14 days and 13 nights tour in North Vietnam

You land at Hanoi airport, and depending on the time of day, we offer you a first discovery of this capital city of 6 million inhabitants. As you approach Old Hanoi, our car drives slowly so that you can enjoy the spectacle: the lively daily life of the narrow streets, the temples, the lakes, the colonial buildings and the small houses all along the way. Here you are at your hotel, enjoy the refreshment offered to you and settle down quietly. Once fresh and at your disposal, your guide will propose you a walk in the surroundings: Hoan Kiem lake, Ngoc Son temple. A short rickshaw ride through the colonial district and its historical monuments, a visit to the central market, then back to the hotel on foot.

The countryside stretches out its arms to us: let's get out of the city for a day of discovery around the capital. How would you like to start with Thay's pagoda? It is also called "The Master's Pagoda", famous for hosting the oldest puppet theatre on the water! In the 11th century, these three buildings and the two covered bridges were built by the lake. A very pleasant place.

A short distance away, the village of Duong Lam where we will stroll for a trip back in time! This village is very old, birthplace of two Vietnamese kings. A delight for the eyes to discover the houses of the 17th and 18th century. The common houses where the villagers still gather. It is the ideal place to discover what a traditional Vietnamese village is!

We then propose you a bike ride, destination: the temple of Ngo Guyen, whose courage is venerated. Indeed, he was able to push back the Chinese and put an end to their settlement in Vietnam in 938. We close the history book and return to Hanoi at the end of the day.
Night in Hanoi.

In the morning, we take the road to Vu Linh through a territory marked by the Indochina war, near the town of Tuyen Quang. The Vietnamese government had a headquarters there until 1954. Nowadays, it is a territory planted with tea plants as far as the eye can see, beautiful pictures in perspective!

Then a good moment of relaxation awaits you: we will take a boat trip on the Thac Ba lake, a peaceful site, dotted with islands (they say there are 1300 of them). It is a freshwater reservoir built in 1963, it is possible to swim there.
On one of the shores is the beautiful house on stilts of a family of the Dao ethnic group with white trousers. Upstairs, there is a common room where you will take your meals and sleep comfortably. Everything will be done to please you in this green setting. The traditional wooden houses are very beautiful, bordered by rice fields, small gardens...The villagers are very friendly, don't be shy, it happens that our travellers play a game of volleyball with the young people, participate in the preparations or small tasks, your curiosity will be rewarded.

After a good night in Thac Ba, on our way to our next stop, Quang Binh! In this North-Eastern province, we will get to know the Tay and Dao ethnic groups. The villages are scattered, as if hidden in the rice fields on the hillsides. Beautiful hikes in perspective if you feel like it, more or less long according to your wishes! You will admire the traditional habitats on stilts, the cultures and crafts, the daily life of these ethnic minorities who work tirelessly! The landscape is sublime and there are many opportunities to take a break.

Then, we will drive a few more kilometres towards Luc Yen. This district is little known by tourists, but more for its natural resources: marble and precious stones! People are always smiling and curious to see new faces! The town of Luc Yen gathers craftsmen to whom we will visit, and after a good traditional lunch, we will continue on the small roads towards the North and Quang Binh, our final stop of the day.

We arrive there in the early afternoon and explore the paths linking the villages of the ethnic groups until the highlight of the show: a magnificent waterfall! The reward: an invigorating swim in a beautiful setting! At the end of the day, we go back to our guest house for a good dinner and beautiful dreams in perspective.

In the morning, a breakfast awaits us! We still take advantage of our guests from Quanh Binh to take the direction of Bac Ha. On the road, beautiful traditional villages full of ethnic cultures, in the shade of palm trees. These landscapes are an invitation to exploration, let's go for a walk: a one hour trip between H'mong villages and Phu La. The path is very pleasant to walk between rice terraces and mud houses. We arrive at the village of Ban Ho and we go to Bac Ha to the Tay family who will host us this evening with great kindness and good mood. There again, a good meal will be prepared for us, with only fresh and local products.

A very typical place awaits us this morning: the market of Bac Ha! Famous to gather the ethnic populations of the surroundings, it is a swarm of colors! Your guide will introduce you to the Tay, Dao, Phu La or Nung, without forgetting the famous H'mong flowers: you will end up experts in traditional dress! This is an important commercial centre in this mountainous region. The small producers bring their products there and leave with victuals. The atmosphere is really nice, let's stay and eat in the corner!

Then the North calls us again, and we get closer to the city of Hoang Su Phi, between the cities of Bac Ha and Ha Giang in the very North. A sometimes chaotic road, but fabulous landscapes. Regular breaks allow us to contemplate them, to take pictures. The walks are as many opportunities to meet the population, very warm. We will enjoy the nature, the rice terraces, then we will continue the discovery of the way of life of the ethnic groups and will join our charming lodge by the river: we will spend a sweet night there, with an irreproachable service!

After breakfast, our route of the day will take us to the city of Dong Van in several stages. First of all, the road winds between the mountains and leads us to a panoramic site: the view is spectacular for miles around. We go down towards the village of Nam Dam populated by Dao with long tunic, the opportunity for a walk in the surroundings and interesting encounters.

Lunch will be free, in a restaurant in the area.

In the distance, we can see the limestone formations of the Dong Van plateau, classified as a World Heritage site. This vast natural site is spectacular! It is inhabited by ethnic minorities with an authentic way of life. Before arriving in the city, we multiply the stops to let you enjoy what is on our way, the walks allow us to enter the villages and to advance towards remarkable landscapes. Thus, we will discover the palace of the king of H'mong and the classified village of Sung La.

At the end of the afternoon, we arrive in Dong Van, we settle down at the hotel for a restful night!

Today, we will head to Cao Bang province. We will be dropped off at the Ma Pi Leng pass: forward march! A two-hour hike through the H'mong villages will delight you. The landscapes are magical, you will be rewarded for your efforts!

Here, the environment is very mineral, with a river below. The pass meanders for about twenty kilometers. It can be quite cold at 1400m of altitude! And yet, one can observe crops, plantations: the mountain villagers courageously exploit the steep terrain. We will meet on our journey these Vietnamese of the black Lolo, La Chi or blue Hmong ethnic groups.

By leaving towards the South, the environment evolves. We will go through a village of black Lolo who will perhaps remind you of something if you look at the program "rendez-vous in unknown land".

Finally, we will reach the town of Bao Lac at the end of the day, we will spend the night at the hotel.

After a good night at Bao Lac, let's take the road to Ba Be, famous for its lake and its national park. Pretty villages along the way deserve to take the time to discover. We are always surprised to discover the traditions and certain aspects of the way of life of the inhabitants, very open to tell us about their daily life.

The tropical forests unfold before our eyes as far as the Tinh Tuc district. Tin is mined here. We find the mountains and the villagers in their traditional dress, in their agricultural activities.

A natural site welcomes us for a little freshness: the Hua Ma cave. Very well preserved, the mineral formations of the cave are skillfully highlighted, a spectacular walk!

We will finish the day with our host family, and spend the night with the locals.

Let's go sailing this morning on Lake Ba Be, in the heart of the natural park of the same name. The scenery is enchanting: the karst peaks form a jewel case for the lush vegetation that surrounds us.

On board our boat, we go to the Puong cave colonized by bats, a spectacular place where fauna and flora are protected. Then the boat takes us to a village of the Tay ethnic group along the riverside to allow us to hike in the surroundings, between bamboo forests and rice fields.

Then comes the time to leave quietly towards Hanoi, the route allows us to pass by points of interest, the stops will allow us to enjoy it!

At the end of the afternoon, the agitation of the capital surprises us after this circuit in the North, marked by serenity and immersion in the world of ethnic minorities. We reach our hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi.

We leave early to Hai Phong to reach the island of Cat Ba. The area of Lan Ha Bay, south of Ha Long Bay, is just as beautiful and less frequented by tourists. Embarkation around noon on a junk, discovery of a floating village of fishermen of the bay... Let's take advantage of the beauty of the site, of this sea strewn with hundreds of islets which is part of the world heritage of humanity. We drop anchor near a beach to take the time to have lunch aboard the junk. In the afternoon we sail to Cam Island. Those who wish can go kayaking or take a boat tour. Return to the junk and head for a nice quiet beach to swim and relax. The sunset on the bay is a magical moment, we admire it from the junk. And if you feel like it, squid fishing with the local fishermen! Dinner and night on board the boat.

We leave the junk after breakfast and set foot on land on Cat Ba Island, near the Viet Hai village. These are the last hours in Lan Ha bay, we must take advantage of it! A tour by bike or electric cart, it's really pleasant on this path lined with tropical vegetation. Back on the junk, the walk continues from island to island. We have a good meal on board and disembark at Ben Beo harbour around noon then transfer to Ninh Binh. Arrival in Ninh Binh after 3h30 of road.
Installation and night in Ninh Binh.

This morning, we will go for a boat ride in a poetic and calm setting. The route literally takes us through mountains! Then, by bicycle, we will go to the Bich Dong pagoda thanks to paths winding between the karstic peaks. A scenery that can be found in the film Indochine with Catherine Deneuve!

We will visit the giant pagoda of Bai Dinh, the most imposing in Southeast Asia. You will be impressed by the importance and beauty of this Buddhist site.

Finally, we will visit the ancient capital Hoa Lu and some temples of historical importance, monuments of the Dinh dynasty and the millennia old.

At the end of the day, drive to Tam Coc.

This morning, let's enjoy a bit more of Halong Bay on land. In Van Long, the boatmen take us for a walk on a river, through the nature reserve. On our route, wild vegetation, karst peaks, rice fields. This site allows us to protect a species of monkeys endemic to Vietnam: the Delacour's langurs. They are black and white, with thick fur, very beautiful animals, unfortunately in danger of extinction.

On our bicycles, we travel from one village to another around Van Long. Then it's time to return to Hanoi, the driver will drop you off at your hotel, you will have free time to refresh yourself, prepare your luggage and walk around the typical old quarter. It's time for last shopping!

Finally, you will be driven to the airport for the flight back to your country.

End of our services.