Best of Northern Vietnam - 7 Days

Welcome to Vietnam! After arrival at Hanoi's airport, you'll take some time to relax and unwind at your hotel. If you're feeling energetic, head out to explore the city on foot.
Dating to 2,000 BC, Hanoi is one of the most ancient capitals in Asia. Today, it's a mix of the old and the modern, a city defined by the contradictions of a rapidly developing yet deeply traditional society. Walk around the French colonial Old Quarter, absorb the energy of Hanoi's motorbike-packed streets, browse through outdoor markets and silk shops, and try bánh mì from a street food vendor. Go for a stroll around Hoàn Kiếm Lake.
At the north end of the lake is an arched red bridge leading to Ngoc Son islet and the Temple of the Ngoc Son Mountain. This temple was built in the 18th century to honor Tran Hung Dao King, a military commander. Nearby, in the center of the lake, is Turtle Tower, a small stone tower built to commemorate the Golden Turtle God, Kim Qui. According to Vietnamese myth, he reclaimed a magical sword from Emperor Lê Lợi in order to return it to the Dragon King.

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8:00: We pick you up from your hotel (located within the Hanoi Old Quarter only) or at LVP Travel Guide in Hanoi and take you to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum – the final resting place of the beloved national hero, Uncle Ho – and President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house where he lived off and on from 1958 to 1969. You’ll also the Ho Chi Minh Museum where you can learn about this remarkable man and what he did for Vietnam and the world..
9.30: You’ll visit the One Pillar Pagoda, which is actually a group of structures that collectively make up a pagoda built over the water in the middle of a square lake. After that, you’ll have a chance to explore the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shore of west lake. From there, it’s onto the Temple of literature, which was Vietnam’s first university and is dedicated to Confucius.
12.30: You have lunch at a restaurant in the Old Quarter. Afterwards, you’ll visit Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart and soul of Hanoi.
Finally, You’ ll stop in at MUSEUM OF ETHNOLOGY. This superb museum showcases the depth of Vietnamese cultural diversity with an astounding collection of 15,000 artifacts gathered from throughout Vietnam. Maps, displays and dioramas are labelled in Vietnamese, French and English. Displays portray a typical village market, the making of comical hats and a Tay shamanic ceremony; videos show the real thing. You can also check out a traditional Black Thai house reconstructed in the museum. There's also a center for research and conservation where scientists from all over the world study traditional Vietnamese cultures. Your tour of Hanoi ends as the sun goes down. However, your great Vietnam journey is only just beginning. After enjoying dinner on your own, you'll transfer to the Hanoi Railway Station and board an overnight train bound for the mountainous region of Lào Cai.

On arrival at Lào Cai Railway Station, you'll have breakfast, then hop in a car for the drive up to Sapa. The route is jaw-droppingly scenic. During the 30 km long drive, you'll pass winding rivers and gorgeous mountain valleys dotted with rice and cornfields, gardens, bamboo forests, and humble villages populated by Vietnam's ethnic minorities. You'll stop along the way in Sa Seng, a village home to one such group, the Black Hmong people. You'll know them by their traditional dress of colorful turbans, blouses, leg wraps, aprons, and scarves, which are all made by hand, often from hemp cloth.
After a stop in Sa Seng, you'll continue to another Black Hmong village called Hang Đá. Here you'll enjoy a picnic lunch followed by a tour of the village with your guide. Then you can work off the meal with some hiking to different vantage points offering panoramic views of the fertile green Mường Hoa Valley.
Finally, you'll get back in the car and drive the rest of the way to Sapa. This alpine town is surrounded by rich green forest and is set amid steep mountains with terraced rice fields carved into the slopes. Sapa is particularly beautiful during mornings when blankets of mist settle around the mountains. After checking into your hotel, you'll have the rest of the day free to head out and explore the night town on foot.

Wake up early morning for a half-day hike through the breathtaking Sapa Valley. From town, you'll head down the mountain on a road passing along terraced rice paddies and green forest. The scenery will likely be even more stunning due to a thin layer of morning mist, which makes an ethereal quality to the Sapa countryside. You'll hike along a narrow trail amid the fields, then cross Mường Hoa River on your way to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai. After walking along the river for a while, you'll cross a rustic bridge and arrive at another village, Tả Van Giáy. Here, you'll visit a fascinating collection of ancient rock carvings depicting everything from images of man to decorative patterns.
After seeing the rock carvings, you'll stop in at a village home for a traditional lunch. Then the hike continues through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, another small country village, this one home to Red Dao people. The Red Dao are one of the oldest ethnic minorities in Vietnam, dated in the 18th century even before the Hmong people.
Today, short discovering the picturesque waterfall. You'll rest here for a bit before embarking on an uphill hike to a road where a car will be waiting to transfer you back to Sapa. From there, you'll transfer to the Lao Cai Railway Station to catch an overnight train to Hanoi.

Your destination today is the coastal retreat and fishing community of Hạ Long Bay. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the true natural wonders of the world. In this sweet spot where the land meets the Gulf of Tonkin, over 1,000 karst islets rise above emerald waters. Legend has it that these islands originated as precious jewels that were sprayed into the water by a great dragon who was doing battle with invaders in Hạ Long Bay centuries ago. Mythology aside, you can't deny the otherworldly beauty of the seascape here.
On arrival, you'll board a boat that will depart from the port for an unforgettable tour of the bay. Not only will you enjoy fresh seafood for lunch and dinner, but you'll overnight aboard the ship as well. This will give you an opportunity to see the sunset over the water.

Begin your day with a Tai Chi session on the boat's deck. It's the perfect place to integrate your mind and body, and the sunrise over the bay complements the practice perfectly. With a rejuvenated spirit and newly healthy qi (life energy), you'll enjoy your breakfast. Then the boat will sail to the floating village of Cua Van, arguably one of the most unique towns in the world. Cua Van, home to around 1000 residents, is comprised of floating houses situated in a remote section of Hạ Long Bay. The main works here is fishing, but the residents live the same way they would on dry land: working, going to school, and socializing. The major difference is that rather than drive to and from work and school, they travel by boat.
Choose an activity such as kayaking around the bay or venturing around the community by rowboat to see more of local life on the waters. You also visit the Pearl Farm where you can see the Local doing their daily works in raise Pearl and more. Return the Harbor nearly Midnoon, on the same way to Hanoi in around 3 PM

After breakfast at the hotel, you'll transfer to the airport in Hanoi to catch your flight home. This concludes your 7 days Vietnam adventure. Safe travels!