Day 1: Hanoi Arrival (L)
Our driver will pick you up at the airport, then transfer you to Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Leave your luggage at your hotel, then join our guided Hanoi City Tour. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then proceed to visit the Temple of Literature and Quoc Tu Giam. Vietnam’s first university was constructed in 1070, and it’s gardens and well-preserved architecture offers a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past. Then visit the Bat Trang Pottery Village. After that, we will take you to Hoan Kiem Lake to see the peaceful waters and visit Ngoc Son temple. For the end of the tour, visit the Hanoi Old Quarter, and enjoy free time for shopping until 3:30pm. Then enjoy a Water Puppet show which is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Return to your hotel around 5pm. Dinner at your account.
Overnight in Ha Noi city.
Day 2: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay (B,L,D)
8:00 – 8:30am. Pick up from your hotel, and leave Ha Noi for Ha Long City in a modern bus. Board your boat on arrival and enjoy a welcome drink, and lunch of delicious local sea food. Check into your cabin and start cruising around the bay to see the amazing karsts with different formations: Lion, Tea Pot, Toad, Dau Nguoi (Human Head) islet, and then stop for exploration of Sung Sot cave, known as “Amazing Cave”. There will be plenty of time for kayaking, swimming and sunbathing (If weather permits) after the boat anchors on a clean calm sea for the night. Enjoy a wonderful sunset dinner in our beautiful restaurant before retiring to the comfort of your cabin. Dinner and overnight on your boat. You can join the crew for some night fishing.
Overnight onboard the boat.
Day 3: Ha Long Bay – Hanoi (B, L)
A breakfast, fruits, coffee and tea will be served as you continue to cruise further, before stopping at a pearl farm to see real pearls cultivated by the local fisherman. Return to the cruise, and check-out of your cabins while the cruise takes you further to discover the hidden charm of the bay, taking photos of many islets with outstanding shapes such as frog island, turtle island etc…
A cooking class will occur for all the people that are interested in cooking, and discover the secrets of cooking Vietnamese food. A farewell lunch is served on the cruise before you arrive at the harbor pier
In the afternoon, board your bus for your return to Ha Noi.
Around 4:30pm you will arrive back to your hotel.
8:00- 8:30pm We will pick you up and transfer you to the Train Station, for your overnight train to Lao Cai in soft sleeper air-conditioned 4 berth cabins. (Your train leaves at 9:50pm and arrives in Lao Cai at 6:30am)
Day 4: Lao Cai – Sapa – Cat Cat – Sin Chai (B,L,D)
At 6:30am arrive in Lao Cai, you will be picked up and transferred to Sapa. Enjoy breakfast, and some time for resting.
9-9:30am trek to Cat Cat and Sin Chai villages of the Black H’Mong tribe . Enjoy the waterfall in Cat Cat and beautiful scenery along the way. Then check-into your hotel (check-in after 12:00pm). Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, and in the afternoon enjoy free time to explore & discover Sapa town; market, stone church, Back to your hotel for dinner.
Overnight in Sapa town.
Day 5: Sapa – Lao Chai – Ta Van (B,L)
After breakfast you check out and leave your luggage in the hotel, get ready for your days outing. Trek down to Lao Chai village to visit the Tay and Day tribes, then keep going along the bottom of the Sapa valley until you arrive at Ta Van village, which is thought to be the most beautiful village in the area. Have a picnic lunch on the way, and you return to Sapa by motorbike/jeep, to collect your luggage. Dinner at your account, and you will take the overnight train to Hanoi city (leaves Loa Cai at 9:15pm – arrives in Ha Noi at 5:30am)
Day 6: Hanoi City Tour & Departure (B,L)
5:30am. Our guide will pick-up you at train station and transfer to a restaurant or your hotel for breakfast.
8:00-8:30am Our guide & driver will pick you up after breakfast for a tour of Ha Noi’s sites. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum. Enjoy the architectural and historical aspects of Uncle Ho’s final resting-place. Just next door is Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Lying to one side of the Mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda, founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049. Continue on to visit the Quan Thanh Temple (dating from the Ly Dynasty ) and the Buddhist Tran Quoc Pagoda on West lake ( One of the oldest in Vietnam ). Lunch at a local restaurant. Then our driver will see you off at the airport, for your onward flight, or continue on your travels in country.
Or family experienced a northern classic tour in January and all thoroughly enjoyed it. We had a guided tour of some Hanoi sites just after we arrived and it made us thirsty for more. Then we went to Halong Bay and the cruise here was unforgetful, a truly great place, like nothing I have seen before. We went north to the mountains on an overnight train, trekked with some ethnic tribal people and the kids really loved that. On our return to Hanoi we had a tour of sites we missed earlier and then caught a flight to Hue. A great tour organized by Lilly and one we all loved.
Hi,
We are planning a trip to Vietnam next August.
I am interested with you Northern classic tours 6 days, 5 nights.
Also, I would like to visit Bat Ha (Sapa)on Sunday.
I would like to have more info about the accommodations (names of hotel), the boat tours name at Halong Bay. Could you send me pictures.
We will be a family of 4 (kids are 10 and 13 years old).
Do you offer a French guide?
Instead to go to Halong Bay first, is it possible to rearrange the tours and go to Sapa first. I don’t want to miss Bat Ha. I am considering to stay an extra night in Sapa.
What is your quotation?
Thank you.
Diem