Discover the Charms of Northern Vietnam

Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival to Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, AA Vietnam Travel’s driver and guide will meet you and they will transfer you to your hotel in the downtown. Check-in and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Hanoi.

The tour departs from Hanoi at 08:00 AM. The morning drive takes about 3.5 hours overland to Mai Chau valley, a stunning valley of White Thai ethnic minority in Hoa Binh province. You will have some stops on the way for taking photographs. Arrive at Lac Village around noon. Have Vietnamese lunch at a Thai family’s stilt house.
After lunch and rest, go for a scenic bicycling tour about 2 hours to explore the surroundings and visit some villages, rice paddies and gardens. This is the best time for you to experience the local life, their agriculture and beautiful handicrafts. Back to the homestay for the night.
Dinner and overnight at the Mai Chau homestay.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to a trekking point in Mai Hich Valley. Spend the morning to trek this scenic countryside with the scenery of villages, fields and mountains. Get picked up by noon and go for the lunch.
The afternoon drive takes you almost 4 hours to Ninh Binh. You may want to stops for a couple of time on the way for taking photographs. Arrive at your hotel in Ninh Binh late in the afternoon
Overnight at Ninh Binh.

This morning you will tour around Ninh Binh with its famous Trang An Complex – The world’s natural & cultural heritage by UNESCO. The private transport takes you to Tam Coc for a sampan boat ride (2 hours approx.) along a small river which meandering in between the sheer limestone mountains.
The local rower will take you through three tunnel-like caves which have many beautiful stalactites hanging down from the ceiling. After the boat ride, you will continue visiting the area by bicycles. The guide will leads you to visit other part of Tam Coc, biking on back roads so that you can get close looks at the local life and enjoy the landscape.
Lunch at a restaurant before the afternoon drive back to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Having breakfast at the hotel as usual.
Meet your private tour and and driver again for the morning travel to Sapa on the HW Noi Bai – Lao Cai. The scenic drive from the Red River Delta, through the midland to Lao Cai province will be a good start for your trip. Arrive in Sapa around noon. Have lunch at a restaurant in town.
After that, take some time to walk around the main square of to get a taste of the town before transferring to the trekking point to Y Linh Ho village at Muong Hoa Valley. To start, you trek downhill the valley, the scenery of the rice terraces along your way are very beautiful and be the highlight of the day. Crossing the river on a small suspension bridge and continue the trek uphill. Finish your morning scenic trek at Lao Chai Village where your private vehicle awaits you.
Overnight at Sapa.

In the morning, enjoy the trek to Ma Tra and Ta Phin villages. and then drive to Bac Ha town takes more than 3-hours (include lunch time on the way). In the afternoon, take a short boat ride on Chay River and walk to visit Trung Do village (If the water level permit) otherwise, go straight to Bac Ha for 1-hour trek around Ban Pho village of a Flower H’mong people.
Dinner and overnight in Bac Ha.

In Bac Ha area, there are three colorful hill tribe markets that are worth seeing. Depend on your date that you can make for the itinerary; one of the markets will be visited for this morning. At the markets, you will see different ethnic minority groups such as Flower Hmong, Phu La, Yao, Tay, Nung…etc. They are from different valleys, gather around for the trading. It is an awesome experience of seeing colors, understanding traditions and feeling the atmosphere. The market offers a variety of local products. Here also available animal market where people sell and buy or barter animal such as dogs, pot-bellied pigs, cows, buffalos and so on.
The whole afternoon is spent for the return journey to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.

The city tour of the capital city occupies your whole day. In the morning, the sites include Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his house-on-stilts, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university. Lunch is served at a nice restaurant in town. In the afternoon, the tour continues with a visit to one of the following museums, you can pick the one you like (the Ethnology Museum, Army Museum, National Fine Arts Museum, Hanoi Hilton prison or Vietnam Women Museum). Followed by a short walk or a cyclo ride in the Old Quarter. End the day tour with a traditional Water Puppet show.
Overnight in Hanoi.

8:00 AM Your morning drive toward the coast takes about 4 hours.
Upon arrival at Ben Beo Wharf in Cat Ba Island, embark on your private junk and spend the afternoon exploring Lan Ha Bay. Lunch is served on the boat after one-hour cruise to the middle of Lan Ha.
The afternoon activities include visiting a fish-farm, kayaking and swimming at Ba Trai Dao beaches area. The junk will make its way toward Halong Bay for the night place.
Overnight on boat.

The breakfast is served on the top deck (if the weather is nice) while the junk is cruising to other parts of Halong Bay. There is one more stop today for you to explore a hidden “lake” by kayaking through a tunnel-like cave. You can take more swim off the kayak in the “lake” if you wish.
Return to you junk, check out of your cabin and relax on the top deck whilst the junk is meandering in between hundreds of sheer limestone islands of Lan Ha Bay.
An early lunch is served aboard before the noon dismemberment. Drive back to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi

Today is your last day of the trip; you are free at leisure or go out for some last shopping (if time permits) until getting picked up and take the private transfer to the ariport for your departure flight. End of service.