Northern Vietnam is a must for most of travelers when visiting Vietnam. It is the oldest part of the long Vietnam as it was the place where the Vietnamese culture originated over 2000 years ago in the Red River Delta. This trip offers you the best of the region with the good combination between the plain and the high land, the morden and the traditional, the typical Vietnamese life and the pure culture of the montagnards. Specially, you will discover Halong Bay, the world heritage site on "off-the-beaten-track" itinerary. This promises a lifetime travel experience.

1. VIETNAM SPECIAL EXPERIENCES
NORTHERN VIETNAM ESSENTIALS
• Trip's length: 8 days
• Trip Themes: Cruise, Local life & Culture, Local food, Community
• Transport: Car, train, boat, bike
• Places visited: Hanoi - Sapa - Ninh Binh - Halong Bay - Stork Island
• Tour operates: All year around
• Start / End cities: Hanoi / Hanoi
• Accommodation: Hotel: 3nts, Train: 2nts, Home-stay: 1nt, Boat: 1nt
• Price from: USD 515
DAY 01: ARRIVAL IN HANOI
Upon arrival, Custom Vietnam Travel’s guide and driver will warmly welcome you and take you to the hotel
in Hanoi for check in. Rest of the day is free at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: N/A
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
DAY 02: HANOI CITY TOUR
The tour to explore the capital city occupies your whole day. The sites include of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum,
his house-on-stilts, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature - Vietnam’s first university. In the afternoon, the
tour continues with a visit to one of the following museum that you can pick the one you like (the Ethnology
Museum, Army Museum, National Fine Arts Museum, Hanoi Hilton prison or Vietnam Women Museum).
Followed with a short walk or a cyclo ride around the Old Quarter and enjoy a traditional Water Puppet
show. Dinner on your own before taking a night train to Sapa. Overnight on train.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
DAY 03: SAPA & SURROUNDINGS
You will arrive in the border town of Lao Cai early in the morning; get picked up for one-hour drive uphill
through cloud and pristine, spectacular landscape to little town of Sapa. Freshening yourself up with wash
and breakfast which is ready in hotel’s restaurant.
After breakfast, get your luggage stored and take a light trek down hill along Muong Hoa Valley. This path
provides great scenery of nature with mountain, forest and terrace fields that carpet along hill slopes. On the
trek, you will see minority people from some hill tribes with their typical appearance and colorful dress
walking, working and playing. It is the chance for interesting local interaction and filling up your album with
beautiful photos.
Tel: +84.4.371 85750
Hotline: +84.977102103
www.customvietnamtravel.com
Email: info@customvietnamtravel.com
Office: No 116/32/76 An Duong, Tay Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam

2. Keep trekking down further to visit to minority villages of H’mong and Dzay people. The trek ends at noon
and you will be picked up by car to get back to Sa Pa for lunch and hotel check-in.
In the afternoon, after a break, you will take a short drive to another side of Sa pa town, from here you will
take a walk to visit Ma Tra village of the H’mong people that locates in a beautiful valley. Get back to Sa Pa
by car and free at leisure in the evening. Overnight at a hotel in Sa Pa.
Meals: Breakfast
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
DAY 04: SAPA TRIBAL MARKET - NIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI
After breakfast, checking out your room and embark a drive to visit a hill tribe market in Bac Ha district. Here
you will see Flower Hmong, Phu La, Dao, Tay, Nung…all hill tribe groups gather around for trading. It is an
awesome experience of seeing colors, understanding traditions and feeling the atmosphere. The market
offers a variety of local products includes colorful embroidery, handicrafts and all types of daily necessary
stuffs. Here also available animal market where people sell and buy or barter animal such as dogs, pot-
bellied pigs, cows, buffalos and so on.
After lunch, just take a short walk to a hill-tribe village. Here you’ll visit some local homes to understand
more about their daily life as well as their culture and traditions. Followed by a short boat trip along Chay
River (If the water level is high enough) then head back for Lao Cai city. Dinner at a local restaurant in Lao
Cai City before your overnight train in a AC soft sleeper cabin back to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
DAY 05: HANOI - NINH BINH (HOA LU & TAM COC)
Arrive at the railway station early in the morning, get on your car and drive to Ninh Binh with your breakfast
on the way. Refresh yourselves at a restaurant before 2-hour sampan boat trip a long a little river at Tam
Coc (three cave). This area is considered as “Inland Halong Bay” featured with karst formations, gardens
and rice fields. The row offers you stunning scenery with rock, water, green paddies and caves. You then
turn around and head back to the dock for lunch in the restaurant.
In the afternoon, you will jump on a bike for a stunning bike ride along the back roads through the beautiful
scenery of towering karsts on the ground of ponds, rice paddies and rural villages to Hoa Lu Commune. You
will call at Hang Mua for some hundred steps to the summit for the panorama over the area for taking
photographs. Hoa Lu was chosen as the capital of ancient Vietnam in the 10th century, located in a flat
valley between small but steep limestone mountains. Arrive at Hoa Lu, walk to visit a beautiful temple, which
dedicated to a Vietnamese heroic king, Dinh Tien Hoang, who reigned the country in the 10 century.
Strolling around and learn the typical architecture of Vietnamese religious buildings and a bit about
Vietnamese history after a thousand years under the Chinese domination. Dinner and Overnight in Ninh
Binh.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
DAY 06: NINH BINH - HALONG BAY
After the breakfast, take 4 hour drive overland to Halong Bay with stop on the way for photos and break.
Arrive at the pier around noon for embarking a Deluxe Junk for the afternoon cruise. Have lunch while
cruising to magnificent BaiTu Long Bay, admiring by the fascinating formations of limestone islands. The

3. activities include swimming in the crystal water; exploring the well-hidden Thien Canh Son Cave; a short
cruise to Hon Co Island where you can enjoy relaxing on a white sandy beach, swimming or kayaking. Have
dinner and overnight on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
DAY 07: HALONG BAY - HAI DUONG (STORK ISLAND)
Wake up early in the morning for sunrise and a view of Bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee. Have
breakfast in the fresh air. Visit Vung Vieng fishing village by a rustic row-boat, meet the local people and
pass through the floating school and fish farms. This morning, you still have more time for swimming if you
wish. Start cruising towards the harbor while an A la cart lunch is served. Disembark at noontime, and travel
to Hai Duong province with your private transport. Arrive at Thanh Mien Commune and take a late afternoon
boat row to visit the Stork Island. This time of the day, you can see thousands of birds flying back and land
on the Island for their night shelter. Dinner and overnight at a typical house of a Vietnamese family.
Overnight at the home-stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
DAY 08: HANOI DEPARTURE
This morning, after the breakfast, you will join the local people with some farm works and learn the daily life
of the locals. After lunch, you will drive back to Hanoi for the night or onward to the airport for your
departure. End of services.
Meals: Breakfast
---------------------- Have a wonderful holiday ------------------------
Email us for more information: info@customvietnamtravel.com
Book this Northern Vietnam Essentials Special Tour right now.
Or you can tailor made the tour upon your desires.
Custom Vietnam Travel, Co., Ltd
Commitment to satisfaction!