This tour is designed for travelers who want to both take beautiful exotic hikes and experience the beautiful landscapes of Sapa, life, as well as local culture among ethnic minorities.

Off the beaten track, beaten by most travelers to Sapa, this trek and weekly market visit will truly allow you to experience the authentic and charming part of Sapa. Unusual encounters with local populations, an opportunity to live locally and to understand in depth their diversity, their ancestral traditions and their current cultures.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival

Day 2: Ha Noi - Visits - Night train

Day 3: Lao Cai - Bac Ha Market - Na No Village

Day 4: Bac Ha - Ma Tra Ta Phin - Sapa

Day 5: Cat Cat - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van - Giang

Day 6: Topas - Lech Hmong, Lech Dao - Ban Ho - Sapa - Night train

Day 7: Ha Noi - Dong Dinh Village - Halong Bay land - Tam Coc

Day 8: Tam Coc - Cat Ba - Cruise in Halong Bay

Day 9: Cat Ba - Ha Noi

Notes:

- Depending on your desires and your budget, this tour can be adapted and modified in terms of duration, content, as well as the date of departure.
- The price of this trip varies depending on the number of participants, the services chosen (accommodation category, activities and board during the trip, ...) as well as the tourist period of the year.
- Do not hesitate to contact us for more information. We are always ready to listen to you.

Day 1: Hanoi - Arrival
(guide, private car, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Welcome by Zen Vietnam Travel guide and driver. Transfer to downtown Ha Noi.

An orientation walk on foot or by pedicab in the old town district, otherwise known as the 36 trades streets of Ha Noi because most of the shops on the same street sold the same thing: bamboo street, Silk street,Traditional medicine street, Bronze street, etc. A really typical district, but so charming, with its shops on the sidewalks, the small narrow houses, the scooters everywhere.

Installation at the hotel for the shower and rest. Warning ! hotel rooms are only available from 2 p.m.

Gourmet dinner at the famous ¨Cha Ca¨ dish in a local restaurant.

Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi - Visits
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Today you will start the visit of the capital Hà Nội with a very old Buddhist pagoda, the 6th century Trấn Quốc pagoda, located in a beautiful setting by the large West Lake. Then, you will visit the Quán Thánh temple at 300m.

Then, the visit of the ethnographic museum, which gives you a panoramic view of the life of the 54 ethnic groups with 54 different cultures in the territory of Vietnam.

Time for lunch at the restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit of the political district with the mausoleum of Hồ Chí Minh, the founding father of modern Vietnam, the presidential palace, the house on stilts of Hồ Chí Minh, the pagoda with the one pillar. Visit of the Temple of Literature, the first university in the history of the country.

At the end of the day, you will witness the spectacle of the Water Puppet Theater, a unique culture that you will never find in any other country in the world. Vietnam is the only country that practices this art.

Dinner at the local restaurant.

Day 3: Ha Noi - Halong Bay land - Night train
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Road towards Ninh Binh, nicknamed the terrestrial Ha Long Bay because of the similarity between the landscapes and the geological formation with thousands of rocks, covered by beautiful vegetation, a succession of natural cirques linked together by dug caves by erosions.

Arriving at Van Long Nature Reserve, known as the “unspoiled natural area” of Halong Bay on land, Van Long offers us magnificent views of the countryside and rural life. In comparison to Tam Coc, Van Long is much more primitive and completely intact. The rivers, the mountains, the caves, the rice fields, its warm inhabitants, the small bamboo boats and especially its biodiversity, give Van Long a different charm. Bamboo sampam ride.

Arrival in Hoa Lu, ancient capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1009. Lunch at Huan's.

In the afternoon, bike ride in the village. Visit of the temple of King Dinh.

Around 4 p.m., drive to Ha Noi. Dinner at the restaurant.

Departure at the station for the night train around 9 p.m.

Night on the train.

Day 4: Lao Cai - Bac Ha Market - Nano Village
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Arrive at Lao Cai station early in the morning. Time for a little shower and breakfast before leaving.

Today is Sunday, the day of the biggest weekly market among the Hmong Fleur, Bac Ha market.
Due to the limited means of transport and the very mountainous terrain of the region, the locals are unable to meet every day to exchange their agricultural products, their animals or to buy things. So the weekly markets are created.
The locals come to the market not only for the goods but also to meet, have a drink together after a week. Indeed, the market is not only an opportunity for shopping but also an opportunity to meet local people, a small local festival for young people, to meet each other. An opportunity to find the husband or wife of their life.

Lunch at the local restaurant.

In the afternoon, 3 hours of walking around Bac Ha through the H’mong and Tay villages of the region.

Arrival at the village of the Tay ethnic group, Nano village. Walk in the village.

Night with the locals, a great opportunity to discover local life, a little friendly moment that awaits you.

Day 5: Bac Ha - Ta Phin - Sapa
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

At 8:30 am, departure to Sapa, the old summer resort founded by the French during the colonial era. Visit of the Sino-Vietnamese border.

At the entrance to Sapa, you will take a 3h30 hike contemplating the beautiful landscapes in the villages of Matra and Ta Phin, the two habitten by the Black H’mong and the Red Dao, the other two ethnic minorities in northern Vietnam.

Lunch in the village.

In the afternoon, visit the center of Sapa, its church, its local market.

Dinner at the restaurant.

Night at the hotel.

Day 6: Sapa - Cat Cat - Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 9:00 am, departure for a sports day. A 7 hour hike to the villages of Cat Cat, Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai, around the most beautiful rice terraces of Sapa awaits you.
A wonder made by the hands of man and friendly encounters with minorities, the discovery of local crafts such as weaving, dyeing hemp fabrics, working the land ... that's what awaits you!

Lunch on the way to the restaurant, homestay or picnic.

Arrival at Giang Ta Chai village at the end of the day. Welcome by the driver. Transfer to the beautiful Topas Ecologde hotel. Time to relax at the swimming pool after a day of walking.

Overnight in Topas Ecologde.

Day 7: Topas Ecologde - Thanh Kim - Ban Ho - Night train
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation, night train)

Sleep and breakfast at the hotel.

At around 10 a.m., you will continue to walk another 3h30 in the villages of Thanh Kim and Ban Ho, contemplating other superb landscapes in this area. Arrival in Ban Ho. Lunch in the village. Then take the car back to Sapa.

In the afternoon, free time until 5 p.m. for shopping or massage and transfer to the station.

Time for shower and dinner before taking the train around 7:30 pm to Ha Noi.

Day 8 Ha Noi - Cat Ba - Cruise in Halong Bay - Overnight on board
(guide on board, shared bus, lunch, dinner, visits, private junk or collective boat)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 7:30 am, departure by bus for Hai Phong 150 km away to board a shuttle bus that takes you to Cat Ba Island. 30 minutes more bus and you arrive at the Ben Beo pier where you will board our beautiful private junk (or collective boat) and start 24 hours on board for the discovery of one of the natural wonders of the world, the bay from Halong.

From our ¨zen¨ criteria for trips, we have chosen the part of the south of the bay where the large mass tourism boats do not pass yet, just a few small traditional junks in this area. A part of the bay that is still very authentic with thousands of rocks, wild beaches and huge floating villages that you cannot find in the other part of Ha Long Bay.

Lunch on board with seafood. Time for swimming or simply resting on the deck to admire this miracle that nature offers us. After 3 hours of navigation, we arrive at Hang Ca, a beautiful place for the kayak ride, another way to see the bay up close.

Around 5:30 p.m., we anchor in a magnificent circus in the middle of the bay where you will be alone. A hell of a time to watch the sunset over the bay.

Dinner on board and a test of squid fishing in the evening will be great memories.

Overnight on board.

Note: The order of visits during the cruise may be changed, depending on the weather conditions on site.

Day 9: Cat Ba - Ha Noi
(guide on board, shared bus, lunch, visits)

An early morning awakening in a magical setting around 5 am to admire the sunrise over the bay, why not?

After a good breakfast, the junk continues to sail in the bay and takes you to Viet Hai village for a nice bike ride or visit the fish farm or just enjoy the tranquility on a beach. You choose !

Lunch on board and disembarkation around 11:30 am.

Road to Ha Noi. Arrival in Ha Noi around 5:30 p.m.

End of our services!