Detailed itinerary
itinerary
disclaimer
The
itinerary attached is correct at time of printing. It may differ
slightly to the one in reality. Occasionally our itineraries
change as we make improvements that stem from past travellers,
comments and our own research. Please note that our brochure is
usually released by the end of each year. If you have booked from
the previous brochure you may find there have been some changes to
improve the itinerary. It is very important that you print a final
copy of your Trip Dossier to review a couple of days prior to
travel, in case there have been changes that affect your plans
Day
1 Ha Noi - Mai Chau
Morning
drive from
Hanoi
to Mai Chau, a beautiful valley in Hoa Binh province. As soon as
you get out of
Hanoi
, the limestone mountain ranges rush up and give the scenery an
imposing view. Arrive in Mai Chau late noon, have lunch in Mai
Chau and hike around the villages full of house-on-stilts and
textile products of local people to learn about the routine life
of Thai tribal people. Among the villages you will pass by during
this trip, Mai Chau is the closest place where you can meet the
hill tribal people, though, due to the ease to reach the nearest
town of
Hoa Binh
, the village is gradually losing its primitive characters. Still,
it is the most convenient 1st stop on the long route of the
Northwest Loop
. The village is inhabited by Thai people, who are believed to be
homogenous with the Thai people in
Thailand
and
Southern China
. Amongst the 53 ethnic groups of Vietnam, they are considered one
of the most civilized for the delicate dress, for beauty and
elegance of women, and for nice, wide, spacious houses-on-stilts,
and above all, for hospitality
Overnight:
Thai village homestay
Meals
included: None
ETHNIC
MINORITIES OF
VIETNAM
There
is nothing better than walking amongst the rice paddy patchwork
that makes up the mountains of northwest
Vietnam
. To awake and wander off from the village among the clouds and
watch as the mist rises from the mountaintops is unforgettable.
Vietnam
is home to 54 ethnic minorities and a number of these have made
the mountainous region of the north their base. During our time
here we’ll meet many of these fascinating people and have the
privilege of staying as guests in their villages. As we wander
through the mountains we're constantly met by the delighted
squeals and smiles of children and we'll see many members of the
ethnic groups who still wear their traditional dress. We'll meet
people dressed in exquisite hand-embroidered clothes,and others
weaving fabrics, embroidering ancient patterns, dying cloth with
indigo and using beeswax to create a batik design. The ethnic
groups are well adapted to the harsh life on
hillsides,
and you will see many terraces built into the slopes where rice
and vegetables are grown.
Day
2 Mai Chau- Son La
Upon
leaving Mai Chau the roads begins to deteriorate; however many
villages dot the hillsides and undulating terrain make for an
interesting journey, you are crossing the most magnificent part of
the Hoang Lien Son range, the Tonkinese Alps, the home of most
colourful-dressed Montagnards who still maintain lots of their
long-term culture and traditions Along the way we stop in Xa Linh
for a two hour trek past many timeless hill villages which are
home of the Hmong hill tribe people. Travelling to Son La across
the Moc Chau Plateau where located hundreds of immense farms of
dairy cattle and where produce the best tea of Vietnam we catch a
glimpse of the many tea plantations and see the Black Thai hill
tribe people. They belong to the same Thai ethnic group, but are
different from the White Thai in Mai Chau by their tradition and
habits. To see them leaving the very early morning market, you
should wake up an depart early too.
We
arrive in Son La in the
afternoon, check-in and relax before dinner and overnight in the
hotel.
Overnight:
Cong Doan hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
3 Son La- Dien Bien Phu
The
provincial museum and the nearby old prison are some of this hill
town's major sights. We can pay a visit to an old French prison
used during the 1st Indochinese War before we leave for
our next destination. The winding roads cross over the
Pha
Din
Pass
before heading to Dien Bien. The most picturesque scenery is that
of
Pha
Din
Pass
, which is well-known as a historical site during the French War
in 1954, a high and dangerous pass at an elevation of 1,300m, and
a breathtaking view.
After
checking into our centrally located hotel we enjoy a walk around
to see this fast growing town. Dien Bien is only 35km from the
border with
Laos
. Being the last battlefield of the French during their war with
the Vietnamese, which ended with the fall of the French colonial
control in Indochina and the replacement of the US Army not so
long, Dien Bien Phu now returned to be a green valley inhabited by
dozens of the ethnic groups. Visiting the historical sites in Dien
Bien will also make your trip more memorable. To name a few, they
are Dien Bien Museum, A1 Hill, the shelter of the French general
De Castries and the cemetery and memorial of the Vietnamese and
French soldiers died during the fierce fight in 1954
Overnight:
Muong Thanh hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
4 Dien Bien- Lai Chau
The
journey north continues on to
Lai
Chau
Town
. You should know that soon before 2010, the nice
valley
of
Lai Chau
will be underwater in a construction plan of the biggest
hydropower station in
Southeast Asia
. Along the way we see very few other travellers, mostly rural
dwellers who are just as interested in finding out about our lives
as we are of theirs. The communication with the people from tribal
groups living surrounding Lai Chau like Black Thai, White Thai,
Muong and Dzao people will sweep away your tiredness of the long
trip. After checking into hotel, you have the option of embarking
on a boat trip along the Da River, passing through the stunning
mountain landscapes, the pace is very relaxed, a perfect way
to observe the local lifestyle in close up.
Overnight:
Lan Anh hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
5 Lai Chau – Sin Ho - Phong Tho- SaPa
Today
we head South to Sapa via Phong Tho, the old chief town of
Lai Chau
province before Dien Bien took over this role in 1993. First stop
on the way is Sin Ho which is home land of the Red Hmong, Kho Mu,
Mang and Dao ethnic minorities. They are settled there longtime
ago and still retain their traditional culture and habits. The
trip to Sin Ho is occasionally suspended due to the restriction of
the local authority. Departing Sin Ho we make our way past the
hilly region to Phong Tho. This timeless town is surrounded by
stunning mountain backdrops and lush tea plantations. After lunch
in Phong Tho we keep driving on another one of
Northern Vietnam
's most spectacular roads on the way to Sapa. This bumpy road
links to many hill towns and villages. At an elevation of 1,600
meters, Sapa was founded in the early years of the last century as
a hill resort for French administrators when the heat on the plain
became unbearable. After checking into hotel we can soak up the
fresh climate as much as we want by spending our time wandering
around this charming town and some legacies of the French period
Overnight:
Royal hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
6 SaPa
In
the morning we take a short trek to Catcat village, the
village
of
H'mong
tribe in the valley, which remains very generally uncorrupted
outside forces. Excellent views of the valley, the magnificent
limestone and paddy fields of H'mong village. Enjoy some visits to
local families and reach their customs. After the village down
into the valley, the Cat Cat waterfall will be visible. A
"White curtain" cascade appears, surrounded by flowery
valley and deep-green pines. The rocks near the river and
waterfall provide a marvelous place for picturesque photos and
sunbathing during good weather…
In
the afternoon our vehicle will take us to TaPhin valley, around
15kms from Sapa. Here you will see the ruins of the old
French
Colonial
Church
by the left-hand side of this dirt road where we stop to get
entrance fees to enter the village. Leave your jeep at the end of
the dirt road then walk into the village to visit the rich culture
and friendly tribes here we visit the villages of the Red Dzao and
Black Hmong minority people, enjoy the view of the valley and
visit the caves in the village's outskirts. Our guide will assist
you communicating with the locals while visiting around the
village. Take a ride back to Sapa for around 30 minutes and you
must stop some times on the way to take photos of the fabulous
valley. Many "Kodak moments" are awaiting for you along
the way.
Overnight:
Royal hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
7 SaPa- BacHa
Today
we continue our trip to Bac Ha through LaoCai border town, after
having lunch and take a brief look at Ha Khau border gate, we
drive up a 30km spectacular pass to BacHa. With a dozen of tribes
living in the surroundings, including Flower HMong, Chinese, Nhang,
Dzao, Nung, Phu la, Thai and King (or Viet), the Sunday market of
Bac Ha is extremely exciting especially in the early morning. Not
a unique in the Northern mountains of Vietnam but one of the very
few places whose infrastructure allow the car to reach, Bac Ha
soon became a captivating destination. Anyhow, the difficult road
helps maintain the colours (literal and figurative sense) of the
area. The Sunday market in Bac Ha is often held? well, on Sunday,
and a lot of the market sellers are women from the tribe of Flower
HMong, who are famous for their wonderful craft and hand-made
flowering clothes and textile fabrics. The market is most exciting
just for a half day. By 14.00, you may see people leaving (after
eating) back to their villages, you can hike around to follow them
to their villages too, or take your car heading to further hamlets
in Ban Pho, Trieu Cai, or Na Hoi, or trek there and be picked-up
to return to Bac Ha, all the villages are within 2- 4km from the
marketplace.
Overnight:
Sao Mai hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
8 Bac Ha - Hoang Su Phi - Ha Giang
Leaving
Bac Ha we set off on a full day journey through Sin Man and Hoang
Su Phi to Ha Giang Town. Have your camera at the ready, because
the road between Bac ha and Xin Man features a unique and
beautiful landscape, plus a fantastic market in Can Cau located
right in the heart of mountains. After Can Cau, we proceed along
the Chinese border to the remote and seldom-visited
province
of
Ha Giang
The rough but scenic route traverse a dense jungle before crossing
over a pass and dropping down to
Sin
Man.
This day is a real challenge for our driver as we travel by
winding roads with many uphill and down hill drives. Along the way
we may encounter the Nung, Tay, Red Dzao, Dzao Ao Dzai, La Chi and
Co Lao, just some of the many hill tribe groups who have settled
there. We pass by Hoang Su Phi with many villages of Black Mong,
Nung along the way and 100-km up and down mountain passes with
amazing landscape of mountainous rice paddies. Then we continue
along the Lo river to Ha Giang. Ha Giang is located at the highest
latitude in
Vietnam
. It is surrounded by Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai.
This is a political sensitive area - Ha Giang shares its borders
with
Vietnam
's arch-enemy
China
- and your guide will apply for a "permit" for the days
to come. Arrive in Ha Giang town is always a great moment - plus,
the town has an excellent massage center.
Overnight:
Phuong Dong hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
9 Ha Giang - Sa Phin - Dong Van
Rise
and shine for a few hours drive over an endless winding road to
the most northern town of
Vietnam
, Dong Van. You'll travel through many of the Heaven Gates such as
Quan Ba, Yen Binh, and Dong Van. They are so called because one
gets the feeling of touching the sky, the heaven gates. This is
the best time and place to enjoy the wonderful sightseeing of the
vast limestone mountain range and perpendicular rock walls which
give a feeling of adventure while being lost in a magic land where
we are surrounded by many rocks of all shapes and sizes. Then we
continue our trip to visit the infamous
Vuong
Palace
, a H'mong high-rank family during French colonial rule. This
palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors
due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture. The
more you go north, the further "normal"
Vietnam
seems to vanish and most people you'll see wear their traditional,
extremely colorful clothes. But you won't be the only one who is
amazed, so are Ha Giang's inhabitants who seldom see a foreigner.
In Dong Van you'll spend the night in a simple, government run
"nha khach" (guesthouse).
Overnight:
Dong Van guesthouse or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
10 Dong Van - Meo Vac - Lung Phin - Bac Me
The
trip from Dong Van to Meo Vac is one you'll never forget: along a
steep, hundreds of meters deep abyss the road will take you
through a spectacular mountain area with on your left side
China
. Meo Vac is conquered by the Lo Lo and Pu Peo ethnic minority
people. They still retain their age old cultural traditions and
are recognisably distinct from each other by their dress. The
remoteness and the simple lifestyle of local people are a
highlight of Meo Vac although conditions are very basic. Main goal
of this day is a visit to the market of Lung Phin, a small village
where time has stood still for ages. Miles and miles before you'll
reach Lung Phin there's an endless stream of people accompanied by
goats, cows and dogs - for human consumption - who are heading by
foot to the market. After spending a few hours in the amazing
village of Lung Phin, you'll keep going to Bac Me via Yen Minh,
using a short cut way.
Overnight:
Song
Gam hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
11 Bac Me - Bao Lac - Nguyen Binh – Ba Be lakes
An
early morning start to drive through the rolling hills and the
picturesque scenery to Ba Be National Park. The roads are very
bumpy and zigzagging however we will have a chance to meet the
Hmong, Dao, Tay and Nung ethnic minorities who make for the main
population of this region. We are sure to attract their attention
as this part of the country receive very few visitors. Depending
on road and traffic conditions we arrive in Ba Be by late
afternoon or early evening
Overnight:
Ba Be hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
12 Ba Be lakes
The
legendary
lake
of
Ba Be
is just one continuous water body although the name means three
lakes?. Today we embark on a boat cruising down the
Nang
River
which is the main water source of the lake. This exciting river
trip will give us a taste of the tranquil countryside and an
enjoyable exploration of the Ba Be National Park. We traverse the
Poong Grotto en route before stopping at some nearby hill tribe
villages and getting off the beaten track to the scenic Dau Dang
Waterfalls. In one of the desolated villages near the water you'll
spend the night in a traditional
Tay
house.
Overnight:
Tay
village homestay
Meals
included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day
13 Ba Be - Cao Bang
The
following destination of our trip is
Cao
Bang
Town
. After breakfast we set off on our half day journey past the
spectacular mountainous landscapes, with a mixture of steep
terraced rice field and hill villages. Along the way, we can make
stops at our pleasure, to stretch our legs and shoot some
wonderful photographs. The remainder of the day will be free to
explore the town or simply to relax.
Overnight:
Huong Thom hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
14 Cao Bang- Ban Gioc Waterfalls
An
eighty kilometers long road will take you to the Ban Gioc
Waterfalls. Half way you'll visit a village of the Nung minority.
Close to the Chinese border you'll make a short walk to the falls
which are 300 meters wide and 50 meters high. In winter, the dry
season, it's possible to take a boat to the falls. On a short
distance from the falls are the Nguom Ngao caves. The local guides
will take you for a trip to underground rivers and lakes and
sinter caves. Late in the afternoon you'll return to Cao Bang.
Overnight:
Huong Thom hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
15 Cao Bang - Lang Son
Heading
out of town , we make our way north to the historical
cave
of
Pac Po
where Ho Chi Minh set up the headquarter for the August Vietnamese
Revolution in 1945. After seeing this vestige site we continue our
journey past the many hill villages and the tranquil town of
Dong Khe
and That Khe. The journey north continues along the National
Highway 4 and follows the Ky Cung river which flows around the
foot of limestone mountains to Lang Son. If time permits we will
visit Mau Mount. It's about 30 kilometres from Lang Son city to
Mau Mount on the winding narrow mountain path, like a snake, lies
tucked between 2 steep mountains. Mau Mount is 1542 m above sea
level. This area's picturesque scenery turns it a mini Sapa
characterized with the beautiful steep mountains. In the late
afternoon we arrive in Lang Son. Just don’t forget to visit
KyLua busy night market.
Overnight:
Huy Hung hotel or similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
16 Lang son-
Hanoi
Langson
is the capital of this mountainous area and is an important
crossing and trading route with
China
. As a trading post, Langson has some markets worth visiting.
You’ll find everything from electronics and gadgets to textiles
and house wares. Its definitely buyer be aware, as there’s lots
of knock-offs of the original. If the markets aren’t your thing
then just a couple of kilometers from town are two large,
beautiful caves and the ruins of the Mac Dynasty Citadel worth a
visit.
Tamthanh
Cave
contains a pond and offers great views of the surrounding
farmlands.
Nhithanh
Cave
, formed by the river that flows through it, has poems carved into
the entrance by the man who discovered the cave in the 18th
century. After your morning of exploration its time for lunch and
prepare for the trip back to
Hanoi
. The road from Langson is a modern highway that quickly carries
down from the mountains, back onto the Red River Delta and into
Hanoi
. Back to the hotel for dinner and a toast to the completion of
one of
Vietnam
's most spectacular loops.
Meals
included: Breakfast
Your
adventure ends upon arrival in
Hanoi
. If you do not have other arrangements in
Vietnam
, Tailormade Vietnam Holidays can book additional nights for you at the
starting point hotel
General Notes:
• Tailormade Vietnam Holidays reserves the right to alter or revise
the prices and the itinerary when circumstances beyond the
company's control deem it necessary.
• Accommodation in hotels is subject to availability. If the
listed hotels are fully booked, alternate accommodation will be
offered at the same level.
• If there are any requests regarding special meals, dietary
requirements, early check in, late check out, adjoining room and
so on, please inform the company when booking. Such requests are
subject to confirmation and availability.
.jpg "Ba Be lakes - National Park")
Day
1 Mai Chau homestay
Day
2 Son La
Day
3 Dien Bien Phu
Day
4 Lai Chau
Days
5-6 Sa Pa
Day
7 Bac Ha
Days
8-10 Ha Giang
Days
11-12 Ba Be lakes
Days
13-14 Cao Bang - Ban Gioc Waterfalls 
Days
15-16 Lang Son, return to Ha Noi
