Day 1 - Sunday October 16th: Hanoi - Group Meeting
After arriving at Hanoi airport, a 45-minute taxi ride will take you to your Hotel Hilton Opera, at the heart of Hanoi, the friendly capital of Vietnam. Mr. Vu Phong Thuy, our tour guide for the whole trip, will meet us in the hotel lobby in the afternoon and bring us to a complimentary "foot massage salon," to help us recover from our long journey. ***See "Flights" on last page. In the evening we have a "welcome dinner" with authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

Day 2 - Monday October 17th: Hanoi city-tour - Night train to Sapa
Today we do a grand tour of Hanoi, one of the most interesting cities in Asia, with its 1000 years of history. We visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and its complex and stand in line with thousands of fans of Uncle Ho (an intimate and respectful way that the Vietnamese address their Great President Ho Chi Minh). Later we check out the Presidential Palace where he used to work, and the houses he lived in, with his fish pond and garden. In the same complex, we visit the one-pillar-pagoda and the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and known as the first university of Vietnam and one of the oldest universities in the world.
Lunch is Pho noodle soup, a Vietnamese specialty.
In the afternoon we visit the museum of ethnology and learn about the 54 different minorities in Vietnam. On the way back to the city center, we stop by the Giant West Lake to visit the ancient pagoda built in the 6th century to learn about Buddhism which is traditionally practiced by the Vietnamese to help them find peace in a busy world.
After dinner, the 9:00 pm deluxe Victoria Express train will take us on an 8-hour ride north to Sapa with comfortable sleeping compartments.

Day 3 - Tuesday October 18th: Lao Cai - Cocly Market - Sapa-Yoga
We arrive at Lao Cai station at 5:30 am and after breakfast take a 1 ½ hour bus ride up to the "Tuesday Market," where we join hill tribes on their weekly exchange of goods. Some people have walked half a day to sell or purchase food, clothing, or even a water buffalo… You can surely be the owner of a buffalo (if you are good at bargaining)...

After visiting the market we go back to Lao Cai for lunch, and later take the bus further up the mountain road to Sapa where we stay at the exquisite Victoria Hotel & Spa for three nights. We end the day with relaxing Yoga and dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 4 - Wednesday October 19th: Sapa - Trek CatCat - Yoga - Sapa
We start the day with invigorating morning Yoga midst peaceful mountains, and a visit to the central market of Sapa, with lunch in town. In the afternoon we go for a 2-hour trek to Cat Cat, a village where the Black-H'mong hill-tribe lives. Authentic local cuisine will be served for dinner.

Day 5 - Thursday October 20th: Sapa – Yoga - Lao Chai Trek
After our morning Yoga session, our bus will take us out of town to visit the villages of other hill-tribes that share the territory: the Red Dzao, the Dzay and more Black H'mong tribes. We walk on mountain trails, tour the villages, and learn about their culture, customs and religions. After a picnic lunch by the river we return back to Sapa town.
Dinner is on our own tonight.

Day 6 - Friday October 21st: Sapa – Yoga - Train – Hanoi
More invigorating morning Yoga followed by breakfast and a leisurely time by the pool or a massage, before checking out at 12 noon. The afternoon is free to shop and explore the town before taking the bus at 5:00 PM to the train station for the night train back to Hanoi.
Dinner is in the restaurant near the train station.

Day 7 - Saturday October 22nd: Hanoi - HoChiMinh Mausoleum - Mai Chau - Yoga
We arrive in Hanoi at 5:00 AM, and visit the Center Lake at the break of dawn to see both young and old Hanoians enthusiastically doing their morning exercises with Tai chi and aerobics, and you are welcome to join in, too! Today we have the opportunity to visit inside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, a huge concrete block which houses the beloved former president's embalmed body. Later a 3-hour bus trip will take us to Mai Chau, a small town inhabited by "Thai people," one of the largest ethnic groups in Vietnam. We have lunch at a local house-on-stilts. In the afternoon, we hop on our mountain bikes and pedal along the rice paddies and terrace fields owned by the Thai and H'mong people towards the quaint village of Ban Buoc and stay in one of the oldest house-on-stilts in the Thai village. We sleep dormitory style on thick mats with plenty of space to spread out under mosquito nets. As soon as we arrive at the home-stay, we shower and practice Yoga until dinner time. An ethnic dinner is served at an open fire pit by our superfriendly hosts.

Day 8 - Sunday October 23rd: Ban Buoc – Boat trip on Da River - Yoga - Ban Buoc
The morning starts with Yoga to the sounds of chickens, followed by a bike ride to the dock where we board the motor-boat to travel upstream and experience the amazing scenery along the river banks.
We return on our bikes to the home-stay at Ban Buoc for the night

Day 9 - Monday, October 24th: Ban Buoc - Cuc Phuong National Park - Yoga
After morning Yoga, we drive 3 hours to Cuc Phuong National Park, the most well-preserved National Park in Vietnam and visit the Primate Rescue Center, a preserve for the rarest species of monkeys threatened by global extinction. We stay at the Cuc Phuong National Guest House and have dinner in the park's restaurant.

Day 10 - Tuesday October 25th: Cuc Phuong National Park - Yoga - Cat Ba Island
Morning Yoga, and then off to CatBa Island, known as the pearl of the Gulf of Tonkin with 366 islands. On the way we have lunch in Hai Phong, the 3rd biggest city in Vietnam. In the afternoon, we take a fast boat to CatBa town and stay at the CatBa Sunrise Resort with its beautiful ocean view. The rest of the afternoon is free for swimming, snorkeling, a massage or just relaxing. Seafood dinner is served on a floating restaurant.

Day 11 - Wednesday October 26th: CatBa - Halong - Grotto Exploration - Yoga
After being greeted by a magic sunrise, we have breakfast and check in to our floating 5-star hotel to start our luxury vacation for 2 nights and days on board a Chinese "junk" with our own private masseuse. We pass big communities of fish-farmers who live on floating villages. An hour from departure we are in amazing Halong Bay (a Unesco World National Heritage area) with its karst limestone mountains. It's also called the Bay of Descending Dragons. As the legend goes: "Halong Bay was formed by a Mother Dragon and her Baby Dragons in order to protect her poor-armed descendents as the enemy attacked their country with strong force from the sea. Out of deep respect for the Dragons, the Vietnamese named 'Ha Long' as the place Mother Dragon descended." The blend of old myths and breath-taking mountain scenery gives this area a wonderful sense of peace, magic and awe.

After a delicious seafood lunch we disembark to visit the Amazing Cave, a huge and impressive cave in the area then return to our boat for sunset Yoga before dinner. (Depending on the temperature of the water, anyone brave and adventurous can go for an evening swim, and might even see 'phosphorescence' - a unique experience in Halong Bay.)

Day 12 - Thursday October 27th: Halong – Kayaking - Yoga
Today we cruise to a quiet area and do Yoga in the morning sun. After lunch, we get into our kayaks to paddle on the emerald water of the bay and kayak through a 700 feet cave (when the tide is right) to a lagoon. There, we'll enjoy the peaceful bay, with evergreen mountains reflected on the calm surface of the water. In some areas we will be able to see down to the bottom of the bay with many different colored fishes playing in between the corals. At night we can join our boat crew and fish for squid.

Day 13 – Friday October 28th: Halong - Yoga – Halong City - Hanoi
Morning Yoga and brunch on board our "floating hotel." We arrive at the dock in Halong City and disembark around 11:30 for the 3 hour-bus ride from Halong City back to Hanoi. On our last night we stay at the exquisite Sofitel Metropole Resort and Spa and celebrate our 2-week Yoga adventure with a fantastic farewell dinner at a very special restaurant.

Day 14 – Saturday October 29th: DEPARTURE
Before departing to the airport, this day is free to hang out by the pool or for any final shopping or exploring in the fascinating Old Quarters of Hanoi with 36 ancient streets; a shopper's paradise with everything from A-Z, including tailored silk clothing at reasonable prices.

Thank you for joining us and sharing the great joy of traveling with "Vietnam Discovery Travel." Have a safe journey home!

Sincerely, Thuy

PS Our itinerary is "flexible." If some of you wish to do less Yoga, hiking, biking or kayaking, you may have the freedom to just relax by the pool, or do more Yoga, biking, hiking, and kayaking when possible.

And by the way... Yoga experience is preferrable, but you are also welcome if you are strong, adventurous and would love to try Yoga!

Links:

North VietNam & Hanoi

Faces of Hanoi (Rusty Compass)

Lao Cai to Sapa (Rusty Compass)

Black Hmong Sings in her mountain village

Hmong in Vietnam

Mai Chau snapshot (Rusty Compass)

Welcome to Halong Bay

Bhaya Luxury cruises in Halong Bay
(not our boat, but similar)

Weather:

Sapa

Hanoi & North Vietnam

<back to top>