Hanoi to Sapa Explorer: The Ultimate Northern Vietnam Journey

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.

• Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport
• Meet & greet with guide and transfer to hotel
• Explore Hanoi Old Quarter
• Guided street food tour
• Taste Banh Cuon, Bun Cha, Hoa Qua Dam & Egg Coffee
• Visit Ta Hien Beer Street
• Overnight in Hanoi

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.

• Visit Ho Chi Minh Complex (outside Mausoleum)
• Presidential Palace & Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House
• One Pillar Pagoda visit
• Explore Temple of Literature (Vietnam’s first university)
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Visit Ngoc Son Temple & Hoan Kiem Lake
• Cyclo ride through Old Quarter (36 Streets)
• Traditional Water Puppet Show at Thang Long Theatre
• Overnight in Hanoi

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.

• Scenic drive to Ninh Binh
• Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
• Explore King Dinh & King Le Temples
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Boat trip through Trang An grottoes & caves
• Enjoy limestone mountains and countryside scenery
• Overnight in Ninh Binh

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.

• Drive to Ha Long Bay (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Cruise boarding and welcome drink
• Lunch while sailing among limestone islands
• Kayaking, sightseeing, cave visit or swimming (cruise program)
• Sunset views on the bay
• Overnight stay on cruise

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 tea/coffee with bay sunrise views
• Cruise excursion deeper into Ha Long Bay
• Brunch onboard while returning to port
• Disembark cruise
• Transfer by road to Sapa
• Hotel check-in
• Overnight in 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.

• Walk to Cat Cat Village (Black H’Mong minority)
• Explore local culture and traditional lifestyle
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Trek to Lao Chai & Ta Van villages
• Visit ethnic minority families
• Enjoy panoramic rice terrace landscapes
• Overnight in Sapa

FANSIPAN PEAK – HANOI ( MEALS: B,L) 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 before driving to Noi Bai International Airport. Arrive at the airport, our guide and driver say goodbye to you! See you soon!

• Cable car ride to Fansipan Peak (“Roof of Indochina”)
• Enjoy panoramic mountain views at 2,800 meters altitude
• Visit pagodas and spiritual sites
• Walk to summit for photos
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Transfer back to Noi Bai International Airport
• Farewell to Vitenam