Extended Northern Vietnam Program: Heritage, Landscapes and Local Experiences”

HANOI ARRIVAL – FOOD TOUR ( MEALS: D) Upon arrival at Noi Bai airport, our guide and driver will meet you at the airport and transfer to your hotel in city center. In the afternoon, you’ll join food tour and discover every corners of the Hanoi Old Quarter. You’ll enjoy amazing local food including: Banh Cuon: Vietnamese steamed rice rolls Bun Cha: rice noodles with barbecue pork. Hoa Qua Dam: fruit beams - one of the most popular cooling dishes for young people on hot summer days. In the sweltering weather, enjoying a cup of sweet, refreshing, and cool beams of fruit is a wonderful thing that everyone loves. Egg – coffee: a Vietnamese drink traditionally prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and robusta coffee Finnally, we are heading to Ta Hien street. It’s known as “ beer corner of the Hanoi Old Quarter”. Our guide’ll take you back your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.

• Airport transfer
• Guided food tour (Banh Cuon, Bun Cha, Egg Coffee)
• Explore Old Quarter & Ta Hien Beer Street

HANOI CITY TOUR ( MEALS: B,L) After breakfast, our tour guide will meet you in the hotel lobby. We will visit Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh Complex that completed in 1975. We visit outside Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The complex includes the Presidential Palace, House-on-Stilts, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and One Pillar pagoda. After that we will visit the Temple of Literature that was originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam’s first University dating back to 1070. The temple highlights the importance of Vietnamese society for education. Have lunch at a nice restaurant in city center. After lunch, we continue our trip to visit Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake: The Ngoc Son temple is set on a tiny island on the Hoan KiemLake, its history dating back to the 13th century. The temple is reached by crossing the The Huc Bridge which literally means the ‘Place Touched by Morning Sunbeams’. The Hoan Kiem Lake is the local point of the city and the source of many legends. After that, we take 45 minutes Cyclo Tour through the Old Quarter: Also known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Originally, each of the 36 s names’ was related to the products being sold there. It’s a great place to explore on foot with numerous photo opportunities. Before back to your hotel, we will enjoy the water puppet show at Thang Long theatre - a tradictional performance of Vietnamese. Overnight in Hanoi.

• Ho Chi Minh Complex & One Pillar Pagoda
• Temple of Literature
• Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
• Cyclo ride & Water Puppet Show

HANOI – NINH BINH ( MEALS: B,L) After your breakfast, our driver and tour-guide’ll pick you up at your hotel. Then, we’ll head to Ninh Binh – known as the first capital of Vietnam during 10th-century. The first visit will be Hoa Lu, the picturesque site of a 10th-century capital of an ancient Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet for 41 years (968-1009). You will visit to the 2 promient temples called King Dinh Temple & King Le Temple. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we take the amazing boat trip to visit Trang An grottoes which is a gathering of 31 valleys, 50 cross-water caves, and home to 600 kinds of flora and over 200 kinds of fauna, many of them in the Red Book of Vietnam. While rowing through Trang An grotto in the quiet, fresh air of the highlands, with only the sound of birds and the oars stirring the clear water and surrounded by magnificent forested mountains upon which graze white goats, visitors enjoy a heaven on earth. Overnight in Ninh Binh.

• Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
• Boat trip through Trang An caves & karst landscapes

NINH BINH – HA LONG BAY ( MEALS: B,L,D) After your breakfast, we leave Ninh Binh for Halong Bay in 3 hours drive. Ha Long Bay is known as the most famous World Heritage Site in Vietnam for its beautiful seascape, thousands of spectacular islands and islets jutting out from the sea, amazing caves with marvelous stalagmites and stalactites in different sizes and shapes. Upon arrival, you'll be welcomed on board. Lunch will be served while the boat is sailing to Halong Bay. In the afternoon, we’ll join some activities: sightseeing, kayaking, swimming, visit cave...(depending on each cruise’s itinerary). Stay overnight on the cruise.

• Transfer to Ha Long Bay
• Cruise experience with kayaking, cave visits & swimming
• Overnight on board

HA LONG BAY – SAPA ( B,L,D) Enjoy the morning view of the beautiful landscape with a cup of coffee or tea then have breakfast. After breakfast, the cruise will bring you on a trip to explore deeper inside the bay. The brunch will be served on the way sailing back to the port and our driver will pick you up and transfer to Sapa. Overnight in Sapa.

• Morning cruise exploration
• Return to port & transfer to Sapa

: SAPA DISCOVERY ( MEALS: B,L,D) After breakfast, our guide’ll pick you up and we start to take a walk to Cat Cat village of the Black H'Mong minority. You’ll have a chance to explore local life as well as traditions of Black H’mong minority. At noon, lunch’ll be served at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we visit Lao Chai and Ta Van village of the Black H'mong and the Day people where you can enjoy fresh air, amazing scenery of the imposing mountain range, trek down world's most beautiful terraced rice fields, visit some local family on the way and learn unique culture and life of these ethnic groups. Overnight in Sapa.

• Visit Cat Cat Village
• Trek to Lao Chai & Ta Van villages
• Explore terraced rice fields & local culture

FANSIPAN PEAK – HA GIANG ( MEALS: B,L,D) After breakfast, we are heading to visit Fansipan Peak – known as “ the roof of Indochina”, get on the cable car to nearly the top of Fansipan Peak and spend 20 minutes with cable car to enjoy the spectacular scenery. After 20 minutes on cable car, you reach the altitude of 2800 meters. Then spend a good time to see the view and take photos, visit pagoda the spiritual destinations before getting on another walk up to the top of Fansipan Peak. Enjoy the wonderful panoramic view and take photos. Have lunch at local restaurant. After that, we drive to Ha Giang. Overnight in Ha Giang

• Cable car to Fansipan Peak
• Mountain views & spiritual sites
• Transfer to Ha Giang

HA GIANG – QUAN BA – NAM DAM VILLAGE ( MEALS: B,L,D) After breakfast, we continue to drive to Quan Ba Heaven Gate. You will have a great chance to walk up the top on hill to enjoy the stunning view of Quan Ba town, take the photo of Co Tien Double mountain. We then continue to Nam Dam village in Quan Ba. The charming village is nestled peacefully in a valley surrounded by karst mountains, holds inside it preserved traditional customs, habits and culture from ancient times which is appealing to tourists. Walk around the village, enjoy beautiful view of the village with the high mountains and the lovely terraced fields, houses of earthen walls gleamed in the sun. Overnight in Ha Giang.

• Visit Quan Ba Heaven Gate & Twin Mountains
• Explore Nam Dam Village & ethnic culture

NAM DAM – THAM MA SLOPE – PAO'S HOUSE – THE VUONG'S PALACE – LUNG CU – DONG VAN (MEALS: B,L,D) After breakfast, we will drive via Yen Minh pass where you enjoy and fall in love with fabulous view of limestone mountain and valley, stop at Pho Cao pass (Tham Ma pass) to take the photo of Happiness road before drive to visit Lung Cam culture village to visit the home filming “ Story of Pao”, the film which won four Golden Kite Prizes (the Oscars of Vietnam). We then continue to The King Palace of Hmong people which is one of the few sites in Ha Giang travelers can visit for magnificent architecture and historical values. After lunch, drive to visit the Lung Cu national flag tower and the north pole of Vietnam. Head to Dong Van for overnight in a hotel. Overnight in Ha Giang.

• Drive through Tham Ma Pass & Yen Minh
• Visit Pao’s House & Hmong King Palace
• Explore Lung Cu Flag Tower

DONG VAN – MA PI LENG PASS – NHO QUE RIVER BOAT TRIP – CAO BANG (MEALS: B,L,D) This is a long day to drive back to Hanoi so we have early breakfast, check out and we start our trip at 06:30am to visit Ma Pi Leng pass, inlcuding a visit to the "Happiess Road Museum" and take a short walk to the top of amazing Ma Pi Leng pass We continue to drive on the "Happiness road and stop where you want for photos. Nestled between the mountain of northeast of Vietnam, Nho Que River winding like green thread shimmering north from heaven. The length of 192 km, the river engraved name on 46 km across the strip of land in Vietnam, and flows through the rocky sloping limestone mountain of the global geological park system Dong Van stone. The Nho Que river carries a beautiful turquoise blue color. That shines through the bright green patches of the forest almost all seasons of the year (except the rain season from Apr till Sep). Take "XeOm - Motorbike" to get to the boat wharf. After 1 hour for boat trip along the river and visit Tu San alley, we will take “xeom” to get back the car and drive to we will take “xeom” to get back the car and drive to Cao Bang. Overnight in Cao Bang.

• Scenic drive on Ma Pi Leng Pass
• Boat trip on Nho Que River & Tu San Canyon
• Transfer to Cao Bang

CAO BANG – BAN GIOC WATERFALL – NGUOM NGAO CAVE – BAC KAN ( MEALS: B,L,D) After breakfast, we drive to Ban Gioc waterfall. You’ll have a chance to enjoy the most picturesque and beautiful landscapes of Cao Bang where Vietnamese photographers come for great pictures and you will also meet local Tay and Nung ethnic minorities to learn about their culture and life. Arrive at Ban Gioc, we visit the waterfall. After that, we are heading to visit Nguom Ngao Cave - which was formed about 300 million years ago. According to Tay language, Nguom Ngao means the cave of tigers. Legend has it that, the sound of the stream inside the cave likes the growl of tigers, so the local people named the cave as Nguom Ngao. Lunch is served at local restaurant. After that, we are heading to Bac Kan. Check in hotel. Overnight in Bac Kan.

• Visit Ban Gioc Waterfall
• Explore Nguom Ngao Cave
• Transfer to Bac Kan

BA BE LAKE – HA NOI ( MEALS: B,L) After breakfast, we enjoy the boat trip in 3 hours (or 5 hours if you request). This is a spectacular boat trip on the lake. We stroll along the riverfront, visit some lovely villages and hike the upper reaches of the lake, in an area marked by massive limestone cliffs and mountains. The boat will come to Puong Cave where you can explore the stalactites and stalagmites which are a result of the erosion of the river on the karst as well as looking out for the bat colony several thousand strong. Lunch is served at local restaurant. After lunch, we are heading back to Noi Bai International Airport. Our driver & tour-guide say goodbye to you!

• Boat trip on Ba Be Lake
• Visit Puong Cave & local villages
• Return to Hanoi & departure