7 days-6 nights (Hanoi - Halong Bay - Sapa)

Nowaday, Vietnam becomes a very popular destination for visitors for all over the world. Vietnam is known for beautiful country, good foods and especially friendly people. This tour let us witness Vietnam's most stunning landscapes, ancient history, colorful minority cultures, friendly people and interesting metropolises. It takes us from stately Hanoi, the world heritage site of Halong Bay to the ethnic minority people in Sa Pa.

OVERVIEW

- Hanoi is a perfect foil for the seething mass of humanity that is Ho Chi Minh City. With a population of four million and a more genteel style than its southern counterpart, Hanoi is the cultural capital of Vietnam and its heart and soul.

It’s known as one of the most ancient capitals in the world. With a 1,000-year history and many well-preserved buildings along with lush and verdant parks as well as a handful of well-appointed museums, it will quite simply keep you busy for days on end. Some of the attractive features of this French-colonial city are its many lakes, delectable cuisine, handicrafts and its unique multi-cultural society developed from Chinese, French and Russian. Hanoi definitely has so much to offer.

- Ha Long Bay is located in Quáng Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometres in size with 1969 islets. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, other support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Another specific feature of Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands, for example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.

- 350km far north-west from Hanoi, Sapa, the capital of Sapa District in Lao Cai Province, lies at the altitude of 1600m. With the temperature ranging from the lowest of -1oC to the highest of 29oC, Sapa’s climate is moderate and drizzly in summer while chill and foggy in winter.

Sapa (or Chapa- the “sandy place”) first appeared in Vietnam national map in the late 1880s when the French disembarked in highland Tonkin. The first permanent French civilian resident arrived in Sapa in 1909, and by 1920, there were a number of villas being built in this area by prosperous professionals. Going through many ups and downs, nowadays, Sapa is the prominent holiday destination, favored by both locals and foreign tourists.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Hanoi – Arrival

Transfer via: International flight – your arrangement Up on arrival in Hanoi, you will be welcomed by private car and driver, transferred to hotel in the city center, check in and relax. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi – City tour – Night train to Sapa (B - L)

In the morning, our tour guide and driver will meet us at the lobby of the hotel at 08:30; we visit Ho Chi Minh Complex with Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, Ba Dinh square, One Pillar pagoda and Temple of Literature in the morning. The rest of the day we will visit the museum of Ethnic Minority, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. Tour ends at hotel arround 17:00, we have a shower at hotel before being picked up and transfer to train station for our night train to Sapa. Overnight on train.

Day 3 - Sapa tours: Laocai - Sapa - Catcat - SinChai ( 5 hours trekking, 12 km, 2 villages ) (B - L - D)

06h00: Pick up at Lao Cai train station to Sa Pa by minibus. Arrive in Sa Pa in the mid-morning, then have breakfast and relax at hotel, after that the guide takes you to visit two villages of Black H’mong people (Cat Cat Village), a waterfall and you have a chance to see the hydroelectric power station built by the French. Back to Sa Pa for lunch. At the afternoon you are free to visit Sa Pa town and Sapa market. Dinner and overnight in Sapa.

Day 4 - Sapa tour: Lao Chai - Ta Van (B - L - D)

After breakfast, the guide takes you to the villages of the H’mong and Dzay called Lao Chai and Ta Van.The day is devoted to a beautiful hike through the breathtaking scenery of Sa Pa valley. Start by road that descends in the wake of the street Cau May (6 km) En route, admire the rice terraces hidden behind mist of the morning, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

Follow a small track and cross Muong Hoa River and pass well tended rice terraces on your way to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai. Continuing through the colorful rice terraces you willreach the village of Ta Van Giay. As you continue your trek along the Muong Hoa River you will cross a small suspension bridge, roughly 2km from the settlement. Here you can discover a fascinating collection of rock carvings. These engravings depict some beautiful images of man, stilt houses and some beautiful decorative patterns. We lunch in a home in the village. After lunch the walk continues through a bamboo forest to visit Red Dao ethnic minority village. After taking a rest nearby a waterfall to refresh, you start climbing uphill to a road where the car is ready for your journey back to Lao Cai railway. Overnight on the train.

Day 5: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L, D)

We will arrive in Hanoi at around 4:30 AM, and then transfer to hotel for our short relax and breakfast.

At 08:00 AM, we will start our tour to Halong Bay.

The vehicle takes us through the Red River Delta for 3,5 hour and we will arrive the port at around midday. Welcome by the Cruiser crew team and enjoy fresh seafood

lunch while the cruise is gliding out.Halong Tours

In the afternoon, we visit Sung Sot cave (Surprising cave) in the middle of the Bay and swim. The sunset’s coming is our time to relax on the deck with favorite drink…

Delicious dinner will be served with typical local seafood.

Overnight on boat.

Day 6: Halong Bay - Hanoi (B, L)

This morning, we will visit Titop Island and relax on the beach. Optional for us is walking up to the top of the island to get panoramic view of the anchorage area.

We then back to the Cruiser to learn the recipes and techniques that go into the most popular dish of the Vietnamese food.

Lunch will be served when cruising back to the port where our awaiting vehicle will transfer us back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 7: Hanoi - Departure (B)

Transfer via: International flight – your arrangement
Free until transfer you to the airport for your flight home. Trips end!

Note: Your tour duration will be changed follow your request. You can extend more day, or chose your options: Hue tour, Nha trang tour, Hoi An tour , Mekong river tour, or Cambodia packages.

What's Included ?

• Sapa hotel base in twin/ double.
• Meals as itinerary: Breakfast, Lunch
• Pick-up/ Drop off at Lao Cai Train station.
• Pick up/drop off at Hanoi Hotel to Hanoi Train Station.
• Return train tickets: Hanoi - Lao Cai – Hanoi (4 soft sleeper A/C wooden cabin - Sharing cabin)
• Travel in an appropriate air-conditioned vehicle and/or a Jeep with an experienced safe driver.
• Kayak and gears (halong bay cruise)
• 02 bottles of water in cabin (halong bay cruise)
• Experienced English-speaking guides.
• Entrances Fees

What's Excluded ?

• Sapa hotel early check in.
• International flight tickets and airport tax.
• Visa services.
• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.
• Insurance

Tour Class	ACCOMMODATION	Price Per Person (US$)
		1 Pax	2 Pax	3 - 4 Pax	5 - 8 Pax	Singlesupplement
Superior (2*)	Hanoi Asia Star HotelHoang Ha Sapa HotelDragon Superior Cruise	458	414	373	315	90
Deluxe (3*)	Hanoi An Hung HotelSapa Unique HotelHalong Glory cruise	525	433	414	402	165
Luxury (3*+)	Hanoi Maison HotelSapa Chau Long HotelHalong Paloma cruise	785	602	590	577	225

PHOTOS

Source: Halongtourvietnam.org