Day 1: Hanoi Arrival.
When you arrive at Hanoi Airport, the HTS driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, enjoy an orientation walk, visit some Hanoi’s main attractions: the Opera House, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner of authentic Vietnamese food at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.
Meals: Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter. (3 star).
Day 2: Hanoi City Tour – Night train to Lao Cai.
After breakfast, the HTS guide will pick you up from your hotel and you have a full day to explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas; Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Your city tour will take you to Hanoi’s key sites: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, and stilt house), the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Presidential Palace; the Temple of Literature; the Quan Thanh Temple, the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & West Lake; and one of the city’s museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum). In the evening enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese Art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture – before heading to the train station to catch your night train to Lao Cai.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Sleep on the train (in a shared 4 soft berths cabin with A/C).
Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa.
Arrive to the Lao Cai railways station in the early morning around 5:30am. Your guide and driver will meet you there and take you on the final 40km drive to Sapa – Northwest Vietnam’s premier travel destination. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then catch a few hours of rest before beginning your adventure in this beautiful mountain landscape and home to many minority hill tribe peoples. In the late morning, your guide will take you on a two hour trek through the terraced rice fields to visit the villages of Cat Cat and Sin Chai, where you will learn about local traditions and daily life. The rest of the day, you are free at leisure or explore the town on your own.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.
Day 4: Sapa – Trekking to some villages.
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before setting out on a full day’s trek to explore Sapa’s cultural diversity and haunting natural beauty. Take a guided hike through yawning valleys decorated with terraced rice fields and pass through remote hill tribe villages. You have three trekking options to choose from: Soft trek of 3 km, medium trek 6km, and long trek of 12km. Trekking is an excellent way to explore the daily life and familiarize yourself with the cultures of the H’mong, Dzao and Dzay people who populate the region. Have lunch at a hill tribe village then drive back to Lao Cai to catch your return night train to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Sleep on the train (in a shared 4 soft sleeper berth cabin with A/C).
DAY 5: HANOI – BAI TU LONG BAY – VONG VIENG VILLAGE (B, L/D)
8:15am: Pick up from your hotel and depart for Halong City through the countryside, farmlands and Red River Delta.
10:15am: Stopover on the way for a refreshment and toilet break
12:30pm: Arrive at Hon Gai habour – next to Baitho mountain, check–in on the Legacy Cruise and welcome drinks will be served.
1:00pm: Lunch is served while we begin cruising through the Bai Tu Long Bay.
3:30pm: Rowing in a small local bamboo boat or kayak (around 1 hour) to visit Vong Vieng floating fishing village. Our guide will give you some information and interesting facts about this fascinating village and its local community.
4:30pm: Return to the Legacy Cruise, cruising to the tranquil waters of Drum cave for overnight docking.
Time for a relaxing afternoon, make the most of sunbathing on deck
Enjoy the small party with fresh fruit and Vietnamese tea, and join a cooking class
7:00pm: Dinner is served in the restaurant.
9:00pm: Leisure time to enjoy a chat around the bar, dancing, karaoke; watch a movie or ẹnjoy night fishing… Relax and spend a romantic night on board
DAY 6: HALONG – BAI TU LONG BAY – HANOI (B/L)
Start your day with Tai Chi exercises on the sundeck, or enjoy a photo hunt.
7:00am: Breakfast, coffee and tea are served.
8:00am: Visit splendid Surprise Cave (Sung Sot), a highlight of your cruise.
9:30am: Return to the Legacy boat. Take time to refresh and relax before checking out of your cabin.
Continue cruising through the waters and pass by a number of caves including Trong (Drum) cave, Dong Tien (Fairy) lake, Man’s head islet, Yen Ngua (saddle) mountain…
10:45am: An early lunch is served.
12:00pm: Arrive back to the pier, and its time to say goodbye to the crew. Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi, to catch your onward flight, or to a chosen hotel in Hanoi.
Meals: Lunch
Grabbed a 6 day promotional tour from HTS and loved it. We enjoyed our city tour of Hanoi with a great guide named David immensely, before taking an overnight train trip to the mountainous north. Met with the incredible ethnic minority groups and it was a very humbling experience. Trekked through the adjacent countryside to their home villages and it was very impacting. After our night train back to Hanoi we cruised on Halong Bay, and it was a nice way to complete our tour. Thanks Lilly for your organization.