Your vacation starts as we meet you at Hanoi airport (Noi Bai), and you’re taken directly to your hotel. Then you are free. Overnight in Hanoi.

Followed by a full day city tour starting with the Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Close to this site is the One Pillar Pagoda, whose origin dates back to the foundation of Hanoi a thousand years ago. Your tour of Hanoi continues with a trip to the remarkable Temple of Literature, well known as Vietnam’s first university.

After your own lunch, you’ll enjoy a walk around the peaceful Hoan Kiem Lake and through the less peaceful Old Quarter, a bewildering maze of shopping streets and restaurants with an amazing assortment of architecture - traditional tube houses, countless pagodas, artisans’ workshops and cottages, colonial houses and modern concrete edifices. You will see an evening performance of Hanoi's famous water puppets before having a transfer to Hanoi Railway Station for a night train to Lao Cai with your tour guide escort. Overnight on train.

The train arrives at around 6AM after which you’ll be transferred by private car to Sapa, one and a half hours away. At an elevation of 1,500 meters, Sapa was once a hill resort of French administrators when the summer heat became unbearable. Getting to meet the ethnic minority people is a highlight of visiting Sapa, although their living conditions are basic. After settling into your hotel you will take a soft trek to Cat Cat village about 3 kilometres away from town take you about 3 hours walking to visit H’Mong minority people who first lived in Vietnam in the 17th & 18th  centuries, then you’ll walk to Ham Rong mountain about 2 hours for a fabulous overview of Sapa town. Overnight in Sapa.

After breakfast at hotel this morning group will check out and continues to visit a local market where is open at certain day of the week only Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday all depend on your travel day. At these market many minority groups like Flower H’mong, Black Zao, Zay…come to trade for their weekly plan
 
After lunch, you drive downhill for about half an hour. You will then start a short walk to Trung Do village, which belongs to the Tay minority. Here you can stop by a traditional Tay house for a cup of tea before you get on a boat. You will have a cruise downstream the Chay River to experience the picturesque scenes and the magnificent sight of a beautiful cave. The boat ride ends at Bao Nhai bridge, where you get on the car for the journey back to Lao Cai for overnight train to Hanoi.

You’ll be met at the Railway Station early this morning and you'll have the chance to see early morning life in Hanoi as the locals do their morning exercises  and Tai Chi. You'll also get to see the unique flower market before heading for Vietnam’s number one destination - Halong bay, made world famous by James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies. Arriving just before lunch, you’ll embark on a traditional Vietnamese junk. Take lunch on board and enjoy the afternoon and overnight cruise as it provides you with fantastic views of the fabulous scenery blending with the sky and some 3,000 limestone islands which amazingly rise from the clear and emerald water. The limestone karst formations are littered with beaches, grottoes and beautiful caves, some of which you’ll visit. Overnight on board in Halong Bay

The tour continues with a morning spent cruising on to the Man’s Head, Tortoise islands and then Luon Cave by small bamboo boat. After an brunch check out and continue to travel though Bai Tu Long to Bai Chay for disembark, meet the driver and guide to transfer you back to Hanoi. Arrival time Hanoi is about 4 PM rest of time free at leisure, your own explore old town of Hanoi and shopping. Overnight in Hanoi.

After breakfast, you are free to relax until your transfer to Noi Bai airport for your flight to Luang Prabang. On arrival, transfer from Luang Prabang International Airport to your hotel, time permitting climb Phousi Hill, with its 328 steps, it’s a rewarding walk as once at the summit you’ll have for a fabulous panorama view over the town centre and the mighty Mekong River and beyond. We return to your hotel late afternoon and the evening will be at your leisure.

After breakfast, we’ll take you on an amazing long tail boat journey along the Nam-Ou & Mekong Rivers, through the beautiful Laotian countryside all the way to Luang Prabang, passing by the local villages and seeing the real everyday life of the villagers going about their chores including fishing, trading & washing along the rivers on our 5 hour journey. We’ll stop on the way to see the fascinating Pak Ou caves, which in fact are a cave system of two interlinked caves, crammed full of Buddha statues left behind by pilgrims over generations and then we’ll observe the traditional process of rice wine distillation in Ban Sanghai, before returning to Luang Prabang early afternoon. Spend the rest of the day to stroll around and enjoy this UNESCO World Heritage town.

Spend the day at Khuang Si Waterfall about 30mins from Luang Prabang, the waterfall is set in a natural jungle setting and you will have plenty of time to relax or swim in its turquoise cool pools. Return to Luang Prabang and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

For those early risers you have a fantastic opportunity to take part in the daily morning ritual of Alms giving to the saffron-clad monks who walk along in single file collecting offerings, normally food. This is a unique tradition throughout Laos and the monks are fully supported by the local residents.

Visit the Laotian Royal Palace officially known as Haw Kham which was built during the French colonial era for the King and his family. The site was chosen so that official visitors to Luang Prabang could disembark from their river voyages directly by palace and be received there. In 1975, the monarchy was overthrown and the Palace was then converted into a National museum. Today it houses many artifacts which showcase the richness of Laotian culture. Transfer to the airport for your onward departure.