North - West tour

Viet Nam is a real ethnic mosaic composed of almost sixty different ethnic minority groups. The western area is the haven of many groups who recently immigrated from South of China.

Fiercely attached to their liberty and faithful to their ancestral life style, they live together peacefully in a serene and laborious atmosphere.

Though magnificent mountainous paths we will discover these hill tribes - the H'mongs living in the high mountains, the Dzaos expert hunters, the Lu women ornamented with silver jewels and lacquered teeth and the elegant Thai women from the valley.

It is a trip to the ethnic and cultural patchwork heart in a rare beauty area.

It is recommended to start this trip on a Saturday and finish it on a Monday. Then it will be possible to visit the multi-ethnic market, a place of interest in the area.

Our tour guide picks us up at the hotel in Ha Noi and drives us west, towards Hoa Binh province. This scenic area is home to many ethnic minority groups including the Dzao, Muong and Thai. We visit some villages en-route to the beautiful valley of Mai Chau. We pass some magnificent look-out points which offer us a panoramic view of the valley. In the afternoon we arrive in Pom Koong, a village of the White Thai people who inhabit the major part of the area. During the evening, we enjoy a traditional dance and drink Ruou Can, a local rice wine. We have dinner and spend the night in the houses of the local people. A mattress, blanket and mosquito nets are provided.

The chickens and roasters of the village wake you up in the early morning. After a breakfast prepared by our host, we walk around the town to experience the true essence of daily life of the local people. Later this morning we will continue our trip by car towards Son La. Upon leaving Mai Chau you see many villages dotting the hillsides and the undulating terrain makes for an interesting journey. We plan to make a stop at the tea plantation of Moc Chau and have a tea break with the H'Mong tribe. On arrival in Son La town we visit the old Son La Prison, where the French use to imprison Vietnamese revolutionaries in the latter part of the colonial era. We spend the night in a hotel.

Today we travel to Dien Bien Phu, crossing over the Phan Din Pass, known as the highest and longest pass in Viet Nam with an altitude of 1,500m. At the middle of the pass, we visit a multi-ethnic primary school and a village of White H’mong hill tribe where children in colorful traditional clothing welcome us with warm smiles. We continue to Dien Bien Phu, the site of decisive battle in Viet Nam’s struggle for independence from the French in 1954. On arrival we visit famous sites of Indochina War, the Ellianne Hill and the War museum which details the events that took place. On display are relics from the battle including old French tanks and artillery pieces. Of special interest is the reconstruction of the bunker where the French commander, Colonel de Castries, surrendered to Viet Minh forces. We spend the night in Dien Bien Phu, which has developed into a fast-growing frontier town. The Lao border is not very away from here.

The picturesque road from Lai Chau to Tam Duong goes along the Chinese border and the Nam Na River. We visit some Black Thai villages, which are famous because of their wooden houses on piles. On the way we cross a footbridge leading us to Kh'Mu village, an important hill tribe similar to the Lao people in terms of language and traditions. Arrival in Tam Duong where we spend the night in a guest house.

Tam Duong is a frontier town situated in a beautiful valley between limestone rocks. This mountainous region is the home of many hill tribes such as the H'Mong, Man Tien, Lu and Cu Chu people who are authentic in lifestyle and colorful in costumes. A full day of trekking through their villages, hidden behind mountains and hills, enables us to learn how self-sufficient life is. It is advisable to take sufficient water for the trek, especially in the hot season. A picnic lunch is prepared for you. We will continue our trip with visiting a family-run tea factory as the area is famous for its tea plantation. This night is spent in the Tam Duong guest house.

This morning we are going to visit the Tam Duong multi-ethnic market, an ideal place to meet local people. Ethnic groups from every part of the region come here to exchange their agricultural and handicraft products. After this interesting experience of interacting with the local people, route to Sa Pa. We stop to visit Ban Hon village of the Lu minority. The people here are famous because of their black teeth. Having black teeth is considered as a symbol of beauty in this tribe. During our trek we will again be exposed to local life and the daily activities. We cross magnificent bridges, cornfields and terrace rice fields on the way to Sa Pa. At the end of the day, we arrive in Ta Van, a village of Dzay minority, where we spend the night in the house of a local family.

We continue our walk to the village of Giang Ta Chai where we will be picked up by our driver who brings us to Bac Ha. During this ride we pass the Chinese border (Lao Cai) where you can get a glimpse of the Chinese town of Hekou, located just at the other side of the Red River. Bac Ha is situated in the highlands and is mostly populated by the beautifully dressed Flower H'Mong minority. We spend the night in a hotel in Bac Ha.

A full trekking day among the sugar hills and a visit to Phu La village. During this trek we will see a lot of hill tribes in colorful dressing. We spend the night in a hotel in Bac Ha.

Today we visit the lively and colorful Sunday market in Bac Ha, arguably one of the most colorful markets in the world! Here we see many ethnic minority groups, but the dominant are the aptly names Flower H’Mong. All these ethnic minority tribes wear their colorful distint costumes and come into town to trade on this one day of the week. Living in the high and remote mountains, these people consider Sunday market as a good chance to go out, meet people, drink alcohol and exchange their hand-made products. We continue our drive to Thac Ba Lake. This night we stay with our friendly host in his beautifully constructed stilt house at the lakeside.

Thac Ba is the biggest man-made lake in Viet Nam and captivates travelers with its incredible authentic beauty and more than 300 islands under lush vegetation.

We participate on a boat trip and visit some Dzao and Tay villages. After lunch in a local restaurant we will return to Ha Noi.

Cities	Hotels	Category	Nights
Mai Chau	Homestay	Basic	1
Son La	Cong Doan Hotel	Basic	1
Dien Bien Phu	Muong Thanh Hotel	Standard	1
Tam Duong	Lan Anh Hotel	Standard	2
Sa Pa	Home stay	Basic	1
Bac Ha	Sao Mai Hotel	Standard	2
Thac Ba	Homestay	Basic	1