Northern Vietnam Grand Discovery

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN HANOI (L/D)
Meet on arrival and transfer to hotel for check in. In the evening you will attend the performance of the famous Vietnamese traditional art of water puppetry at Thang Long Theatre. 
Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR (B/L/D)
Take a full day city tour : visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (closed on Monday, Friday and the whole months of October-November) and his former residence, One-Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, built in the 11th century as Vietnam’s first university.
Have lunch at local restaurant.
In the afternoon visit Vietnam National Museum of History, Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son Temple and an hour cyclo tour along the Old Quarter and end of the tour is shopping in Hang Dao and Hang Bong streets. 
Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 3: HANOI - HALONG (B/L/D)
After breakfast at hotel, drive to Halong Bay (165 km east of Hanoi), listed as a World Heritage Area of outstanding natural beauty. “Dragon descending to the sea” as it is known in Vietnamese, picturesque Halong Bay has more than 1,000 limestone islets rising from the sea, many of them containing beautiful grottoes. At noon arrive in Halong city, where you will board the wooden junk. While cruising through the bay, seafood lunch is served on board. 
We will visit Thien Cung & Dau Go caves, Tuan Chau, Ga Choi, and Dinh Huong, Dog and Sail islands. Stop at Titop Beach. 
Have dinner and overnight on cruise in Ha Long.

Day 4: Halong – Hanoi (B/L)
Have breakfast on board and then we will continue cruising to Man's head and Tortoise islands, Luon cave, Bai Tu Long Bay, Toad island and Bai Tho Mountain. Disembark at Halong pier. 
Drive to back Hanoi hotel.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Lao Cai (B/L/D)
Proceed to Tam Coc to visit “Halong Bay on land” – the same limestone rocks as in Halong Bay but seen from a winding stream through paddy fields instead of the sea. Enjoy spectacular scenery during the boat trip to Tam Coc caves with visit of the Bich Dong Pagoda. We will visit Temple of King Dinh and King Le. 
Transfer to Hanoi train station. Overnight trip to Lao Cai in sharing comfortable sleeping compartments (lower & upper berth per compartment) – train departs approx. 21:30h.

Day 6: Lao Cai – Sapa tour (B/L/D)
Early in the morning (05:30 AM) we will arrive at Lao Cai, the border town to Yunnan, China. Transfer to Sapa on winding roads up the mountains. On clear days, you can see Fansipan mountain. 
After breakfast at the hotel, we enjoy the beautiful landscape and visit the bustling Sapa market, where the Red Dao, Black Hmong, Tay and Xa Pho ethnic minorities converge from the nearby mountainsides and valleys to trade their goods and buy provisions. 
Late in the morning we will check in the hotel and relax. 
In the afternoon we take a short drive to Cat Cat Village of the Hmong people, then take a light trekking around, share their daily lives for a rate glimpse into their culture and customs. 
Overnight in Sapa.

Day 7: Sapa – Bac Ha / Muong Khuong (B/L/D)
After breakfast we will travel by car to Bac Ha, which is 64 km Northeastern Lao Cai. The ride is relatively flat from Lao Cai to Bao Nhai, where you will be taken through rural area. Bac Ha is the largest market in the area, situated inside the small town of Bac Ha. On every Sunday mornings, it is literally a riot of color as many different ethnic groups such as Flower Hmong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay, Nung minorities... gather to buy and sell.
After spending the whole morning exploring the market, your lunch will be served in a local restaurant. Then you drive down hill for about half an hour. 
You will then start a short walk to Trung Do village, which belongs to the Tay minority. Here you can visit a traditional Tay house, before getting on a boat. You will have a cruise upstream the Chay River to experience the picturesque scenes on the river banks. You will then cruise downstream to the Bao Nhai Bridge, where the car will be waiting for you to return back to Sapa. 
Overnight in Sapa.

Day 8: Sapa – Trekking Ta Phin – Lao Cai (B/L)
In the morning climb up Sapa hill, only a short walk from your hotel to it’s mystic rock formations, rare orchids and flowers. Enjoy the minority show performed by the young minority ladies and men. 
Continue trekking with a scenic 6 km drive to Ta Phin Village, lying in a hillside meadow. It is home to Red Dzao and Hmong people. 
Then we drive to Lao Cai for train to Hanoi.
Overnight on the train.

• Accommodation with breakfast (Based on Twin Sharing) in Sapa and Hoi An.
• Ground transportation on private tour with English or Chinese speaking guide
• All private transfers: airport-hotel-airport and excursion transfers
• Admission fees to tour sites throughout
• Vietnamese or Chinese food for Lunches / or dinners as mentioned on program
• Train: Hanoi to Lao Cai/ Lao cai to Hanoi
• Packag 02 Day 01 Night in Halong on boat
• Bottle of water available on coach