Northern Vietnam Trails

Descrição da estadia

Alojamento

Programação da estadia

• dia 1

  Arrival in Hanoi

  

  

  Your journey begins as soon as you step off the plane. Upon your arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, your private driver will be waiting to take you directly to your hotel in the heart of Hanoi. After check-in, the rest of the day is at your disposal. Treat yourself to a first stroll through the winding alleys of the Old Quarter, settle into a café with a view of Hoan Kiem Lake, or simply take the time to rest. Tomorrow, your exploration of Northern Vietnam truly begins. Included: Airport transfer · French-speaking guide · Accommodation

• dia 2

  Hanoi: Culture, History and Hidden Alleyways

  

  Hanoi does not reveal itself easily. This full day in the capital moves between contemplation and emotion, opening at the Ho Chi Minh Complex, a site of profound national significance. You will visit the mausoleum where Vietnam's most revered leader rests, then step into his modest stilt house tucked within a tranquil garden, before pausing at the One Pillar Pagoda, an elegant wooden structure balanced on a single stone pillar above a lotus pond. The morning continues at the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, founded in the 11th century and one of the finest surviving examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. After a local lunch, the atmosphere shifts at Hỏa Lò Prison, nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton during the war, where exhibitions trace stories of resistance and resilience. The Vietnamese Women's Museum follows, offering moving testimonies on the essential role women have played throughout the country's history. The afternoon gives way to the streets. A cyclo ride winds through the Old Quarter before a final stop at Hoàn Kiếm Lake and the Ngọc Sơn Temple. The day closes with a water puppet show, a unique art form from northern Vietnam, performed on water to the sound of traditional live music. Included: Private air-conditioned vehicle, guide, entrance fees, water puppet show. Meals: breakfast, dinner. Accommodation included

• dia 3

  Hanoi - Mai Chau - Pu Luong

  

  The city fades quickly. Two hours after leaving Hanoi, the highway gives way to winding switchbacks, and the rooftops give way to terraced slopes. At noon, you reach the Mai Chau Valley, a peaceful landscape of stilt houses and rice paddies, where a traditional lunch awaits you at a local’s home before continuing on to the Pu Luong Nature Reserve. The roads narrow, and the pace slows. A short walk takes you to the Thai village of Ban Hang, nestled in a quiet valley. You cross a stream and follow paths through the fields to your ecolodge. By the time you settle in, the capital already seems very far away. Included: private transport, hiking guide, entrance fees, meals (breakfast and dinner), accommodation

• dia 4

  Pu Luong Trekking

  

  Wake up to the song of birds and the sight of mist slipping over the terraced rice fields. After breakfast at the ecolodge, you set off for a full day of hiking in the heart of the Pu Luong Nature Reserve, one of the most beautiful and least visited natural landscapes in Northern Vietnam. The route crosses rivers, winds along lush jungle trails, and passes through small farming hamlets where daily life follows the rhythm of the seasons. A lunch break in a local restaurant punctuates the day before the trail leads to Kho Muong, a White Thai village strikingly located at the foot of limestone cliffs. You will spend another night in the reserve, with the possibility of exploring a nearby limestone cave before dinner. Included: guided hike, entrance fees, meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), ecolodge accommodation

• dia 5

  Pu Luong - Pho Doan - Hanoi

  

  After breakfast, a gentle descent leads you to Pho Doan, a peaceful market town known for its large bamboo water wheels. Take the time to enjoy the path through lush forests, small farms, and quiet trails as the valley gradually opens up around you. At noon, your driver meets you for the return to Hanoi. On the way, stop to observe the water wheel systems that have irrigated these rice fields for centuries: a glimpse of agricultural life in the Northern Highlands, which has changed little over the generations. You return to the capital in the evening, with time to settle in before a quiet dinner in the Old Quarter. Included: hiking, private transport, entrance fees, meals (breakfast and dinner), accommodation.

• dia 6

  Hanoi - Lan Ha Bay Cruise

  

  This is the day when the journey changes register. Trading the road for the water, you leave Hanoi this morning, heading toward the city of Halong, where a fast boat transfer takes you to your floating home for the night—an elegantly fitted-out boutique boat, anchored in the heart of Lan Ha Bay. Calmer and less frequented than Halong’s main axis, Lan Ha Bay offers the same spectacular karst geology, the same emerald waters, and far fewer boats. After settling into your private en-suite cabin, lunch is served on board as the boat glides past wooded islets, floating villages, and majestic limestone formations. The afternoon takes you by bicycle to the village of Viet Hai, an isolated community nestled in Cat Ba National Park, where you pedal along forest trails skirting fishponds, organic gardens, and traditional houses. Back on board, the evening unfolds at its own pace. An interactive cooking class, led by the boat’s chef, precedes a dinner served outdoors on the upper deck, with regional cuisine, the silence of the bay, and a starry sky. Included: shared shuttle, cruise guide, all on-board activities, meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), en-suite cabin

• dia 7

  Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba Island and Hanoi

  

  Get up early to enjoy the soft light settling over the bay, and join a tai chi session on the upper deck—a peaceful way to welcome the morning before the day begins. After a light breakfast, board a bamboo boat or a kayak to explore the Dark and Bright Cave, a hidden cave where still waters and high limestone walls create a world apart. Back on board, a full breakfast is served as the cruise heads back toward the port. Once ashore, a shared shuttle takes you back to Hanoi, where you arrive in the late afternoon. Spend your last evening however you like: a bowl of bun cha in a quiet alley, an egg coffee in the Old Quarter, or a slow stroll under the city’s tree-lined avenues as the day fades. Included: Tai Chi session, cave excursion, shared cruise shuttle, meals (breakfast and brunch), accommodation

• dia 8

  Departure From

  

  Your journey through northern Vietnam comes to an end today. Take a moment to linger over a final breakfast at the hotel before one last walk through the early morning streets of Hanoi, where flower vendors are already setting up along the lake, the scent of pho drifts from open kitchens, and the city moves with quiet purpose long before the rest of the world stirs. At the agreed time, your private driver will take you to Noi Bai International Airport. Safe travels. Included: private air-conditioned vehicle, meals (breakfast).