Northern Vietnam at A Glance: Halong Bay & Sapa 5 Days

About this boat trip in Hanoi

• Live guideEnglish
• Duration5 days
• CancellationStrict policy
• Pick-upHotel pick-up available
• Activity levelModerate
• Age4 and over

• Food on board

Timeline: how the party goes

1. Hanoi - Night train to Lao Cai

   Our tour guide will pick you up at 21:00 from your hotel at Hanoi railway station and take an overnight train to Lao Cai. It is a great way to see the scenery outside uniquely. Please prepare your luggage below the hotel lobby so that moving to the station can be quick and easy.

2. Lao Cai Railway

   Arrive at Lao Cai Railway Station around 5:30 - 6:00. Wake up early and take a deep breath of fresh Northwest Vietnam. Then we will be taken on a one-hour bus ride uphill to the picturesque town of Sapa. During this time, you can rest or glimpse the wonderful Sapa through the bus window and enjoy the view of the mountains and the floppy clouds like cotton candy in the early morning. Stop at your hotel in Sapa town to leave your big luggage and have a light breakfast before the trekking challenge. After your energy is fully charged, our local guide meets you at the hotel and starts the trekking journey.

   Walk along trails 6km toward Lao Chai village, a gem hidden in Muong Hoa Valley, where you may meet and learn more about the customs and culture of Giay and the Black Hmong ethnicities.

   Having a full recharge, we continue heading to the second point on our trekking trip, Ta Van village, a neighboring village in a foggy cloud. It not only has rustic beauty with wooden houses among immense terraced fields. We are also lucky to meet the Giay community when walking through a rattan bridge swaying in the wind. These are truly unforgettable moments you can't find in the city zone. Finish discovering the unique villages, we trek back to Sapa town to check in the hotel. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing after a long excursion in the morning to refresh yourself before beginning your evening in Sapa Town with street food or indigenous people’s performance.

3. Cat Cat - Sin Chai - Sapa - Hanoi

   Enjoy a chilling atmosphere with breakfast at the hotel and process check out before setting off on our second trekking day. Today the trekking path is lighter. Depart to Cat Cat village, around 3km from the town, and immerse ourselves in the breathtaking waterfall and the ruins of a hydroelectric power plant built by the French during their colonial rule in Vietnam.

4. Hanoi - Halong Bay Overnight Cruise

   Feel the pure early morning in Hanoi with breakfast at the hotel. Please process check out before our transfer will pick you up at around 8:00 - 8:30 to World Natural Heritage Site Halong Bay. It takes 2,5 hours on the highway, and we have a rest stop. Upon arrival at the waiting lounge, be warmly greeted by staff and check in. Transfer to a speedboat/tender to get the Halong Bay cruise; during this time, the cruise manager gives you a brief of Halong Bay and an itinerary while contemplating lovely islets on green water.

   Embark on the cruise around 12:00 - 12:15, welcome the Halong Bay cruise from a friendly captain and cruise crew with safety instructions and a welcome drink, and receive your room. A tasty lunch with seafood is served at the restaurant. Please have a short break after fulfilling your meal before exploring marvelous bay activities starts. Afternoon Following each cruise itinerary, you challenge yourself with kayaking, discover caves to see stalactite masterpieces, or interact with fishers in the floating market. Return to the cruise for relaxing, and try your cooking skill with Vietnamese spring rolls in Chef’s cooking class. 17:00 - 17:30 is the time for Happy Hour, “Buy one get one drink,” while waiting for romantic dusk over the bay sky.

5. Halong Bay - Hanoi

   Morning Wake up early for a fantastic dawn scene that you should not miss. Around 6:00, a Tai Chi Class opens for early birds to refresh their breath and improve healthily. A light breakfast is served with tea, coffee, and pastries before continuing Halong Bay's discovery in exciting water activities like immersing in green water, kayaking, or caving following each itinerary. Back to the cruise, enjoy a brunch, and prepare to check out around 10:00 - 10:30 while cruising towards the port via the beautiful rock formations. The captain and cruise crew warmly say goodbye to all guests and transfer to the tender to get to the pier.

What’s included

Good to know before you go

• Not wheelchair accessible
• Not stroller accessible
• Not suitable for pets
• No public transportation nearby
• Infants must not sit on laps
• Infant seats unavailable

Frequently asked questions