7 DAYS 6 NIGHTS HANOI - HALONG BAY OVERNIGHT ON JUNK - SAPA BY HIGHWAY &LOCAL TRAIN

All guests are warmly welcomed upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport by our local guide then transfer to visit West Lake to admire the sixth-century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda before check in the hotel. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi

After breakfast, you will enjoy the 2.5 – 3.0hrs drive to Halong Bay. Arrive at the jetty in Halong City towards noon and proceed with check-in formalities. Be welcomed onboard and have lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) 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. Overnight on Halong Bay.

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 cruise slowly through the magnificent rock formations and back towards port. Disembark and transfer back to Hanoi

 

Arrive in Hanoi late in the afternoon, join a half-day city tour to discover charming and historic capital city of Vietnam. Hanoi is a unique city with more than 1000-year of rich culture and fascinating history. 

 

The tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples. The city tour includes a visit Hoan Kiem Lake and a walking tour through the Hanoi’s Old Quarter, also known as the ‘36 streets’. This bustling area of narrow streets and alleys is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. It's a great place to explore with plenty of photo opportunities all around you and explore the famous Dong Xuan Market, where you can purchase souvenirs for your beloved ones  

 

End the day with a Water Puppet show. This is a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history. Dinner at local restaurant.

 

Around 20:00 hrs you will be transferred to Hanoi Railway Station. Overnight train trip to Lao Cai in superior 4-berth compartments sharing with other passengers. Train departs at approximately 21:50 hrs. 

 

Notes: Train schedule is subject to change. Private compartments on request at surcharge. Train journeys are part of a great local experience. Cabins are shared with other local passengers (unless private cabin is requested and all berths paid for - with supplement). Restrooms at either end of the carriages complete the local experience

Early morning (approximately 06:30 hrs) arrival at Lao Cai, the border town to Yunnan, China. The journey starts with a 38 km drive on winding roads up the mountains to Sapa, located approx. 1,500 m above sea level. On clear days you can see the highest mountain of Vietnam, the Fansipan.  

 

After breakfast at restaurant, you will enjoy trekking down to Cat Cat Village which is home of Black H’mong ethnic people and is located near the bottom of a deep valley at the foot of Fansipan Peak. Our local guide will show you the daily life activities of the locals, trek down to the valley bottom to the waterfall where the French built a Hydraulic Power Station; stop for photo with bridge and waterfall then you will walk uphill to get back to Sapa for lunch before check in the hotel. Afternoon, you will discover Sapa town on your own, its bustling market, the colourful dresses of the ethnic people, tea and coffee shops as well as the local life in this mountain town. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Sapa.

Morning you will enjoy a spectacular cable car ride - the world’s longest three-rope cable car system, extending from the northern Lao Cai Province’s Sapa Town to the summit of Mt Fansipan – the highest mountain in Indochina. If the weather is clear the panoramic views are amazing. Return to Sapa town and enjoy the Lunch at local restaurant

 

After lunch you will transfer to explore Lao Chai village. Views of the Muong Hoa Valley and magnificent surroundings of mountains and rice terrace fields can be seen from this road. Along the road, people from many ethnic minority groups (H’mong, Zay, and Red Dao) are likely to be met, and there are stalls along the way that serve tea, fruits and sweets.  Soon after turning off the main road and taking a local path, we will arrive in the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai, where you will experience the daily life of the villagers. Continue walking from Lao Chai to Ta Van village to discovery the  Zay hill tribes live before walking to the meeting point for your transfer back to Sapa town.  Dinner will be served at local restaurant and overnight at hotel in Sapa.

After breakfast at hotel, free for your own activities until transfer back to Hanoi in a joining air-conditioned bus with another passengers (without guide). Arrive Hanoi, check in the hotel. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

After breakfast at hotel, you will start the day with visit to the Temple of Literature. Built in 1076, The Temple of Literature was Vietnam's first university and was established to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The university functioned for an incredible 700 years. Its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam’s past.

 

Afterwards, visit The One Pillar Pagoda, which was founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049. This structure is one of Vietnam’s smallest but most iconic temples. Close by is the Mausoleum of the historic Father Figure of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, and the Former President's House on stilts where he lived from 1958 to 1969. His former home illustrates the modesty of this Vietnamese revolutionary

 

(The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed Mondays & Fridays and from Jun to Aug, you will view from the outside)

 

Lunch will be served at local restaurant before transfer to Noi Bai International Airport for your international flight home. We hope you had an exciting holiday with us. Making it an affair to remember!