Day 1: HA NOI
Arriving at Noi Bai airport. Transfer to hotel. Visit Hanoi "The city situated on the side of Red river." Walk in the residential district where was the Presidential Palace, the house and the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the One-Pillar pagoda. Next, we will visit the museum of ethnology, Quan Thanh temple and Tran Quoc pagoda established by the West lake, the temple of literature (the first university of Vietnam in the 11th century) and Ngoc Son temple. In the late afternoon, we go by cyclo in the old quarter. Have lunch and dinner in city. In the evening: water puppet show. Night at hotel.

Day 2: HA NOI - PERFUME PAGODA - HOA BINH
Departure for the Perfume pagoda, one of the most beautiful sites of Vietnam. The pagodas and temples are perched on the flank of chalky mountain whose architecture integrates perfectly with a very lush nature. Take a sampan which drive you on the Yen river to the root of the Perfume mountain, but according to the rules of pilgrimage, a stopover should be made at the Trinh temple to ask the Genius -guardian permission to pursue our journey. Then you will need a 3 hours round-trip to climb up to the Huong Tich pagoda, an immense cave where stalactites and stalagmites form candelabra and altars. Have lunch there. We leave for Hoa Binh, crossing the superb landscapes of mountain filled with tea trees. Dinner and night at stilt- house.

Day 3: HOA BINH - MAI CHAU
Departure for Mai Chau valley, a short stop at the Muong village in Cho Bo. We leave the flat country for the mountainous region. The first rice fields in terraces appear, bordered by the groves of banana. The country is sprinkled by thatched cottages, among which the houses of Muong recognise themselves with their roofs on low stilts. Then we arrive in Mai Chau valley at noon. Visit two villages Van and Lac. The skilled fingers of the White Thai women mastering all kinds of textures which are based on combinations of lozenges or variations on wild silks. Dinner and night at the inhabitant. In the evening: a show of traditional dances with folk music.

Day 4: MAI CHAU - TAM COC - BICH DONG - HOA LU
Departure for Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century. Visit the commemorative temple dedicated to Dinh and Le kings. Have lunch at Tam Coc. An excursion by boat on the Ngo Dong river that snakes between the hills and the rice fields in a marvellous landscape, often called "Ha Long on land". Visiting Bich Dong pagoda situated on the flank of hills. Dinner and night at hotel.

Day 5: HOA LU - PHAT DIEM - HAI PHONG
Departure for Phat Diem, one of the most beautiful cathedrals of the country constructed in 1891 following Vietnamese style which is very remarkable by its material (marble, granite and wood). A quick visit of the cathedral. Then leaving for Hai Phong via Hai Duong. After lunch, discover Hai Phong, the city with French colonial style is very famous for its streets and avenues edged by flaming. Then we will visit Du Hang pagoda, Hang Kenh Communal House. Dinner and night at hotel

Day 6: HAI PHONG - CAT BA
Embarking on a hydroplane for one hour journey to Cat Ba island. You will discover Cat Ba national park that includes humid forests, inshore mangrove swamps, numerous small fresh water lakes, sandy beaches and reefs of beautiful coral. It is the home for 28 pieces of mammal, 37 pieces of bird, 20 pieces of reptile and 200 pieces of fish. There you will find a rare tree "stick tree". It is named following its wood, which is reactive with the poisonous foods and often used to manufacture the sticks utilized in the court. You can visit a fishing village, the market of fish. But especially, you will have an impressive memory of Cat Ba with the lifestyle of its local fishers and the magnificent sites. Have lunch and dinner with fresh seafood. Night at hotel

Day 7: CAT BA - HA LONG
Embarking on a private boat for a long cruise to Halong bay, "the 8th Wonder of the world" with thousands of islands and islets that emerge from water, taking fantastic shapes. Have lunch with fresh seafood on board. Dinner and night at Tuan Chau bungalow. Tuan Chau island has a surface of 3 square km and populated by 1200 fishers. At an ideal location, the hotel is composed of three villas that were constructed during the year of 1960s to receive Ho Chi Minh. Today, the High Dignitary Families of the Communist Party often come again to spend their weekends and vacation there. The hotel has a very beautiful view on the bay. It is really a privileged place that doesn't normally available for tourists, my personal relations with the Director Board of hotel, will enable you to enjoy it.

Day 8: HA LONG - BUT THAP - BAT TRANG - HANOI
Departure from Halong to Hanoi. A short stop en route at But Thap pagoda which was constructed in the 17th century on a levee of land in the middle of the rice field. Have lunch in Ha Noi. In the afternoon, depart to the north of Hanoi for Bat Trang village that is specialised in ceramics, in particular their "blue and white". You can discover the techniques of manufacture there and can buy the completed products in many stores. Return to Hanoi. Dinner in city and transfer to Hanoi railway station for a night train to Lao Cai - Sapa (TULICO Train). Night on board.

Day 9: LAO CAI - SA PA
Arrive at Lao Cai railway station and transfer to Sapa. Being attracted by the climate and the beauty of the landscapes, the French colonists had made Sapa an ideal place for relaxation and holiday. The city is located at 1650m, at roof of Fanxipan, the highest mount of Viet Nam. Take a walk to Cat Cat valley, an H'mong village which is situated about 2,5 km from Sapa by a track that descends wrap-around through a cultivated zone. Lunch and dinner in town. Night at hotel

Day 10: SAPA
We depart from Sapa for a 4 hours trek to Tavan village of Giay ethnic via Lao Chai village of the black H'Mong groups. During the whole trek, there are many superb rice fields in terrace to see. Lunch and dinner in town. Night at hotel

Day 11 (Saturday morning): SAPA - CAN CAU - BAC HA
Departure for Can Cau, one of the most picturesque fairs of this region that gather on every Saturday. There are three main ethnics: the Hmong, the Chinese and the Vietnamese who meet together without mixing themselves. The first in full dress come to exchange their products, including the raisings. They sell horses, pigs and dogs outside the surrounding of market. Most of merchants are chinese. They come from Xiaobazi, a Chinese town situated on the other border. They present the usual Chinese hardwares, and also everything that is necessary for the manufacture of the "traditional" local costume: the embroidered stripes, the strips of false batik printed for skirts and shoulder bags. Here the restaurants serve local dishes and the bars offer a special alcohol with an amber colour (corn wine). After visiting the market you will return to Bacha, a small town where the H'mong, the Fula and the other ethnic groups come from the surrounding villages to participate in the Sunday morning market. After checking in the hotel we will visit a village of Flower H'mong. Their houses are built on the soil of a clay flatform. The inside of houses is divided in different parts to guarantee the privacy of the women. Dinner and night at hotel.

Day 12 (Sunday morning): BAC HA - HANOI
The weekly fair of Bacha is held on every Sunday morning. From 7 AM to 9 AM, roads and tracks in this region are very busy. There, a peasant pulls a dunce which doesn't want to advance. Here others are more prudent who prefer to transport the small pigs on the levers in order to prevent them from losing weight on the path to the fair. Some go by couple, the woman carrying on back the hoods that she plaited, the men take the corn alcohol that he distilled. The girls are in their most beautiful short skirts that oscillate right and left following every their step. The sellers present some essential products such as grocery store, books and school supplies. Some peasants come to sell their production (vegetables, raising and handicraft). Finally the women calculate the profit of the day or compare the goods, the girls make up to be more beautiful, the men enjoy the rice alcohol while discussing about horses and land. Then we will return to Hanoi. Dinner and night at hotel.

Day 13: TAY PHUONG PAGODA & THAY PAGODA
Departure for the west of Ha Noi, crossing a charming countryside of Tonkin. Visit Tay Phuong pagoda, which means "pagoda looks westward" which is very famous for 76 statues sculpted in wood, a big artistic value dating the 17th century. Continuing for Thay pagoda (Master pagoda), one of the most venerated pagodas in this region. Lunch in Hanoi. In the afternoon: Free at leisure until transferring to Noibai airport for onward flight. Meal and night on board.

PRICE
Price net per person in US$