Highlights of North East – Part 1

Northeast Vietnam is beautiful but less – visited by international tourists. People on a Vietnam classic tour focus on the highlights of the country such as Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc Island. The northeast of Vietnam seems to be forgotten. Only a few who love to discover authentic Vietnam, beautiful nature, and landscape and meet friendly ethnic people will think about a trip to this region.

Detailed program:

Day 01: Hanoi Arrival (Meals: )

Welcome to Hanoi, walking tour in the Old Quarter

Landing at the Noi Bai airport, you are welcomed by a professional tour guide and driver at the pickup lobby. Enjoy a 45-minute drive to the city center (Hanoi Old Quarter) with the city’s briefing information about the most visited spots, culture, traffic and cuisine….Arrive in your hotel, check in and have a rest.

Hanoi Old Quarter

Note: Hotel check in time at 14.00

Continue the day with a walking tour. Start with a small pagoda named Ba Da quietly located in a small alley – only a few steps from the Hanoi Great Cathedral, built by French colonialism since the 19th century. Your tour guide also takes you to typical streets of Hanoi such as Lan Ong Street selling traditional medicine, Lo Ren Street where metal items are produced … Stop to visit the Dong Xuan central market – the largest in Hanoi. Continue walking to the famous area for night activities and street food – Ta Hien street, where you can see the vibrant streets with a lot of the amazing local foods and drinks. Trying to taste some for an unforgettable experience.

End at your hotel.

Note: If your flight arrival late or you are jet leg after a long flight, the walking tour will be moved to the city tour day.

Day 02: Hanoi full day (Meals: )

Exploring the center of culture & education Van Mieu, outstanding museum of ethnology, visiting French Quarter and discovering Old town

9:00 AM: Get picked up by tour guide to the Temple of Literature which was built under the Ly dynasty in the 11th century for worshiping Confucius and teaching Royal children. Enjoy a walk in the garden to the city’s symbol Khue Van Cac. You will then visit the World Heritage “stone steles” which shows the names of outstanding students. Continue to explore the Quoc Tu Giam which is considered as the first national university of Vietnam.

Next stop at the Ethnology Museum (closed every Monday) which offers a deep insight into Vietnamese culture through traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments and traditional houses of many ethnic groups. To fully explore this interesting museum, it takes you around two hours.

In the afternoon you visit the French Quarter – it is a “little Paris” in Hanoi with tree-lined boulevards, government head offices and a big square. Visit (outside) Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum before having a leisurely walk in the botanical gardens to visit the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where he used to live and work. Towards the unique One – pillar pagoda which is one of the city’s symbols. It takes us from 1 to 2 hours to explore this complex, depending on the number of travelers.

Come back to the city center and have a rest before enjoying the water puppet shows that are unique performances, first appearing in the 11th century. In these shows, the daily life, culture and belief of Vietnamese people are described by puppets on water. The show usually integrates a traditional music performance as well.

Day 03: Hanoi – Ha Giang (Meals: )

Scenic driving route, trekking via Me – Lup – Tha villages

8:00 AM: Depart from your hotel in Hanoi to Ha Giang via the highway to Phu Tho. Stop to visit the Dao village in Ham Yen, Tuyen Quang. First, discover the houses on stilts, a typical style of ethnic groups in this undulating region.

Arrived in Ha Giang in the middle of the afternoon, beginning a trek to the Me – Lup – Tha villages. Featuring serene beauty, these villages are made up of hundreds of houses on wooden stilts covered by palm leaves. In front of the houses, there are small ponds for raising fish and water hyacinth cultivations for pigs. You will be welcomed by big smiles from the villagers testifying to their legendary hospitality. Visit a typical house and discover the local daily life. Arrive in Tha Village, a village on the palm hills with rice fields where you can rest in the serenity.

Finally, check in your accommodation and free to stroll around to catch the rhythm of daily life in the mountain before sunset.

Day 04: Ha Giang – Dong Van (Meals: )

Visiting Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, Twin Fairy mountain, traditional house of Hmong & Bo Y ethnic people, H’mong King’s Palace

8:00 AM: Travel to Dong Van with the magical landscapes of this region present along the route. Before arriving at the Quan Ba pass, we will stop to visit a village of Bo Y people in the Quyet Tien Commune. Their origin is from China. The Bo Yis a small community of 2000 people who populate in the mountainous parts of the north. Stop at the Quan Ba pass and take a short break to admire Quan Ba town with the famous Twin Fairy Mountain (Nui Co Tien).

Continue to drive to the Limestone rock plateau zone, considered as mountainous Halong Bay. This majestic natural treasure has been listed in the World Geological Park book. On the way, you will discover “Nha Trinh Tuong” (a special type of house) by walking to the Lung Hoa Village. This is the typical house of Hmong people in the village which is built on sticky ground. 

Next, visit the Palace of the H’mong King (Dinh Vua Meo). Dating back 100 years ago, far from the plain, the regions of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac created an autonomous zone with their own king. They cultivated poppies and their economy was based on the opium business with China. Arrive in Dong Van, check in accommodation and relax.

Read more: Highlights of North East – Part 2 

LPC SERVICES AND TRADING JOINT STOCK COMPANY
Hotline: 0916688855
Website: lpctravel.com.vn
Address: Room 1703, 17th Floor, Thang Long Building, 98 Nguyen Nhu Kon Tum Street, Nhan Chinh Ward, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi.