Highlights Of Northern Vietnam, 9 days

On arrival at Hanoi Airport, you are greeted  by our guide and taken to your hotel by private transfer. You will have some time free to relax or explore at your own leisure. The capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi is a fascinating blend of East and West, combining traditional Sino-Vietnamese motifs with French flair. The building boom has made Hanoi a rapidly developing city in Southeast Asia. However, it still retains an old charm brought from a thousand year of history, with many interesting cultural and historic monuments, beautiful lakes, shady parks, bustling street markets, funny shops and open air eating spots jostled in ancient houses, and historic temples adjoining colonial style structures. They offer both local and foreigner visitors an endless exploration. You might like to stroll through the fascinating old quarter containing many vibrant streets which are named after the specific goods once offered for sale at these places. The lively atmosphere in Hanoi old quarter runs from the early hours until late at night  with many street vendors calling, horns honking, and chaotic traffic with waves of motorbikes you’ve never experienced.

Today, we spend our time to explore Hanoi, taking a short drive through diverse streets encompassing a millennium of the city culture and evolution to the Ba Dinh Square. This park setting contains the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (close on Mon. and Fri. and Oct. to Nov) and the Ho Chi Minh Residence. We queue up for a walk past silent sentries, paying a homage to Ho Chi Minh before  continuing  to his residence, a simple stilt house set in a well-tended garden. He has lived and worked in this place until his final days. Nearby this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda, of which the origins date back to the foundation of Hanoi City. We visit all of them and head to the Temple of Literature. This well preserved temple is now dedicated to the scholars of Confucius but was once the first university of Vietnam. The successful candidate records are still found in various stone steles set over giant stone turtles in the temple ground. We keep going to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (close on Mon.) where display in both outdoor and indoor sections, various documents, images and objects focusing on 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. The sightseeing tour takes us past various attractions, including Tran Quoc Pagoda, Quan Thanh Temple, West Lake, Long Bien Bridge, and Opera House. There are no stops planned as it is simply a glimpse of the cityscape. We finish a round of city tour  with a fantastic water puppet show followed by a pleasant walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, one of the major scenic spots in Hanoi.

The modern comfort will be left behind as we travel into the remote north of  Vietnam. The mountain roads  pass through the beautiful scenery changing from flat terrains to steep terrace rice fields, hillside villages, and rugged mountains. This first glimpse of rural Vietnam will set the tone for our days ahead. Upon arrival in Hoa Binh Town, we cross  the Black River and start our venture into Tu Ly in off tourist track areas. This remote place is inhabited by many tribal groups, some of which are the Dao Quan Chet and Dao Tien ethnic minorities. They have settled in place long time ago and still keep their old date culture and colorful tradition different from their nearby Muong People. The road conditions are very poor in some places;  however, the spectacular mountains and the simply lifestyle of local villagers make the hardship all worthwhile. We take a short walk in Tu Ly and are sure to  attract the attention of local people since this remote area receives very few visitors. We head back to Hoa Binh Town and continue  our  journey to Mai Chau. The winding roads climb up the Thung Khe Pass before dropping down to Mai Chau, an idyllic valley regarded as a homeland of  the White Thai people. We spend this night on stilts house  as honored guests of a Thai family and  sample some of their homemade foods and  local rice whisky!  The homestay amenities are fairly basic, but you will be provided with clean and comfortable bedding, mosquito nets and a shared washroom facility.

Upon leaving Mai Chau Town, we make our way uphill to  Xa Linh,  a rough mountain area inhabited by the Hmong ethnic minorities. They are mostly farmers living from their slash and burn traditions. The mountainous altitude offers  Xa Linh a pleasant climate throughout the year. On arrival we embark on an easy  walk along the beaten track from flat areas to high mountainsides. This mountain path runs through some rustic villages, fruit garden, tea plantation, and   corn fields where poppy may be grown in previous time. Along the way, we can make stop as we please, to make fun with waving children and visit some local houses. This impressive walk lasts from two to three hours, depending on your physical conditions. We meet up with our waiting vehicle and travel back to Mai Chau. This idyllic valley is nestled between two towering cliffs and surrounded by emerald green paddies. The extending countryside presents a peaceful rural scene that could easily charm most  travellers. We ride our bike along village lanes in valley floor and see many villagers on their daily works, such as logging, herding buffalo, tilling the field or weaving brocade. They are very friendly and welcoming, and aim to show us  their rich weaving techniques.  We continue our exploration of village life while cycling through traditional stilt houses and green rice fields dotted with conic hats. Tonight we stay again at a local house and have time to learn more about the culture and old traditions of the Thai ethnic minorities.

The green rice fields surrounding massive mountains make the wondrous nature look endless from all angles. Today we can get up early to admire this stunning scenery of Mai Chau  before going to the Cuc Phuong National park. The local beauty is not in rice fields or jungle; it is the wide-eyed welcome of villagers as they rarely see passing foreigner tourists along this road. On arrival in Cuc Phuong, we start our exploration of the park encompassing two limestone ranges mostly covered by lush jungle. This national park boasts the first natural reserve in Vietnam, of which the real treasures are rain forest and wild animals. They can  be seen on  foot with the help of a local park ranger. We walk across many layers of plant life, like taking a step back into pre-history. The limestone ranges are riddled with a huge cave where many prehistoric tools and ancient tombs have been discovered. They  belong to the prehistoric man who lived in the forest some 7500 years ago, according to the archaeologists. The giant trees over millennium of year life are not rare inside the jungle. We come to the Thousand Year Old Tree, an ancient oak forked into three separate trunks. Upon leaving this tree, we head back  to the park entrance area and keep our eye on a protection center of endangered animals. This rescue center houses many species of langurs collecting from many national parks and illegal traffics. We travel by road through scenic karst formations to Ninh Binh Town, a base for our next day exploration.

Heading out of the town, we take a short drive to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam during the Dinh and early Le Dynasties. However, they have left their legacy  in  the form of two small temples, each one nearly a thousand years old. We visit these two remaining structures, dedicated to the Dinh and Le Rulers, and  climb up 200 steps to Ma Yen Peak to admire the stunning landscape of undulating mountains, lush vegetation and  nearby villages. We start our cycling experience as we ride our local bike through some of the country most scenic terrains. The main roads are usually in good conditions, but this peaceful rural area also has many wonderful lanes through villages and beautiful scenes which  are perfect for getting lost.  We travel between places along  the  rural lanes and pass through  the beautiful limestone scenery. There are some stops en route to see local people at work and explore the charming cluster of Bich Dong Pagodas. These religious shrines  are  hidden in mountainside, involving some walks uphill, but the panoramic views from the upper cave are nothing short of spectacular. We continue exploring this area with a boat ride to Thung Nang , also called Sunshine Valley. There are series of valleys connected by tunnels carved out through the limestone mountains admits rice fields and tiny rivers. The rowing boat passes through each tunnel, bringing us a chance to admire the stunning scenery of the sunlight down rugged mountain cliffs and unfolding valley in the absence of the mass tourists.

The incredible limestone outcroppings form a spectacular seascape of Halong Bay, making it an incomparable natural wonder in Vietnam. Today, we set off on our journey to this world famous site, passing through the beautiful countryside of rice fields and roadside villages. On arrival, we are welcomed on board with refreshing drinks and provides some information about the watercraft and the activity program. We check in our private cabin and unpack for a two-day cruise. The exciting excursion begins as our boat  zigzags itself in Halong Bay. Along the way, we feast on a huge lunch (veg. meals also available on request), catching some beautiful views of the bay with a blend of the sky and limestone islets jutting out from the clear and emerald water. These rocky outcrops are usually named by their distinctive shapes and littered with tiny beaches and beautiful caves. You spend this afternoon to simply admire the splendid scenery unfolding beyond your eyes or go for some activities; rowing boat excursion, swimming and kayaking (optional). We can improve our culinary skill while participating in a cooking class in the flavor of the sea. The master chef will show the guests how to make some traditional Vietnamese delicacies. We follow it  with a sumptuous dinner and enjoy some evening entertainment at the dining room. There are also possibilities to try your hand at squid fishing from our boat.

The early light begins washing the night away, unveiling the marvelous beauty of Halong Bay. You can participate in a Taichi exercise on the sundeck and may get a chance to catch some wonderful photos of the sunrise over Halong Bay. The boat trip continues past many imposing  islands, giving us a new exploration of this beautiful bay.  We can spend our time at leisure or step onto a tender to visit Sung Sot, one of the many beautiful caves hidden beneath towering cliffs. The uphill walkway with nearly 100 steps is somewhat arduous; however, the panoramic view from nearby boat pier to rocky islands in the far distance, makes the hardship all worthwhile. We enjoy this splendid landscape before we start the exploration of Sung Sot Cave. This remarkable cave is naturally adorned with countless stalactite and stalagmite formations. They stretch amazingly from floor to ceiling, forming various pillars to support the cave dome. The illuminating spotlights of various colors within the stone formations add more enchantment to this beautiful cave. We come back to our cruise and weave our way through a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars towards Tuan Chau Marina. The wonderful time in Haling Bay is followed by a drive back to Hanoi. Along the way, we make stop at our pleasure, to stretch our legs and see many local villagers making excellent craft objects in traditional ways. 

There are no activities planned on this final day. You may have free time to continue your exploration of Hanoi City, do your last shopping or simply look back upon your trip images. The holiday comes to an end with a transfer to Hanoi Airport for  your departure.