Splendor of the North 8 Days

When you arrive at the Noi Bai International airport you'll be met at the baggage claim by our friendly guide. Just look for the sign with our Asia Tour Advisor logo and your name. We'll get you to your hotel and see that you're comfortable, plus we'll give you an introduction to the city at the same time. Then the rest of the day is yours to settle in, relax, and explore the area.

Hanoi has many great restaurants with French, Vietnamese and international cuisines available. Ask your guide for personal recommendations.

Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital city and home to seven million people. Traditional and refined with French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards, scenic lakes and a bustling Old Quarter, Hanoi has a sophisticated charm. Observe locals practicing Tai Chi by the lake, with barbers and food vendors plying their sidewalk trade.

You'll have your breakfast at the hotel and then the local tour guide will pick you up to take you into the capital city of Vietnam. Hanoi is over 1,000 years old and during your Hanoi tour you'll get to explore most of attractions and explore its fascinating cultural and historical sites. You'll visit the imposing Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where the preserved body of “Uncle Ho” has been laid to rest, the delicate One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Temple and the Quan Thanh Pagoda.

After lunch you can go to the Temple of Literature where you'll get to see ancient Vietnamese relics, then take a cyclo tour in 1 hour through the bustling and exciting Old Quarter to explore marketplace shops and foods. You'll end your day with a show at the water puppet theater - a beautifully unique cultural performance from northern Vietnam.

Our tour guide will pick you up from your hotel at 7:00pm and take you to the Hanoi Railway Station. We'll get you situated in an air-conditioned, 4-berth cabin with soft sleepers for an over-night train to Lao Cai. You will arrive at Lao Cai at about 6:00am the next day.

When you arrive in Lao Cai at 6:00am we will already be there waiting to pick you up. Just look for the tour guide with a sign that has your name on it. We'll take either a car or van up into the beautiful misty mountains of Northern Vietnam as we drive to Sapa. You'll be taken to a restaurant and hotel where you can get cleaned up, refreshed, and get something to eat. After lunch we'll visit Cat Cat Village, where a Black H'mong tribe lives, then go to see a beautiful, natural waterfall in the mountains. Afterwards, if you're interested you can also visit the impressive hydroelectric power station built by the French. You'll have dinner back in the town of Sapa and have the evening to explore the village on your own.

The former French hill station of Sapa is characterized by rocky mountain ridges, terraced rice paddies and lush green valleys. Sapa is located in the picturesque Hoang Lien Son mountain range on the border with China. Colorful hill tribe minorities inhabit the surrounding mountains, each with their own distinctive style of dress. From early childhood girls learn to grow and weave hemp, dye cloth, and decorate the family's clothing with traditional embroidery motifs.

You'll have your breakfast in the hotel and then a guide will be there by 9:00am to take you on your trekking day. We'll walk about 15 kilometers and in the course of the day you'll get to pass cascading waterfalls, terraced rice fields, a sweeping river valley, and truly spectacular mountain vistas. We'll also visit three different villages that belong to the Black H'mong, Dzay, and Red Dzao people. You can choose to either share a meal with a local family in one of the minority villages or have a lunch brought for you from the hotel to have a picnic with a beautiful view. A van or bus will be waiting for you at the last village to take you back to Sapa to collect your luggage. From there we can pick you up either at 4:30pm or 6:00pm, depending on train times and your own preferences, to go to Lao Cai and catch the over-night train back to Hanoi.

Early in the morning, arrive in Hanoi, the guide pick you up and transfer you to take a daily room for relaxing and shower.
We'll pick you up in Hanoi by 8:00am and drive through the verdant Red River Delta to make our way to the famous UNESCO World Heritage site, Halong Bay. You'll board a luxury junk ship for an overnight cruise-- while you relax on-board you can marvel at the incredible limestone karsts that jut out of the sea and the thousands of jungle-covered islands that seem to float on the waves. The turquoise waters of the Gulf of Tonkin swirl around hidden grottoes and ancient caves to create an enchanting, timeless world.
We'll serve you a fresh seafood lunch while you sit back and relax as you enjoy the incredible view with a drink in your hand. We'll take you to a traditional fishing village where the locals have created an entire town on the decks of their boats, then you can explore Tien Ong Cave before returning to the cruise for cocktails, canapés, and a spectacular sunset. End your day with a romantic, candlelit dinner.

Begin the day with a Tai Chi class on deck in the early morning mist or just admire the beautiful scenery as the sun rises over the azure waters. Choose between an excursion to a secluded island with a sandy beach for a swim or join the chef for a cooking demonstration to learn more about Vietnamese cuisine. Enjoy a leisurely brunch while your junk cruises Halong Bay, passing islets and caves as you make your way back to the dock.
Your driver will meet you when you disembark and transfer you back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi, check in hotel. Free time

Depart to Ninh Binh (90km from Hanoi). Arrive in Ninh Binh, visit Trang An tourist attraction, take boat trip to visit cave complex: Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Nau Ruou in mystery and wildness, see scenery of mountain and rivers. Trang An is considered as Ha Long on the land. After lunch, transfer for visiting visit Hoa Lu - the Ancient Royal capital of Viet Nam. We will visit Dinh king temple and Le king temple. in the 10th century, finding out the heroic histories of this two Kings in Chinese Wars. At the end of day, transfer back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi, free time.

You have free time in the morning until your private car arrives to take you to the airport for your next destination.

This is the end our Tour with Asia Tour Advisor. We thank you for joining us on this incredible experience to explore all the wonders of Vietnam. Goodbye, and we hope to see you again next time! Asia Tour Advisor can also arrange additional customized trips for you if the above itinerary does not match your expectations. And if you love explore our country more, you can get our Vietnam tours for more choices!