The 9 days tour covers most of must - see destinations of the Northern Vietnam: Hanoi Capital with 36 Streets and beautiful lakes; Sapa, a old French Hill Station, with picturesque Muong Hoa Valley, Fansipan Mountain – 3143m ASL and large communities of ethnic minorities; a boat cruise in Halong Bay, the World Heritage, will complete your stay in Vietnam.

Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi
On your arrival at Noi Bai Airport, our driver will take you to the hotel in the Old Quarter for check in. Dinner is on your own account.

Accommodation: Hong Ngoc Hotel

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour – Lao Cai (L)
You will commence the day with a visit to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his residence and the One Pillar Pagoda. Then you will visit to the Temple of Literature, and Museum of Ethnology. You will have lunch in a nice restaurant in town before having a drive back to the center, where you will enjoy a cup of coffee in a nice place. The afternoon is time to visit Restored Sword Lake, Ngoc Son Temple. The tour also includes a cyclo ride through Old Quarter with its bustling 36 streets and ending with uniquely amazing water puppet show.

You will be transferred to Hanoi Railway Station for the night train to Lao Cai. Dinner is on your own account.

Accommodation: Overnight on the train (soft sleeper)

Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa
On your arrival at Lao Cai Railway Station, our driver will take you to Sapa, a famous hill station. The ride thru scenic mountain in the morning will refresh you after a long train journey. After check-in, you can take a walk to Sapa Market where you can find diversity of local product and beautiful handy crafts made out of indigo and natural dying process from Black Hmong and Red Dao ethnic minorities. In the afternoon, you can climb up to the top of Ham Rong Mountain, a botanic garden. A panorama view of Muong Hoa Valley and Hoang Lien Mountain Range deserves your effort! Entrance fee is on your own account.

Accommodation: Gold Sea Hotel

Day 4: Sapa – Tavan – Seomity (B, L,D)
You will be picked up at the hotel for 3 days trek to one of the most scenic valley of Muong Hoa and Hoang Lien National Park.

You will go south by car toward Muong Hoa valley. Your trek will begin from Tavan village of Giay minority. The first day trek will be mostly uphill. Whenever you stop for a rest, you will be able to enjoy valley view. Before noon, you stop again at a nice spot for lunch.

The trek will be softer in the afternoon. But the scenery becomes even more beautiful. You pass by Seomity village of Black Hmong minority before you arrive in a campsite, which locates nearby a river outside the village. While porters put up tents and cook dinner, you can take a walk to stretch the legs.

Approx: 0,5 hour driving/ grade 3 of 5/ 4 hours walking/ 1 hour lunch

Accommodation: Camping

Day 5: Seomity – Den Thang – Ta Trung Ho (B,L,D)
The trek today takes you through beautiful rice paddies and over old suspension bridges. You will trek on small trail sneaking through rainforest. You arrive in Den Thang village of Black Hmong by noon. Here you stop for lunch either nearby a river or in a local school according to the weather.
After lunch, the trek will becomes tough on tinny footpath going up and down, which requires some concentration. You will reach to Ta Trung Ho village of Red Dao minority where you spend the night in local house. Both the valley and the village have just received foreign visitors. The night will be even more interesting when you are in the wonderful hospitable atmosphere of the Red Dao.

Approx: Grade 3 of 5/ 6 hours walking/ 1 hour lunch

Accommodation: Home stay

Day 6: Ta Trung Ho – Nam Toong – Ban Ho – Sapa - Lao Cai (B,L)
You are now at the fringe of the rain forest by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina with its 3143 m, is located in this mountain range. You will start the trek today by ascending to Nam Toong village of Red Dao minority. Here your lunch will be prepared in a local school.
In the afternoon, before descending to Ban Ho, you can make a stop by a waterfall to refresh. On the last hours you can enjoy the valley one final time while trekking up to Su Pan, where your car takes you on the journey back to Sapa.

From Sapa, you will be transferred to Lao Cai for the night train back to Hanoi. Dinner is on your own account.

Approx: Grade 3 of 5/ 1 hour driving/ 6 hours walking/ 1 hour lunch

Accommodation: Overnight on the train (soft sleeper)

Note:
• The 3 days trek is hard. The itinerary can be changed due to high water level in the river between Seomity and Ta Trung Ho. There will be no toilet facilities along the trek. Toilet ten will be provided.
• 3 days trek can be replaced by half/one day trek or one day famous hill tribe market trip (Tuesday/Thursay/Saturday/Sunday). Please contact us for more details and prices

Day 7: Hanoi - Hai Phong - Cat Ba – Halong (B, L, D)
On your arrival to Hanoi, our driver will pick you up at the train station. You will be transfer to a hotel for breakfast.

Your guide will pick you up at the hotel for your journey to Halong, enjoying the beautiful Red River Delta with its scenery of rice fields, water buffalo and everyday life in the villages. Upon arrival in Hai Phong city, you will take a transfer by the hydrofoil to Cat Ba Island, where you will have a short drive to Cat Co beach for a swim or just to relax. After having lunch in a local restaurant, you’ll have a drive to Gia Luan wharf and enroute visit the Cat Ba National Park to start climbing up the highest point on Cat Ba Island, if time permits.

At 15h00 P.M, you will reach the wharf where your junk is waiting and start the cruise through Lan Ha bay to Halong bay. You will arrive in Halong bay while the darkness is falling and it is great time to catch some pictures of sunset in the middle of the bay. You will enjoy a well-prepared dinner and stay overnight on board.

Accommodation: On the boat

Day 8: Halong - Hanoi (B, L)
You will cruise around the Bay, passing by some strange-shaped rock formations. You will have time to visit the recently discovered Surprise Grotto. After lunch, the Junk will disembark at Halong wharf at noon, where your bus is waiting to transfer you back to Hanoi. En route, you’ll stop to visit a ceramic village and But Thap pagoda before reaching Hanoi at about 17h30 P.M.

Accommodation: Hong Ngoc Hotel

Day 9: Depart from Hanoi (B)
After breakfast, you are free until our driver will transfer you to Noi Bai Airport to the next destination.

Accommodation: None

Price (valid until 31st 2007):

Price per person
2 persons	US$ 835
3 persons	US$ 667
4 persons	US$ 580
5 persons	US$ 525
6 persons	US$ 490
7 persons	US$ 474
8 persons	US$ 454
9 persons	US$ 442

Note: Please contact us for price for group size over 9 people

Terms and Condition (will be provided upon confirmation)