North Vietnam bite-sized trips

Create your own holiday itinerary

Lively Hanoi streets brimming with history, limestone cliffs in Bai Tu Long Bay, rural villages dotted among the green lush landscape… North Vietnam is a region filled with energy and life.

How does it work?

1. Explore our regions and pick your favourite bite-sized trips.

2. Add them to your travel plan and send it our way.

3. Your Vietnam Specialist will stitch it all together into a personalised holiday, made just for you.

Or, if you’d prefer something ready-made, our itineraries are good to go. You can book them as they are or chat with your Specialist about adding extra experiences. Get in touch with our destination experts to start planning.

Private, tailor-made holidays your way
Your own dedicated Destination Specialist
Unique and small-scale stays

1
Pan Hou: Rice Terraces of the Red Dao
Itinerary:
Pan Hou
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights
Price:
From £439 per person (excluding flights)
The jagged mountains of Ha Giang surround hidden valleys and villages that are home to a host of different ethnic groups. From your comfortable ecolodge in Pan Hou, you will meet the Red Dao group, characterised by their red turbans and silver, while hiking along rice terraces. For a unique experience, extend your trip with a night in a Hmong homestay.
2
Xin Chao Hanoi!
Itinerary:
Hanoi
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights
Price:
From £149 per person (excluding flights)
Hanoi is a capital city packed with character. Set foot in the Old Quarter and you’ll be immediately hit by the heady, hectic atmosphere. Here, motorbikes zip through the tangled maze of streets on a twenty-four hour basis, bohemian little cafes nudge up to sprawling fruit markets and food hawkers serve up steaming bowls of fragrant Pho.
3
At Home with the Hill Tribes
Itinerary:
Hanoi - Mai Hich - Hanoi
Duration:
2 days / 1 night
Price:
From £289 per person (excluding flights)
Staying with a tribal family is by far the best way to get an understanding of local life in the hills. Tucked between the misty mountains of rural Vietnam, you’ll be house guests for one unforgettable night. The accommodation might be basic, but it’s huge on heart. You’ll experience genuine hill tribe hospitality and get a feel for authentic mountain ways.
4
Rolling Hills & Remote Villages
Itinerary:
Mu Cang Chai
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights
Price:
From £529 per person (excluding flights)
Spend a couple of days ambling amongst the emerald green rice paddies of Mu Cang Chai. Watch daily life unfold as you visit traditional Hmong and Thai villages, and take in the magnificent views as you trek through Vietnam’s spectacular countryside. You’ll be staying in a comfortable eco-lodge with panoramic views over the valley where you can unwind and take it easy after a busy day.
5
Peaceful Pu Luong
Itinerary:
Hanoi - Pu Luong
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights
Price:
From £499 per person (excluding flights)
Explore the untouched Vietnam, filled with bright green rice fields, wavering rivers and traditional farming communities. Here you’ll live in a stilted eco-lodge, just like the locals do, and explore the surrounding areas with your local guide. Cycle past the rice fields, hike to the waterfalls and visit tiny hidden villages scattered around.
6
Railways & Rice Fields of Sapa
Itinerary:
Hanoi - Sapa - Villages - Hanoi
Duration:
5 days / 4 nights
Price:
From £414 per person (excluding flights)
Take the overnight train to Sapa, trek in the mist-topped mountains and sleep as guests in a genuine hill tribe home. With a remote and real homestay in the mix, this trip is an authentic glimpse of gentle highland life. Wander through green terraces and plunging valleys, watching daily mountain life unfold around you. The treks are some of the longer and more challenging ones in the area, making it a great option for anyone that loves hill-walking. You’ll stray away from the beaten track, where tourism has not compromised age-old custom and a simple way of life remains.
Take the overnight train to Sapa, trek in the mist-topped mountains and sleep as guests in a genuine hill tribe home. With a remote and real homestay in the mix, this trip is an authentic glimpse of gentle highland life. Wander through green terraces and plunging valleys, watching daily mountain life unfold around you. The treks are some of the longer and more challenging ones in the area, making it a great option for anyone that loves hill-walking. You’ll stray away from the beaten track, where tourism has not compromised age-old custom and a simple way of life remains.
7
Drift Between Limestone Peaks
Itinerary:
Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay
Duration:
2 days / 1 night
Price:
From £195 per person (excluding flights)
Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as neighbouring Halong, but is less famous and so attracts fewer tourist boats. Rich in the fairytale feeling that Halong Bay has perhaps lost, it’s a more peaceful way to experience this extraordinary landscape, which is peppered with tiny jungle-topped islands and white sandy coves. During this trip, you’ll spend one night on a traditional junk boat, exploring the bay and soaking up the surreal atmosphere as you drift between towering karst mountains.
Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as neighbouring Halong, but is less famous and so attracts fewer tourist boats. Rich in the fairytale feeling that Halong Bay has perhaps lost, it’s a more peaceful way to experience this extraordinary landscape, which is peppered with tiny jungle-topped islands and white sandy coves. During this trip, you’ll spend one night on a traditional junk boat, exploring the bay and soaking up the surreal atmosphere as you drift between towering karst mountains.
8
Paddling through the Rice Paddies
Itinerary:
Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hanoi
Duration:
2 days / 1 night
Price:
From £254 per person (excluding flights)
Paddle past bright green rice terraces, gaze up at lofty limestone fingers and cycle through the tropical countryside. Most visitors rush through the Ninh Binh area on a day trip from Hanoi, but they’re missing out. Spending a night here will give you a real glimpse of rural hospitality and a chance to explore without the tourist traffic. Known as ‘Dry Halong Bay’, this is an area of outstanding natural beauty dotted with tucked-away pagodas.
Paddle past bright green rice terraces, gaze up at lofty limestone fingers and cycle through the tropical countryside. Most visitors rush through the Ninh Binh area on a day trip from Hanoi, but they’re missing out. Spending a night here will give you a real glimpse of rural hospitality and a chance to explore without the tourist traffic. Known as ‘Dry Halong Bay’, this is an area of outstanding natural beauty dotted with tucked-away pagodas.
9
Lakes & Waterfalls of the North
Itinerary:
Hanoi - Ba Be National Park - Hanoi
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights
Price:
From £439 per person (excluding flights)
Just a few hours’ drive from Hanoi, Ba Be National Park offers the perfect escape from the busy streets of the capital. You’ll be surrounded by stunning natural scenery – soaring mountains, sparkling waterfalls and vast lakes where you can kayak, swim, cycle and trek your heart out! You’ll sleep in a traditional homestay near the largest lake in Vietnam, the perfect spot to relax and unwind.
Just a few hours’ drive from Hanoi, Ba Be National Park offers the perfect escape from the busy streets of the capital. You’ll be surrounded by stunning natural scenery – soaring mountains, sparkling waterfalls and vast lakes where you can kayak, swim, cycle and trek your heart out! You’ll sleep in a traditional homestay near the largest lake in Vietnam, the perfect spot to relax and unwind.
10
Riding the Ha Giang Loop
Itinerary:
Ha Giang
Duration:
6 days / 5 nights
Price:
From £554 per person (excluding flights)
For a unique and memorable experience, explore Ha Giang, Vietnam’s remote north, by motorbike. Riding as a passenger with a local, you’ll navigate the region’s winding roads, take in views of towering karst peaks, and descend into lush valleys. Along the way, experience authentic Vietnamese culture by staying with welcoming host families and exploring traditional markets.