TRAILS OF THE NORTH VIETNAM - 8 Day 7 Night

Trails of the North Vietnam
 8 Day 7 Night
(Hanoi - sapa- halong bay- catba island)
    
Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Upon your arrival, you will be greeted at the airport by a tour guide of Indochina Travelland and transferred to your hotel for check in.
Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi.
 
Day 2: Hanoi City Tour – Lao Cai (B)
After breakfast, take Hanoi city tour covering Ba Dinh Square where we disembark to explore Ho Chi Minh’s Quarter. We visit the Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum.
 
We meet our bus for a short journey to visit the 11th century Temple of Literature, Hanoi’s first university.
 
After our adventures so far we’ve all worked up a hunger!
 
We head to a quaint hidden little treasure for lunch (pay yourself), where we relax and rest our feet, enjoying the beautiful ambience, whilst tasting one of Vietnams Specialties including the traditional northern specialty fish dish ‘Cha Ca’!
 
Then, we drive around 25 minutes to the Ethnology Museum.
 
Here you will learn of the traditional culture of 54 different ethnic minority groups in Vietnam through articles, stories, displays of traditional houses, costumes, hunting equipment and much more wares used in day to day life.
 
We return to the center Hanoi for some time at leisure before our exciting overnight train journey to Lao Cai.
 
Overnight on train
 
Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa (B)
We arrive in Lao Cai around 5 am and met by our transport for a spectacular hour’s journey up the impressive mountains to Sapa.
 
Seeing is believing! The imagination could not visualize, nor appreciate the beauty of the stunning vistas and breathtaking mountainous rice terraces until you observe in true form.
 
Upon arrival in Sapa, we check into the hotel for a little rest and relaxation before our exploration this afternoon.
 
In the early afternoon we commence our exciting trek downhill from Sapa town to Cat Cat Village. Our 2 hour walk takes us through rice paddies passing by different ethnic minority villages hard at work and flower and vegetable gardens until we reach a magnificent waterfall set within the lush mountains.
 
We take a rest and continue to Cat Cat village where the village is eagerly awaiting our arrival. With the children’s glee and excitement and a village full of big smiling faces, we are welcomed by a local Black Hmong people.
 
After a welcoming and a rest, we stroll around the village, learning about the traditional way of life of the Black Hmong. We observe the fascinating demonstration of traditional fiber processing including; Weaving, Dying hemp cloth, Peeling bark from the dried hemp stalks, Tying stripped bark ribbons to form bundles and with the locals strongly encouraging  us to try our hand in perfect their art….they certainly get a lot of laughs watching us!
 
We say goodbye to the village and drive back to Sapa.
 
Overnight at the hotel in Sapa
 
Day 4: Sapa Villages – Lao Cai train station (B)
 
After re energizing and a hearty breakfast, we are picked up by our vehicle and transferred to Lao Chai village.
 
We start our trek at the village and continue down the valley, along local trails and across rice paddies to visit Dzay ethnic minorities and Black H’mong communities living within a different environment.
The interaction and closeness we experience with the local minority groups is an absolutely incredible experience.
 
We return to Sapa for some free time before our transfer to Lao Cai for our overnight train to Hanoi.
 
Overnight on train
 
Day 5: Hanoi – Ha Long (B/L/D)
We return to Hanoi around 6am and head to town for breakfast.
 
After freshening up and full tummy’s we meet our vehicle for our journey to Halong Bay.
 
Ha Long Bay is one of the most enchanting and memorable experiences in Vietnam. The postcard pictures you so often see of Ha Long Bay, will become a memory to last a lifetime.
 
We leave the city behind and drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long Bay, taking around 3.5 hours. The beautiful countryside that awaits your imagination, takes us through local farming life and villages, providing us plenty of opportunities to stop and capture some spectacular photographs. Be sure to keep an eye out for the amazing things the locals load onto their motorbikes!!
 
On-route, we make a stop at one of our favorite organizations in Vietnam. Hong Ngoc Humanities centre in Sao Do Town.
 
This wonderful establishment has been set up to provide skill and employment to people from small villages throughout the north of Vietnam, creating jobs and providing accommodation to disadvantaged people.  You have the opportunity to purchase some exquisite local handicrafts and wares or just watch and admire the amazing and intricate workmanship involved in the production.
 
Arriving in Ha Long Bay, we board our boat and enjoy a spectacular seafood lunch as we sail off into Dragon Bay, gazing at the breathtaking karst formations within the bay.
 
After lunch have some free time to relax and admire the beauty of the Bay as we cruise through hundreds of formations.
 
Throughout our cruise today, you will have the opportunity to disembark the boat and explore Sung Sot cave, where you will learn how karsts were formed in this area millions of years ago.
 
For beach lovers and swimmers, we make a stop at one of the sandy beaches for swimming or just relaxing.
 
We continue cruising the bay until the late afternoon, before setting anchor for the night.
 
Once anchored, there’s plenty of time for swimming or just relaxing to admire the scenery before settling into another scrumptious meal.
 
After dinner, why not head to the top deck and enjoy a relaxing drink whilst admiring the peaceful ambience and gazing at the millions of stars.
 
Overnight onboard
 
Day 6: Ha Long – Cat Ba (B/ BRUNCH)
After breakfast we board a small boat to cruise toward Cat Ba Island. 
 
We disembark at Viet Hai pier where we have a leisurely bike ride through the island to Viet Hai commune – a small village in the middle of Cat Ba National Park, enjoying the wonderful scenery and fresh air, whilst observing the daily life of the people here.
We stop for lunch at a local family home, before our return bike ride back to the pier. We re-board our boat for our transfer to Cat Ba Island.
 
Overnight at hotel in Cat Ba
 
Day 7: Cat Ba – Hanoi (B/./D)
The day is free at leisure on the island, before we are picked up at 2.00pm for our transfer to the pier.
 
We board a hydrofoil boat to Hai Phong, where we are met by our vehicle for our return drive to Hanoi.
 
This evening we bid you farewell and would like to invite you to join your guide in a farewell celebration dinner, courtesy of Indochina Travelland.
 
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi
 
Day 8: Hanoi Departure (B)
Breakfast at hotel and free until transfer to the Airport for departure 
Trip ends.
 

• Child under 6 years old sharing room with two (2) adults without extra bed: Free of charge.
• Child from 6 - under 12 years old sharing room with two (2) adults without extra bed: 50% of charge
• Child from 6 - under 12 years old sharing room with two (2) adults with extra bed: 85% of charge
• Child under 12 years old sharing room with one (1) adult: 100% of charge
• Child from 12 years old and above: 100% of charge

• With the perfect balance of included sightseeing and free time, you can customize your dream vacation with the things you’ve always wanted to do. We can tailor or custom design a Vietnam tour to your unique and individual specifications
• There might be Surcharge on Holidays, please contact us for more details
• List of above accommodation is recommended by Indochina Travelland. Please do feel free to let us know the accommodation you prefer in each category or combine accommodation category at your wish (tour price will be changed accordingly)
• Sequence of itinerary subject to local arrangement (It depends to traffic jam/ weather or flight details)