North Vietnam Highlights

Vietnam

2,025

Overview Itinerary Dates & Pricing Gallery Is this tour Right for you

Overview

Take a private tour along northern Vietnam’s back roads to the land of colorful ethnic minorities and mesmerizing rice terraces. The trip has been perfectly scheduled to the time of the year when the rice fields are ripe, slowly turning from lush green to golden yellow. Join the locals, beautifully dressed in their traditional clothes, as entire villages head out to the fields to pick the grain that feeds the Asian continent and makes Vietnam the world’s second-largest rice exporter. This journey through unique cultures, amazing landscapes, and off the beaten track is an excellent chance for a second visit to this unique country for those visited once and are looking for an opportunity to visit again.

Highlights

Hanoi Starter - Cycle ride in the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem's Ngoc Son Temple.
Tea Country - Walk Moc Chau's emerald plantations and see leaf-to-cup processing.
Terrace Country - Mu Cang Chai's golden-season rice fields and scenic mountain pass.
Sapa Peak - Fansipan cable car to 3,143m (Indochina's roof) and evening in town.
Market Spectrum - Bac Ha tribal market plus little-visited minority.
Hoang Su Phi Trails - Downhill hikes between terraces, jungle edges, and villages lunches.
Lan Ha Bay Cruise - Overnight karst cruise with sunrise on deck and limestone panoramas.

Itinerary

Itineraries on some departure dates may differ, please select the itinerary that you wish to explore.

Hanoi

Day 1

Arrival in Hanoi

Moc Chau

Day 2

Hanoi - Moc Chau

Mu Cang Chai

Day 3

Moc Chau - Mu Cang Chai

Sapa

Day 4

Mu Cang Chai - Sapa

Day 5

Sapa - Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Day 6

Bac Ha - Hoang Su Phi

Hoang Su Phi

Day 7

Hiking around Haong Su Phi

Unknown

Day 8

Hoang Su Phi - Hanoi

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Itinerary

Itineraries on some departure dates may differ, please select the itinerary that you wish to explore.

Hanoi

Arrive in Hanoi, the national capital and the heart of Vietnam’s growing economy. At 14:00, after dealing with immigration formalities at the airport, meet the local guide and drive to the city center to check into the hotel. If time permits, take a first orientation tour around the city. Travel atop a traditional cyclo for a tour of the old town, then walk by the picturesque Ngoc Son Temple (the Temple of the Blue Mountain), built over a small islet at the heart of the Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword). Late in the evening, travel to the hotel for the night.

Hotel

Moc Chau

Leave Hanoi for the approximately three-hour drive to Moc Chau. Commonly dubbed the Vietnamese “capital of tea”, Moc Chau is famed for the tea plantations that adorn the region’s rolling hills. Upon arrival at Moc Chau, disembark the car and join the locals for a walk amid the terraces as they pick the tea leaves. Stop by a local tea production center to learn about processing the leaves and packaging them to be sent and consumed by tea lovers worldwide.

Breakfast

Mu Cang Chai

Leave Moc Chau and get into a region dominated by rice terraces carved into the mountainsides and the land of colorfully dressed minorities. En route, stop at one of Vietnam’s most beautiful mountain passes to enjoy the picturesque view of colorful fields carpeting the valleys perched below. Continue driving while occasionally stopping at minority villages for an up-close glance into their dwellings, vegetable plots, and daily lives. Late in the afternoon, arrive at a simple but cozy lodge located on a high hill overlooking the rice paddies, and set here for the night.

Lodge
Breakfast

Sapa

After breakfast in the lodge’s restaurant, with a fantastic view over rice terraces, drive out of the lodge to a nearby village. Hop onto a back of a motorcycle (driven by a local) for a wild ride up the mountain to enjoy the view over the most iconic terraces in the region. Enjoy a stroll through the terraces while capturing images and indulging in the serene environment. This time of the year is when the rice is ready to be picked. The paddies are dried, and the terraces slowly shift from lush green to golden-yellow. Get down the hill and back to the vehicle for a ride along a road dotted with small towns and villages mostly inhabited by minority groups. Arrive in Sapa in the afternoon to enjoy a magnificent cable car ride to the top of Fanxipan, the highest peak on the Indochina Peninsula. This 20 minutes’ ride takes passengers to the peak at 3,413 meters, revealing the beautiful ridges and hidden valleys surrounding Sapa. Late in the evening, enjoy a walk through the lively center of town.

Breakfast

Before 1912, when the French built a sanatorium for sick officers, this area was solely inhabited by hill tribes, mainly the Hmong, the Yao, the Tay, and the Giay. Nestling at the foot of Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest peak, the Sapa region enjoys a very agreeable climate unlike that in the Vietnamese lowlands, which are hot and humid. This northern area attracted French people of all walks of life, among them missionaries and biologists. Over time, the French army’s growing presence stabilized the political borders with neighboring China, which made Sapa into a significant trading town. Drive out of town for a day’s walk through tranquil villages and rice paddies. In the afternoon, take the approximately three-hour drive to Bac Ha, and settle into the very simple hotel for the night.

Breakfast

Bac Ha

Very early in the morning, walk to the famous Bac Ha weekly tribal market. The locals, from different ethnic groups, gather to trade mostly agricultural produce and a variety of handicrafts and purchase their own supplies. This is a unique opportunity to see a great variety of ethnic groups in one place, some of whom live up in the mountains, where it is nearly impossible to visit them. Walk through the bustling market amid colorful booths, and see the locals as they sit for a cup of tea and exchange information on who has married whom, whose child has left for the city, and other essential news items. Later in the morning, return to the hotel, have a quick breakfast, and leave Bac Ha as early as possible. Two more minority markets await along the long and winding road planned for the day. These two markets are little known to outsiders, and thus, very few tourists ever make it that far. Late in the evening, arrive in a unique lodge at Hoang So Phi, and settle in for the night.

Lodge
Breakfast, Dinner

Hoang Su Phi

After breakfast, hop aboard the car for a 30-minute drive to the top of the ridge. Stop at a home of a Red Zao minority family for a morning tea before embarking on a few hours’ hike (mostly downhill) on a trail meandering between cultivated terraces, vegetable gardens, and the wild jungle. This is where an ongoing epic battle between the locals, on the one hand, and the wild jungle, on the other hand, takes place. Both sides are trying to reclaim lands for their expansion at the expense of the other party. While trekking, stop for a traditional lunch with a local family. In the afternoon, arrive back in the lodge for a relaxed evening in the serene environment.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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In the morning hours, take another easy hike through the rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi, justifiably known as one of the most picturesque regions throughout northern Vietnam. Around noon, board the vehicle for the approximately five-hour drive back to Hanoi, arriving back in the bustling town late in the evening.

Dates & Pricing

North Vietnam private tour prices are quoted in US dollars.

Trips@Asia reserves the right to change Vietnam private tour prices and programs due to changes in flight schedules, changes in airfares, and other local circumstances.
Prices are based on twin share occupancy.\n\nRates for private groups of 2 travelers and above:
2 travelers- US$1,540/ person
4 travelers- US$1,149/ person

Dates	Status	Price	Notes
12 Sept 2025 - 21 Sept 2025	available	$ 2,025	-

Is this trip right for you?

You enjoy scenic drives and mountain adventures. Expect long but beautiful journeys through northern Vietnam's highlands.

You appreciate authenticity over luxury. Rural lodges and local homes offer simplicity, warmth, and charm while immersing you in real village life.

You're ready for light to moderate activity. Hikes through terraced hills, short motorbike rides, and leisurely walks in markets and villages are all part of the experience.

You're curious about culture and tradition. Meet Hmong, Red Zao, and Tay communities, explore colorful tribal markets, and learn about Vietnam's deep agricultural and spiritual roots.

You seek peaceful landscapes and local connections. From the quiet rhythm of mountain villages to a serene overnight cruise on Lan Ha Bay, this trip is ideal for those who prefer nature, culture, and calm over crowds.