Arriving at Noi Bai airport. Transfer to your hotel.

Visit Hanoi “the City situated on the side of Red River .” Visit the Presidential Palace, the house and the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the One-Pillar pagoda. Next, we will visit the Museum of Ethnology, the Temple of Literature (the first university of Vietnam in the 11^th century) and Ngoc Son temple.

Have dinner in the city. Enjoy a water puppet show. Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi.

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 the way. 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 is characterized 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 the river, some men throw the sparrow hawk, and others hit the rocky banks to dislodge some of the 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.

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 an altitude of 145m. Ba Be is not only a site for the imaginative, but also for the nature lovers. About over 40 pieces of mammal live there, as well as a hundred pieces of birds and butterflies. You can visit the Dau Dang cascade, a village of the Dao ethnic.

Then, we leave for Cao Bang, a small city in the extreme northwest of the country. Arrive and dinner in the city. Night at the hotel.

Departure from city to the northwest. Following the itinerary, we turn left to go along the track of Thong Nong. A 6-hour trek to get to Mo Sat village of Tay, through the narrow small valleys, go round some skywards slim peaks. Here we have an opportunity to pass through the suspended bridge that was made of bamboo to make contact with the Tay villagers and see them working on their rice fields in terrace.

At noon: Picnic. Dinner and night at the inhabitant.

A trek for one hour from Na Chao to Soc Giang. Visit a typical market, where the Tay and Nung women come with conical hats, black trousers and blue or red short tunics, the black Hmong in indigoes. This market takes place on every fifth day of the lunar calendar. Then walking in one hour to the Chinese frontier. Then, we take our minibus to the Pac Bo grotto, one of the most historical sites where the uncle Ho stayed over the years. Return to Cao Bang. Dinner and night at the hotel.

The run is characterized by its beauty. It is a continuation and combination of the mountains, the hills and the thick forests. This road is famous for its name RC4 – Colonial Road number 4 which implies the several fighting between French and Vietminh in the 1950s at the time of the frontier battle. After arriving in Dong Khe, we have lunch and continue to Pac Hoan village of Nung.

Dinner and night at the inhabitant.

A 6-hour trek from Pac Hoan to Na Ban a village of the Tay. Following our itinerary, we will explore the tracers of the colonial attendance that now became rare. Outsides, in the small flap of the Dao – Coc Xa where 5,000 French legionnaires had been killed by the Viet Minh, during the time of the frontier war. We Continue going to Na Ban. Dinner and night at the inhabitant.

A 5-hour trek from Na Ban to That Khe with the superb karstic landscapes and the culture of corn, cassava, rice.

After lunch, we leave for Lang Son by bus, then continuing on the same road that leads up to the valley and runs along Ky Cung clinching, which is the continuation of the Canton river. You will see the beautiful perspective on the river and the surrounding rocky peaks. Dinner and overnight in Lang Son.

In the early morning, we visit Dong Kinh central market, Tam Thanh grotto. Then, depart for Halong. The road is very nice with the beautiful mountainous landscapes and the coasts of Tonkin gulf.

On arrival in Halong, check into your hotel. Evening free. Overnight at the hotel in Halong.

Morning, free time at leisure for relaxation, shopping…

11h00AM: Hotel check-out and transfer to the cruise ship harbor. Transfer to the cruise ship. Briefing about the itinerary, safety instructions and check-in cabin.

Enjoy seafood lunch served on board.

You will visit a floating fishing village. Contemplate beautiful landscape with thousands of islands of different shapes and sizes.

Time for relaxing on the deck, kayaking (on your own account) & swimming (if time permits).

Cooking demonstration in the dining room.

Enjoy dinner served on board.

Overnight onboard (Non-private cruise ship).

Enjoy sunrise over the Bay from the sundeck. Then have a light breakfast: cakes, coffee, tea… Relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Then visit a beautiful cave in Halong Bay. Check out cabins – Luggage collection. The cruise ship returns to the wharf while you have brunch served on board.

11h30: Leave Halong city to depart to Hanoi. Check into a hotel. Free time for relaxation… Overnight in Hanoi.

Departure for the Perfume Pagoda, one of the most beautiful sites of Vietnam. The pagoda and temples are perched on the flank of a chalky mountain whose architecture integrates perfectly with a very lush nature. Take a sampan which drives 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.

After lunch, we leave for Ninh Binh, crossing the superb landscapes of mountain filled with tea trees. Dinner and night at the hotel.

Departure for Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10^th 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 marvelous landscape often called “Ha Long on land”. Visiting Bich Dong pagoda situated on the flank of the hills. Dinner and night at the hotel.

Take a light trek in surrounding villages of Tam Coc for 4 hours. After lunch, we depart for Phat Diem Cathedral, one of the most beautiful cathedrals of Vietnam which was constructed in 1891. Return to Hanoi. Night at the hotel.

Free at leisure until transfer to Noi Bai airport for onward flight. End of service.