The pioneer in Tonkin Vietnam

Hanoi arrival - Walking around Hanoi Old Quater (D)

While waiting for the available rooms, you begin the visits with that of the Temple of Literature, the first national university with its original architecture built in the 11th century and dedicated to the worship of Confucius and his followers.

You will continue by a walk around the Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword), the legendary and cherished place to Vietnamese, then a stroll in the old district.

Have dinner in a local restaurant and overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi sightseeing (B,L)

Breakfast at the hotel.

You begin the day with a visit to Museum of Ethnology (closed every Monday) which reflects in an attractive way the mosaic of the Vietnamese cultures by presenting traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments and also houses on stilt, typical of certain minorities.

In the afternoon: visit the residential area where are the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his house on stilt and the presidential palace. Then, visit the Ngoc Son Temple (of the Jade Mount), located on the islet of the lake.

In the evening, you end with a flourish Water Puppets Show, the typical popular art of Viet Nam. Back to the hotel.

Dinner free and night in Hanoi.

Hanoi – Cao Bang/ visit Giuong (Ethnic village) (B,L,D)

The morning, meeting at 08:00 am for a departure to the mountain, towards the provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang. The superb road crosses beautiful landscapes.

Stop and lunch on the way then arrival at the village of Giuong around 3:00 pm - A very poor village populated by ethnic groups Tay. To visit this magnificent authentic village is the opportunity of meetings and exchanges with them. Note, because it has importance, you will be the first foreign tourists to discover this site and to immerse you in local life (it is a new exceptional discovery of our Agency, that we propose exclusively).

The living conditions remain still very wild, it smells the odours of animals …

Dinner and overnight at the owner's house.

Phuc Hoa - Nguom Ngao cave - Ban Gioc waterfalls - Phia Thap (B,L,D)

The morning light is convenient for shooting photos in this village, then it's time to set off for other ethnic villages and to go to take advantage of the attractive waterfall of Ban Gioc.

Ideal site for photos and an exotic natural break.

A stopover at Nguom Ngao cave and other ethnic villages punctuate the continuation of the course which will lead us up to the authentic and very poor village of Phia Thap, inhabited by the ethnic group of Nung.

Dinner and overnight at the owner's house in Phia Thap

Phia Thap sightseeing (B,L,D)

After breakfast with the locals, we will follow the family to participate in seasonal rural activities such as: transplanting rice, harvesting, production of incense sticks, agriculture... Dinner and night at the locals.

Phia Thap - Kolia Geopark (B,L,D)

Have breakfast at the inhabitant's, then we walk quietly at the discovery of the locals' lives. We leave then for Organic High plateau, perched at 1400 m height, which seduces us by its beauty and its authenticity. We also appreciate his moderated temperature (one of the most pleasant weather of the North) a little as to Da Lat. Ideal to risk us in the surroundings!

Dinner and night in Lodge Kolia on the Organic High plateau

Dong Van Geopark (B,L,D)

After breakfast at Lodge, inescapable stopover for the visit of the Black Lo Lo’s village, very well known since its appearance in a popular reportage in France, but we shall also go to meet other ethnic minorities along our trip. Moreover, now it is time for Dong Van. On the route, we enjoy beautiful mountainous landscapes and take advantage of breaks to meet ethnic minorities.

Have lunch on the way.

Arrival at Dong Van, stroll in the village and the old district (if the weather allows).

Dinner and overnight in Dong Van.

Dong Van - Ha Giang (B,L,D)

In the morning: after a Vietnamese breakfast, start to visit the 17km distant weekly market of Dong Van. According to the lunar calendar's day, markets take place as follows: Market of Meo Vac and Dong Van only Sunday, Du Gia market every 6 days and Lung Phin market are the lunar days of the tiger and the monkey.

Then, visit the palace "King of the Hmong" (Dinh Vua Meo), dating closely 100 years.

On the road, a stopover visit in the village of Pho Bang, which shelters essentially members the Hoa ethnic group, immigrants who came from China.

We continue our road towards the village of Tuna Tha, passing by the Quan Ba pass with a stop at the summit, allowing us to admire the village of Quan Ba with the famous twin mountains of the Fairy (Nui Co Tien).

Exiting the village of Quan Ba, we penetrate into the village of Tha in suburb of Ha Giang around the end of the day.

Dinner and night at the owner's house in the village of Tuna Tha in Ha Giang.

Ha Giang – Thac Ba (B,L,D)

After breakfast, we go visiting ethnic villages in approximately 2 hours.

Then, the driver awaits to take us to Thac Ba.

Have lunch in a local restaurant.

Arrival in Thac Ba, installation at our host and ride on a power-driven boat for two hours at the rate of the activities of the inhabitants living at the border of the lake: forestry and plantations of manioc, fishing in the place and the levying of the traditional lockers with shrimp, fish breeding in cage, bovine and caprine breeding, …

Dinner and overnight at the owner's home.

Thac Ba – Nghia Lo (B,L,D)

Departure for the western extreme of the province of Bai Yen toward Nghia Lo. Bypassing the lake of Thac Ba by the South, we cross the Red River near Bai Yen and raise on the foothills of the mountain range of Hoang Lien Son.

We arrive at Muong Lo (The Thai word for Nghia Lo) at the end of the morning. Meeting and lunch with a Thai-white owner's house in the village of Nghia An leaned in a hill of the very beautiful rice valley of Muong Lo, 2nd bigger rice valley of the northwest, after that of Dien Bien Phu.

In the afternoon, ride a bicycle or walk in the ethnic village of Muong Lo which shelters Hai-black, Thai-white and Muong.

Back home for dinner with our guests who are pleasured to talk about the past and current customs of the Thai of Muong Lo.

Overnight at the owner's house

Nghia Lo – Mu Cang Chai (B,L,D)

After breakfast, stroll to the market of Nghia Lo. Then on the way to Mu Cang Chai via Tu Le.

At the exit of Nghia Lo, we cross a hilly region populated with Dao on the hill and with Thai in the valley. Chance plays a large part in the meetings that are convenient to take photos along the way.

We arrive in the valley of Tu Le. Possibility of going for a hike in the Tu Le valley, where live Thai in their houses on piles. Several new meetings allow us dumping in the authentic life of locals.

The afternoon sees us taking back road by climbing the Pass of Khau Pha, which offers magnificent panoramas on the valley of the terrace rice fields. Then, the car brings us on the site of La Pan Tan, nicknamed " Legendary Roads of the Photographers ". Here, everything is only masterpieces of terraces created by farmers artists Hmong, from generation to generation. Let's have a small hike to take advantage of this majestic landscape!

Arrival at Mu Cang Chai late in the afternoon.

Dinner and overnight at the inhabitant.

Mu Cang Chai – Hanoi (B,L,D)

Exiting the narrow valley of Mu Cang Chai, highlighted recently by its hydraulic dams, on the average valley of the river Nam Mu and more widely on the pond of the river Da (Black river). However, the route is only lining this valley for about twenty km.

After Than Uyen, fork westward by a magnificent and little frequented road which goes to the pass of Khau Co to cross the mountain range of Hoang Lien Son and the watershed between the pond of the Black River and that of the Red River. On the slopes of the pass, we stop for a magnificent panoramic view on the valley of Than Uyen.

We pursue in the direction of Van Ban, through the hamlets of Thai-whites, the ethnic group of high valleys, then the hamlets an H’mongs and Daos, ethnic groups of high mountains.

From Van BAN, by following the Red river on about 50 km until Lao Cai, we join the new road on the right bank of the Red River, routes which cross successively the high and the average region of Tonkin, characterized by the forest landscapes and hills. Then we finally cross the entry of the Red River Delta, where vast fields of rice surround the hundred-year-old villages.

Arrival at Hanoi at the end of the day.

Free dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Hanoi – Bai Tu Long Bay (B,L,D)

Morning is the departure for maritime Along Bay.

Arrival on the site at about 12:30 am, boarding on the 3 stars Junk for the cruise of 24 hours in the Halong Bay, classed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Visit of the natural caves during the cruise, rest and stroll on beaches as bathing will be the striking points of the cruise.

Dinner and overnight on board in Private Cabin.

(Activities: swimming, fishing for squids ...) vary according to junks - program on board.

Bai Tu Long Bay – Hanoi (B,L,D)

In the early hours on the outside deck, exercises of Taï' Chi for those who wish it. (It depends on the season).

Light breakfast at the onboard restaurant, then we take advantage of the cruise which navigates in the middle of magnificent landscapes, by-passing different islands.

Around 10, it is time to release the cabin.

Brunch at about 11:00 am on board before landing at about 12:00 am.

The driver waits for us for return to Hanoi by the road of the crossbar of Tonkin

Arrival at Hanoi. Free dinner and at overnight in Ha Noi

Note: the order of the activities during the cruise (visit of the cave, visit of fishermen's village, Kayaking) may be changed according to the tide and the weather conditions.

Hanoi Departure (B)

At a good time, travelling to Hanoi Airport for your onward flights. Ends of service.

Note: The room is disposal until noontime only