Tour Northern Vietnam
| country: | Vietnam |
| location: | North Vietnam, Hill Tribes |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | Weekly departures throughout most of the year, trips depart on a Sunday |
| price: | From £240 (9 days) excluding flights. Local payment US $100. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This concise tour of northern Vietnam allows you to discover and explore some of the most remarkably scenic regions in South East Asia. Beginning in the national capital, Hanoi, we uncover the charms and curiosities of this graceful old city and its fascinating Old Quarter on foot before setting out to cruise amongst the towering limestone karsts of awe-inspiring Halong Bay.
Last, but definitely not least, we take the China-bound train to the northern border town of Lao Cai. From here we'll trek through the breathtakingly beautiful mountain scenery around the northern hill tribe minority town of Sapa, and spend the night in a village longhouse, before returning to Hanoi where our trip ends.
This operator gives clients the option of offsetting carbon emissions on all of its holidays. In conjunction with Climate Friendly we have established an appropriate cash amount for each of our holidays, based on the type of transportation used and the distances travelled. This amount is donated to Climate Friendly and used to support new renewable energy projects that prevent greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere. The amount required to offset this holiday is £3 - this does not include your international flight.
Last, but definitely not least, we take the China-bound train to the northern border town of Lao Cai. From here we'll trek through the breathtakingly beautiful mountain scenery around the northern hill tribe minority town of Sapa, and spend the night in a village longhouse, before returning to Hanoi where our trip ends.
This operator gives clients the option of offsetting carbon emissions on all of its holidays. In conjunction with Climate Friendly we have established an appropriate cash amount for each of our holidays, based on the type of transportation used and the distances travelled. This amount is donated to Climate Friendly and used to support new renewable energy projects that prevent greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere. The amount required to offset this holiday is £3 - this does not include your international flight.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Our trip begins today in Hanoi. As there are no activities planned until this evening’s group meeting, you can arrive at any time. |
| Day 2: | We kick off our trip with an enjoyable half-day tour of Hanoi, taking you to see the ancient One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature and the infamous Hoa Lo Prison. The rest of the day is our own to discover a city that begs to be explored on foot. |
| Day 3: | With around 3,000 craggy limestone islands thrusting skyward from the ocean, Halong Bay is, without a doubt, one of old Mother Nature’s finest pieces of work. After a short morning’s drive from Hanoi to the seaside town of Bai Chay, we spend the afternoon cruising this awe-inspiring bay with plenty of time for a swim, if the weather is kind enough. A locally caught seafood lunch will be served on board and we’ll go ashore on one of the islands, to explore colourful limestone grottos. Hopefully, we’ll be able to witness an unforgettable sunset over the waters, before returning to Bai Chay to spend the night. |
| Day 4: | We return to Hanoi around midday and the afternoon is free for us to further explore the city. If you don’t want to walk, renting a cyclo (bicycle rickshaw) is a fabulous way of getting around. This evening we will be on board the northbound overnight train, bound for Sapa. |
| Day 5-7: | Home to some of Vietnam’s most colourful hill tribe minorities and overlooking a valley shared by Vietnam’s highest peak, Fansipan, the former French colonial hill station town of Sapa is situated in a region of breathtaking beauty. Fansipan towers over us, as we embark upon a vigorous trek to a remote hill tribe village. Here, we spend the night staying with a local family in their longhouse, before trekking back into Sapa. After a short drive down the mountain to the Vietnamese-Chinese border town of Lao Cai, we once again board the overnight train for a return journey back to Hanoi. |
| Day 8-9: | Final day free to explore Hanoi. Our trip finishes after breakfast the following morning. |
Award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society
how this holiday makes a difference
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Sapa, in Vietnam’s remote North, is a fabulous mix of colourful tribes and cultures. We spend three days trekking through remote villages and spend a night with a local family in their longhouse. Here we share their experiences and experience village life first hand. Heading to the coast we cruise around Halong Bay, with its magnificent scenery and limestone karsts jutting out of the water. We enjoy a sumptuous midday feast, enjoying a variety of locally caught seafood. Our trip ends in Hanoi, were we stay in a family run guesthouse, right in the heart of the ‘Old Quarter’. We are accompanied throughout by one of our Vietnamese English-speaking leaders.
This trip is focused on respecting and benefiting the local people and the environment of this country. On this trip you will be lead by an experienced local leader passionate about their country's history, heritage and natural beauty that will help you to get 'under the skin' of their country and see it through the eyes of a local. This trip stays at locally run accommodation; we eat at local restaurants and travel on local transport. This ensures the financial return to the local economy opens up training and employment opportunities - and allows for informal and meaningful interaction between our travellers and local people. We are constantly seeking new and innovative ways of neutralising our impact on the environment. We will become the first Australian adventure tour operator to offer a voluntary carbon offsetting option on the land component of all its tours, as well as the accompanying flights. Our Community Trust provides funds for local community projects and initiatives that promote responsible and sustainable tourism development in the destinations in which we operate. First and foremost, but not exclusively, the Trust supports projects and initiatives that advance education and employment within the tourism and hospitality industry. The Trust operates on a not-for-profit basis, with every cent of funds donated by us, our staff and our travellers, going to the nominated projects. The maximum group size on all of our adventures is 16 passengers – with exception of some African trips (24 max) and in the Polar Regions, where our ship carries a maximum of 110 passengers. Travelling in small groups ensures we make significantly less impact on the natural environment, as well as breaking down many of the communication barriers presented by a larger group. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and time to make your own discoveries. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as gaining an understanding of the respective cultures you visit. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |