Meet your driver at the airport and transfer to your centrally located hotel near the Old Quarter. Explore the surroundings at your own pace or rest after your flight.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Tour photograph · Ha Giang
Discover craft villages, highland markets, mountain passes and Ba Be Lake alongside northern Vietnam’s best-known landscapes.
Thirteen days exploring Bac Ha, Ha Giang, Dong Van, Ma Pi Leng, Bao Lac and Ba Be, followed by Tam Coc and Halong Bay.
Best suited for: Active travellers with good fitness, comfortable with long drives, a 10 km walk and further walks of up to six hours.
Travel from Hanoi’s craft villages to Bac Ha and Ha Giang. Dong Van, Ma Pi Leng Pass and Bao Lac bring dramatic mountain scenery and encounters through local homestays. Explore Ba Be Lake and Dau Dang Waterfalls by boat, then finish with a Hoa Lu and Tam Coc day trip and a shared Halong Bay cruise. The journey can be tailored to your interests.
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Meet your driver at the airport and transfer to your centrally located hotel near the Old Quarter. Explore the surroundings at your own pace or rest after your flight.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Visit traditional craft makers around Hanoi. In Quang Phu Cau, learn how incense is made. At the conical-hat village, decorate and paint your own hat. Have lunch with a craft-making family or in a riverside restaurant, then paint your own piece in a lacquerware village. Before returning, stop at a shop selling export-surplus clothing.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Travel by private vehicle from Hanoi to Bac Ha, a journey of around five hours. This valley is surrounded by cultivated hillsides and fields. From Bac Ha, walk around 10 km to your homestay in Ta Van Chu. Settle in and enjoy a peaceful afternoon in the countryside.
Overnight in a local homestay.
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After breakfast, visit a regional market with dyed fabrics, hemp and handmade textiles. The market visited depends on the day of the week. Walk for around five to six hours through terraced fields and bamboo towards a mountain village, stopping for a picnic with valley and mountain views. Afterwards, return to the homestay.

A longer drive takes you to the highland province of Ha Giang, with forests and terraced rice and maize fields. Close to the Chinese border, the region offers wide mountain views around Quan Ba Heaven’s Gate. On arrival, visit local markets, the museum and Cuom village, whose residents are known for colourful traditional clothing. The evening is free. …
A longer drive takes you to the highland province of Ha Giang, with forests and terraced rice and maize fields. Close to the Chinese border, the region offers wide mountain views around Quan Ba Heaven’s Gate. On arrival, visit local markets, the museum and Cuom village, whose residents are known for colourful traditional clothing. The evening is free.
Overnight at a homestay.
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Drive through Ha Giang’s scenery, stopping at Minh Tao Market. Walk through Nam Luong and visit the weaving village of Lung Tam. In Sa Phin, explore the Vuong family palace, modelled on a royal Manchu residence and once home to the Hmong king. Continue to Dong Van. Overnight in a homestay or Hoa Cuong Hotel, according to your …
Drive through Ha Giang’s scenery, stopping at Minh Tao Market. Walk through Nam Luong and visit the weaving village of Lung Tam. In Sa Phin, explore the Vuong family palace, modelled on a royal Manchu residence and once home to the Hmong king. Continue to Dong Van.
Overnight in a homestay or Hoa Cuong Hotel, according to your booked category.
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A winding mountain road of around 15 km crosses Ma Pi Leng Pass between dramatic peaks and deep gorges. Continue to Meo Vac for lunch and a market visit. The programme also includes a moderately challenging circular walk of around four hours near Dong Van, overlooking green valleys and rice fields. The order of visits will be adjusted …
A winding mountain road of around 15 km crosses Ma Pi Leng Pass between dramatic peaks and deep gorges. Continue to Meo Vac for lunch and a market visit. The programme also includes a moderately challenging circular walk of around four hours near Dong Van, overlooking green valleys and rice fields. The order of visits will be adjusted to suit the driving route.
Continue for around four hours through terraced countryside to Bao Lac, home to Black Lo Lo communities known for colourful clothing and bronze-drum traditions.
Overnight at a homestay.
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After a drive of around four hours, arrive at Ba Be Lake. Take a boat trip through the national park to see waterfalls feeding the lake, with easy walks offering opportunities to observe local plants and wildlife. In the afternoon, settle into a family-run guesthouse in Pac Ngoi village, where your hosts prepare lunch. Help prepare dinner together …
After a drive of around four hours, arrive at Ba Be Lake. Take a boat trip through the national park to see waterfalls feeding the lake, with easy walks offering opportunities to observe local plants and wildlife.
In the afternoon, settle into a family-run guesthouse in Pac Ngoi village, where your hosts prepare lunch. Help prepare dinner together and learn about your host family’s life and culture.
Overnight at a homestay.
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After breakfast, take a boat across Ba Be Lake and along the Nang River to Dau Dang Waterfalls. A walk brings you closer to the falls. Continue upstream, then cross the lake from north to south. Return to the homestay and prepare for your transfer to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Set off early for Ninh Binh, with a short break along the way. At Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s capital from 968 to 1010, learn about the Dinh, Le and Ly dynasties. A bicycle ride through the village offers a glimpse of everyday life. After lunch in a local restaurant, take a bamboo-boat ride of around 1.5 hours through Tam …
Set off early for Ninh Binh, with a short break along the way. At Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s capital from 968 to 1010, learn about the Dinh, Le and Ly dynasties. A bicycle ride through the village offers a glimpse of everyday life.
After lunch in a local restaurant, take a bamboo-boat ride of around 1.5 hours through Tam Coc, passing rice fields and limestone cliffs into its cave system. This landscape is often called Halong Bay on land. Return to Hanoi in the evening.
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After breakfast and check-out, meet the cruise team in your hotel lobby. Reach the pier around noon and board your boat. Lunch is served as you sail among hundreds of islands. Afternoon activities follow the boat’s programme, or you can choose to relax on board. The boat anchors in a scenic spot for the evening. Enjoy the sunset …
After breakfast and check-out, meet the cruise team in your hotel lobby. Reach the pier around noon and board your boat. Lunch is served as you sail among hundreds of islands.
Afternoon activities follow the boat’s programme, or you can choose to relax on board. The boat anchors in a scenic spot for the evening. Enjoy the sunset before dinner.
Overnight on board.
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Wake early for sunrise and breakfast in the dining room. A tai chi session on the sun deck offers a gentle start to the day. Visit a limestone cave with stalagmites and stalactites, then return on board, check out and enjoy brunch as the boat heads to the harbour. Transfer to your Hanoi accommodation afterwards.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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After breakfast and check-out, you may have time to browse local markets for souvenirs, depending on your flight schedule. Your private driver will then take you to the airport for your flight home.
Your journey comes to an end.

Tailored to your preferences and budget
×International flightsPlease budget for these separately.
Compare suggested accommodation by destination and hotel category. Room types and availability will be confirmed when you book.
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| Destination | 3 stars | 4 stars |
|---|---|---|
| Hanoi | ||
| Bac Ha |
Local homestay
|
Local homestay
|
| Ha Giang |
Local homestay
|
Local homestay
|
| Dong Van |
Local homestay
|
|
| Bao Lac |
Local homestay
|
Local homestay
|
| Ba Be |
Local homestay
|
Local homestay
|
| Halong Bay |
This trip offers two accommodation categories, with mainly simple local homestays in the mountain villages. The final selection is confirmed when you book.
These hotels are suggestions, not confirmed reservations. If a hotel is unavailable, we will offer a comparable alternative. Columns represent the trip categories; lodges, homestays and cruises may be the same across more than one category.
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The starting price is indicative and based on the stated hotel category and traveller numbers. Your final quote depends on travel dates, availability and your preferences.
International arrival and departure flights are excluded from the published starting price. Your personal quote will clearly list included services and additional costs.
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Your tour idea: Northern Vietnam Adventure: Mountains, Villages and Lakes - 13 Days
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