Explore North Vietnam 6 Days 5 Nights

Day 1: Hanoi - Ba Be Lake (L, D)

In the morning you will set off for Ba Be National Park from Hanoi. Ba Be Lake is a Natural World Heritage Site, a stunning fresh water lake surrounded by swooping limestone mountains covered in evergreen forest. During your journey you will stop for refreshment in Thai Nguyen where you will have chance to visit the museum of the cultures of Vietnam's ethnic group to understand more about the ethnic minority groups in northern Vietnam. After this you will continue to Bac Kan town for lunch and onwards to Ba Be National Park. Here you will have time to relax or take in the scenery by walking around the lake shore to see the Tay villages. You will stay overnight in a Tay house.

Day 2: Ba Be Lake - Cao Bang (B, L)

The best way to see Ba Be is by boat on Ba Be Lake, boat man takes you through the entire length of the 3 connected lakes (Ba Be - "3 bays") The boat then goes up river to the small village of Hua Tang. A short walk (20 m) through the jungle takes you to the very scenic Thac Dau Dang Waterfalls, a series of spectacular cascades between sheer rock walls and up the Nang River, to an astonishing site: Dong Puong, an enormous tunnel (300m long by 30m high) that the river has dug through a lime mountain. After lunch at Cho Ra town, we continue to drive towards Cao Bang. Here the ethnic people of H’Mong, Dzao, Tho and Nung live together in harmony. We will arrive in Cao Bang town at about 17h00. Check in your hotel, free walking around the town. Overnight at hotel in Cao Bang town.

Day 3: Cao Bang - Ban Gioc - Bao Lac (B, L)

Breakfast at hotel, car ride to Ban Gioc, visit the waterfall in this day you will take a scenic in insightful day trip north of Cao Bang to the beautiful Ban Gioc waterfall on the Chinese border. This picturesque, cascading waterfall is 53 meters high and has an impressive span of 300 meters. The drive there offers unique landscapes, limestone karst formations soar from the verdant rice paddies of the surrounding farms of local ethnic minorities. Along the way, you will see Tay, Hmong and Dzao ethnic minority groups. Lunch in restaurant nearby Ban Gioc water fall, heading back to Cao Bang, on the way, we come to visit the expansive 2,144 meter Nguom Ngao Cave to discover its brilliant stalactites. Return to Cao Bang then transfer to Bao Lac town and overnight in Song Gam river hotel.

Day 4: Bao Lac - Meo Vac - Dong Van (B, L)

After breakfast you will leave Bao Lac village and head to the stunningly beautiful Dong Van district, surrounded by a wide range of rock formations and home to a number of ethnic minority groups. Here you will have chance to see and even visit the traditional houses. The scenic route climbs over a pass, and then descends down to Meo Vac valley, a beautiful valley situated very close to the Chinese border. After having lunch in local restaurant then you will then have the opportunity to trek along the Ma Pi Leng Pass and take in the views of the beautiful mountain ranges and the Nho Que river. As the roads zigzag along to Dong Van you will notice the remoteness of local life and see some of the environmental obstacles against survival and development. We will stay overnight in a hotel at Dong Van town where you will have the chance to wander the ancient streets lined with old houses of the H’mong people made of clay bricks and tiled roofs.

Day 5: Dong Van - Yen Minh - Quan Ba - Ha Giang (B, L, D)

Before we leave Dong Van today we visit Dong Van old quarter, Dong Van day market only in Sunday morning. We climb a pass up to the French Fortress of Pu Lo, built in 1890 and evacuated in 1945, from which we enjoy a spectacular view of the entire region. then a leisurely drive from Dong Van to Yen Minh & Quan Ba, this day will make your itinerary a good pace, not in a rush. We will visit the infamous Vuong Palace, a H'mong family of high rank during French colonial rule - this palace attracts keen interest from architecturally minded visitors due to its mixed style of European and Chinese architecture. We then hit the road back to Quan Ba and downhill to Ha Giang for the night. Overnight in Tay ethnic village.

Day 6: Ha Giang - Hanoi (B, L)

Today the trip finish, we will check out our of accommodation and goodbye your host. Return Hanoi via Tuyen Quang where we will have lunch and some stops for landscapes to take photos. Arrival Hanoi at about 5:30PM.

Tour includes
+ A/C transfer
+ Boat trip on Ba Be lake
+ Homestays and hotels
+ English speaking guide
+ Meals as stated in the itinerary (B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner)
+ All sightseeing tickets

Tour excludes
+ Personal expenses, tips and gratuities
+ Travel insurance
+ Beverage
+ Other services not mentioned above.