North

Highlight:

Mai Chau is located in Hoa Binh province, approximately 135 km from Hanoi and 60 km from Hoa Binh.

From the top of Cun Mountain, one can admire the superb panorama of Mai Chau surrounded by a green valley and stilt houses. Area: 4,596.4 km2 Population: 854,131 people; Ethnicity: According to statistics, there are 6 main ethnic groups living together in the province, the largest being the Muong ethnic group accounting for 63.3%; the Viet (Kinh) ethnic group accounting for 27.73%; the Thai ethnic group accounting for 3.9%; the Dao ethnic group accounting for 1.7%; the Tay ethnic group accounting for 2.7%; the Mong ethnic group accounting for 0.52%; other ethnic groups accounting for 1.

Stilt houses border both sides of the roads. The houses are quite large with palm leaf roofs and polished bamboo-slat floors. The kitchen is located in the center of the house; the cooking as well as the making of the colorful tho cam, the material used by Thai minority to make their clothes, takes place in the kitchen. The windows are large and decorated with patterns. Each house also has a pond to breed fish.

The Sunday market brings a lot of people into town. People from different minorities living in the mountains come to Mai Chau market to sell their specific products: honey, bananas, corn, and tho cam made by skilled Thai women. The Sunday market is also an occasion to enjoy traditional Thai dishes and to participate in traditional dances

You can get a good run off the top of the dam, hammer it down the road and up the steep runaway truck sidings. A word of warning here, dropping your bike at the top of these steep inclines is a sure way to lose all your gas, and its virtually impossible to pick your bike up again, as the incline means your are practically underneath it.  

With the flood gates in full swing, the torrent of water creates a very damp wind tunnel, as the air is sucked under the thousands of cubic metres of water rushing pas each second. It’s inspiring stuff, standing on the viewing platform just beside the wall of water.

Leaving Sapa at about 08.30am by vehicle heading northwards of Sapa along national road 4C uphill to Tram Ton Pass, Vietnam’s highest road pass and famous for its magnificent and spectacular landscapes of Fansipan and Hoang Lien mountain range. Take a break at the top of the pass before descending for an hour along a newly built road which winding its way on mountain sides which offering marvelous scenery of high mountains, lush forest and deep valleys below. Arriving to the upstream section of the Nam Mu River, customers will enjoy an hour easy walk to visit small villages of the Zao Tien, Black Zao and Red Hmong ethnic people before lunch break in Tam Duong Town let. Afternoon trip will be highlighted with an hour walk along large path through the rice fields of Binh Lu valley during which customers will meet and pay visiting to houses of the White Thai, Zay and Lu ethnic people. Walk ends in mid afternoon at a junction with the motor way; take the road transfer for 2 hours back to Sapa. 

Tour highlights: This amazing journey will take you past Tram Tom or Heaven's Gate to explore the other side of Fansipan and the Hoang Lien Mountains. Usually when Sa Pa is covered by clouds, this side is clear and blue. The newly paved road is 26 km long through one of the most beautiful and inspiring valleys in the North, where you will glide through fresh mountain air to reach the Binh Lu junction. Turning off this main road will add a moderate challenge to your adventure. The sometimes rocky road meanders along the foothills of the mountains through old forest and past villages of the Thai, Hmong and Lu ethnic groups. This area has few tourists, especially to see the vast green tea fields with sweet scents stretching long in the valley appearing like a magical picture.

Locating just a bout 5km southeast of Sapa town, Ma Tra valley attracts visitors for its stunning scenery highlighted with impressive terraced rice fields. The Hmong people has changed from sifting lifestyle into sedentary one form early 20th Century and built terraced field to ensure their permanent earning by farming wet rice. And luckily that until now the valley is not so much influence by bad images of tourism as some other valleys near Sapa such as Cat Cat, Ta Phin or Muong Hoa. Trip commences from Sapa at 08.30am or 01.30pm by a 5km road transfer out of Sapa town. Then walk starts from here downhill and cross the stream to the other bank where Suoi Ho village beautifully sits on the top of a low hill. Spend half an hour to visit several local homes for understanding of local life before continue walking along a large path on hillsides which is paved with rock to get through Ma Tra village. This portion of the walk offers beautiful scenery of the valley and terraced paddies as well as flower farm. Paying visiting to a ruined of the French Catholic church at the end of the walk, then picked up and transfer by road 12km back to Sapa.

Situated about 20km southwest of Sapa, Thanh Kim valley is home to the Red Zao and Hmong people who have been living their strong and unique way in spite of influence of modern life from outside. This one day trip is designed for visitors who stay at the Topas Ecolodge only. Trip start from Topas Ecodge at 09.00am. First walk along a large path winding on high mountain side for about half an hour which offers beautiful panorama of the Thanh Kim valley which is as beautiful as a painting of nature composed by walled-up mountain, narrow stream, small waterfall and especially terraced rice fields. Then hike uphill along a narrow dirt trail for 2 hours through Lech Mong village which consists of 3 hamlets scattering on high mountain sides around a stunning valley. Meeting Hmong people at home and at work. After lunch break, the walk gets easier downhill and later along large rocky path for 2.5km to Lech Zao village, pay visiting to several homes of the Red Zao people, witnessing them doing their everyday work such as plough and harrow the fields, growing or harvesting rice, weaving and embroidering to make beautiful traditional costumes. The walk back in mid afternoon will get through some terraced rice fields which is green from May to early October. Arriving back to the Topas Ecolodge at about 4.00pm, trip end.

Leaving Sapa at 08.30 m, transfer 15km by road to the Mong Sen Bridge with several stops along the way for enjoying spectacular landscapes. Start walking along large dirt path for nearly an hour, then following a narrow dirt trail winding its way on steep hill-sides along the eastern bank of the Mong Sen stream for 2 hours to Mong Sen 2 village which consisted of three isolated hamlets of the Black Hmong and Red Zao people. Spend an hour to explore these hamlets for interesting discovery, then lunch break. Continue hiking along the same trail for nearly an hour up and downhill towards Ta Phin Valley and arrive to Ta Phin commune in mid afternoon. Take a walk around this stunning valley, paying visit to some Red Zao families. The Red Zao women are famous for their handicraft skills, especially the embroidery for decorating their traditional costumes with motifs that depicts their religion, believe or description of the nature surrounding… The walk ends at about 4.30 to 5.00pm, picked up and transfer by road back to Sapa.

Tour highlights: Challenging the mountain biking in Vietnam to conquer the mountainside of fanxipang. Spectacular landscapes and wild nature of the Hoang Lien mountain range and nature reserve.

Tour highlights: Ha Long Bay Situated in the Gulf of Tonkin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, "Descending Dragon Bay' or Ha Long Bay, is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Approximately 1,553 km2, it includes numerous islets, most of which are limestone and schist. The karst rock formations have developed over 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. There is huge geographical diversity here, which has led to biodiversity, with ecosystems of salt water-flooded forests, coral reefs, and tropical forests hosting thousands of species of animal and plant life. Evidence suggests the presence of pre-historical human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago. Most of the islets are uninhabited due to the nature of the karst structures. The bay has the aura of an ancient forgotten world; as you journey around the bay seeing the stones from different vantage points their formations appear to change. Spanning the coastline of Bai Chay Beach, the best way to enjoy the bay is to travel out on a junk-styled boat from which you can swim, dive, fish and explore the endless caves and grottoes. This 15 day southeast asian bicycle tour explores the mountainous regions of two magical countries: Vietnam and Laos. Our adventure begins in Vietnam, a land of shimmering rice fields, lush jungles, and radiant beaches. Beginning in Hanoi, we spend our trip exploring the lesser known northwestern region of Vietnam, home to spectacular mountains and valleys. We ride amidst the crests of Indochina’s highest peak, Mount Fansipan, and along the fascinating hill station of Sapa, a colonial retreat created by the French. Crossing into Laos, we cycle riverside where we venture into remote villages far from the tourist track.

Meet at the group hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. A group transfer from Hanoi Airport is provided. We will aim to do the bike fitting before lunch and then, in the afternoon, we will head out with our guide on a walking tour of the Old Quarter. The Old Quarter, a maze of 35 streets, is essentially the original pre-20th century Hanoi. The names of the streets tell a fascinating story about the history of the city, prior to the modern age each street was named for the particular trade for which it was (and sometimes still is) known; look out for Hang Gai (Silk Street) and Hang Bac (Silver Street). We'll also make a stop at Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword), the epicentre of old Hanoi. We will also stop at a shop where we can learn about traditional medicine and at an authentic Hanoian house, where we can enjoy a cup of local tea. Afterwards we head to a local restaurant where we can enjoy a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of our holiday. Our first chance to sample the deliciously fragrant Vietnamese cuisine and test out our chopstick skills!