Essential Northern Vietnam Tour in 5 Days

Upon your arrival at Noi Bai – Hanoi International Airport, our tour guide will be holding a welcome signboard with Paradise Travel & your name outside the baggage claim area and escort you to Hanoi downtown with a brief introduction en route. Check in hotel.

After checking in hotel, our guide and driver will take you to start a Hanoi street food tour which brings you to try some street food in Hanoi, you can know about the local lifestyle and Vietnamese street food. Then travel to Hanoi’s weekend night market, situated between Hang Ngang and Hang Dao streets. Explore this fascinating destination, which features plenty of street stalls bursting with souvenirs and other items. Return to your hotel to rest after a long day.

8.00 am: Our tour guide and driver will pick up at your hotel in Hanoi city to depart for Ninh Binh province (120 Kms), start a day tour to visit Trang An – Bai Dinh Pagoda, the biggest pagoda in Southeast Asia. Bai Dinh Pagoda is a religious complex covering a total area of 539 hectares, with both the ancient and the newly renovated Bai Dinh pagoda, parks, car parking, and lake system. The pagoda belongs to Ninh Binh province, known as the ancient capital of Vietnam. Stop at a local restaurant for lunch and take a short rest.

In the afternoon, our guide will take you to Trang An, another wonderful landscape of Ninh Binh. You will take 2-hour rowing boat trip to amazing nature. That is time for you to discover the labyrinth of caves in Trangan. You can have a chance to visit cave complex: Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Nau Ruou in mystery and wildness, see the scenery of mountain and rivers in “Halong Bay on land” of Ninh Binh. All of them make a wonderful landscape for you to experience! Then take our car to take you to Hanoi, arrive Hanoi at around 18:30 PM.

Free at leisure until your driver meet and transfer you to Hanoi train station for the night train to Sapa (cabin of 4 people, soft sleeping berth).

The train arrives at around 6:00 am. Look for the “Paradise’s Logo & Your Name” sign when you exit the train station, as our guide will pick you up there and transfer from Lao Cai to Sa Pa town.

After breakfast, you will start your adventure trekking to Catcat village where you will get the first impression of  Sapa. Marvelous sceneries will appear in front of you, keep your camera on to take hundreds of photos. Also, you will learn much about traditions and lifestyle of local people here.

Turn back your hotel by private car for relaxing after long trekking. Discover the charming Sapa Town, Sapa market and Ham Rong at your own program in the afternoon. Stay overnight at hotel in Sapa. Having lunch at local restaurant.

After breakfast, our guide will pick you up for another long but really interesting trekking day to Lao Chai and Ta Van village of Black H’ Mong people and Dzay people. Here we have the opportunity to share cultural experiences with families that live in the area. Have lunch en route or at a local family.

Back to your hotel after lunch. Free at your own program until our driver and guide transfer you the train station for night train back to Hanoi. You will have a dinner before coming to the train. Arrive at Lao Cai train station and take the night train back to Hanoi (cabin of 4 people, soft sleeping berth).

In the early morning, when you arrive at Hanoi train station, you will be met by your driver to transfer you to a mini hotel for taking shower and relaxing. Then have a breakfast before visiting a morning city tour. The capital of Vietnam, a city that celebrated 1.000 years in 2010 has countless fascinating cultural and historic sites and our days’ tour will visit the highlights.  See the grand Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (viewed from outside; closed Mon and Fri and from Oct-Nov), the ‘icon of Hanoi’ – The One Pillar Pagoda, the beautiful Temple of Literature and Restored Sword Lake. Having lunch at a local restaurant. Finally, we will transfer you to the airport for your flight back home. Goodbye and see you again!