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 and night at hotel

Day 9: HA NOI - CHO RA - BA BE
Departure for Ba Be, passing through the mountainous region of Tonkin. There are superb landscapes with the rice fields in terrace, the paddle wheels in bamboo on the two sides of the river. Have lunch on road. Upon arrival at Cho Ra, take a boat on Nang river that slips in a cultivated country before penetrating in a landscape of chalky cliffs whose flank are characterised by small wild gardens, where hang the lianas and its long roots in quest of earth. Sometimes, the jungle, the purple canes, the silver spindly marbled trunks and the old trees bending their twist above the river swallow some earthy mounds. In the other view, it is the spectacle of fishing. The lobster pots stake out the course of river, some men throw the sparrow hawk, and others hit the rocky banks to dislodge some of lower-case shrimps. Then we enter into the Puong Cave. The river flows, making up a wonderful site where you can enjoy the stalactites on foot of this pothole. We continue going by boat to Pac Ngoi- a village of Tay ethnic situated no far from the lake on the flank of hills. The Tay lives on fishing, rice and corn cultivation. Their stilt houses with the thatched roofs disperse in the austere surrounding landscapes. Have dinner and overnight at the inhabitant.

Day 10: BA BE
We take a boat in the fairy decor of Ba Be lake; "the lake of three seas" that stretches on 9 km long and from 100 to 1800 m large, at altitude of 145 m. It is located at the outlet of 3 valleys that join together in bow of circle. Ba Be is not only a site for the imaginative, but also for the nature lovers. About over forty pieces of mammal live there, as well as hundred pieces of bird and butterflies. You can visit Dau Dang cascade, a village of the Dao ethnic. Dinner and night at hotel

Day 11: BA BE - HA NOI
Return to Hanoi. Dinner and night at hotel

Day 12: 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. And of tour.

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Northern Vietnamese on water / Vietnamese on water