Day 1: Welcome to Hanoi

Greetings from Hanoi: Vietnam’s thriving old colonial capital! Your designated driver and guide will pick you up at Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. Check in at an award-winning French colonial design hotel at the heart of the bustling city, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel. After checking-in, explore the city and the beautiful Old Quarter filled with French-colonial structures via cyclo. Enjoy a delectable dinner in one of the best restaurants in Hanoi.
Accommodation: Hanoi Hotel
Meal: None

Day 2: Hanoi to Mai Chau

Today, We go to the northern – off the beaten track of Vietnam. Our guide & driver will meet you at your hotel and take you along the way to Mai Chau: a small town nestled in the midst of a lush valley and surrounded by emerald green rice fields & enjoy the scenic landscape of the town, sown with pagodas and rural villages. Stop along the way to visit the Muong tribe and then at Thung Khe Pass for a spectacular view of Mai Chau Valley. Have lunch in Mai Chau then spend the afternoon trekking off the typical tourist track, along the Song Ma River. Trek through terraced rice paddies and small villages, discovering the natural beauty of the valley and encountering the culture of the White Thai people, living in the region. Stop at a Thai village for the night, having dinner with a local family and enjoying a homestay in their long house.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Homestay

Day 3: Mai Chau – Son La

Have breakfast at the homestay before embark on a beautiful drive north to Son La. This good stretch of road is filled with stunning sceneries; you will make frequent photo stops and visit to the minority villages of the H’mong and Black Thai. Lunch is served at a local restaurant en route. The highlight on your drive today will be a visit of a tea plantation in Moc Chau plateau. Here, you will find the best Vietnam teagrowing region, along the roads and on the hillsides. You will reach Son La in the afternoon. Distance: 187 km or 116 miles.
Meals: B / L / D
Accommodation: Hotel in Son La

Day 4: Son La – Dien Bien

Today you will travel o­n more winding & stunning roads, longer passes and see more colorful minority groups. Just as in the previous day, you may want to stop more often for pictures and visits the villagers to learn more about their rich cultures.
After lunch, the drive to the impressive Pha Din pass will be the highlight of the day.
Pha Din pass sits 1,000 meter or 3280 feet above the sea level. According to local legend, Pha Din means the connection between Heaven and Earth. Climbing and descending the slopes with the many bends and deep gorges is an unforgettable experience. You will reach Dien Bien Phu early in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day visiting the historical site of the Vietnamese / French war. Dien Bien Phu Museum and A 1 Hill are o­n the list to see.
Dinner and stay overnight in Dien Bien Phu.
Distance: 170 km or 105 miles.
Meals: B, L, D
Accommodation: Hotel in Dien Bien Phu

Day 5: Dien Bien – Lai Chau

After breakfast, you will have some free time before we begin another spectacular drive, passing the stunning gorges and the Nam Na River. There will be stops to visit the H’mong and ZDao villages o­n the way. Arrive in Lai Chau in early afternoon, have lunch & free rest of the afternoon in Lai Chau town to ralax. Dinner and stay overnight in Lai Chau.
Distance: 180 km or 110 miles.
Meals: B, L, D
Accommodation: Hotel in Lai Chau

Day 6: Lai Chau - Sapa

The drive today is the highlight of this trip. The road is a bit bumpy at times but it compensates by the magnificent scenery of the surrounding fertile valley, pristine rivers and high mountains - the photographer’s dream. The 25 miles drive to Sapa goes up the Chin Co pass and Tram Son pass, the highest pass in Vietnam with the view to Fansipan Peak – The roof of “Indochine”. En-route is the beautiful areas of Heaven’s Gate and Silver Waterfall.
Nested in the spectacular valley near the border of China, Sapa is the premier destination of Northwest Vietnam. Built in 1922 it was the former hill station for the French colonists. Today, Sapa is a paradise for trekkers, thanks to its beautiful trekking routes, stunning rice terrace, colorful minority groups and the back drop of mountain Fansipan. At 3143 meters or 10,311 feet from sea level, it is Vietnam’s highest peak.
Note: The colorful Sunday market in Tam Duong is very interesting to see, with lots of colorful ethnic minorities. Today we will visit the Fair market en route. (Twice a week on Thu and Sun)
Meals: B / L
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa

Day 7: Sapa

After breakfast at the hotel, you will start the great trekking day downhill to the Muong Hoa valley. To begin the most beautiful trekking route in Vietnam. You will trek on dirt path away from tourist tracks, through pine forest, terraces and Hmong villages. You will visit a school in the village and have a picnic lunch by the river. In the afternoon, you will hike through the village of Zay and end of the hike today, Driver will pick up at Ta Van Bridge for the drive back to Sapa.
Evening, relax in the hotel area and have dinner on your own
Trekking: 5 hours, downhill.
Meals: B / L
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa

Day 8: Sapa – Hanoi

After an early breakfast at the hotel, you will depart from Sapa for the long and beautiful drive to Hanoi. You will have many stop breaks on the way to make the trip more interesting. You will see how the views quickly changed from mountains into the flat plains of the Red River Delta. Arrive in Hanoi in the late afternoon.
(*) For a comfortable, you can take the night train from the town of Lao Cai to Hanoi for a more comfortable journey.
Distance: 340 km or 236 miles.
Meals: B / L