Vietnam Adventure Tours: 18-Day The Unseen Northeastern

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, Sonasia’s guide & driver will pick you up and transfer directly to the hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi.

Vietnam's capital races to make up for time lost to the ravages of war and a government that as recently as the 1990s kept the outside world at bay. Its streets surge with scooters vying for right of way amid the din of constantly blaring horns, and all-around layers of history reveal periods of French and Chinese occupation – offering a glimpse into the resilience of ambitious, proud Hanoians.

You will leave for Ba Be National Park early in the morning. The beautiful Ba Be Lake is situated in the Bac Kan province, approximately 240 km northeast of Ha Noi capital. 

Today, on the way from Ha Noi you will pay a visit to the Thai Nguyen Minority and Culture Museum where you can discover more about the customs and traditions of the different ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. 

After having lunch at a local restaurant, you will continue your journey to Ba Be Lake. 

On arriving at Ba Be Lake in the afternoon you will have the chance to relax before your evening meal of locally sourced delicious food. 

You will stay overnight with a local Tay minority family in their traditional stilt house.

At around 08:30, after breakfast, your tour guide will take you on a trek to Pac Ngoi Village where the local people live by fishing and growing rice and corn on the land of "Soi Bai". 

You will then walk along the edge of the stream to view the stilt houses. 

After, you will borrow bikes from a local family and cycle to the Tày ethnic village area where we explore an amazing cave in the mountain. 

The journey continues to Hua Ma cave and Silk Waterfall which is about another five km by bike. 
If it is hot, copy the local kids and jump in and swim. You will have a picnic lunch beside the waterfall. 

In the afternoon you will return the bikes and walk around Ba Be Lake and try to capture some great photo shots of the sunset. 

We will go to the local markets for souvenirs and then travel back to the homestay by boat. 

You will have dinner and spend the night in Coc Toc Village.

This morning's walk will take you through the lush forest, home to many species of flora and fauna, to the shores of Ba Be Lake. On the way, you will pass through Nam Dai Village. 

After lunch, you will take to the water first on a boat and then in kayaks to discover an amazing cave. 
The kayaks will be loaded onto a boat which will take you along the Nang River to the massive tunnel of Puong Cave with its stalagmites and stalactites and thousands of bats. 

After exploring the cave, you will take the kayaks to explore the lake and get up close to the dramatic karst. 

If you like, you can also jump into the refreshing waters to cool off. 

You will kayak towards Bo Lu Village for dinner and an overnight stay in a homestay.

After breakfast, you have ample time to relax and enjoy the fresh air before heading the road again for an 7-hour drive following a route through ever-changing scenery, from the delta to the foothills before entering the mountainous northern region. 

There are plenty of chances to stop along the way and visit the local hill tribe villages, admire the panoramic view, or just stretch your legs.

We arrive in Hoang Su Phi around late afternoon, just before the sunset.

Overnight at Panhou Lodge in Hoang Su Phi.

After the breakfast at lodge, start trekking to Nam Hong Village (5 -6 hours) passing rice terrace fields, mountainous scenery, bamboo forests and houses of the hill tribes. The hill tribe group here is mainly Man Ta Pan and long-dress Dzao. Stop for a picnic lunch en route. 

Overnight at home stay in a Dzao house.

Today embark on a 5-to-6-hour trek to the local hilltribe village of Phin Ho, an area known for its special herbal teas. Lunch at a Red Dao hilltribe village in Giang and learn about the local culture. Continue through lush valleys, passing remote villages and hilltribes en route to Phin Ho. 

Overnight at home stay in a Man Ta Pan house.

After breakfast start the trek back to PanHou Village (5 -6 hours). On the way visit Nam Nghi Villages to experience the breathtaking scenery of the rice terraces. Following the Phin Ho Stream,stop for a short break for lunch before continuing to Pan Hou Village where there will be time for relaxation or personal exploration. Why not try the Traditional Herb Bath in the Lodge to recover after several days trekking?

Dinner and overnight in Pan Hou Village

Enjoy the breakfast at the ecolodge, then the drive up to the highland region of Ha Giang will take us to the Karst Geo-park with plenty of stops for taking photos as you will take a succession of stunning passes over the rolling mountains and valleys. 

The highlight will be at Quan Ba pass, getting the feeling of touching the sky in Quan Ba Heaven Gate and admiring the special art of nature of Quan Ba Twin Mountains.

Arrive in Yen Minh town, check in your hotel and you can spend the rest of the day rambling around the nearby village named Buc Ban, home of the Tay minority. Dinner and overnight in Yen Minh.

Breakfast at your hotel, then drive through Dong Van Karst Geo – park, a unique combination between geo-heritages and cultural heritages.

On the way, the car will stop over for taking the photos, enjoy amazing scenery and exploring local life and the culture of the hill tribes in Pho Cao, Pho Bang and the residence of the Vuong family called “Palace of Hmong King”.

After lunch, we continue driving towards Meo Vac town via Ma Pi Leng Pass, one of the most spectacular roads in the whole of Vietnam, which clings to the side of the undulating mountains, giving unrivalled views of the valleys and terraces fields at an elevation of 2000 meters. Next to the road is a narrow gorge created by Nho Que river as it squeezes through the mountains, creating one of the deepest gorges in Southeast Asia.

Arriving in Meo Vac, check into a local hotel and take a rest. Dinner and overnight in town.

If it is Sunday, you can visit the unique hundred year old Meo Vac market where you can find cultural quintessence of all mountainous ethnic minorities in Ha Giang as people from villages around come not only to exchange the goods but also to gather, drink alcohol, enjoy food.

After the market, our drive will descend to Cao Bang city. Check in your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Cao Bang.

After the breakfast at your hotel, we will embark the morning drive to the remote area, Trung Khach District. 

Have a short stop on the way to visit Phuc Sen village of the Nung people where you can learn how basically the local blacksmiths are making their farming tools such as knives, sickles, plough plates... 
Arrive at the Waterfall around 11.30. Take a short walk down to Quay Son River and get on a bamboo raft to visit the most beautiful waterfall of Vietnam. 

Have lunch at a local restaurant nearby. 

In the afternoon, continue with a visit to Nguom Ngao limestone Cave, which is located about 2 km from Ban Gioc.

Walking through this cool cave offers you a great chance to admire how wonderful the stalagmites and stalactites have been formed. Back to car and return to Cao Bang City. 

Overnight in Cao Bang.

Check out of the hotel after breakfast and get ready for the morning drive to Bac Son Valley in Lang Son province. The drive includes some stops on the way for you to take photographs whenever you want. 

Arrive at Quynh Son village of the ethnic Tay people and have lunch on a stilt house. 

This afternoon you will walk to visit the village and hike up to the top of the telephone-station mountain for a stunning scenery over the valley. 

This is a great point for those who love photographing. Dinner and chat chit with the host of our homestay tonight.

However, you can choose to stay at a basic mini hotel or at a homestay of the Tay people 

After the traditional breakfast, this morning we will embark on a 3,5-hour hike on a rural back road. Along the hike, you can have a close look at the local farming, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere in a good harmony of mountains, forests, and local life. At the end of the hike we get picked up by our private transport back to the family. 

After lunch, leave for Halong, via a bit bumpy but scenic road, which makes the drive worthwhile. We will drive through beautiful mountains and coastline of Quang Ninh province, the hometown of Halong.
Arrive Halong city in the afternoon, free discovery and relaxation.Overnight at hotel in Halong.

Spend your free time at leisure in the morning. 

At around 10:00AM, our driver will pick you up and transfer to the boat pier, then check in your cabin and start cruising around the bay to see the amazing karsts with different formations: Lion, Tea Pot, Toad, Dau Nguoi (Human Head) islet, and then stop for a walk through the Sung Sot cave “Amazing Cave”.

There will be plenty of time for swimming and sunbathing (If weather permitted) after the boat anchors at a clean calm sea. Enjoy a wonderful sunset dinner in our beautiful restaurant before retiring to the comfort of your cabin. Dinner and overnight in Imperial Junk Boat. Go fishing.

Breakfast on boat. After that, start cruising toward Cat Ba Island. Stop at Van Gia village and transfer to another boat for your cruising to Viet Hai village which belongs to Cat Ba National Park.

Cycle from Viet Hai primitive forest, trek through the forest up to the Navy Peak where you are overwhelmed by the beauty of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba National Park. Cycle back to the boat and BBQ lunch on a white sandy beach.

In the afternoon, kayaking around Lan Ha Bay with full of exploration. Relaxing and swimming and spectacularly you have time to visit Cat Dua beach (Monkey Island) and Lan Ha Lagoon.

Rise early to have breakfast at your hotel before checking out from your room. You will be picked up by bus for the trip to Cat Ba National Park at 08:00AM, to join the trek for about 1.5 hour through the national park and arrive Gia Luan Pier by late morning. We'll board the boat, relax, enjoy the scenery and have your lunch while cruising along Halong Bay.

We'll arrive the mainland by noon and take the bus back to Hanoi, you'll be dropped off at your hotel or at drop off points in Hanoi's Old Quarter.

You are free to stroll around the town for your own exploration before taking the departure flight