A Journey Through Emotions

Breakfast at the hotel and early morning departure for Lao Cai via the highway. Upon arrival in Lao Cai, we will head towards Bac Ha to reach our accommodation, a homestay where we will have lunch and rest for a while before starting the trek around the surrounding villages, visiting the local homes of ethnic minorities. Dinner and overnight stay in a homestay – stilt house.

After breakfast at the homestay, we will visit the Bac Ha market, which takes place every Sunday. At the market, Flower H’mong, Black Dzao, and Nung ethnic minorities gather to exchange goods. After the market visit, we will embark on a pleasant trip along the Chay River to admire the beautiful local landscapes.

The Bac Ha market is the largest in Northern Vietnam; here, it is possible to find a vast number of people from different minorities living in the dozens of villages in the nearby valleys. The Flower H’mong wear short, colorful circular skirts and jackets with zigzag embroidery; the Black Dzao are characterized by dark, flowing aprons and tall top hats, while the Nung and Pathen wear bright, heavily embroidered garments.

After the short river cruise, we will depart for Ha Giang via Xin Man and Hoang Su Phi—a small, winding road, the most beautiful and adventurous route in Northeast Vietnam. We will stop to witness traditional tea drying, cap weaving, and Flower H’mong embroidery.

Hoang Su Phi is famous for its terraced rice fields. October is the best time to visit Hoang Su Phi to witness the beauty of the harvest season, when the ripe rice is the color of gold. This fascinating phenomenon attracts many tourists every year.

Visitors are often drawn to the pristine beauty of these rice fields, the wild mountains, and the authentic culture of ethnic minority groups. The terraced rice fields in Hoang Su Phi cover 760 hectares out of a total of 3,000 hectares across six communes: Ban Luoc, San Sa Ho (belonging to the Dao and Nung ethnic groups); Ban Phung (La Chi group); and Ho Thau, Nam Ty, and Thong Nguyen (Red Dao group).

Arrival in Ha Giang. Dinner and accommodation in a homestay with a Tay minority family. This is a traditional stilt house.

After breakfast, we will visit the White Hmong minority village and continue towards Dong Van (Vietnam’s only stone plateau). Along the way, we will make short stops to admire several sites: the Heaven’s Gate, the Fairy Mountains, a Hmong village, and its traditional weaving. We will also visit the village of Pho Cao. Lunch break. In the afternoon, we will visit a village of the Lo Lo, a local ethnic minority. We will then stop at the Royal Palace of the Hmong King Vuong Chi Sinh, a well-known historical site since the colonial era. We will climb to the northernmost point of Vietnam – Lung Cu – where we can see the Vietnam-China border. Return to the hotel.

Dong Van – This district borders mountainous China and is Vietnam’s limestone plateau, declared a UNESCO Global Geopark. A place of incredible beauty and charm, where one can clearly sense the immense power of nature that has created numerous pinnacles, sea stacks (karst formations), and spectacular geological structures. An immense space of mountains, rivers, and streams, where the sky touches the earth and white clouds provide an umbrella for the rice fields.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Meo Vac, crossing the Ma Pi Leng Pass at over 2,000 meters above sea level. We will take a short excursion on the mountain of the same name to contemplate the suggestive panorama of the terraced hemp fields, karst hills, Hmong and Dzao stilt houses, and the Nho Que River.

After lunch, we will visit a village of the Black Lo Lo. 

Check-in and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Cao Bang. 

Along the road, you can admire the green countryside and the lush, mountainous vegetation of the north—an authentic beauty precisely because it is far from the paths beaten by mass tourism. During the journey, we will make stops to allow you to capture the beauty of these places with your eyes and your cameras. Lunch break. Arrival in Cao Bang and check-in at the hotel. 

Settlement and overnight stay at the hotel.

Early morning departure for Ban Gioc. 

We will visit the Ban Gioc Waterfalls and the Quay Son River. The water, cascading over the rocks, forms spectacular falls. In the middle of the waters lies a limestone outcrop covered with trees, which divides the current into three parts, creating a superb view and pleasantly cooling the atmosphere at the same time. At the foot of the waterfall flows a wide stream with water as transparent as a mirror, surrounded by a multitude of flowers. Ban Gioc is also famous for its “tram huong” fish. You can take a dip in the clear waters of Ban Gioc. After lunch, we will return to Cao Bang, passing through the Nguom Ngao Cave, the most beautiful cave in the region. We will make short stops during the return journey to observe the traditional irrigation techniques of the Tay and Nung people. 

Settlement and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Ba Be, where we will take a boat trip to enjoy the best that nature has to offer and closely observe the vegetation and the lives of the people living along the lakeshore.

The “Three Seas” lake extends 9 km in length and is between 100 and 1800 m wide, located at an altitude of 145 m. It lies at the junction of three valleys that meet in a circle. Ba Be is not only a place for dreamers but also for nature lovers. It is home to a great variety of mammals, more than a hundred species of birds, and numerous varieties of butterflies.

We will also visit the Dau Dang Waterfalls and take an excursion in the surroundings. A short boat cruise on the Nang River, which flows through cultivated countryside before entering a landscape of limestone cliffs. Along these cliffs are small wild gardens where vines and long roots hang down toward the ground. During the navigation, you will be able to see how people fish in these parts—a truly spectacular sight. 

Dinner and overnight stay in a homestay.

After breakfast, we will depart to return to Hanoi. 

During the return journey, we will pass through the Tan Trao and Dinh Hoa areas, which were very important sites for the Vietnamese resistance during the war against the French. We will also visit the Ethnology Museum of Thai Nguyen – the original version of the one in Hanoi. This is a precious opportunity to gain a more comprehensive insight into all the ethnic minorities of Vietnam! Arrival in Hanoi. Dinner at your leisure. 

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight, concluding your Northeast Vietnam tour. Have a safe flight home!!!

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