North Vietnam Tour 10 days: Off the beaten path of Northwest Loop

Warmly welcome you on arrival at Noi Bai international airport. We transfer you with a comfortable vehicle to the city center of Hanoi to check-in your hotel. This day is scheduled to take some rest after your long flight. You have the opportunity to get some first impressions of the city by yourself and of course our tour guide is always available at your request. Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi
 

After breakfast, we depart for Hoa Binh. Continue to Mai Chau valley, through typical steps on the road to Dien Bien Phu, visiting authentic villages where you are greeted by the Thai ethnic groups living in houses on stilts. Upon arrival check-in at your homestay and lunch with local family
In the afternoon explore the villages of Van, Poomcong and Lat in Mai Chau by walking or cycling to discover the daily life of the Thai ethnic minority. Stop on the way to enjoy the beautiful green scenery of mountain and rice paddy. Dinner and overnight in homestay
 

After breakfast we bid farewell to the villagers and hit the road for Son La. Arriving in the mid-afternoon we check into our hotel and have free time to relax or to take a stroll around the town.
Son La is the site of an old French penal colony were anticolonial revolutionaries were jailed. The surrounding area of Son La is home to several ethnic people such as Meo, Muong, the White Thai, and Black Thai people. A small display of their handcrafted wares can be displayed in the local town market. Overnight stay at hotel in Son La
 

Breakfast served at the hotel, and we start to head towards Dien Bien Phu. En route, you will have chance to visit the central market of Thuan Chau where you will meet Black Thais and White H'mong who come to trade the goods. Crossing Pha Din, Vietnam's longest pass at 32 kilometers, you will admire the beauty of nature. At the end of the pass, visit a multi-ethnic primary school in Tuan Giao. Once we reach to Dien Bien Phu, visit the remains of the Indochina war including the bunker of General De Castries, the war museum, and Eliane hill 1. Overnight at the hotel in Dien Bien Phu.
 

Today we will depart for Lai Chau town, nestled in a beautiful valley and surrounded by a magnificent mountain range. Arrival at noon time, have free time for lunch. In the afternoon, continue to Tam Duong, through the villages of the Black Thais. En route we stop to visit a village of Kh'mus, an ethnic group close to the Laotians but whose women's costume is identical to that of the Black Thais with a difference that manifests itself in jewelry. Arrive at Tam Duong at sunset. Free dinner and overnight in local inn in Tam Duong
 

Get up early in the morning to take chance visiting Tam Duong market (take place every Thursday & Sunday). Many ethnic groups come here to exchange their agricultural and craft products, especially the indigo used to dye clothing. After lunch, we continue the road to the plain of Binh Lu, home of Lu enthic people. We will arrive at Sapa in the late afternoon, check in at your hotel and freshen up or you might want to stroll around the town for shopping and photographing. Overnight at the hotel in Sapa.
 

After breakfast, we start to trek to Lao Chai village.
Lao Chai & Ta Van Villages are the places where ethnic  black H’mong and Dzay people are living. Here you will enjoy the fresh air, see terraced fields and stream and visit some of Black H’mong families to learn more about their culture and customs.
Along the road, you have a chance to contemplate the beauty in peace of the Muong Hoa Valley, magnificent surroundings of mountains and rice terrace fields. Particularly, you can meet many ethnic minority groups (H’mong, Zay, and Red Dao) whose stalls are along the way to sell fruits or sweets. From the main road, we get off the car and trek along a local path until we reach the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai and experience the daily life of the villagers. Continue walking from Lao Chai to Ta Van village, where the Zay hill tribes live. Here you take a rest and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by your local guide in a local house.
After lunch, relax and continue trekking to the meeting point on the main road for transferring back to Sapa town. The rest of this day is at leisure. Discover the fanciful Sapa town on your own, its bustling market with colorful handmade brocatelle stuffs of the ethnic people, tea and coffee shops as well as the local culture in this mountainous town. Overnight in Sapa
 

After breakfast, we drive past the beautiful scenery for a 100km to the tranquil town of Bac Ha,
 
Located 105 km from Sapa, this is the biggest weekly market opening every Sunday morning. Here you will have a chance to witness thousands of local minority people in their traditional ethnic dress, drink alcohol and trade goods.
Upon arrival, we will explore Bac Ha lively Market which not much changed by time. It is considered the most unique and colorful market in the region where thousands of local minority people in their traditional attires busily meet, drink alcohol and trade goods. Afterwards we will transfer back to Lao Cai where you take a night train back to Hanoi.
 

Arrive at Hanoi railway station at around 5.00 AM; you will be picked up to a mini hotel for breakfast and fresh up before starting a 3.5 hours drive to Ha Long Bay (around 8.00)
Declared as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1994, Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most spectacular natural attractions. Nearly 200 km far from Hanoi, the bay is dotted with 1600 limestone islands, capturing visitors’ attention. 
Arrive in Halong ad board a luxury wooden sailing junk for a cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, giving us the chance to take in the stunning scenery of this World Heritage Site. While on board we will be served a sumptuous fresh, local seafood lunch followed by a swim and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. When the sun comes down we drop anchor for the night nearby a remote island.  Dinner served on board. Overnight on Junk
 

Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay we have time for an early morning dip with joys and emotions for watching sunrise on sea followed by breakfast. This morning we continue to move around the bay to find more secluded areas. The junk will be near us at all times serving as a back-up vessel for those that require it. At around midday we will return to the main harbor where our private vehicle waiting for you for a 3-hour journey back to Hanoi. Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi
 

After breakfast you have free time at your own pleasure until we transfer you to the airport for your flight home