Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi.

Pickup from Noi Bai Airport. Transfer to Hanoi, check into hotel. Today we have plenty of time to discover the pearl of South-East Asia: Hanoi. With charming streets lined with dozens of old trees, beautiful lakes, colonial architecture and countless interesting monuments, this city will impress you with its lively characteristics. We begin our city-trip at the Restored Sword Lake, famous for the legend of the tortoise and the sword of 15th century. After the bombardment of this lake by the Americans in 1968, the huge turtle was killed and the little pagoda in the water is the final resting place of this legendary animal. We will continue our way with a visit to the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and his disciples. This temple used to be Vietnam's first university, founded in 1076, to teach Confucianism in Vietnam. After this historical site, you will visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the house of Uncle Ho who lives forever in the heart of every Vietnamese. We will also visit Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple - from those you will learn more about Buddhism and Taoism in Vietnam. We finish our city-tour by participating in an one-hour ride in a traditional cyclo around Hanoi's old quarter. After dinner in a local restaurant, we visit the famous water puppet show.

Night in a hotel.

Day 2: Hanoi - Thac Ba Lake.

Our journey takes you along the Red River to discover the agriculture civilization of Viet and Muong people in the Red River Delta. We will stop to visit their traditional houses and villages on the way. The car stops in Yen Bai City where you will take a two hour cruise across the lake. Check in with our host families of White Trouser Dao ethnie. We provide everything: hot shower, fresh water, blankets, mosquito-nets and pillows. Enjoy traditional dinner with delicious food made by Dao people. You can also have a free cooking class to learn about the local food.

Sleep in stilt house with a Dzao family.

Day 3: Thac Ba - Sapa.

After breakfast with local rice-cakes called banh cuon and fresh fruits, we continue along the east side of Thac Ba lake with beautiful scenery of thousands of green islands and through the attractive villages of Tay people who work on terraced rice paddies. Visit Luc Yen ruby market - the biggest of its kind in Vietnam. Then we continue our trip to Sapa.

Night in a hotel.

Day 4: Sapa trek

Today we enjoy the trek to discover the spirits of "Sapa 100 years". The local Dao people migrated to Vietnam from China and chose Sapa as one of their homelands to continue their rich traditional cultures. We learn how they renounced the habit of opium and converted to the water, rice and herbal medicinal plants. Picnic lunch will be provided on the mountain side. After 5 hours trek to Ta Van and Lao Chai villages the car will transfer you back to Sapa where we stay the night.

Day 5: Sapa - Bac Ha - Xin Man

We go down hill to Lao Cai to visit Lao Cai international trading border and Red River which marks the natural border between Vietnam and China. Visit the temple right at the border and listen to the story of a fierce war with Black-Flag Chinese army.

After lunch in Bac Ha town we continue our journey to Xin Man. On the way we stop to walk through villages of Flower Mong, Nung…ethnics.

Night in a hotel.

Day 6: Xin Man - Ha Giang

We pass by Hoang Su Phi and many villages of Black Mong, Nung on the road and 100-km up and down mountain passes with amazing landscape of mountainous rice paddies. Then we continue along the Lo river to Ha Giang and spend the night in Ha Giang town. Enjoy great dinner at a floating bamboo restaurant on Lo river.

Night in a hotel.

Day 7: Ha Giang - Meo Vac

Rise and shine for a few hours trek to many of the Heaven Gates such as Quan Ba, Yen Binh, and Dong Van. They are so called because one gets the feeling of touching the sky, the heaven gates. This is the best time and place to enjoy the wonderful sightseeing of the vast limestone mountain range and perpendicular rock walls which give a feeling of adventure while being lost in a magic land. Here we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes. After lunch at Yen Minh town, the scenic route climbs over a pass before arriving in Pho Rang, also called Pho Bang Street, which was built many centuries ago and features multi-storey houses made of clay bricks and tile roofs. Then we continue our trip to visit the infamous Vuong Palace, a H'mong high-rank family during French colonial rule. This palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture. After bidding farewell, we head up Ma Pi Leng Pass from here we can enjoy a beautiful view of the sunset over the Nho Que river.

Visiting these remote areas, we will see how hard the local people struggle with their environment for their survival and development. Because the living conditions are extremely hard, there is barely any arable land within the rocky mountains; the people who live there survive on a diet of corn, which is about the only crop able to grow in the poor rocky soil. The local people are simple and friendly, yet develop strong attachments to other people. They are the soul of this remote area.

Night in a hotel.

Day 8: Meo Vac - Bac Me

The Meo Vac market lasts till mid-afternoon but we prefer to introduce you to another wild market of Lung Phin. This is the most typical market in the region, the local people here still use their own calendar - the calendar of twelve animals. The market is every days of Monkey and Tiger. However the tour will hit the road before lunch, as today is a real challenge as the group travels on a track through a forest. The rolling rocky roads take you to hell on a rainy day. However, the breath-taking scenery makes the hardship all worthwhile.

Meo Vac is a land of rugged mountains and beautiful hill villages being unchanged for centuries. The Lung Phin market attracts a wide variety of ethnic minority groups, which walk all the way from their mountain villages to this market in order to trade goods and products. Market sessions provide a chance for locals to promenade and young boys and girls in colourful costumes to meet, date or seek sweethearts. Therefore market sessions in the northern mountainous areas are often called the Love Markets. Visiting Lung Phin market, one can shop in a very original mountain market where all kinds of goods and multicoloured clothes can be purchased.

Night in a hotel.

Day 9: Bac Me - Cao Bang

We take a boat up-stream the Gam river surrounded by green rice fields, villages of H'mong, Tay, Dao Lo Lo and Ha Nhi… The trip passes by Bao Lac and Nguyen Binh towns.

Night in a hotel.

Day 10: Cao Bang - Quang Uyen

Exploring Cao Bang town in the morning. The national vestiges are some of this hill town's major sights which are left from the French colonial days. Listen to the history of Indochina war during the years of 1950s along the defending High-way 4 (RC4). Then head up Ma Phuc Pass to enter thousands of innumerable vast steep limestone karsts area inhabited by Nung and Tay ethnic people. After lunch we visit Phia Chang village of Nung An who settled here about 300 years ago. This village is famous for traditional handicrafts, such as forging, fabric weaving and embroidery.

Overnight with Nung An host family.

Day 11: Quang Uyen - Ban Gioc

Enjoy our day exploring the spectacular scenery and the wonderful world of local ethnic minority people. Head to Ban Gioc waterfalls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam which forms a natural border between Vietnam and China. The echo of the falls can be heard kilometres away. In the rainy season, the waterfall makes the scenery even more magnificent. While here we will take a bamboo raft trip and have a picnic lunch. We also have a chance to visit China on the other river bank and on the way back to Quang Uyen our guide will take you to visit some villages where French Army troops were stationed and speak to some elders who worked for the French as "nguoi cat co chan ngua".

Overnight in Nung An host family.

Day 12: Quang Uyen trek

You are lucky to do a typical trek today to the remote villages of Tay and Nung people. This is one of the most typical of our treks in Northern Vietnam and you will soon appreciate that you are free to discover the amazing landscapes and kind-hearted local people without seeing any white tourist. We will trek for about 5 hours to villages where they make incense to pray for their ancestors and a village where they make rough paper from mulberry trees.

Overnight with Nung An host family.

Day 13: Quang Uyen - Bac Son

The most impressive landscape of Cao Bang is the journey from Quang Uyen to Dong Khe. The scenery of the road is unequalled with the steep limestone mountain and green rows of sugar-cane fields. After seeing this scenic site, we continue our journey following the historical National Highway No 4 with the famous battles, such as Dong Khe, That Khe, Coc Xa or Lung Phay Pass… Lunch in That Khe.

In the afternoon, the riding turns into quite challenging way on mountain road. Some last kilometers bring great view of rice-fields and Tay villages which are interposed between mountain sides.

Overnight in a Guesthouse.

Day 14: Bac Son - Ha Long

We head down the mountain close to the sea by continuing the National road Highway 4 that passes by Na Duong, Dinh Lap, Tien Yen and then follow the South China Sea coach to Ha Long City. After checking in at the hotel you will have free time to walk along the Bai Chay beach or enjoy a swim.

Night in a hotel.

Day 15: Ha Long Bay

After breakfast in the hotel, we enjoy our day to discover the World Heritage site of Ha Long with thousands of limestone islands, famous Thien Cung, Dau Go caves.We also visit some floating villages where people spend all their lives on the sea. Visiting children schools in Lan Ha Bay, then at sunset put on the sails and enjoy the fresh swimming or fishing till the night.

Overnight on boat.

Day 16: Ha Long - Cat Ba - Ninh Binh

After breakfast our boat will land in Cat Ba island where our car is waiting. Back to our car again and continue through the National park. Passing by Cat Hai island, with our car on the ferry, where you can visit one of the biggest and most famous fish and shrimp processors in North Vietnam.

When we arrive in Hai Phong, we take some minutes to visit Hai Phong International Sea Trading Harbour. Then continue our trip on the National Road 10 to Thai Binh, Nam Dinh City and finally Ninh Binh.

Night in a hotel.

Day 17: Ninh Binh - Dong Ha

We have full day to explore Tam Coc - the Ha Long on the mainland - by cruising on a small river snaking through wonderful green rice fields. Visit the Dinh and Le Temples where we worship our first dynasties in Vietnam of the 10th century. Then it is free time to relax and prepare for the night train to Dong Ha.

Overnight on the train.

Day 18: DMZ - Cua Tung Mouth

DMZ - The Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam was established in April 1954 as a result of the Geneva Conference ending the war between the Viet Minh and the French. The DMZ in Vietnam is on the 17th parallel. In reality, the DMZ extended about a mile on either side of the Ben Hai River and west to east from the Lao border to the South China Sea. This was one of the fiercest battles for the local people during the American war in Vietnam. We leave the train in the morning and continue to visit the DMZ by heading along National Road 9 to visit Khe Sanh, Rockpile, Darkrong bridge, Lang Vay, Truong Son National Cemetery, Camp Caroll, Con Tien, Doc Mieu, Mc Namara Electric eyes wire, Hien Luong Bridge - then swimming at Cua Tung beach at sunset.

Night in a hotel.

Day 19: DMZ - Hue

In the morning we visit Vinh Moc tunnel. This tunnel wasn't setup as army tunnel in Cu Chi. It was a shelter for fishing and farming villagers lived and hidden from the extirpation of American bombardment.

We continue our trip to Hue with stops at two other battlefields - Thach Han and Quang Tri citadel - during the year of 1968 and 1972.

After check-in at the hotel you have free time before dinner on the boat while listening to Hue traditional folklore songs on the Perfume River.

Night in a hotel.

Day 20: Explore Hue

Hue was known as the political and cultural centre of the Feudal State of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty. Boat ride along the Perfume River when you can appreciate the exuberance of this ancient imperial city. Along the river, you will visit Thien Mu Pagoda, Minh Mang Tomb then back to the car to visit Gia Long tomb and the Imperial Citadel of Nguyen Dynasty.

Night in a hotel.

Day 21: Hue - Hoi An

Head south to Hoi An and stop for lunch on the beautiful Lang Co beach, then to China beach where the first USA marines landed in Vietnam in 1965.

Night in a hotel.

Day 22: Hoi An

Full day exploring the World Culture Heritage site of Hoi An, the old town, a unique combination of architectural monuments of various forms: residential house, assembly hall, communal house, pagoda, shrine, temple, water well, bridge, wharf, market...has been preserved intact. Hoi An is a good example of a symbolic oriental city in the Middle Age, so wonderful with its aged and traditionally maintained habits and customs. The town is now an excellent model of a living museum of architecture and urban lifestyle.

Night in a hotel.

Day 23: Hoi An - Da Nang - Hanoi

Free time for shopping, then transfer to Da Nang for the train at 2.00pm to Hanoi.

Overnight on the train.

Day 24: Hanoi

Shopping in Hanoi or one more city tour.

Night in a hotel.

Day 25: Hanoi. Departure.

Transfer to Noi Bai Airport. Trip ends.

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