Northern Vietnam in depth 10 days

Welcome to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, a beguiling city in Asia with the chaotic streets of the Old Quarter and a fusion of colonial and Asian culture. 

Upon arrival, you will meet your local tour guide and check in at the hotel. Have free time the rest of the day to recover from the jet lag.

Begin your full-day discovery of the capital at Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in Hanoi. Constructed in the 6th century, the pagoda has been relocated to a peninsula on West Lake since the 17th century. Afterward, take a 15-minute leisure walk along the beautiful Thanh Nien Road to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - the final resting place of Vietnam’s greatest leader, his traditional stilt house, and the architecturally striking One-Pillar Pagoda nearby.

In the afternoon, you will pay a visit to the Temple of Literature (or Van Mieu in Vietnamese), a temple dedicated to Confucius and also the site of Vietnam’s first university. This complex is like a peaceful oasis amid the bustling city, with ornate gates, pretty water-lily ponds, traditional-style pavilions, and well-manicured gardens. Later on, explore the Hanoi Old Quarter by trishaw and enjoy the traditional water puppet show at the theater.

In the morning, you will leave Hanoi and travel to Mai Chau, a mountainous valley situated only 135km (84 miles) to the south-west of Hanoi. The welcome lunch will be prepared at a local family who live in Thai traditional house. Enjoy tasty local cuisine and take moments to learn more about their daily life.

Settle into the ecolodge; you will have a pleasant trek to visit a neighboring village of the white Thai minority and contemplate the Mai Chau Valley. The peaceful place is mainly dominated by idyllic landscapes of the rice paddies, farming plantation and small villages. You can also hop on the bicycle, traversing through the rice fields, and intermingle with locals.

After your breakfast, you have free time to relax or visit the surrounding villages nestled in Mai Chau; then, depart for Pu Luong Nature Reserve in a one-hour drive. Among the most fascinating regions of northern Vietnam, Pu Luong is characterized by limestone peaks, deep green rice terraces, and villages of the Thai and Muong minority tribes.

This afternoon, you will drive to Chien Lau Bridge, where you will begin the walk and exploration till reaching Tan Lap Bridge, where you will see the driver and head back to the lodge. Free time to enjoy the lodge as well as the stunning view from your bungalow.

This morning, head straight to Dong Dieng village and embark on a high-spirited trek around the Nature Reserve. This trek will take you through quaint ethnic villages, terraced paddies with imposing mountains in the background, huge wooden water wheels, and other highlights of Pu Luong.

The trek starts with a walk into Kho Muong Village and the mysterious Bat Cave there, then ends at the cascading Hieu Waterfall set at Hieu Village. In the middle of this excursion, you’ll have a while to ease off at noon while enjoying prominent Pu Luong delicacies for lunch. Late afternoon, move to Pu Luong Ecolodge at Don Village before returning to the lodge.

This morning, you will depart from Pu Luong to Ninh Binh in a nearly 4-hour drive. Upon your arrival, you will have lunch of local cuisine prepared at a local house. 

In the afternoon, you will board a local sampan and traverse the Hoang Long River to explore Tam Coc, or Three Caves, which is set in an aquatic landscape and features gigantic rock terraces. The next stop is Hoa Lu Temples, revered to the Dinh and Le Kings of Vietnam in the 10th century. 

In the morning, depart for Cuc Phuong National Park for a full-day trek through the verdant, luxuriant jungle. Cuc Phuong Park is situated between two karst mountain ranges and is also home to a few Muong villages. You will have a short visit to the Endangered Primate Rescue Center for the gibbons, langur, turtles, etc. Then have a hike up to the Cave of Prehistoric Man. Carry on; you will trek through the rainforest to see the flora and fauna, thousand-year-old trees, and spot wild animals.

This morning, you will leave Ninh Binh for the renowned Halong Bay cruise, one of the best things to experience in Vietnam. Arriving around noon, you will embark on the cruise and sail further to the bay on the stunning crossing through thousands of limestone peaks. Halong Bay includes nearly 2,000 islands and islets, creating a spectacular landscape and earning it UNESCO World Heritage status twice, in 1994 and 2000. As the boat sets sail calmly, you will enjoy lunch on the windy and captivating Halong Bay. In the afternoon, there are activities to enjoy, such as hiking to the cave, kayaking on the lagoon, and watching the sunset over the bay. The boat will set sail in a quiet place for the night.

A Tai Chi lesson is available early in the morning on the top deck for guests to practice. After breakfast, the boat will sail to another part of the bay, where guests can enjoy the scenery until it reaches the mainland at noon. You then disembark the boat and travel back to Hanoi.

After breakfast, have a free & easy time to relax till your transfer to the airport for your flight to your next destination.