Your driver will welcome you at the airport and take you by private vehicle to your hotel. After check-in, spend the rest of the day resting after your flight.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Tour photograph · Mu Cang Chai
Explore northern Vietnam in depth, with local encounters, longer scenic journeys and homestay nights.
Thirteen days through Ba Vi, Mai Hich, Pu Luong, Nghia Lo, Mu Cang Chai, Sapa and Bac Ha, with Tam Coc and Halong Bay.
Best suited for: Travellers who enjoy walking and want mountain scenery and local homestays; one day includes a walk of around 18 km.
Travel from Ba Vi and Mai Hich through Pu Luong, Nghia Lo and Mu Cang Chai to Sapa and Bac Ha. Walks and regional markets offer a closer introduction to highland communities. Finish with a day trip to Hoa Lu and Tam Coc and a shared Halong Bay cruise before returning to Hanoi. The route can be tailored, with markets planned around their operating days.
Save the full itinerary and read it at your leisure.
Your driver will welcome you at the airport and take you by private vehicle to your hotel. After check-in, spend the rest of the day resting after your flight.
Overnight in Hanoi.

After breakfast, drive around 90 minutes to rural Ba Vi. At Mr Duoc’s tea plantation, help with green-tea processing. Join a Vietnamese cooking demonstration with a local host, then enjoy lunch in the garden. Cycle along country lanes, with optional visits to a conical-hat maker and workshops processing tofu and rice. Finish the outing with a herbal foot …
After breakfast, drive around 90 minutes to rural Ba Vi. At Mr Duoc’s tea plantation, help with green-tea processing. Join a Vietnamese cooking demonstration with a local host, then enjoy lunch in the garden.
Cycle along country lanes, with optional visits to a conical-hat maker and workshops processing tofu and rice. Finish the outing with a herbal foot bath based on Muong recipes and a private boat trip on the Da River.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Leave Hanoi at 8 am for Mai Hich in the Mai Chau Valley, a landscape of green mountains and ethnic-minority villages. In the afternoon, explore on foot or by bicycle, meeting local people among the rice fields. You may choose to help plant rice, prepare dinner with your hosts or taste local wine. Stay overnight in a local …
Leave Hanoi at 8 am for Mai Hich in the Mai Chau Valley, a landscape of green mountains and ethnic-minority villages. In the afternoon, explore on foot or by bicycle, meeting local people among the rice fields.
You may choose to help plant rice, prepare dinner with your hosts or taste local wine. Stay overnight in a local homestay.
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Travel from Mai Hich to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, home to White Thai and Muong communities. A walk offers opportunities to spot birds and unusual plants before you settle into your simple accommodation. In the afternoon, enjoy the surrounding small villages, green fields, limestone mountains and quiet waterways. Accommodation is a simple homestay or lodge; the specific property …
Travel from Mai Hich to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, home to White Thai and Muong communities. A walk offers opportunities to spot birds and unusual plants before you settle into your simple accommodation.
In the afternoon, enjoy the surrounding small villages, green fields, limestone mountains and quiet waterways. Accommodation is a simple homestay or lodge; the specific property will be confirmed.
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Travel to Nghia Lo in Yen Bai Province, visiting villages and meeting Hmong and Thai residents along the way. Tea plantations shape the scenery. Depending on the season, peach and plum blossoms may be visible from late January to early February. Reach Nghia Lo in the Muong Lo Valley in the late afternoon. Stay in a local homestay, …
Travel to Nghia Lo in Yen Bai Province, visiting villages and meeting Hmong and Thai residents along the way. Tea plantations shape the scenery. Depending on the season, peach and plum blossoms may be visible from late January to early February.
Reach Nghia Lo in the Muong Lo Valley in the late afternoon. Stay in a local homestay, as listed for your accommodation category.

After breakfast with local hosts, travel by air-conditioned vehicle along the Hoang Lien Son mountains. From Tu Le, walk across rice terraces and suspension bridges to Thai and Hmong villages. After a lunch break, follow the winding Khau Pha Pass towards Mu Cang Chai, with opportunities for photographs. Only breakfast is included today; lunch is at your own …
After breakfast with local hosts, travel by air-conditioned vehicle along the Hoang Lien Son mountains. From Tu Le, walk across rice terraces and suspension bridges to Thai and Hmong villages.
After a lunch break, follow the winding Khau Pha Pass towards Mu Cang Chai, with opportunities for photographs. Only breakfast is included today; lunch is at your own expense.
Overnight at a homestay.
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Travel from Mu Cang Chai through Than Uyen to Sapa. Stop at a mountain pass for views towards Fansipan, which rises to 3,143 metres. Take a break on arrival.
In the afternoon, walk through a valley in the Hoang Lien Son mountains, passing rice terraces and villages and meeting Black Hmong and Red Dao communities.
Overnight in Sapa.
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After breakfast, begin a walk of around 18 km to Giang Ta Phin. Terraced fields, bamboo, green valleys and waterfalls line the route. A picnic break is planned, but only breakfast is included today, so picnic food is at your own expense. Afterwards, travel by private vehicle to Bac Ha.
Overnight at a homestay.

After breakfast, visit a regional market selling dyed fabrics, hemp and handwoven textiles. The market depends on the day of the week: Coc Ly on Tuesday, Sin Cheng on Wednesday, Cao Son or Lung Khau Nhin on Thursday, Can Cau on Saturday and Bac Ha on Sunday.
Return to Hanoi by private vehicle.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Meet your guide at the hotel between 8 and 8:30 am and travel to Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s 10th-century capital. Learn about the Dinh and Le dynasties.
After a traditional Vietnamese lunch, take a private sampan through Tam Coc’s limestone formations and caves. Cycle through rice fields and villages before returning to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Meet your driver at 7:30 am for the journey through the Red River Delta. In Halong, board a shared cruise to explore the bay’s limestone cliffs and karst caves. After a seafood lunch, visit a well-known limestone cave. Depending on the boat’s programme, you may kayak or swim near floating villages. Return on board for dinner, followed by …
Meet your driver at 7:30 am for the journey through the Red River Delta. In Halong, board a shared cruise to explore the bay’s limestone cliffs and karst caves.
After a seafood lunch, visit a well-known limestone cave. Depending on the boat’s programme, you may kayak or swim near floating villages. Return on board for dinner, followed by free time or optional activities.
Overnight on board.
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At sunrise, you may join an optional tai chi session or enjoy breakfast at leisure. Visit a limestone cave with stalagmites and stalactites on the return towards the harbour. Brunch is served on board.
Arrive in Hanoi at around 5 pm and check into your hotel. There is time to browse local markets for souvenirs.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Enjoy breakfast and some free time on your final morning. At the agreed time, your driver will take you to Noi Bai International 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 | ||
| Mai Hich |
Local homestay
|
Local homestay
|
| Pu Luong |
Local homestay or lodge, to be confirmed
|
Local homestay or lodge, to be confirmed
|
| Nghia Lo |
Local homestay
|
Local homestay
|
| Mu Cang Chai |
Local homestay
|
Local homestay
|
| Sapa | ||
| Bac Ha |
Bac Ha Homestay
|
Bac Ha Homestay
|
| Halong Bay |
This trip offers two accommodation categories, with local homestays in the mountain villages. The alternative Tu Le property mentioned in one daily example does not form an additional category. Final properties, including the simple accommodation in Pu Luong, will be 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.
Discuss your travel preferences with our team. Here are answers to some common questions.
Yes. Discuss the duration, hotels, activities, pace and individual stages with our local team.
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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We usually reply within 24 hours of your enquiry. More complex itineraries may take a little longer to prepare.
Our team will tailor the services to your preferences and budget.
Tell us what you have in mind and our team will prepare a personal proposal.
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Your tour idea: Northern Vietnam: Rice Terraces and Village Life - 13 Days
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