Ethnic and the beauties in the Northern Vietnam

Day 01 : Hanoi arrival (-/-/D)

Our Mozaik Voyages’s tour guide and driver will welcome you at airport and transfer to Hotel in the city center.

Get some first briefing information about our country and enjoy a welcome dinner in a local restaurant.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 02 : Hanoi full day city tour (B/L/-)

Today, we discover the wonders of the capital of Vietnam, filled with timeless charm. Start by visiting Van Mieu (Temple of Literature), the first University of Vietnam built from the 11th century by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong. Continue to visit Chua Ha (Ha Pagoda), known as a sacred place to pray for luck in love, especially for your future spouse.

After that, transfer to the Ethnology Museum (closed every Monday) which offers a deep insight into Vietnamese culture through traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments and traditional houses of many minority ethnic groups. Enjoy a special water puppet show in the museum garden.

Lunch is served in a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, discover the Ho Chi Minh complex including the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's House on stilts and the fish pond.

For those who are interested in visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, it is only open in the morning and closed every Monday and Friday. Sometimes it is necessary to queue for a couple of hours to go inside the mausoleum.

Transfer to the old quarter to visit Hoan Kiem lake (Restored Sword Lake) and Ngoc Son temple in the middle of the lake.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 03: Hanoi - Thac Ba (B,L/D)

depart to Thac Ba - inhabit of Zao ethnic with white trousers. This is good ideal resting place as it's an ecological lake used for hydroelectricity. In front of your eyes, you will admire the huge valley covered by water and numerous hilltops from the hundreds of islets which bring a certain charm to the lake

Arrive in Vu Linh, Thac Ba, check in at your homestay and enjoy the lunch.

In the afternoon, visit the village and take a boat trip in the magical lake. The first stop is to discover the village of the Zao ethnic group with white trousers.

Go back to the homestay to freshen up and have dinner.

Overnight in the house on stilts (mattress, mosquito nets, outside wc)

Day 04 : Thac Ba – Ha Giang (B/L/D)

Depart to Ha Giang. Stop to visit the Zao village. First, discover the houses on stilts, a typical style of ethnic groups in this undulating region.

Arrive in Ha Giang in the middle of the afternoon, visit the Me - Lup – Tha Villages. Featuring serene beauty, these villages are made up of hundreds of houses on wooden stilts covered by palm leaves. In front of the houses, there are small ponds for raising fish and water hyacinth cultivations for pigs. You will be welcomed by big smiles from the villagers testifying to their legendary hospitality. Visit a typical house and discover the local daily life.

Arrive in Tha Village, a village on the palm hills with rice fields where you can rest in the serenity.

Check in at your home stay then take a walk around the village to catch the rhythm of daily life in the mountain before sunset.

Day 05 : Ha Giang - Dong Van (B/L/D)

Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark – home to Hmong ethnic people.

Depart to Dong Van with the magical landscapes of this region present along the route.

Before arrival at the Quan Ba pass, we will stop to visit a village of Bo Y in the Quyet Tien Commune. Their origin is from China. The Bo Y is a small community of 2000 people who populate in the mountainous parts of the north.

Reach the Quan Ba pass and take a short break to admire Quan Ba town with the famous twin fairy mountains (Nui Co Tien).

After Quan Ba, you will enter the Limestone rock plateau zone, considered as mountainous Halong Bay. This majestic natural treasure has been listed in the World Geological Park book.

On the way, you will discover “Nha Trinh Tuong” by a walking to the Lung Hoa Village. This is the typical house of Hmong people in the village which is built on sticky ground.

Next, visit the Palace of the Hmong King, Dinh Vua Meo. Dating back 100 years ago, far from the plain, the regions of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac created an autonomous zone with their own king.

They cultivated poppies and their economy was based on the opium business with China.

Arrive in Dong Van and check in at your hotel and relax.

Day 06 : Dong Van - Bao Lac (B/L/D)

Grandiose Ma Pi Leng pass, the region of Black Lo Lo ethnic group.

In the morning, it's possible to visit Dong Van and Meo Vac market on Sundays.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart from Dong Van to Meo Vac by crossing Ma Pi Leng Pass which seduces you with the breathtaking view of limestone mountains, Nho Que River and Hmong Villages nested in the mountain.

Continue to Bao Lac. This is well known for the Black Lo Lo ethnic group. This region was highlighted by the French media, “The journey into unknown land”. This documentary was filmed in Khuoi Khon village of the Lo Lo people, 9km away from Bao Lac town, by the rugby player, Frederik Michalak

Lunch is served in Bao Lac town and check in to your hotel.

In the afternoon, we transfer to Coc Xa Village, in the Na Van commune. This village of the Lo Lo ethic group remains more authentic then Khuoi Khon village which became more touristic after the famous documentary. Walk through the rice fields and trails in the village, visit the local people's houses, and talk with the hosts to understand more about the local life as well as their traditional customs.

Go back to the town and stay overnight in your hotel.

Day 07 : Bao Lac - Ba Be (B/L/D)

Depart to Ba Be via Tinh Tuc. 30km from Bao Lac, in Hung Dao commune, there is a beautiful village of San Chi ethnic. Of course, we will stop to visit and discover the beauty of the village. You are one of a small number of travelers who get to visit this area because of its hidden location behind the hill. The village has hundreds of houses on stilts nested on the side of mountains and views of the beautiful valley.

To reach to the village, you will have to walk up a steep 2km incline. The higher you walk, the better view you get. Visit a family to understand the authentic life of this ethnic group.

Continue to Ba Be, where you will be surprised by the magnificent nature where the mountains gently meet the valleys of rice terraces. Stop to film or take photos whenever possible.

Upon arrival in Ba Be, check in at your accommodation at Pac Ngoi Village and go cycling through several villages of Tay ethnic groups to Hua Ma cave (5km from the village). This is an attractive place with amazing formations of stalactites and stalagmites.

Go back to village for dinner and a home stay in the late afternoon.

Note: From the limestone heritage of Ha Giang to the Nature of Ba Be Lake (3 lakes: 1km width and 9km length, 145m above the sea level), the great diversity will make you appreciate one of the most impressive circuits in the North East of Vietnam.

Day 08 : Ba Be – Cao Bang (B/L/-)

Relaxing in the Ba Be National Park.

In the morning, take a walk from the village to the pier to enjoy a boat trip on the lake. It is possible to swim in the lake. Stop to discover the Fairy Pond in the middle of the primitive forest. After the lake, walk along the banks of the Nang river to be immersed into the beauty of wilderness and reach Dau Dang water fall. Continue the boat trip in the opposite direction along the Nang River and through Puong Cave, home to thousands of bats, toward Buoc Lom pier

Enjoy lunch in this city before depart to Cao Bang.

Arrive in Cao Bang in the late afternoon. Check in hotel and relax

Overnight in Cao Bang.

Day 09 : Cao Bang - Ban Gioc Waterfall - Nguom Ngao Cave – Lang Son (B/L/-)

Immerse into Nung ethnic. Discover the magical Ban Gioc Waterfall and Nguom Ngao cave.

In the morning, depart from your hotel to Ban Gioc waterfall located on the border between Vietnam and China. It is 30m in height and 208m in width and is the most beautiful waterfall in Vietnam.

After 2 hours of driving through the magical limestone region, you will arrive at Ban Gioc waterfall and be amazed by this beautiful natural masterpiece.

In the afternoon, transfer to Nguom Ngao cave, reached by walking a hundred steps. The cave is located in the maize valley and is 2km in length. It is filled with incredible stalactites and stalagmites. It was a shelter for thousands of local people during the Vietnam/China border war.

Departure to Lang Son, on the way we will visit to Phuc Sen, a blacksmith village. You will have an opportunity to burn your name into your souvenir knife.

Overnight in Lang Son.

Day 10 Lang Son – Halong (B,L,D)

Breakfast and then departure for Halong Bay , a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival around noon, board a traditional junk for a 2-day / 1-night cruise in Halong Bay. During this cruise, you can discover this immense chaos of karst mountains, caves, lagoons with all these ghostly shapes that can be seen from time to time. It is so pleasant to feel totally lost there and to discover new, ever more tormented rock shapes every second. In addition, the play of light, clouds and mist creates unexpected atmospheres. The same goes for life on the bay with all its fishing boats, entire families who live either in floating houses or on board simple boats. At the end of the afternoon, the boat drops anchor to spend the night in the bay. You can then take a bath in the open sea or go kayaking under the extraordinary sugar loaves. Lunch and dinner on board seafood. Night on board the junk

Day 11: Halong - Hanoi - Departure (B,L)

Breakfast. Continue the cruise in Halong Bay. The return cruise allows you to discover other corners of the bay. Disembark around 11:30 am and resume the road towards Hanoi, en route, you visit an original 300-year-old pagoda of But Thap and the Dong Ho craft village. Arrival in Hanoi, transfer to Hanoi airport for your departure flight.