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Day
1: Arrive Hanoi
Pick up upon arrival at Noi Bai airport and transfer to
hotel. This day is free and easy to explore Hanoi, a unique city of 1,000
years-old. Take a walk along French Quarter to see the colonial architecture,
have a cup of local coffee along the street-side stalls, or visit Old Quarter's
tube houses and its art galleries and silk shops. There is never a dull moment
in this enchanting capital. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day
2: Hanoi City
A full day city tour
presenting the historical, cultural, and ethnological facets of Vietnam. The
visit include: Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and residence, One-Pillar Pagoda, Temple
of Literature (1st established university in Vietnam), Museum of Ethnology, and
Hoan Kiem Lake. This tour will not be complete without watching the traditional
Vietnamese water puppet show in the evening. Board the overnight sleeper train
for Sapa, Lao Cai.
Day
3: Sapa
From Lao Cai, make the 1-hour ascent by minivan towards Sapa hill station. After
check-in and resting, begin an easy soft trek in the afternoon. The trekking
path will lead through rice terraces, a black Hmong village and a suspension
bridge to Cat Cat waterfall. Soft trek ends at the delightful Sapa market where
different ethnic minorities gather. You can find exquisite embroidery and
handicrafts of the various ethnic minority peoples on sale at the 2nd level.
Overnight in Sapa.
Day
4: Sapa
After breakfast,
travel to visit Silver Waterfall which stands at an imposing height of 150
metres. On sunny days, you might even be rewarded with a colourful rainbow
forming over the cascading waters. Journey a little further to Tram Ton Pass,
where a magnificent view of mountains and valleys awaits, and with a clear sky,
the peak of Mount Fansipan (the roof of Indochina) can be seen rising amidst the
scattering clouds. In the afternoon, ascend Ham Rong mountain, for a
breathtaking overview of Sapa town and surrounding mountain ranges. Overnight in
Sapa.
 Day
5: Bac Ha
An early start to the
day as we proceed by minivan to visit the vibrant Can Cau or Bac Ha market about
120 kilometres away. This is one of the biggest and most colourful ethnic
minority market in the area. Many different ethnic minority peoples in their
striking traditional costumes, with headgear and stockings, congregate to trade
and catch up with one another. An amazing galore of items are put on sale
ranging from embroidery and handicraft to livestock such as buffaloes and pigs.
We return to Lao Cai
in the afternoon to visit the Vietnamese-Chinese border overlooking into Yunnan
province. After dinner, board overnight sleeper train for Hanoi.
Day
6: Halong Bay
Arriving early into
Hanoi railway station, stopover for breakfast before embarking on the journey to
Halong Bay where delightful sceneries of countryside paddy fields and clustering
villages awaits.
Arriving in Halong
City, the real fun begins after a sumptuous seafood lunch on board the boat. As
the junk weaves through the maze of grottoes in different shapes and sizes, we
will visit some caves to see the stunning stalactites and stalagmites formed
over thousands of years, stopover at a floating fishing village, climb up Titov
mountain for a panoramic view of the beautiful bay and swim in the clear emerald
waters and kayak to explore caves, grottoes and beaches.
As the setting sun descends gradually over the horizon,
casting its remaining rays across the glittering water surface, dinner of local
fresh seafood is served. Overnight
on boat.
Day
7: Halong Bay
The early rising sun,
peeking through the grottoes, signals the beginning of a brand new day. After
breakfast, there is another opportunity to swim, and kayak to explore more caves
and grottoes. On the passage back to shore, the junk will sail by the famous
jetty where the film "Indochine" was shot. After lunch on shore, make
the return journey to Hanoi. Overnight
in Hanoi.
Day
8: Depart Hanoi
Transfer to airport
for departure.
*Specially
customized tours with changes to the above itinerary can be tailor-made and
organized according to the your interests and requirements.
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