OVERVIEW:
Destination: HANOI – LAO CAI – BAC HA – HOANG SU PHI – HA GIANG – KHAU LAN – QUAN BA – LANG TAN – DONG VAN – MEO VAC – HOP TIEN – QUANG BA – HANOI
Duration: 11 days 10 nights


An 11-day evasion in the North that will bring you to Ha Giang and its surrounding region. You will have the chance to trek in beautiful sceneries, discover colorful markets, and meet numerous ethnic minorities. During this journey, you will also spend nights in homestays among families of Dao and H'Mong ethnicity to share beautiful moments and learn about their culture. A truly original tour for tourists looking forward to spend time in serenity among welcoming people and sensational nature.


HIGHLIGHTS:

  • The colorful ethnic minorities of the Great North and a total immersion in their lifestyles thanks to homestays
  • Easy trekking following an off-the-beaten-tracks itinerary 
  • Breathtaking landscapes from start to finish

QUICK LOOK ON THE ITINERARY:

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi – Night Train to Lao Cai (-)
Day 2: Lao Cai – Bac Ha (L, D)
Day 3: Bac Ha – Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang (B, L, D)
Day 4: Ha Giang – Khau Lan (B, L, D)
Day 5: Khau Lan Trekking (B, L, D)
Day 6: Khau Lan – Quan Ba – Lang Tan (B, L, D)
Day 7: Lang Tan Trekking – Dong Van (B, L, D)
Day 8: Dong Van – Meo Vac – Hop Tien – Quan Ba (B, L, D)
Day 9: Quan Ba Trekking (B, L, D)
Day 10: Quan Ba – Hanoi (B, L)
Day 11: Hanoi – Departure (B)


TOUR IDENTIFICATION CODEVTRE10

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi – Night Train to Lao Cai (-) 

Welcome to Hanoi! Enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Old Quarter. Located on an area of 100 ha, the Old Quarter is home to more than 1,000 traditional houses and has 36 streets named after specific merchants’ crafts and trade.

Later, you will be driven to the train station and take the night train for Lao Cai (air-conditioned cabin shared by 4 persons, soft beds).

Day 2: Lao Cai – Bac Ha (L, D)

Drive through the famous market town of Bac Ha and on one of Vietnam’s highest road passes. Most of the day will be spent on the road, inside our vehicle, though there’s no time to get bored as the scenery is truly breathtaking.

Day 3: Bac Ha – Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang (B, L, D)

We will leave Bac Ha in the morning and set off for a full day journey through Xin Man, Hoang Su Phi, and Ha Giang town.

The rough but scenic route crosses a dense jungle before crossing over a pass and dropping down to Xin Man. This day is a real challenge for our driver as the winding roads go uphill and downhill. Along the way, we may encounter several ethnic groups such as the Nung, Tay, Red Dao, La Chi, or the Co Lao, among many other groups who have settled there.

Dinner and overnight in Ha Giang.

Day 4: Ha Giang – Khau Lan (B, L, D)

Today, you will join a guided tour and first go to Ha Giang Museum before enjoying an early lunch.

Then, the guide and driver will pick you up around 12:30pm at your hotel to transfer you to Quyet Tien commune. From there, you will start a 3-h walk to Khau Lan Village while going through green landscapes, little villages, and thick forests.

In Khau Lan – home of the Dao people – you will meet the village leader and your host family.

Around 6:30pm, all the tour members will have dinner as one family and split later to spend the night with three or four different host families.

Day 5: Khau Lan Trekking (B, L, D)

Khau Lan is a small village inhabited by the Dao people. You will have a unique opportunity to spend the day with your host family and discover the daily life of this ethnic group. You might participate in activities such as working in the fields, fetching wood, cutting grass for the livestock, or cooking meals.

Depending on the activity, you will have lunch on different spots outside the village. After another local meal for dinner, you will maybe enjoy the evening sitting with local people around a fire, discussing and laughing all together.

You will spend another night at your host family’s house.

Day 6: Khau Lan – Quan Ba – Lang Tan (B, L, D) 

After breakfast and bidding farewell to your hosts, we will follow another trail through beautiful caves, streams, and forests, all the way back to Quyet Tien commune center. Then, transfer to Quan Ba town, where you will have about 2 hours to take a shower and relax in the district guesthouse or visit the small town by foot.

Around 2:00pm, the guide and driver will pick you up and take you to Thanh Van commune. After a short walk (30 minutes), you will finally reach Lang Tan Village, where H’Mong people live. The village is located in rugged mountains, which makes difficult to grow rice. In order to increase their income, the villagers developed a special maize wine production.

You will meet the village leader and your host family, before having plenty of time available to walk around in the pretty village and meet the local people.

In the evening, the group will enjoy a local dinner and sleep in a H’Mong house.

Day 7: Lang Tan Trekking – Dong Van (B, L, D)

An incredible 5-to-6-hour trek in uncharted territory is on the program for today.

Together with a guide and a local pathfinder, you will walk on hills and go through forests, visiting villages of H’Mong and Dao groups up until arriving in Can Ty commune.

Board the car, as you will be driven through wonderful landscapes before finally arriving in Dong Van. There, you will visit the remnants of H’Mong Kingdom.

Around 6:30pm, all members of the tour will check-in a small hotel in Dong Van and have dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Dong Van.

Day 8: Dong Van – Meo Vac – Hop Tien – Quan Ba (B, L, D)

After breakfast, you will be driven through beautiful landscapes blessed with impressive mountains and steep valleys stretching from Dong Van to Meo Vac district. This place is one of the most remote corner of Vietnam, where the traditional life of ethnic minority people is vivid and colorful.

After lunch in Yen Minh town, you will then go to Hop Tien Village. In Hop Tien, you will visit a hemp cooperative, where local people will explain and demonstrate the traditional hemp production (including dyeing with natural colors, weaving, and decorating). Around 5:30pm, you will travel back to Quan Ba town and check-in the comfortable district guesthouse.

At 6:30pm, you will have dinner in a local restaurant before spending the night in your guesthouse.

Day 9: Quan Ba Trekking (B, L, D)

After a local breakfast, you will have time to visit the very colorful market in Quan Ba town. There, you will see people from several ethnic minority groups – they all walk all the way from their mountain villages to the town of Quan Ba in order to sell their goods and meet other people.

Lunch in a local restaurant before enjoying free time in the afternoon.

You will enjoy a dinner around 6:30pm and spend your night at the district guesthouse in the town of Quan Ba. 

Day 10: Quan Ba – Hanoi (B, L)

Wake up and take the time to enjoy Quan Ba. Visit another local market, before hoping on the car as the driver will take you back to Hanoi.

Upon arrival, check-in at the hotel and spend the rest of the day at your own leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 11: Hanoi – Departure (B) 

Today, you will have free time to explore Hanoi by your own until you are taken to the airport for your flight.

End of the tour.

Please contact us for more information about this tour or to customize this itinerary.

Included:

  • All transportation
  • Accommodation (homestay + hotel &  guesthouse)
  • Meals as mentioned in the itinerary (B for breakfast, L for lunch, D for dinner)
  • English-speaking guide 
  • All entrance fees
  • Service fees
Excluded:

  • Personal expenses 
  • Drinks
  • Flight tickets
  • Insurance
  • Visa to Vietnam if needed




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