Best of North Vietnam 6 days

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Your driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, enjoy an orientation walk, visiting some of Hanoi’s main attractions: the Opera House, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. In the evening, savor a welcome dinner of authentic Vietnamese food at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.

Note: Vietnam visa or visa-on-arrival authorization required in advance of arrival (application will be mailed with preparation packet). Unless airport transiting, entering Vietnam more than once requires a re-entry visa.

Do not accompany any driver who does not have a placard with your name or Your Travel identification. 

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

In the morning, depart for Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex; including Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, house on stilt, presidential palace, the historic figure and father of modern Vietnam, (exterior only; closed Mon and Fri and from Oct-Nov). Then it's on to a wooden ethnic minority style house which was his temporary residence from 1954 - 1969. In the same complex you will see the One Pillar Pagoda, founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049. This structure has become one of three important symbols for the people of Hanoi. Then followed by Van Mieu litterarlly translated “Temple of Literature” which is wel-known in Vietnam for a combination of Confucian sanctuary and academy, the centre also housed the country’s first university, founded in 1076. We have time to wander through the stone tablets and soak up a thousand years of learning with our local guide.

After lunch at another of our favourite local spots, we leave you to enjoy the afternoon as you see fit. Depending on your interests, our guides will be happy to lead you to some of the city’s more interesting art galleries, or take you on a shopping tour for silks and linens (this is perhaps the best place in Vietnam to pick up gifts for people back home) or continue visiting historic sites or visit to a very beautiful Museum of Ethnology to enhance your understanding of Vietnam's diverse culture through its unique presentation of objects & dress from daily life or making city orientation to West Lake then to visit Ngoc Son Temple in Hoan Kiem Lake.

Followed by, we travel by rickshaw cyclo (traditional bike-propelled cart) and foot along tree-lined boulevards and through the 1000-year-old Old Quarter, exploring the markets and taking in some of the city’s great colonial architecture.

In the late afternoon, we’ll enjoy a performance of water puppetry, an art form that developed in the rice paddies of northern Vietnam.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: on train (in 4 soft berths cabin with A/C)

The train arrives at the Laocai railways station in the early morning. Your guide and driver will meet you there and take you on the 40km drive to Sapa – Northwest Vietnam’s premier travel destination. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then catch a few hours of rest before beginning your adventure in this beautiful mountain landscape and home to many minority hill tribe peoples. In the late morning, your guide will take you on a two hour trek through the terraced rice fields to visit the villages Cat Cat and Sin Chai, where you will learn about local traditions and daily life. Rest of the day, you are free at leisure or explore the town on your own.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa

Depart for one of the most beautiful Market in the North of Vietnam which is home to many ethnic minorities such as Flower H'Mong, Nung, Dzao….They all come down from mountainous, isolated villages taking along with horses, buffaloes, cats, dogs, chickens for sales, at the market place you will be surprised and impressed by what they trade and their colorful clothes. You will have a real discovery on the cultures and lifestyles of the hill tribes here because they live in a remote and isolated region and far away from the modern life.

Here is the list of Markets in the North of Vietnam and based on your departure. We will carefully select one of them to adapt your time.

Tuesday:          Coc Ly Market

Wednesday:    Cao Son Market

Thursday:        Lung Khau Nhin Market

Saturday:         Can Cau Market & Y Ty Market

Sunday:           Muong Hum Market, Bac Ha Market, Binh Lu & Tam Duong Market. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: on train (in 4 soft berths cabin with A/C)

Arrive in Hanoi in the early morning. Your guide and driver will meet you at the railways station and take you to a Day Use Hotel where you can rest and relax after long train. 08:00 departure for Ha Long Bay; enjoy a 3-4 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay. Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as we sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Tonkin Gulf (weather permitting). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: On cruise

Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for breakfast then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as we navigate back to Halong City. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier.

Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi to catch your departure flight home.

Meals: Brunch
Accommodation: N/A.