Northwest Vietnam Adventure

Arrive in Hanoi, meet your guide and private transfer to hotel.

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Embark on a scenic morning drive to Hoa Binh, a picturesque mountainous province located around 75km South-West of Hanoi approximately 2 hours driving. The area is well-known for its vibrant hill tribes, such as the Muong, Hmong, Thai, and Dzao. Upon arrival, we will head to Giang Mo Village where we can experience the local culture and daily lifestyle of the Muong people. The highlight of the tour will be visiting their stunning stilted homes, built by hand using local hardwood and topped with thatched palm-leaf roofs. We will also visit a local home where we can witness skilled women weaving beautiful pieces of brocade, a traditional craft that is becoming endangered. After lunch in town, we will visit the Muong’s Cultural Heritage Museum and enjoy their unique “gong” music shows while sipping their special whiskey known as “Chuoi Rung.” Our journey will end as we return to Hanoi in the late afternoon, filled with unforgettable memories of the Muong people’s unique culture and lifestyle.

Breakfast, Lunch 

In the morning, drive to Mai Chau (approx 3.5 hours). Arrive Mai Chau and have lunch at a local restaurant. Check into hotel.
Afternoon, we visit Xa Linh Village, home of the Black H’Mong people, and the Lac Village of the Thai people. Enjoy the photogenic scenery of patchwork quilted rice paddies, amazing wooden longhouses and women in colorful, elaborately patterned clothing.

Visit Cuc Phuong National Park with magnificent limestone mountains, green rice-terraces and traditional stilt houses of the Muong hill tribe, The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre, the Botanic Garden, and the primordial jungle region of Thanh Hoa with rare and unusual wildlife and then on to Ninh Binh. Evening is at leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch 

Visit Trang An Landscape Complex, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a boat trip to explore Trang An Grottoes and enjoy unforgettable and stunning landscapes. Explore natural caves of varying altitudes. They have revealed archaeological traces of human activity for a continuous period of more than 30,000 years. The mountainous area illustrates the occupation of seasonal hunter-gatherers and how they adapted to major climatic and environmental changes, especially the repeated inundation of the landscape by the sea after the last ice age. The story of human occupation continues through the Neolithic and Bronze Ages to the current era. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Afternoon, visit Dinh and Le temples of the Ancient Capital Hoa Lu. Hoa Lu served as the country’s capital for 41 years.

Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, enjoy a leisurely bicycle ride to explore nearby villages, temples, pagodas, and local markets. Later, follow a narrow path to reach the Mua Cave, where a climb up 486 stairs will reward you with a breathtaking panoramic view of the stunning inland Halong Bay. Have lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to Hanoi. Check-in the hotel.

Breakfast, Lunch 

6:30 – 7:00 am, pick up from your hotel depart to Topas Ecolodge by the Topas Mountain Express. Topas Ecolodge is situated atop a beautiful hillside deep in the mountains of Hoang Lien National Park. Arrive at the lodge around noon. Have lunch at the restaurant at your own expense. Check in to your bungalow. Afternoon, have a trekking tour to Lech Village, a Red Dzao Tribe. Situated high in the mountain of Thank Kim Commune. You will see the magnificent view of the terraced rice field on the way to Lech Village where you will visit a local house, meet the friendly Red Dzao hosts and experience their daily way of life. The Red Dao women continue as their ancestors have by shaving their hair and brows and wearing very colorful costumes. They are famous for beautiful handmade embroidery. On the way back to Topas Ecolodge, you will walk on small trails passing rice terraces and cross a suspension bridge, where you can take some great pictures of the landscape. Your guide will explain the interesting cultivation and culture of the local farmers.

Breakfast

Breakfast at the restaurant or the terrace. Today, you will explore Hoang Lien National Park. Starting point near Sin Chai Village, trek through the most hidden areas and enjoy beautiful views of high mountains, waterfalls, and the deep valleys. The trails will soon lead you to the Red Dao village of Nam Nhiu where you will meet the villagers, and learn about their daily way of life. Leaving the village, you will turn into a small dirt trail and soon be inspired by the marvelous view of the rice valley dotted with bamboo huts, used by local farmers as overnight lodging during harvest. Passing the rice terraces and river you will arrive at Nam Cang Village. Your lunch is served at the Topas Riverside Lodge. After lunch, visit Nam Cang Village, the most remote area of Sapa. Explore the village and learn how the local villagers make jewelry, embroidery, herbal bath, and local medicine. Trekking back to Topas Ecolodge.
Trekking grade: Moderate/ 3- 3.5 hours.

Breakfast, Lunch

You will meet our driver and have a short transfer to Sapa town, where you will meet your guide and continue to Fansipan Cable Car Station. The Fansipan cable car holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s longest. You will enjoy a 15 minutes ride to the Mountain Station, thereafter you take a train to get to the summit. From the top, you can hopefully enjoy the marvelous view of the whole Sapa valley and the bordering mountain areas. At 1:15PM, join Topas Mountain Express departs from Sapa and drive back to Hanoi. Arrive at your hotel in Hanoi around 7:30pm. Check-in and leisure.

Breakfast 

Private transfer to airport for flight departure.

Breakfast