13 Days - North Vietnam holiday, off the beaten track

DAY 01: ARRIVAL IN HANOI
You will be welcomed by our guide and driver at Noi Bai air port, and then transferred to downtown of Hanoi for hotel check-in. Rest on your own for the remainder of the day. In the evening, go to welcomed dinner by local rickshaw. Enjoy Vietnamese traditional music during your dinner. Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: NO

DAY 02: CITY TOUR OF HANOI & NIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI
After your breakfast in the hotel, get to know about the capital of Vietnam on a day tour to featured sites, such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and his house-on-stilts; Buddhist one-pillar pagoda, one of the symbols of Hanoi; Temple of Literature, considered as Vietnam’s first university, dedicated to Confucius; Museum of Ethnology; Hanoi Hilton Prison. After dinner at a restaurant, you are transferred to the Hanoi railway station for an overnight train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 03: LAO CAI – SAPA
Arrive early at the border city of Lao Cai. Get on our private bus for one hour uphill drive to Sapa, a former French hill station in the mountainous Northwest of Vietnam. Check in the hotel if available before 12 o’clock. Fresh-up and have breakfast in the hotel. Start your adventure at 9:30 AM with a short drive to Ma Tra Village for 1, 5 hour trek along a beautiful valley where the Black H’mong people inhabit. Back to the town for lunch.

In the afternoon, the trek is a bit longer at other valley, called Muong Hoa. At this valley, you have chance to admire the most beautiful scenery of rice terraces where the Black H’mong, the Red Dzao and the Dzay People coexist with each other. Dinner and overnight in Sapa.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 04: BAC HA HILL TRIBE MARKET
Depart from Sapa at 8: 30 in the morning, it takes 3 hours to drive to Bac Ha district where there are many traditional colorful markets attended by many different minorities who inhabit in this remote region. They gather together in the markets for trading their home-made handicraft and farm products
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- Tuesday: Coc Ly Market - Sunday: Bac Ha Market
- Wednesday: Cao Son Market - Saturday: Can Cau Market
- Thursday: Lung Khau Nhin Market

Have lunch at a local restaurant, and then visit to a village to interact with local people in the afternoon. Get to the hotel for rest and dinner. Overnight in Bac Ha.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 05: BAC HA - THONG NGUYEN VILLAGE
Today, you start the day with an easy walk to a village of Tay minority for a short boat trip downstream on Chay River and then travel to Ha Giang province. The region still remains as a less-visited tourist destination in the North of Vietnam. The drive offers great countryside scenery with house-on-stilts of the Tay people located on the hillsides with palm trees. Have stops sometimes on the way for taking photos and visit villages. Arrive at Pan Hou Eco-lodge late in the afternoon, dinner and overnight at the lodge in Hoang Su Phi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 06: THONG NGUYEN TREK
You have a whole day trek to different villages of the Black Dzao and the Red Dzao people whose villages are scattered throughout the beautiful landscape of Hoang Su Phi. The landscape is also amazing with rice terraces interspersed with lush bamboo forest. Have lunch at a local family on the trek. Back to the lodge around 4 PM for relax or treat yourselves with beautiful massage and herbal bath at the lodge (this treatment is optional). Dinner and overnight in Pan Hou lodge.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 07: PANHOU LOGDE - BA BE LAKE
After breakfast at the lodge, you have a whole day drive to Ba Be National Park. You have lunch on the way and arrive at the Park around 4 PM. Ba Be Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Vietnam, surrounded by lush rain forest on Limestone Mountains. The home stay at a Tay village by the lake give you a special experience while traveling in Vietnam. Dinner and overnight at the home stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 08: BA BE LAKE DISCOVERY BOAT TRIP
Enjoy your breakfast at the home stay and get on your bus for half an hour drive to a boat dock. You have 2 hour cruise on beautiful Nang River which flows through the National Park, stop on the way to visit Puong Cave which is settled by thousands of bats. You can also find the cave amazing with a lot of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. The second stop is Dau Dang waterfall. It’s a must-see as it is rocky and so powerful in the rainy season. You have lunch at a local restaurant near the waterfall. In the afternoon, cruise throught Ba Be lake and have a swim if the weather permits. Dinner and spend the second night at the home stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 09: BA BE LAKE - HANOI
Start the day with an easy walk along a river which flows into the Lake. The morning walk gives you a great start with fresh air and a good chance to enjoy the peaceful environment. Get on bus after that and head for Hanoi. You have lunch on the way and arrive back Hanoi around 4 PM. Check in the hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 10: HANOI - HALONG BAY
Depart from the hotel at 8:30 in the morning. The drive takes 4 hours with a short break on the way. Upon arrival at the pier in Halong City, embark our luxury cruise for the whole afternoon explores the World Heritage by UNESCO. Lunch on boat while you are cruising between many amazing karst formations on emerald water. Visit a fishing village by a small boat (sampan) row in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight on boat.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11: HALONG BAY - HANOI
Wake up early for fresh air and join a Tai Chi Class on the top deck before breakfast. Today the boat cruise further to other parts of the bay and makes for the pier at 11:00 AM after your buffet brunch aboard. Return to Hanoi in the afternoon; enjoy the traditional water puppet performance and dinner. Overnight in Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12: TRADITIONAL VILLAGES & PAGODAS
Drive to Bac Giang Province to visit Tho Ha village where you can see how the local people making rice paper in a traditional way, visit the village old pagoda. Have lunch in a restaurant with Quan Ho folk song singing performance. Quan Ho singing has been has inscribed as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in October 2009. In the afternoon, visit to Phut Thap Pagoda-one of the oldest and most beautiful Buddhist pagoda in Northern Vietnam and Bat Trang pottery village. Farewell dinner and Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 13: HANOI DEPARTURE
Free at leisure until the transfer to the air port for your onward flight.
Meals: Breakfast

The value of money
We are focusing on quality of the tour and working for our prestige and reputation and we appreciate the value of the money that our clients spend. We would love to have much chances serve you again and travel with ETHNIC VOYAGE repeatedly. When you compare our prices with others’, ensure you are making a like-for-like, as often there may be a cheaper option, but there may be hidden extras or the quality may not be as good as you expected.

INCLUSIONS:
- Private air-conditioned vehicles
- Accommodation with daily breakfasts
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
- English speaking tour guide
- Local way leader in Thong Nguyen village
- Sightseeing tickets and permits during guided time
- Train tickes (Soft sleepers in a shared A/C cabin)
- Boat trip in Ba Be Lake
-  Boat cruise in Halong Bay
- Two bottles of mineral water/person/day

EXCLUSIONS:
- Travel insurance (Compulsory)
- International flight tickets
- Drinks and other meals
- Tips and gratuities
- Others are not mentioned clearly in the INCLUSION list