Vietnam Off the Beaten Path

Your trip begins with arrival in Vietnam. Your guide will fast-track you through customs and a private driver will meet and greet you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel. You can walk through the streets of the city for the remainder of the day. Historic charm, architectural marvels, and shops are splashed all over this area. After enjoying the first day, return to the hotel for a relaxing sleep.

Enjoy your breakfast at your accommodation. Then, the driver will take you to Sapa. During the journey, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The day is devoted to a beautiful hike through the breathtaking scenery of the Sapa valley. Admire the rice terraces hidden behind the mist of the morning, a truly awe-inspiring sight. Follow a small track and cross Muong Hoa River and pass well tended rice terraces on your way to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai. Continuing through the colorful rice terraces you will reach the village of Ta Van Giay. As you continue your trek along the Muong Hoa River, you will cross a small suspension bridge, roughly 2km from the settlement. Here you can discover a fascinating collection of rock carvings. Eat lunch in a home in the village.

After lunch the walk continues through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic minority village. After taking a rest near a waterfall to refresh, you start climbing uphill to a road where the car is ready for your journey back to Sapa.

Have breakfast at your hotel, then leave early in the morning for Muong Hum, a typical market where you won’t find as many tourists. You can meet the ethnic groups from all regions around Muong Hum.

Have lunch at a local restaurant. Depart for hiking in the village in the evening.

Head out by private car to the village of Choang Thien, where you’ll start another day of hiking through the traditional houses of Ha Nhi to discover the local’s daily activities. Enjoy lunch with a H’Mong family.

In the afternoon, visit Ngai Thau village, home of the H'Mong ethnic group. Hike through the magnificent landscape around here: mountains, terraced rice fields, waterfalls, and ethnic villages.

Today you will return to Sapa town. On the way, you will visit Lao Chai village, home of Ha Nhi. Stop in Sang Ma Sao village for lunch, then transfer directly to Sapa.

Have breakfast at your hotel. Enjoy your last day in Sapa before the driver meets you at your accommodation to transfer you to Hanoi.

Fly from Hanoi to Hue today. Upon arrival, you’ll be taken to the hotel and then you’ll have the rest of the day at leisure.

This morning you will be picked up and transferred to Toa Kham Wharf, from where you’ll head to the Thien Mu pagoda, a historic temple. After a welcome drink at a local house, you will ride a bike around the village to see the daily life of the local people, stopping to visit an incense-making family and a joss-paper making family.

After the village biking, you will head back to the local house to have a foot massage before cooking your lunch under the instruction of the chef. The local cook will help you cook some famous local foods. Lunch will be served before taking a rest and then driving back to your hotel for a free afternoon.

Today you will fly to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, the rest of the day is at your leisure.

Have breakfast at your hotel, then board the Jeep for a Ho Chi Minh City Tour. First stop on your tour is the Independence Palace/ the Reunification Palace. The palace is symbolic of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, when the North Vietnamese Army tank number 843 crashed through the gates of what was at the time the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam.

Next, you will admire the Museum of American War Crimes/ the War Remnants Museum which is the most popular museum in Ho Chi Minh City. After the museum, you will see Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office, which are the two of the best highlights of old Saigon architecture. Then, the Jeep will take you to visit some famous roads in Saigon such as Dong Khoi street. You’ll then visit the Ben Thanh Market, a lively market in District 1, where your guide can help you barter for goods.

After breakfast, it’s time to check out and travel to the airport for your flight.