Day 1 . Arrival – Ha Noi

Arrive in Ha Noi. Car and guide pick up and transfer to the hotel for check-in. Enjoy an evening water puppet show. Overnight in Ha Noi.

Day 2 . Ha Noi – Hoa Binh – Mai Chau (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning, transfer to Hoa Binh to get to know its hill-tribes peoples, the Muong, Thai, Tay, and Dao. On arrival, enjoy a cruise on the lake of the Da River Dam, where mountains, water, and clouds meet. Drive to Mai Chau that is surrounded by a green valley and stilt houses of Thai minority. Evening: cultural show at the Thai village of Ban Lac (optional with surcharge). Overnight in Mai Chau.

Day 3 . Mai Chau – Son La (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning, transfer to Son La via Moc Chau Plateau en route. Afternoon, visit Son La museum, the relic of Son La Prison in the French war period. Overnight in Son La.

Day 4 . Son La – Dien Bien (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning, transfer to Dien Bien Phu via Phadin Pass en route. On the way, stop at Thuan Chau Market where Black Thai women gather to exchange all kinds of farm products and hand-woven brocades. Afternoon, visit Dien Bien Phu Museum, Eileen Hill, Nam Rom Bridge, Muong Thanh airfield, De Castries’s bunker and the Victory Memorial. Evening, take a short walk through Him Lam village and enjoy a folk-show performed by Thai girls at a traditional house-on-stilts (optional). Overnight in Dien Bien.

Day 5 . Dien Bien – Sapa (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Sapa via Hoang Lien Son Pass, the highest pass in Vietnam, en route. Nestling on Mount Fansipan, Sapa offers spectacular scenery and is home to different hill-tribes. The rest of the day is free time to wander around the town. Overnight in Sapa.

Day 6 . Sapa – Lao Cai – Train (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning, take a short trek to visit hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Ta Van, home to Black H’Mong, and Dzay people. Once at Muong Hoa Valley floor, you can really appreciate the wonderful scenery that surrounds you. Afternoon, visit Sapa Market and Ta Phin, a village of Red Dao people. Then, transfer to Lao Cai Railway Station to catch a night train to Ha Noi. Overnight on train.

Day 7 . Ha Noi

Arrive in Ha Noi early in the morning. Pick up and take a city tour to visit Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, Literature Temple, and Ethnology Museum (closed on Monday). Take a pedicab ride (1 hour) around the old quarters of Hanoi. Afternoon, visit Vietnam Fine Arts Museum (closed on Monday) and Bat Trang pottery village. Overnight in Ha Noi.

Day 8 . Ha Noi – Departure (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Spend last minutes shopping before checkout. Transfer to the airport for departure flight. End of service. NOTE: The tour itinerary is sometimes subject to small modifications depending on weather and road conditions, train schedules, hotel room availability