Tonkin Elegance 8 Days

In Hanoi, the nation of Vietnam’s capital, which commemorated its 1000th birthday in 2010, you will be welcomed by a guide upon arrival. Local law mandates that structures in Hanoi must be modest, simple tube-style structures that blend in with the city’s venerable colonial aura and place a priority on learning and the arts. You can take advantage of the city’s attractions before watching a distinctive water puppet show. Immediately after, there will be a welcome meal at one of the city’s top restaurants. After that, you’ll have a peaceful night at the hotel.

Meal: Dinner
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

The full-day tour brings you to some of Hanoi’s most notable attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes his stilt house museum, mausoleum, presidential palace, and One Pillar Pagoda, where you can learn about Vietnamese Buddhist practices. You can also tour the ancient university, where the 11th-century Temple of Literature is located.

Continue your journey to the Ethnology Museum, a fascinating building with both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Back in the Old Quarter, you may explore the winding lanes that were formerly known for their guilds that produced specialized crafts. These streets were named for their particular products or locations, and they still have those names today. Take a short rest later in a modest hotel close to the train station. Our crew will then accompany you to your cabin on the train to Lao Cai later that evening. Train overnight travel.

Tour guide: English-speaking guide

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

At about six in the morning, arrive at Lao Cai train station. (One-hour drive) Pickup and transfer to accommodation in Sapa. Have breakfast when you arrive in Sapa, then embark on a pleasant walking excursion to the hill tribe village of Cat Cat, which is home to the Hmong minority people. Before returning to Sapa at roughly midday, you will get the chance to engage in cultural exchange with local families. Check into your accommodation (early check-in is subject to hotel regulation and availability) and then relax. Spend the night in Sapa.

Meal: Breakfast
Tour guide: English-speaking guide

Hotel breakfast is available. Take a 5-kilometer drive to the north-east of Sapa this morning about 8:30 a.m. From here, get out of the automobile and visit the H’mong village of Matra. To go to Ta Phin village, a useful craft traditional hamlet of 2 separate minorities—the Red Dzao and the Black Hmong—follow this community, and take a 4-hour hike through the mountain. Mountains surround Ta Phin town, and the surroundings are stunning. Spend your afternoon free exploring the local Sapa markets. We return you to Lao Cai Railway Station in the late afternoon so you can catch the nighttime train to Hanoi. On the train for the night.

*If today is Tuesday, Thursday, Sat or Sunday, we will recommend visiting some of the most beautiful markets in North West Vietnam

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English speaking guide

Arrives in Hanoi around 5:00 am, and our crew picks you up from the train station. In a modest hotel close to the Hanoi railway station, rest and have breakfast. You depart Hanoi at 8:00 in order to travel the 3.5 hours to Halong Bay, and you join the boat at 12:00. Thousands of limestone islands rise like dragon fangs from the waters in the mysterious bay. You will have the chance to speak with fishermen who have been working in the bay for nearly three generations when you visit an interesting fishing village later in the day. Before indulging in a sumptuous supper on board, you’ll watch the sunset while sipping drinks or taking a culinary class. Following that, you can participate in a movie night, play board games, or relax at the beauty spa before retiring for the evening.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tour guide: English-speaking guide on board

The day will begin with a Tai Chi workout in the morning and a chance to see the sun rise over the bay. You will visit a stunning limestone cave after breakfast, then head back to the junk for one more look at Halong Bay as you cruise back to the dock. When you check out at noon, a car is waiting to take you back to Hanoi. Free time to shop or relax while enjoying the Old Quarter’s nightlife. Sleep at your hotel tonight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English-speaking guide on board

A carefree day to unwind, go shopping in the Old Quarter or go exploring on your own.
A 2.5-hour journey from Hanoi, the optional day trip to Ninh Binh includes a stop at Tam Coc- Kenh Ga, where you may ride a sampan along a small stream while passing past caverns and lush rice fields that will make you feel as though you are someplace in heaven. Rural scenery that is both attractive and scenic rewards the travel back and forth.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch – applied if visit Ninh Binh)
Tour guide: English-speaking guide (applied if visiting Ninh Binh)

Enjoy your morning at leisure or a late breakfast before heading to the airport for your next trip. This is also the end of this journey

Meals: Breakfast
Tour guide: None