This ten-day North Vietnam small group holiday adventure tour is based in and out of Hanoi with all the main highlights of the north nearby.
This means no wasted travel time as well as the chance to really explore the nation’s capital in depth. Our time includes sensational, as good as it gets, mountain scenery, and the minorities people of Sapa followed by the UNESCO World Heritage-listed area of Halong Bay.
After all the friendly faces you will have only the fondest lifelong memories of Vietnam.
Tonight our Vietnam small group adventure tour package will stay in; HANOI – Those arriving at the airport will be met and transferred to our hotel.
Our Vietnam small group tour officially starts when we check into our Hanoi accommodation. A welcoming dinner will be had in the evening.
This dinner will take the form of a roaming street food tour with a local guide. Think, all you can eat, delicious real Vietnamese delights.
Dinner
Day 2 :
OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAIN
Tonight our North Vietnam best small group adventure tour will stay on; OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAIN – A free day in Hanoi before a local operator takes care of our group tour for the next 3 nights and 2 days on a fully inclusive visit to Sapa. Firstly an overnight soft class sleeper train to Lau Cai.
Meals are available on board but you may wish to pick up some of your preferred food and other snacks before we board.
Breakfast
Day 3 :
SAPA
Tonight our Vietnam small group adventure tour package will arrive a.m. and then travel by bus to sensationally scenic Sapa.
On arrival, we will check into our hotel and have breakfast.
After breakfast, a local guide will take us on a three-hour soft trek to visit some local minorities with the main two groups in the area being the Hmong and Dzao. The mountain scenery is stunningly beautiful.
While the walking is generally gentle and on man-made paths we are in the mountains so there are still a few decent uphill sections so a generally good level of fitness is required.
The afternoon is free to explore little Sapa town.
Some of the minorities ladies selling tourist souvenirs around town are the most persistent vendors on earth so please stay cool as they don’t understand “no thank you”.
Breakfast
Day 4 :
OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAIN
Tonight our Vietnam small group adventure holiday will stay on; OVERNIGHT SLEEPER TRAIN –
After breakfast, our small group tour will check out and leave your bags in storage while a local guide takes you on another trek of approximately five hours to visit some more minority villages among some of the most sensational scenery imaginable.
Lunch will be in a local village along the way. Arriving back in Sapa mid-afternoon where you will be able to get a towel and take a shower at the hotel. An optional massage may be available to help those with any tired legs.
Late afternoon we will transfer back to Lau Cai for the soft class sleeper train back to Hanoi.
Breakfast + Lunch
Day 5 :
HALONG BAY BOAT
Tonight our Vietnam small group holiday tour package will stay on; HALONG BAY BOAT – Arrive a.m. back in Hanoi and after breakfast join a local operator for the drive to Halong City where the holiday relaxation will begin when we will board our deluxe boat to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Halong Bay for an afternoon of cruising, cave visiting and swimming in spectacular Halong Bay.
Overnight will be on board our boat with a deluxe en-suite cabin.
Optional activities will be available such as buying a beer as you relax deck side amid the sensational scenic parade
Lunch + Dinner
Day 6 :
CAT BA ISLAND
Tonight our North Vietnam adventure holiday will stay on; CAT BA ISLAND – After an early breakfast our small group tour will be put ashore on Cat Ba Island for the day. After checking in, the rest of day at leisure on this busy little island.
Breakfast
Day 7 :
HANOI
Tonight our Vietnam small group adventure travel tour will stay in; HANOI – After breakfast our small group tour will again board the boat for the three-hour cruise back to Halong City after which we will continue by bus back to Hanoi, arriving late afternoon.
Breakfast
Day 8 :
TAM COC
HANOI – TAM COC – Today a local operator will take us by bus to Tam Coc near Ninh Binh city.
More stunning scenery awaits in what some describe as the Halong Bay of the rice paddies.
On arrival, we will board small row boats for a peaceful meander down this picturesque river area and through some caves.
For some, it may be the most amazing thing you see on the entire tour today when you see how the lovely ladies row the boats for us. If you can row like them for more than one minute you are entitled to free beer on us back in Hanoi. We have yet to buy anyone a beer.
The second amazing thing for certain will be the included buffet lunch.
Working up an appetite prior with a short bicycle ride through some local villages is also part of a long day before arriving back in Hanoi late afternoon.
Breakfast + Lunch
Day 9 :
HANOI
HANOI – Once again beware of crossing the roads is the best advice before a totally free final day to explore this amazing city. Shops and local culture abound.
The Old Quarter is the best place to start to get a feel of the local way of life along with a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake.
Pay your respects at Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum as you continue your exploration of the many sights and attractions.
A few being the Ho Chi Minh Museum, One Pillar Pagoda, Dien Huu Pagoda, Tay Ho Pagoda among many other pagoda’s and temples as well as St Joseph Cathedral.
Another museum or three may include the History, Fine Arts, Women’s, Army, Airforce, Loa Lo Prison or Museum of Vietnamese Revolution.
For Foodies; start with a bowl of Pho. This bowl of noodle soup plus is a complete meal which the locals enjoy day and night, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Rice paper spring rolls are another of the popular choices, especially as a pre-dinner beer snack, available in meat or vegetarian varieties. Lots of other local choices as well as International and other Asian cuisines which are readily available also.
Wash it all down with a glass of Beer Hoi, (“fresh” draught beer) or a big bottle of Tiger or 333 and all’s well in Hanoi. A farewell dinner will be had in the evening.
Breakfast + Dinner
Day 10 :
TOUR CONCLUDES
Our North Vietnam small group adventure tour package is officially over when we check out of our Hanoi accommodation. An airport transfer is included also. B.
Vietnam is the most scenic country in the region and the North has most of the best of the best.
A mix of soft adventure and relaxation is the best way to see it all.
And we doubt you will ever find a more hectically fascinating city than Hanoi.
But for many the ladies rowing the boats may astound most of all.
Breakfast
Prices from:
Traveller Prices P/P AUD
2 people share 1 room / Twin Share
2 people (+) booking together / Own Room
We cannot match up solo travellers.
Other private dates for all tours may be available on application. (Minimum 2 travellers).
Peak season surcharges may apply on some tours.
A group discount may be available for 4 or more booking & travelling together. Please contact us on the form below for more information.
From
AUD 2,390
/ Twin Share
From
AUD 2,690
/ Own Room
From
AUD 3,550
/ Solo trip
2 people share 1 room / Twin Share
2 people (+) booking together / Own Room
1 Person / Single Room
Hanoi
Halong Bay
Cat Ba Island
4* hotels x 4 nights,
3* hotels x 2 nights,
Deluxe cabin on boat x 1 night, Overnight sleeper trains x 2 nights
Bus, Train, Boat, Taxi
Hanoi street food dinner tour (until you say "NO MORE")
Tam Coc, (full day)
Sapa; three nights and two days (all inclusive with a local operator as per itinerary).
Halong Bay; three days and two nights (all inclusive with a local operator as per itinerary
All included when part of the itinerary.
14 meals included as per itinerary. B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner