family will warmly welcome you to their traditional home where we will share in an ethnic style dinner and stay the night. Have dinner at the family

Evening activities:

Evening is the time for sharing and interacting with minority people. O/N in Ta Phin village

Special note:

• Trekking road about 5km and medium trek.
• Homestay is standard with mattress and pillow for overnight share with many other tourists. Traditional house of Red Dzao minority – basic & simple standard, toilet, bathroom is outside of the house and there is not hot shower.

Morning activities:

At the first gleam of daylight, you will see and hear the sounds of morning village life. You can join them in some of their activities, like feeding the animals, cleaning the house, gardening or preparing breakfast.

After breakfast, we will complete our trek on a valley route to the main road (4 hours) linking Lao Cai and Sapa. Moreover, visit with trek to Sin Chai village to get more discovery of the village beauties.

Alternatively, for this long trek, you can choose a short morning to wander around the village for about 1 hour, resulting in more time spent with the host family and other villagers.

After that you return to Sa Pa Town by car in 30 minutes and are free to have your own lunch.

Afternoon activities:

At 14:30 pm we will visit the gardens of beautiful Ham Rong mountain & take part in a traditional ethnic music performance put on by the ethnic minority people.

Then return at your own leisure with free time to discover the secrets of this colorful town.

Evening activities:

You have free time in the evening to get your own experience of Sa Pa town with its colorful scene. Sapa is famous for BBQ food and it is a great chance for you to discover it for your dinner. O/N in Sapa

Morning activities:

Wake up in Sapa town, breakfast at the hotel then enjoy the morning with some of your new friends that you may have met the afternoon before. In general, you have the entire morning and lunch for free time and visit the lively markets.

Afternoon activities:

At 2 pm travel by car/van to visit the Hmong village of Cat Cat to learn more about the Hmong people in an area close to the tourist path but still untouched. See old French dam and beautiful terrace field.

Finally, you will return to Sapa in the late afternoon and depart for the Lao Cai train station at 5:30 pm. Free to have your own dinner in Lao Cai.

Evening activities:

The train leaves Lao Cai at 21.40 pm, you spend your night on the train on a shared AC soft berth to Hanoi. O/N on train.

Morning activities:

When you arrive at Hanoi train station at 5.30 am, our guide and driver welcome you at the train station and transfer you to a local restaurant for breakfast. And then you will have 75 minutes massage to fresh yourself after a night on the train.

Now, depart Ha Noi at 8:00 am in a private car from a restaurant to Halong city. After 3.5 hours of driving and viewing simple, countryside, rice paddy life, we arrived at the port. At 12.00, the junk crews welcome guests on board at Hon Gai Wharf.

Afternoon activities:

Once getting on board, you enjoy welcome drinks and check in Deluxe cabin on Dragon Pearl Junk. Lunch with fresh local seafood while cruising into Halong Bay. From 13.15 to 13.30pm you will start a cruise program and excursion a Fantastic cruise in Bai Tu Long Bay. Have a great traditional Vietnamese lunch while starting cruising.

Factually, this is the time your cruise passes through extraordinary shaped-islands. You will pass through Poem mountain, the center market, Teapot islet, Goat’s head islet, Indochina film studio… up to your imagination. The cruise arrives in Cong Do area around 15:00 pm where we have the chance to see one of the most beautiful caves in the area. After visiting Thien Canh Son Cave is a great time for exploring the hidden lagoons in Bai Tu Long Bay. It takes around an hour, after that is your time for swimming in the crystal water of Bai Tu Long Bay at Hon Co Island.

Back to junk to enjoy relaxing or the sunset.

Evening activities:

Dinner at a restaurant on board. You can ask the cruise team to have squid fishing at night to get your interesting experience on sea. O/N on board nearby Vung Vieng Fishing village.

Morning activities:

Wake up early in the morning for a great sunrise and a breath of fresh ocean air. Breakfast served on the boat then we do a leisurely cruise through thousands of seemingly never-ending islands.

Yes, these are great opportunities to capture some amazing photographs. We stop to visit Vung Vieng floating fishing village and listen to some legendary stories of the fishermen’s daily life. Reality, take one last swim somewhere in the middle of the bay to refresh before cruising back to the Halong city pier.

Afternoon activities:

By noon we are ashore and break for lunch at a local restaurant. Then we hit the road back to Hanoi. We arrive and finish our tour at your hotel by 4:30 pm.

Evening activities:

Evening is the time for you to wander around Hanoi and experience your own way with famous street foods, fresh beer, etc. O/N in Hanoi

Today is your free day in the Hanoi capital and all of its fascinating historical charm. Spend your day relaxing or shopping. Some suggestions include waking up early (about 6:00 am) and joining in some exercise around Hoan Kiem Lake; or taking a cyclo tour around the Old Quarter for a different point of view; or visiting the numerous markets, shopping and trying all of the street side traditional foods. O/N in Hanoi.

We will pick you up at your hotel and transfer to Noi Bai International airport for your flight home, your luggage full of a lifetime’s worth of memories. We wish you a pleasant journey.