8 DAYS OF THE MOST SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Everyone wants to have a long vacation. But what if you only have 8 days? Vietnam is a diverse country in every sense: terrain, climate, culture, ethnic minorities, and regions. And if you only have 8 days of vacation then this is exactly the best choice for you. It combines diversity in a short period of time.
BRIEF SCHEDULE
Day 1: Welcome to Vietnam - Hanoi arrival
Day 2: Hanoi - City tour full day – water puppet show (B/L)
Day 3: Hanoi – Sapa – Sapa sightseeings (B/L)
Day 4: Sapa beauty: Rice terraces - Hiking (B/L)
Day 5: Sapa - Lao Cai border gate - Hanoi (B/L) (2 opptions)
Day 6: Hanoi – Halong bay: The most beautiful natural wonder (B/L/D)
Day 7: Halong bay - Lan Ha bay - Exploration
Day 8: Halong bay – Hanoi (or Noi Bai airport) (B/L)
The tour ends here!
Thank you and see you in other tours
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DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1: Welcome to Vietnam - Hanoi arrival
Welcome to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Your driver and tour guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Check into the hotel and have free time to explore the city at your own pace, or rest after the flight.
- Welcome Board
- Private transfer: from Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) to Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi - City tour full day – water puppet show (B/L)
Explore the charming city of Hanoi, often referred to as the ‘Paris of the East’, with its yellow ochre colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and scenic lakes.
The first place is Tran Quoc Pagoda located on Golden Fish IsLand in West Lake. It is the oldest pagoda in Ha Noi built in the 6th century. This is listed one of the most 16 beautiful pagodas in the world by UK Daily Mail. Visit the historic Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing monument of marble and granite built to house the preserved body of beloved revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, affectionately known to the Vietnamese as “Uncle Ho”. Visit the One Pillar Pagoda, a Buddhist temple built in 1049 of wood in the shape of a lotus blossom and set on a single stone pillar. Continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university built in the late 11th century. The picturesque temple is an example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture and is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong banknote. In the afternoon, visit the fascinating Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays) which houses an extensive collection of traditional costumes and artefacts from Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups.
Conclude your day by watching an entertaining water puppet performance, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form said to have originated in the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta where villagers entertained themselves by manipulating puppets over the water. The show uses colourful wooden puppets to depict scenes of rural life and episodes of national history set to music. Overnight at the hotel.
- Private group: 7 hours
Day 3: Day 3: Hanoi – Sapa – Sapa sightseeings (B/L)
- Private Car + Guide
- Pick up: 7.00 am
Have breakfast at the hotel or have a breakfast box delivered to you. The car will pick you up at the hotel and take you to Sapa. The city of Mist will welcome you after a long drive.
You will leave Sapa on a 30-minute drive to the 100-meter-high Love Waterfall, which owes its name to a legend that tells of a fairy who fell in love with a mountain boy who played his flute at this picturesque spot. On the way, you can make an optional stop at a local farm and explore it at your leisure. Continue uphill to Heaven's Gate via Tram Ton Pass and enjoy the view of the breathtaking Mount Fansipan. At 3,143 meters above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Indochina. Enjoy the view and take some photos before returning to Sapa.
Overnight at the hotel in Sapa.
Day 4: Sapa rice terraces hiking (B/L)
Pick up: 8.30 am
Today's trek takes you along the Hoang Lien mountain range, which offers you many opportunities to enjoy the views of the vast rice paddy terraces in Muong Hoa Valley, the largest valley in the region.
Start your tour with a 6-kilometer hike to the southeast of Sapa along the Muong Hoa valley to Y Linh Ho village, home to the black H'mong people. Continue with a 3-kilometer hike down to Lao Chai village. Here, you will have a simple lunch before exploring the village. After lunch, you will continue hiking through terraced rice fields to Ta Van, the village of the Dzay minority. This hike is relatively easy, but the path can be quite slippery in the rain, so good footwear is recommended!
Overnight at the hotel in Sapa.
- Private group / 8 hours
DAY 5: Day 5: Sapa - Lao Cai border gate - Hanoi (B/L) (2 opptions)
5.1 Sa Xeng and Sau Chua Hiking (option 1)
Pick up: 8.30 am
Enjoy the 15-minute drive to the villages of Sa Xeng and Sau Chua. From here, you will have the best views of the Hmong villages, which are located in a mountainous area overlooking the Muong Hoa Valley. Then we leave the main road for a two-hour hike to the two Black Hmong villages called Sa Seng and Sau Chua, which consist of four small hamlets spread along the narrow but fascinating valley. The trail gradually winds downhill from the high mountainside, passing through farmland and impressive terraced fields, and later along the Sau Chua stream that connects the hamlets. Enjoy the beautiful scenery during your hike, and meet the Hmong as they go about their daily work. Visit some of the houses and get to know the way of life of the locals. The hike ends when the village path meets your van, which will take you 5 kilometers back to Sapa.
End the tour on day 3 in Sapa. Hope in the car and return to the capital, Hanoi.
Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.
5.2. Indochina rooftop - Fansipan – Cabble car trip (option 2)
After two days of long walks, today you will have the opportunity to go to one of the most interesting and attractive places in Sapa. That is the peak of Mount Fansipan, 3,143m high. It is the highest mountain peak in Indochina. At the top of Fansipan, you will feel like you are in real paradise when the clouds are just below your feet. On the cable car you can see everything beautiful about Sapa: villages, fields, flower gardens, especially the constantly changing weather.
Before stopping for lunch in Lao Cai city your tour guide will take you near the border of China and Vietnam. It is an interesting place between two worlds, between two cultures. You will definitely have beautiful pictures before returning to Hanoi.
Day 5: Hanoi – Halong bay (B/L/D)
8:30 am. Driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and take you along a scenic route to Halong Bay where you will board a cruise ship.
- Private transfer: from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay
- transfer time: 2.5 hours
Getting on Cruise and running to the sea from Tuan Chau habour.
Onboarding - Visit Dark & Bright Cave 2D1N (Stellar Of The Seas)
Welcome aboard and refresh yourself with the welcome drink. Meet the captain, and crew for briefing and safety instructions.
12h30 approx: Check-in on the cruise.
13h00 approx: Enjoy lunch
14h00 approx: Receive key and check-in the cabin.
14h30 – 15h30 approx: Kayaking or Relaxing on a local rowboat to visit Dark and Bright cave.
15h30 – 17h30: Swimming around the cruise
18h00 approx: Cooking demonstration
18h00 – 19h00: Join the Happy Hour
19h00: Enjoy dinner
Overnight on cruise
(Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather, tide levels and operating conditions).
Day 7: Halong bay - Exploration inside Ha Long (B/L/D)
Today, biking in Viet Hai Village & Relaxing at Ba Trai Dao Area 3D2N (Stellar Of The Seas)
5h45 – 6h15 approx: Enjoy the sunrise & join a golf class
6h15 – 6h35 approx: Taichi exercise
6h45 – 7h30 approx: Enjoy breakfast
7h30 – 9h45: Free time to relax on the cruise.
9h45 approx: Enjoy brunch
12h30 - 16h30 approx: Visit the Viet Hai floating village by electric car or bicycle. Then experience bathing and relaxing at the natural beach of the Ba Trai Dao area in Lan Ha Bay.
16h30 – 18h00 approx: Return to the boat- and relax on the cruise.
18h00 – 19h00 approx: Cooking demonstration. Join the Happy Hour program
19h00: Enjoy dinner
20h30: Join the fishing session at the aft of our cruise or relax at our swimming pool, mini-golf course, spa, etc.
Overnight on cruise
- Small group
- Time out: 10 hours
- Breakfast, Lunch Included
Day 8: Halong bay – Hanoi (or Noi Bai airport) (B/L)
Enjoy the last day in Ha Long bay. The feeling of waking up in the sea with so many islands and islets around make you relax and lazy. It is up to you. Tai Chi class starts from 6.30 but if you want to rest in bed, just miss it. But this is itinerary for the second day.
6h15 approx: Enjoy the sunrise
6h15 – 6h35 approx: Taichi exercise
6h45 – 7h30 approx: Enjoy breakfast
7h00 – 08h30 approx: Take pictures by drone at the Swimming pool (depending on the weather condition) on Stellar Of The Seas)
9h30 – 9h45 approx: Pack up the luggage and put them in front of the door, then return the key to the reception counter.
9h45 approx: Enjoy a brunch buffet
10h45 approx: Settle down the payment for personal expenses (beverages, spa, etc.).
11h10 approx: Return to the mainland by speedboat.
Driver will be waiting for you in office before you getting on bank.
Transfer from Halong bay to Noi Bai International Airport by private car
If you do not have the flight at the same day, just back to Hanoi one more night. What I have not done yet, just do it like visiting beer street, where people call the crossroad of the world.
- Private transfer: Ha Long bay to Hanoi (or Ha Long bay to Noi Bai airport)
- Transfer time: 3.5 hours
The tour ends here!
Thank you and see you in other tours!
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WHAT'S INCLUDED
Accommodation
3-stars hotels:
Hanoi: Mina Hotel and Spa Hanoi or similar
Sapa: Sapa Panorama Hotel or similar
Halong Bay: Le Journey Cruise or similar
4-stars hotels:
Hanoi: Tirant Hotel or similar
Sapa: Amazing Sapa Hotel or similar
Halong Bay: La Pandora Cruise or similar
5-stars hotels:
Hanoi: Apricot Hotel or similar
Sapa: Silk Path Grand Resort and Spa or similar
Halong Bay: Doris Cruise or similar
Guide
Experienced English speaking guide
French/German/Spanish/Russian/Chinese speaking guides are available upon request. The surcharge will be applied
Meals
As per the tour program:
B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D= Dinner
Transport
- Door-to-door pick-up & drop-off services by private car
- Limousine bus from Hanoi to Sapa and from Sapa to Hanoi
- Air-conditioned bus between Hanoi and Halong Bay (2-way)
- Air-conditioned bus or private cars for the excursions
Other included
– All sightseeing tickets according to the itinerary
– Tissues and water on coach
– Service charges and government tax
– 24/7 hotline support guaranteed
– Vietnam Visa letter approval
Other not included
X International flights and departure taxes
X Optional Tour
X Beverage, Personal expenses, tips, and gratuities
X Early check-in and late check-out (If not mentioned)
X Compulsory Gala Dinner on 24 Dec, 31 Dec and 21 Jan (Tet)
X Public holiday surcharge (Christmas and New Year, Tet holiday in Vietnam, Local New Year in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand) if applicable
X Surcharge for airport cabs from 12:00 am – 05:00 am
X Visa stamping fee on arrival at the airport (Vietnam: $25/person)
X Services not mentioned above
