North Vietnam Railway Tour Itinerary

You are welcomed at Noi Bai International airport by Our Origin Travel’s guide and transfer you to downtown, check in hotel. This is your first day arrival Vietnam after a long flight; you spend your time to relax at your own way. You are free to have your own dinner. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Morning activities:

When the day dawns, you start your trip since early around 5.00 am with our guide and driver to see a community come to life with a stroll around Hanoi’s vibrant Old Quarter.

Our guide will introduce you the facts and stories while you are walking and pasting the historical sites. You will explore the beating heart of Hanoi, the Old Quarter, also known as “Hanoi 36 Streets.” You will have chance to see the close-knit community of people living in houses and packed close together along narrow lanes.

This is also the opportunity for you to witness residents and shopkeepers are preparing for the day and our guide gives you to learn more of the aspects of local life.

Continue your trip to the famous St. Joseph’s Cathedral and see its Gothic exterior and note its similarities with the world-renowned Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The early morning trip is also the chance for you to see morning exercise called Tai Chi exercise beside Hoan Kiem Lake’s shore. It brings you a calm and almost spiritual place for people to run, practice mind and body exercises, and even dance beside the lake.

After a refreshing lakeside, you will enjoy a typical local breakfast with Vietnamese cuisine like noodle soup in a charming café.

Continue your trip today by visiting to Vietnam’s first university – the Temple of Literature which was founded in 1076. It has another name Quoc Tu Giam where was a temple to educate Vietnam’s royalty, mandarins and members of the elite.

After visiting, you will have a meal at an authentic Vietnamese Restaurant.

Have lunch at restaurant with special foods of Hanoi city.

Afternoon activities:

Continue your trip this afternoon to have more discover Metropole Tunnel right on Metropole Sofitel hotel to learn more of Hanoi history.

Go on your visiting day trip by enjoy water puppet show and experience more the unique northern Vietnamese art

The rest of time is wandering time along streets and enjoy street foods with special Hanoi foods for your dinner.

Evening activities:

At 20.30 pm the driver and guide drop you off Hanoi Railway Station for taking night train to leave Hanoi for Lao Cai. Spending night on train on AC soft sleeper coach 4 berths.

Special note: You can choose to upgrade VIP coach of 2 berths with additional charge

Morning activities:

Arrive in Lao Cai Train Station in the early morning and our guide welcomes you to have a shower after a night on train and have breakfast at local restaurant.

After that you travel to Sapa town of 45km from Lao Cai Train Station. At first our driver and guide will take you to Y Linh Ho village where you start your trekking. En route is your time to enjoy and view beautiful terrace fields and scenery.

You continue the trip and make a turn towards Y Linh Ho. The route of trekking is 2 km through rice terraces to view its marvelous beauties.

Y Linh Ho is home to the Hmong ethnic people and their rice terraces are around 100 years old from generations. How is the perfect chance to interact with Hmong minority people culture and their lifestyle.

More trekking route to Lao Chai – another Hmong village and have more time to view the spectacular terrace fields on Muong Hoa valley. Pass through soil path and experience the local life and landscapes.

Have a picnic lunch en route

Afternoon & evening activities:

Continue your trekking this afternoon to Ta Van village and enjoy more the beautiful scenery of Muong Hoa Valley and rice terrace field hills. Arrive in Ta Van village, check in local homestay. This is the chance for you to harmony with local life and culture

Have dinner with the family

Evening is the time you can talk, meet and interact with the local people and learn more of their work and cultures. Overnight at stilt house

Special note: Homestay is the long stilt-house and you will have mattress with pillow. It is separated by a curtain together. You will also have the share bathroom.

Morning activities:

Wake up early and enjoy the fresh atmosphere at the mountain village. Have breakfast with the family and then say goodbye them.

You get the trip with our guide from Ta Van village back Sapa town on car and make the walking around Sapa market to get the experience of the local life as well as the busy life in town centre.

After that you walk downhill with the distance 3km to Cat Cat village – the home of Hmong people where you can take the terrace fields and beautiful road.

On the way to Cat Cat village you can visit Hai Vong Dai (viewing tower with additional charge around 3 usd/per person) to get the whole panorama Muong Hoa valley that cover a large area with different villages on the foot of mountain.

Next you will reach a waterfall and a hydroelectric station where you can catch the nice scenery of the beginning Cat Cat village

Continue the trek on a dirty trail through rice paddy terraces and have the opportunity to enjoy spectacular scenery while walking along a narrow river.

Continue your trip to Tram Ton pass where you first visit Silver Waterfall. After that you travel to Heaven gate where you can take the panorama view of the magnificent scenery of Hoang Lien Son Mountain.

Then you start your trekking route from Tram Ton and follow the narrow trail along mountain sides and through the thick rain forest.

Back Sapa town and have lunch at restaurant. 

Afternoon & evening activities:

Continue your trip by climbing to Ham Rong Mountain right on Sapa town centre. This is one of the great chance for you to catch the panorama of Sapa town from the mountain. The cloud covers surrounding and the town which make you feel as in the paradise.

Back Sapa town and free to have your own dinner.

Evening is the time for you to experience around Sapa town and enjoy the night life. Sapa is famous for BBQ foods which you can taste as your own way. Overnight at hotel.

Morning activities:

Leave Sapa town with our guide and driver from the morning and drive to Y Ty where is famous for the fabulous scenery and unique cultures of Ha Nhi people as well as Giay people

En route you can stop over to visit and learn more of Ha Nhi people at A Lu as well as their lifestyle

You pass through Y Ty primary forest with the diversity of flora and fauna, rarely woods and herbal, cool climate all year round

You arrive in Muong Hum commune of Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province. It is about 46 km from Sapa town and is only open on Sundays market.

You will have the opportunity to pass through O Quy Ho Pass, which is 10 km away from Sapa town. You will travel to Khoang village from the right hand and then continue to Ta Giang Phinh village. From here it offers you the scenic views of its terraced rice fields. Backdrop is Five Finger Mountain (Ngũ Chỉ Sơn) where offers you the wonderful views and scenery.

Afternoon & evening activities:

Have lunch with local food

Afternoon is the time for you travel to Y Ty Commune centre. Here is the chance for you to shoot beautiful photo surrounding at Lu rice field, Den Sang cardamom forest and Nhi Cu San mountain where is between border of Vietnam and China and more chance to see fabulous scenery at Ngai Thau and also here is one of the nicest to enjoy the cloudy and shoot photos

You leave Y Ty and travel to Lao Cai Train Station for taking night train back Hanoi city. Spending night on train on AC soft sleeper coach 4 berths.

Speical note: If You travel on Sunday you can visit Muong Hum Sundays market and discover the diversity of minority people groups here: iay, Flower Dao, Green Hmong, Ha Nhi and Tay as well as learn more of their culture

Morning activities:

Arrive back Hanoi Train Station around 5.30 am, our guide and driver welcome you at train station and transfer you to mini hotel for morning check in and shower after a night on train. Have breakfast at hotel and have a short relax.

Then at 9.00 am you leave Hanoi city with driver to travel to Hai Phong city on Express Highway. It takes 2,5 hours on car to reach Hai Phong and Got Ferry.

Afternoon activities:

Around noon time you will be taken on our tender from the wharf and make your way out onto the bay to board our luxurious craft, Era Cruise. Welcome on board and greeted with a complimentary drinks to fresh after a few hours on car to reach Lan Ha Bay.

First of all, our Crew will conduct a compulsory safety procedures session. Have a free time to check into your cabin and shower after a time on car. This is your first time to have a quick look of the vessel or watch the magical landscape outside.

And then have a special lunch of fresh seafood with appetizing favorites at restaurant on board. Dining on a luxury junk with fine food and drinks doesn’t come much better than this. While enjoying the lunch, we set sail for Lan Ha Bay passing to Da Chong islet where you can see a lighthouse built by the French over 100 years ago.

When lunch is about to finish at 15.00 pm, it is just nice that the Cruise complete its entry through Cua Van area to Lan Ha Bay (as part of Halong Bay). The area is surrounding of a lot extraordinary limestone karst landscapes. Guests can start their journey to explore Ba Trai Dao beach, doing the kayak to immersed in the crystal clear waters of the bay and/or enjoy swimming. After that you return main boat around 17.00pm, and cruising to a place for staying overnight

Happy hour with special drink menu (Buy one get another one for free) from 17.30 -18.30 pm on cruise

Evening activities:

Then you will have a Vietnamese cooking demonstration – a great way to learn how to prepare delicious appetizers. Of course you will have a guide through the process how to prepare and cook. Have a special Signature Dinner in restaurant on cruise.

The rest of time is your free time for fresh, leisure. You can also have an exotic cocktail or whatever takes your fancy at the bar. The bar has a wide range of wines, beers and liquors which always available for your order to have a time to enjoy as your own way before sleeping

Or you can order a Spa service or take any activities on boat cruise. Such as watching documentary movies, squid fishing (need to ask soon so that cruise team prepare) or simply relax on our roof top deck under the cover of a star filled sky to enjoy the nightlife on the bay.

Morning activities:

Once morning again you wake up early and enjoy the fresh air on Lan Ha Bay. The wonderful time is the sunrise over the bay which is the unforgettable moment in your trip. Enjoy the daily Tai Chi lesson on sundeck.

After that you have an early morning cup of tea, coffee or fruit juices anywhere you wish on the boat. This is also the time free and slow for you to see the never ending miraculous scenery unfold of the bay in front of you.

Around 7.00 am you have a light breakfast will be served in our restaurant (pastries, tea, coffee)

After that you will have a visiting at Dark & Bright cave and islets by local rowing boats which is a wild and mysterious beauty in the middle of the World Heritage. Return the main board afterwards.

You make check out of your cabin at 9.30 am while the cruise travel back the mainland. During that time you will have a final early brunch.

Reach the ferry at 11:30, you will board our tender and head back to the wharf where you will be met by your return trip vehicle to transfer you to Hanoi.

Afternoon activities:

For those who book shuttle bus you leave the Pier at 12.00 pm and return Hanoi city with guide and driver (the same for private car)

You arrive in Hanoi around 14.30 pm and drops you off Noi Bai airport for taking flight depart. We sure that you will have an amazing trip with Origin Travel and do hope see you again in the future. Once again thank you very much and happy travel!