NORTH-WEST VIETNAM TRIP

Today you will begin your loop trip to the northern hills from your accommodation in Hanoi at 8:00 AM. The drive southwest takes you out of the bustling city and you will get into the hilly region of Hoa Binh province. The scenery is getting greener with farms and trees. You will have few stops on the way for break and photo opportunities. Arrive at Mai Chau Valley around noon. Lunch is provided by a local family at a village. In the afternoon, you will embark on a scenic walk in the valley to enjoy the countryside scenery and learn the local daily life of the White Thai people. Late in the afternoon, get back to the house for dinner and stay overnight at the stilt-house homestay. 

• The alternative to the walk is riding a bicycle around the valley. 

Take the morning drive to Moc Chau with some stops where you are able to go for a walk to tribal villages of the Green H’mong minority. Their villages are surrounded by bushy plum trees and peach trees. Their life is still very basic on dirt-floor wooden houses. Arrive at Moc Chau before noon, check in your accommodation for today and have lunch. In the afternoon, get transferred to the famous green-tea hills in the area for a soft green hike from one hill to others. The hills of uniformly trimmed tea shrubs are very delightful and surely entertaining our eyes with the color. The visit continues with a visit to a big Limestone Cave near the town. Hang Doi cave is decorated naturally by plenty of beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Thence, move back to the hotel, refresh, dinner and spend the night. 

After the breakfast at your hotel, you will start the morning drive toward Son La city which is about 130km away. There is a short stop on the way where you will take a walk cross a suspended bridge to a village of the black Thai people who live under tortoise shell shaped roofs. Arrive at Son La City for lunch at a local restaurant. The afternoon drive to Dien Bien Phu City offers you a more beautiful scenery that you can view through your car windows or at some stops you would like to make for photo opportunities. Arrive at the city, check in your hotel and rest. Dinner and overnight at Dien Dien Phu. 

Dien Bien Phu City is only 35km from the border with Laos and used to be the last battlefield of the French and Vietnamese during the first Indochinese War. Not so long after 1954, Dien Bien Phu turned to be a green valley inhabited by many of the ethnic groups. The historical sites to visit this morning includes Dien Bien Phu Museum; A1 Hill; the French Head Quarter, the shelter of the French General De Castries and the memorials of the Vietnamese soldiers who were killed during the fierce battle in 1954. After the visits, you make your way to Lai Chau City with your lunch on the way. You also have some stops as often as you wish for visiting villages and taking photographs. Arrive at the hotel in Lai Chau City late in the afternoon. Relax, dinner and stay for the night. 

This morning, you will embark on a scenic drive to Sapa. The drive takes you about 3 hours includes some stops on the way because it will take you over the most massive pass of Vietnam, O Quy Ho, which is the most beautiful and longest mountain pass of Vietnam. One of the stops is a short hike up to view the steep Silver Waterfall before reaching Sapa town. Check in your hotel in Sapa and go for lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to a trekking point in a valley. The trek is on a narrow concrete path from Ma Tra Village of the Black H’mong minority to Ta Phin Village of the Red Yao minority. Late in the afternoon, get picked up and move back to the hotel to end the day. Dinner is on your own account. Overnight in Sapa. 

After your breakfast at the hotel, at 8:30, you get picked and transferred by the car to a trekking point to Y Ling Ho Village, Muong Hoa Valley. Muong Hoa is the biggest valley in Sapa region and bottomed by a rocky river. This is a less-traveled path if you start eaarlier than other visitors. To start, you trek downhill the valley, the scenery of the rice terraces along your way is very beautiful and could be the highlight of the day. Cross the river on a small suspension bridge and continue the trek uphill. This is rather challenging when it is wet but definitely offers you spetacular view over the valley. Finish your scenic trek at Lao Chai Village where your private vehicle awaits you. Drive back up to Sapa town and have lunch at a restaurant. After the meals and refreshing, you will spend the whole afternoon drive to Bac Ha little town for the night at a local guesthouse. 

As usual, your breakfast is served at the hotel. After that, you are accompanied by your guide to the colorful hill tribe market. (Sunday: Bac Ha Market, Saturday: Can Cau Market, Tuesday: Coc Ly Market). Here you will see some ethnic minority groups such as Flower Hmong, Phu La, Yao, Tay, Nung…etc. They are from different valleys, gather around for the trading. It is an awesome experience of seeing colors, understanding traditions and feeling the atmosphere. The market offers a variety of local products includes colorful embroidery, handicrafts and all types of daily necessary stuffs. Here also available animal market where people sell and buy or barter animal such as dogs, pot-bellied pigs, cows, buffalos and so on. Lunch is served at a local restaurant. The 5-hour drive in the afternoon takes you back to Hanoi. Finish the trip at the door of your accommodation in Hanoi.