PERFUMES OF THE NORTHWEST 11 DAYS

Arrival in Noi Bai airport, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel in the city center. The check-in will be available at 2 pm. The rest of the day is free to rest or discover the city at your own pace.

You will be picked up at the hotel at 8:00 am, starting the day trip with a visit of the Ho Chi Minh Complex, including Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum (closed on Mondays & Fridays) and his former stilt-house residence. We will continue with the Temple of Literature constructed in 1070 to worship Confucius, which served as the first Royal National University in Vietnam. The site also honors 82 Vietnamese doctorates who passed a number of rigorous exams in the feudal ages. Their names, birthdays and birthplaces are engraved in 82 headstones perched on stone tortoises. It is widely believed that touching the heads of these tortoises will bring one luck. Its peaceful green compound and its neatly maintained lawns, gardens and lotus ponds make it a tranquil hideaway from the city’s bustle and heat. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays, the alternative being the History Museum), which offers informative and well-documented displays on the country’s 54 ethnic groups cultures, including elaborate and colorful hill tribe costumes. The display continues in the museum’s garden with fascinating examples of traditional houses of numerous minority groups, from the Kinhs to the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands.  Then back to the Old Quarter for a one hour and a half walking tour to give you a deeper insight of local daily life. Head to Ngoc Son Temple set on a tiny island in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake. Ngoc Son Temple dates back to the 13th century, and the lake itself is the picturesque heart of Hanoi, frequented by tourists and locals alike. The day ends with a stroll around the HoanKiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) before watching the traditional water puppet show. 

Depart at 8h00 am from Hanoi to Mai Chau, a picturesque valley, predominantly inhabited by the White Thai ethnic group. Arrive in Mai Chau around noon and transfer to your hotel, then lunch will be followed by a short break. In the afternoon, we will make a nice bike ride to discover an authentic and uncharted country, unspoiled by mass tourism. You’re gonna be charmed by the traditional houses on stilts, the Thai’s friendly smiles and greetings, vegetable gardens, green rice and bamboo forests along the way, crossing many villages of different ethnic groups: Chieng Sai, Cha, Cha Long, Na Tang, Tong Dau ... Return to the lodge to admire its natural surroundings. After dinner, enjoy the traditional music show. Overnight at the hotel.

After a homemade breakfast, departure for the pretty Mai Chau valley. A short transfer by car will take you to the MocChau plateau, a region well known for its tea plantations, its temperate climate and its dairy cow farms (A tasting should be possible. If the water level is too low or if the river is too wild, we won’t be able to use the ferry, therefore we will have to use another road). The landscape is very wild. Along the way you will meet some Mong, Thai and Muong villages. We will cross one of the largest reservoirs of the country on a local ferry. Picturesque landscapes with terraced rice fields, rafts made out of bamboo used for breeding aquatic products, traditional wood houses... Take a small stroll in the valley of Phu Yen. In the afternoon, we’ll go to the Thai capital. Flooded rice fields, vegetable gardens, peaceful villages near the mountains will make for the perfect photo shoot. Arrival in Muong Lo at the end of the day. Night in Muong Lo.

Depart from Nghia Lo to Mu Cang Chai, the road winds its way through Hoang Lien Son mountain chain, which has the highest peak of Indochina, Mount Fansipan. Stop at Tu Le for an easy hike. You walk through rice terraces to reach Thai and H’mong villages where people still dress in traditional costumes and H’mong women sit by their loom. Tu Le is a small hill tribe town surrounded by picturesque landscape and full of warmhearted people living in tiny wooden houses nestled at the foot of the mountains. Leaving Tu Le, you cross Khau Pha Pass (1550m). Dominating the entire area of La Pan Tan for a hundred years, the Mong still keep their morals and customs very well. Being always in traditional clothing, speaking their own language, refusing the invasion of modern life, they cultivate maize in plots of land embedded with rocks, they grow vegetables and especially rice in terraced rice fields. A new road will take you to the heart of the village where you can discover Mong culture and meet with villagers, a great opportunity for photo shoots.

After a 2 hour drive, the road begins to climb up the Tram Ton Pass, the highest pass in Vietnam at 2047 meters of altitude. Stop for photos opportunities and enjoy the fresh air. From here, you can see  Mount Fansipan, “the Roof of Indochina” with its 3143m peak reaching the clouds. Arrive in Sapa at noon. Start your walk in the Muong Hoa River on your way to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai. Past the colorful rice terraces, you will reach 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 decorative patterns. Overnight in homestay.

The walk continues through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic minority village. Rest and refresh yourself near a waterfall, then climb uphill where a car is waiting to take you in Bac Ha. After lunch, leave the colorful market behind to follow a zigzag road along the mountain and visit Ban Pho 1 and Ban Pho 2 villages, inhabited by Flower H'mong people. Return to Bac Ha in the late afternoon.

This is the biggest local ethnic market of the region and it takes place every Sunday. Tribal people from surrounding villages flock here to exchange their products. Join the local ethnic people for about 2 hours to enjoy the exciting atmosphere as well as the activities of this weekly market. Walk from section to section, seeing and smelling different local products, spices, vegetables, farming tools, handicraft, even medicinal herbs… above all meeting smiling people everywhere. After spending the whole morning exploring the market, you will leave the market for lunch before driving back to Hanoi.

After breakfast, depart for Halong Bay, passing through the typical peaceful countryside of Red River Delta with endless rice fields and winding rivers. We will arrive at Halong’s tourist wharf around noon and embark on an elegant wooden junk. Lunch will be served while the boat gently cruises past numerous islands and limestone structures rising from the emerald water. A fresh seafood dinner will be prepared by an experienced chef and served on deck. A peaceful night indeed in your private cabin.
Please note that the program may vary a little depending on the cruise you choose & weather conditions on that day.

Awakening to the tranquil beauty of the bay, you have time for an early morning dip while the sun rises, followed by breakfast on board. We will sail through the bay all morning to explore more secluded areas. The junk will stay close at all times serving as a backup vessel for those who require it. Around midday we will return to the main harbor and drive back to Hanoi.

Free time to go shopping in the busy streets of the old quarter or rest at the hotel (room available until 12 noon). Transfer to the airport. End of our services.