Uncover the extraordinary sights and vibrant culture of Vietnam on this comprehensive 8-day tour from the country’s cosmopolitan Hanoi to its traditional north. You’ll also have the chance to take an overnight cruise through the unearthly emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, visiting the UNESCO World Heritage-listed limestone chambers of Sung Sot Cave along the way. It’s the perfect whirlwind tour covering the best of the country, with flexibility to match.
Hanoi, Halong, Ninh Binh, Sapa
8Days/7Nights, from $USD800pp
Private
JOURNEY
Overview
Overview
Uncover the extraordinary sights and vibrant culture of Vietnam on this comprehensive 8-day tour from the country’s cosmopolitan Hanoi to its traditional north. You’ll also have the chance to take an overnight cruise through the unearthly emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, visiting the UNESCO World Heritage-listed limestone chambers of Sung Sot Cave along the way. It’s the perfect whirlwind tour covering the best of the country, with flexibility to match.
JOURNEY
Highlights
- Escape to picturesque highlands of North Vietnam: Leave bustling Hanoi and escape to the highlands of Sapa, home to diverse hilltribes and picturesque views.
- Learn about the diverse ethnic Hmong tribes: Trek lesser-known routes and visit traditional Hmong tribes to learn about their way of life and their unique ethnic garments.
- Indulge in a romantic candle-lit dinner: Set on a terrace overlooking Sapa Valley, enjoy a special candle-lit dinner with traditional tribal food, wine pairing and live cooking by private chef.
- Meet and get to know the locals: Bike around Tho Ha village passing by peaceful villages and enjoying the rustic countryside landscapes.
- Engage in agricultural activities: Catch crab, fish water vegetables and visit a mat weaving family for a truly countryside experience.
- Visit an ancient pagoda and church: Admire the Vietnamese and European blend of architecture of Phat Diem church and the ancient Bich Dong pagoda.
Highlights
- Escape to picturesque highlands of North Vietnam: Leave bustling Hanoi and escape to the highlands of Sapa, home to diverse hilltribes and picturesque views.
- Learn about the diverse ethnic Hmong tribes: Trek lesser-known routes and visit traditional Hmong tribes to learn about their way of life and their unique ethnic garments.
- Indulge in a romantic candle-lit dinner: Set on a terrace overlooking Sapa Valley, enjoy a special candle-lit dinner with traditional tribal food, wine pairing and live cooking by private chef.
- Meet and get to know the locals: Bike around Tho Ha village passing by peaceful villages and enjoying the rustic countryside landscapes.
- Engage in agricultural activities: Catch crab, fish water vegetables and visit a mat weaving family for a truly countryside experience.
- Visit an ancient pagoda and church: Admire the Vietnamese and European blend of architecture of Phat Diem church and the ancient Bich Dong pagoda.
JOURNEY
Itinerary
DAY 1 | HANOI ARRIVAL
Welcome to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Vietnam’s quaint capital is a city of wide tree-lined boulevards with tranquil lakes and colonial villas and a more relaxing pace than other Asian cities. Upon arrival, meet and greet by our tourguide and driver then you will be taken to your hotel for check in. The rest of the day free to spend as you like.
Meals: None
Accommodation: Silkpath Luxury Hanoi
DAY 2 | THE OLD QUARTER & HISTORICAL SITES
After breakfast, your guide will escort you to the Temple of Literature built in 1076. Quoc Tu Giam – Vietnam’s first university also referred to as Van Mieu, was established within a temple to educate Vietnam’s royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The university functioned for an incredible 700 years and its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam’s past.
Visit the nearby mausoleum of the historic figure and father of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh (viewed from outside), and visit the former president’s house on stilts where he lived from 1958 to 1969. His former home illustrates the modesty of this Vietnamese revolutionary. Visit the small but iconic One Pillar pagoda before heading back to the hotel.
Lunch will be served in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter in the home of a true Hanoian who learnt her culinary skills from her grandmother who used to cook for the French elite in the 1930’s. After lunch, the rest of your day i at leisure or you can walk around the old quarter to do some shopping and test your bargaining skill.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Luxury Hanoi
DAY 3 | HALONG BAY
The perfect way to see the UNESCO World Heritage area of Halong Bay is to spend a night aboard a charming boat. The mystical scenery of Halong Bay where thousands of limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea, sculpted into bizarre shapes and surrounded by colorful floating villages is a truly breathtaking destination.
Depart Hanoi for a 2,5hours drive to Halong Bay. Arrive at the jetty in Halong City towards noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After the welcome onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodations: Paradise Cruise
DAY 4 | NINH BINH
Enjoy the fresh morning in the middle of the bay, the sun rises on Halong in the morning and breakfast is served (brunch on some boats) while the vessels cruises slowly through the magnificent rock formations and back towards port. Disembark and transfer to Ninh Binh for overnight.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Emeralda Ninh Binh
DAY 5 | HANOI
After breakfast, begin a leisure 5 to 15 km (according to preference) biking trip around Tho Ha village passing by peaceful villages and enjoying the rustic countryside landscapes. Continue to Dong Tam Hamlet to join in some engaging agricultural activities such as catching crabs, fishing and transplanting, watering vegetables and more.
Enjoy lunch before cruising on a 2-hour boat trip through small canals among the paddy fields (rice fields seen between March and early June), then stroll along the winding rocky path of the foot for 200m and go up 20 steps to reach the Galaxy Cave gate. Get inside the cave and admire the spectacular stalactites above the cave ceiling. Continue to discover But Hien cave and be attracted by many natural sparkling stalactites with shapes and figures before returning to the pier and transfer to Hanoi.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Luxury Hanoi
DAY 6 | SAPA
This morning, embark from Hanoi for a five hour drive to Sapa town and be amazed by the wilderness and picturesque mountains. Upon arrival, check-in to the hotel and have lunch before transferring outside of Sapa to a ethnic Hmong Hill Tribe Village situated against the stunning Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range and Indochina’s highest peak, Mt. Fansipan.
Be welcomed into one of the village households for an experience of ethnic indigo dying technique with a hill tribe family. Get acquainted with the weavers who will demonstrate the unique indigenous art of Hmong hemp textiles. For hundreds of years in the North of Vietnam, the Hmong group has grown and woven hemp for their ethnic costume. After harvesting rice from the terraces, the Hmong traditionally spend most of their time making garments – partake in an interactive experience to see how the traditional process is done – from the raw product to making the thread, spinning to make cloth on the loom, dying with fresh leaves from the indigo plant then finally the embroidery. The motifs used represent different aspects of the community, from family life to rice and spiritual symbols. After spending time to experience the dying process and technique with a hill tribe family as well as their daily lives, return to Sapa.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Grand Sapa Resort & Spa
DAY 7 | SAPA
Begin today’s tour at 08:30 and drive 6km south from Sapa town to Hang Da Village to discover the unique culture, custom and way of living of the Black Hmong people, the second biggest ethnic minority group in Sapa. Stop at viewpoints along the way for marvelous views over the Hoang Lien mountain range before arriving in a small hamlet which sits at an altitude of 1,572m overlooking the Muong Hoa valley. Leave the vehicle for an easy walk through this charming Black Hmong hamlet. Follow a lesser-known village path gradually downhill through the stunning valley of Sa Seng, passing through several Hmong hamlets along the way. A typical Hmong village comprises wooden roofed houses surrounded by rock walls where pot-bellied pigs, chickens and water buffaloes run here and there, with children playing with makeshift toys. Then sit down on a picnic blanket set out nearby the hill tribe village. Enjoy a picnic lunch while sipping a glass of wine in the rustic yet peaceful surroundings looking down valley. Then walk through Hau Thao, with some luck, get the chance to see Hmong women making fiber from hemp, which they spin and weave to make traditional costumes, before returning to a meeting point and be transferred back to the hotel in the mid – afternoon.
Note: In case of fog or poor weather the itinerary will be subject to change. The picnic lunch is prepared by the top five-star hotel in town.
Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
This evening, enjoy an outdoor candle-lit dinner serving up an authentic tribal traditional meal paired with some of the most flavourful wines in the flickering candle lit at a terrace overlooking Sapa town. Enjoy live cooking by a local chef with sharing of cultural stories about ethnic people and be part of an exclusive gastronomic experience that will make your taste buds jump from joy. (Venue: Outdoor balcony in front of Chic restaurant of Hotel de la Coupole Sapa.)
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Grand Sapa Resort & Spa
DAY 8 | SAPA – HANOI – DEPARTURE
Spend the morning at leisure before being escorted by guide and driver back to Hanoi airport for taking your onward flight.
View full itinerary
Itinerary
DAY 1 | HANOI ARRIVAL
Welcome to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Vietnam’s quaint capital is a city of wide tree-lined boulevards with tranquil lakes and colonial villas and a more relaxing pace than other Asian cities. Upon arrival, meet and greet by our tourguide and driver then you will be taken to your hotel for check in. The rest of the day free to spend as you like.
Meals: None
Accommodation: Silkpath Luxury Hanoi
DAY 2 | THE OLD QUARTER & HISTORICAL SITES
After breakfast, your guide will escort you to the Temple of Literature built in 1076. Quoc Tu Giam – Vietnam’s first university also referred to as Van Mieu, was established within a temple to educate Vietnam’s royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The university functioned for an incredible 700 years and its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam’s past.
Visit the nearby mausoleum of the historic figure and father of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh (viewed from outside), and visit the former president’s house on stilts where he lived from 1958 to 1969. His former home illustrates the modesty of this Vietnamese revolutionary. Visit the small but iconic One Pillar pagoda before heading back to the hotel.
Lunch will be served in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter in the home of a true Hanoian who learnt her culinary skills from her grandmother who used to cook for the French elite in the 1930’s. After lunch, the rest of your day i at leisure or you can walk around the old quarter to do some shopping and test your bargaining skill.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Luxury Hanoi
DAY 3 | HALONG BAY
The perfect way to see the UNESCO World Heritage area of Halong Bay is to spend a night aboard a charming boat. The mystical scenery of Halong Bay where thousands of limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea, sculpted into bizarre shapes and surrounded by colorful floating villages is a truly breathtaking destination.
Depart Hanoi for a 2,5hours drive to Halong Bay. Arrive at the jetty in Halong City towards noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After the welcome onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodations: Paradise Cruise
DAY 4 | NINH BINH
Enjoy the fresh morning in the middle of the bay, the sun rises on Halong in the morning and breakfast is served (brunch on some boats) while the vessels cruises slowly through the magnificent rock formations and back towards port. Disembark and transfer to Ninh Binh for overnight.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Emeralda Ninh Binh
DAY 5 | HANOI
After breakfast, begin a leisure 5 to 15 km (according to preference) biking trip around Tho Ha village passing by peaceful villages and enjoying the rustic countryside landscapes. Continue to Dong Tam Hamlet to join in some engaging agricultural activities such as catching crabs, fishing and transplanting, watering vegetables and more.
Enjoy lunch before cruising on a 2-hour boat trip through small canals among the paddy fields (rice fields seen between March and early June), then stroll along the winding rocky path of the foot for 200m and go up 20 steps to reach the Galaxy Cave gate. Get inside the cave and admire the spectacular stalactites above the cave ceiling. Continue to discover But Hien cave and be attracted by many natural sparkling stalactites with shapes and figures before returning to the pier and transfer to Hanoi.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Luxury Hanoi
DAY 6 | SAPA
This morning, embark from Hanoi for a five hour drive to Sapa town and be amazed by the wilderness and picturesque mountains. Upon arrival, check-in to the hotel and have lunch before transferring outside of Sapa to a ethnic Hmong Hill Tribe Village situated against the stunning Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range and Indochina’s highest peak, Mt. Fansipan.
Be welcomed into one of the village households for an experience of ethnic indigo dying technique with a hill tribe family. Get acquainted with the weavers who will demonstrate the unique indigenous art of Hmong hemp textiles. For hundreds of years in the North of Vietnam, the Hmong group has grown and woven hemp for their ethnic costume. After harvesting rice from the terraces, the Hmong traditionally spend most of their time making garments – partake in an interactive experience to see how the traditional process is done – from the raw product to making the thread, spinning to make cloth on the loom, dying with fresh leaves from the indigo plant then finally the embroidery. The motifs used represent different aspects of the community, from family life to rice and spiritual symbols. After spending time to experience the dying process and technique with a hill tribe family as well as their daily lives, return to Sapa.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Grand Sapa Resort & Spa
DAY 7 | SAPA
Begin today’s tour at 08:30 and drive 6km south from Sapa town to Hang Da Village to discover the unique culture, custom and way of living of the Black Hmong people, the second biggest ethnic minority group in Sapa. Stop at viewpoints along the way for marvelous views over the Hoang Lien mountain range before arriving in a small hamlet which sits at an altitude of 1,572m overlooking the Muong Hoa valley. Leave the vehicle for an easy walk through this charming Black Hmong hamlet. Follow a lesser-known village path gradually downhill through the stunning valley of Sa Seng, passing through several Hmong hamlets along the way. A typical Hmong village comprises wooden roofed houses surrounded by rock walls where pot-bellied pigs, chickens and water buffaloes run here and there, with children playing with makeshift toys. Then sit down on a picnic blanket set out nearby the hill tribe village. Enjoy a picnic lunch while sipping a glass of wine in the rustic yet peaceful surroundings looking down valley. Then walk through Hau Thao, with some luck, get the chance to see Hmong women making fiber from hemp, which they spin and weave to make traditional costumes, before returning to a meeting point and be transferred back to the hotel in the mid – afternoon.
Note: In case of fog or poor weather the itinerary will be subject to change. The picnic lunch is prepared by the top five-star hotel in town.
Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
This evening, enjoy an outdoor candle-lit dinner serving up an authentic tribal traditional meal paired with some of the most flavourful wines in the flickering candle lit at a terrace overlooking Sapa town. Enjoy live cooking by a local chef with sharing of cultural stories about ethnic people and be part of an exclusive gastronomic experience that will make your taste buds jump from joy. (Venue: Outdoor balcony in front of Chic restaurant of Hotel de la Coupole Sapa.)
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation: Silkpath Grand Sapa Resort & Spa
DAY 8 | SAPA – HANOI – DEPARTURE
Spend the morning at leisure before being escorted by guide and driver back to Hanoi airport for taking your onward flight.
JOURNEY
Dates & Prices
As this suggested itinerary can be personalised to your specific requirements, it is not available for online booking.
Depending on your preferred dates and arrangements, final pricing will vary from low season to peak season travel.
Dates & Prices
As this suggested itinerary can be personalised to your specific requirements, it is not available for online booking.
Depending on your preferred dates and arrangements, final pricing will vary from low season to peak season travel.