Upper Tonkin's Tribes : Ha Giang, Cao Bang & Bai Tu Long Bay

Day dedicated to city sightseeing:

The Temple of Literature, the first national university built in 1070, where royal sons and sons of mandarins pursued their studies to become scholars and high-ranking officials. This temple is also a site to honor Confucius and the scholars of the kingdom. With its original architecture featuring courtyards, ponds, and gardens, it is a true haven of peace and greenery in the heart of the capital.

Ba Dinh District: Stroll through Ba Dinh Square, the botanical garden, the former Governor-General of Indochina’s Palace (now the Presidential Palace), Ho Chi Minh's stilt house, and finally the One Pillar Pagoda, one of the city's oldest monuments built in 1049.

Tran Quoc Pagoda, built in 1615 on the edge of the large West Lake. The Old Quarter of Hanoi, known as the commercial center of the capital, bordered by the elegant Hoan Kiem Lake. Despite the passage of time, the Old Quarter is known as an open-air museum of the capital: unique tube houses, small alleys, temples, open-door markets. Passage through Train Street.

Lunch: Enjoy grilled pork with vermicelli and egg coffee.

The evening is dedicated to a traditional water puppet show, a typical folk art of Northern Vietnam combining traditional music and scenes of rural life. Overnight at the hotel.

Route to Ha Giang, Easy Hike to Tay Ethnic Villages

8:00 AM: Depart from your hotel and head towards Ha Giang, passing through Tuyen Quang province, where you will see beautiful tea hills. You will arrive in Ha Giang in the mid-afternoon and take a walk through the hamlets of the Tay ethnic group. Here, you will find hundreds of wooden stilt houses under the shade of palm trees. In front of each house, there is a water pond for fish farming. You will discover the peaceful life of the inhabitants, their local way of life, and the rolling rice fields.

Overnight with a Tay family in a bungalow.

Begin your day with a hearty breakfast before continuing your journey through the stunning landscapes of Ha Giang.

• Morning: Travel to the picturesque Xaphin Rice Valley. Here, you'll be captivated by the lush, terraced rice fields that stretch across the valley, providing a stunning backdrop for your adventure.

• Afternoon: Continue to the village of Nam Dam, where you'll immerse yourself in the culture of the Dzao ethnic group. Stop at the so-called "Heaven's Gate" pass to enjoy the beautiful panoramic view of the Quan Ba valley and its famous twin mountains of the Fairies (Nui Co Tien). Explore the village and its surroundings, learning about the unique traditions, customs, and way of life of the Dzao people. Enjoy interactions with the local community, experiencing their daily activities and rich cultural heritage.

Overnight in Nam Dam, where you'll stay with a Dzao family, providing a deeper connection to the culture and lifestyle of this fascinating ethnic group.

Breakfast at the homestay.

Departure for the extraordinary Dong Van Geopark Plateau. Located between 1000 and 1600 meters above sea level, and covering an area of ​​2350 km2, it offers stunning landscapes. You begin a journey that will take you back in time, crossing a region where Ethnic Minorities are in the majority. The road winds and undulates along the karst mountains. You will encounter men with bent backs carrying firewood, barefoot children. It is a very poor region where living conditions are very harsh, but it has a unique charm with its roads winding through fantastic karst landscapes and its inhabitants who maintain their ancestral habits.

Visit to the craft village of Lung Tam where you will discover the ancestral art of spinning and weaving of H'Mong linen. From the town of Yen Minh, you will enter the heart of the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark and contemplate lunar landscapes: limestone cirques, roads perched amidst terraced fields… Stop along the way to visit a typical White Hmong house, hamlets composed of stilt houses or mud cottages.

Visit to the Palace of King Hmong Vuong Chi Sinh, dating back over 100 years (King in the autonomous area of the Hmong of Yen Minh, Dong Van, and Meo Vac. Opium was their main crop and they traded with the Chinese).

Visit to a village of the Flower Hmong in Lung Cu before heading to Dong Van.

Overnight in Dong Van.

Take a walk to the village of Phia Thap, renowned for its ancestral craft of making incense sticks. Then, you'll explore a paper-making artisan village

Then take a walk through the Tay ethnic hamlets along the Quay Son River. Enjoy the serenity of these picturesque landscapes, with limestone peaks covered in greenery and clear waters winding through the valleys.

Then head toward the Sino-Vietnamese border to admire the spectacular Ban Gioc Waterfalls, among the most beautiful in Vietnam. The best time to visit this waterfall is during the rainy season (from July to October), but the visit is incredible all year round.

Option: A short bamboo rafting excursion on the Quay Son River will allow you to get up close to the Ban Gioc Waterfalls.

Visit the Nguom Ngao caves with magnificent stalactite and stalagmite formations, considered one of the most beautiful in Vietnam.

Overnight in Ban Gioc.

After breakfast, you'll explore Co La Waterfall, terraced fields, and Tay ethnic villages. Then, hit the road to Lang Son. Then head towards Ba Be Lake with stops along the way to visit Tay villages and enjoy beautiful viewpoints.

Overnight stay with a local family at Ba Be Lake.

Explore Ba Be Lake, the green jewel of Northern Vietnam located at 145 meters above sea level in the heart of a beautiful National Park renowned for the richness and diversity of its ecosystem. Many tribes including Tay, Mong, Dzao... peacefully coexist here.

You will take a cruise to explore Ba Be Lake and the surrounding mountains covered with lush tropical vegetation. Ba Be Lake is a natural lake ranked among the 20 most beautiful in the world. It has a rare beauty with the presence of imposing limestone peaks. The lake's three bays, Pelam, Pelu, and Peleng, offer visitors a variety of landscapes, including numerous waterfalls, rivers and lakes, valleys, and caves. Throughout the cruise, you can admire magnificent landscapes.

You will embark on an easy hike towards the Tay village of Cam Ha. After visiting the village, continue your walk to discover beautiful karst landscapes.

You will then resume the cruise back to the disembarkation dock and return to Hanoi.

8:00 - 8:30: Shared Dcar Limousine transfer to Sun Pier. Embarkation at noon. Transfer by small boat to the main cruise ship.

12:45: Welcome drink and brief presentation on safety instructions aboard the boat and the itinerary.

13:30: Lunch on board while the boat sails towards Bai Tu Long Bay.

15:00: The boat heads towards the Cong Do and Cap La region, with kayaking activities among the karst rocks. There is a possibility of stopping at a wild beach depending on the tide.

17:30: Return to the boat and relax on the upper deck.

19:00: Dinner on board the boat. Evening free for squid fishing.

Overnight on board Renea Cruise.

6:00: Tai Chi exercise.

7:00: Breakfast on board the boat.

9:00: Disembark from the hotel boat to take the day boat that will take you to the Bai Tu Long Geological Park region. Visit the fishing village of Vung Vieng. Return to the day boat for lunch.

14:00: Kayaking activity in the Cong Dam area and visit to Thay Cave if tide and weather permit.

16:30: Return to the hotel boat. Sunset Party.

19:00: Dinner.

Overnight on board the boat.

6:00: Tai Chi exercise on the upper deck or enjoy the sunrise in Bai Tu Long Bay amidst beautiful karst landscapes while sipping a cup of tea or coffee.

7:00: Breakfast on board the boat.

8:00: Visit Thien Canh Son Cave. From the cave entrance, you will have a panoramic view of Bai Tu Long Bay with rock formations resembling dolphins.

9:00: Return to the boat. A Vietnamese cooking demonstration will help you learn how to make spring rolls. Cruise back to the pier.

11:00: Early lunch on board. Disembarkation at noon. Transfer by shared bus to Tam Coc.

Overnight in Tam Coc.

Bicycle ride through the countryside of Tam Coc. Visit to Bich Dong Pagoda.

Transfer to Hoa Lu, explore Trang An, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its stunning karst landscapes and as a filming location for "Kong: Skull Island." Enjoy a peaceful 2.5-hour sampan ride, gliding through emerald waters and a series of mystical caves that open into hidden valleys. Enjoy the enchanting landscapes, the beautiful view of karst mountains covered in tropical plants, and the beautiful emerald river. Along the way, visit tranquil pagodas and temples, including the Presentation Temple, where you can see red carp swimming.!

Back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Free time until transfer to the airport for departure flight. We sincerely hope you have enjoyed your trip and GP Travel's services. We wish you a safe flight and we look forward to serving you again soon!