Itinerary

1. Day 01: Arrival in Hanoi (D)

   • The guide and driver will pick you up upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi). 
   • Transfer to the hotel in the city center. Check in at the hotel around noon. 
   • Afternoon: Walking tour around Hoan Kiem Lake (the Restored Sword) and visit the Jade Mountain Temple (Ngoc Son) on the lakeside. 
   • Then, a cyclo ride through ancient streets to get the first glimpse of the daily life of Hanoians. 
   • Evening: Water puppet show. 

   Overnight in Hanoi.

2. Day 02: Hanoi City Tour (B)

   • Hanoi city tour: Visit Tran Quoc Pagoda (Defense of the Fatherland) on the shores of West Lake, Quan Thanh Temple (Great Genius) and the Temple of Literature (Temple of Confucianism at the beginning and then transferred to the First University of Vietnam). 
   • Afternoon: Visit the Museum of Ethnography where about 1500 objects of daily life of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups are exhibited. 

   Night in Hanoi.

   Breakfast at the hotel.

3. Day 03: Hanoi – Thac Ba (B,D)

   • After breakfast at the hotel, departure for Thac Ba, the largest closed lake in Vietnam. 
   • Arrival in Thac Ba, cruise on Thac Ba Lake and then walk in the minority village, meeting and conversation with local people. 
   • Dinner and overnight at the local home (at the Dzao Quan Trang - residents of Thac Ba).

4. Day 04: Thac Ba – Ha Giang (B)

   • After breakfast, visit local market and then transfer to Ha Giang with stops for visiting ethnic minority village, taking photos.

   Overnight in Ha Giang.

5. Day 05: Ha Giang – Dong Van – Meo Vac (B)

   • Departure for Dong Van with stops at the Sunday markets, colorful meetings of a mosaic of ethnic groups. 
   • Visit of the old houses, the village of the LoLo minority, the initial palace of the king of Meo. 
   • Departure for Meo Vac. 

   Night in Meo Vac.

6. Day 06: Meo Vac – Bao Lac (B)

   • Breakfast, then visit Dao minority house, Nho Que river and Ma Pi Leng cape. 
   • Boat trip on Nho Que river. Drive to Bao Lac. 

   Overnight at hotel in Bao Lac.

7. Day 07: Bao Lac – Ba Be (B,D)

   • After breakfast, visit the local market, the village of the Black Lolo and then departure for Ba Be via Na Ban and Na Phac. 
   • Stops along the way to visit some vestiges of the colonial time. 
   • Arrival in Ba Be, quietly discover the village and the landscapes around the Lake. 

   Dinner and night at the local's house.

8. Day 08: Ba Be – Cao Bang (B)

   • After breakfast, take a boat ride in the magical scenery of Ba Be Lake; the “three seas” lake which stretches over 9 km long and 100 to 1800 m wide, is located at an altitude of 145 m. It is at the mouth of 3 valleys which meet in an arc. Ba Be is not only a site for the imaginative, but also for nature lovers. Nearly forty species of mammals live there, as well as more than a hundred species of birds and many butterflies. Road to Cao. Night in Cao Bang.

9. Day 09: Cao Bang – Chutes Ban Gioc – Nguom Ngao – Lang Son (B)

   • After breakfast, departure for the visit of Ban Gioc Falls, Phat Tich Truc Lam Pagoda, Nguom Ngao Cave, villages, meetings and conversations with local inhabitants. 
   • Afternoon: transfer to Lang Son by taking the RC4 - Colonial Road number 4, a site loaded with the history of the war. 
   • Upon arrival in Lang Son a little late, visit the Ky Lua night market, check in at the hotel. Night in Lang Son.

10. Day 10: Lang Son – Halong Bay (B,L,D)

    • Breakfast and then departure for Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
    • Upon arrival around noon, board a traditional junk for a 2-day / 1-night cruise in Halong Bay. 
    • During this cruise, you can discover this immense chaos of karst mountains, caves, lagoons with all these ghostly shapes that can be seen from time to time. It is so pleasant to feel totally lost there and to discover new, ever more tormented rock shapes every second. In addition, the play of light, clouds and mist creates unexpected atmospheres. The same goes for life on the bay with all its fishing boats, entire families who live either in floating houses or on board simple boats. 
    • At the end of the afternoon, the boat drops anchor to spend the night in the bay. 
    • You can then take a bath in the open sea or go kayaking under the extraordinary sugar loaves. 
    • Lunch and dinner on board seafood. Night on board the junk

11. Day 11: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Departure (B,L)

    • Continuation of the cruise in Halong Bay. The return cruise allows you to discover other corners of the bay. 
    • Disembarkation around 11:30 am and transfer to the airport for the departure flight.

    End of your journey.