7 Days • Private Tour • Hanoi, Sapa & Ha Long Bay
Northern Vietnam is the country at its most cinematic — limestone karsts rising straight out of flooded rice fields, a thousand-year-old capital of narrow streets and street food, and mountain terraces stacked above the clouds at Sapa. It is a week that changes scenery completely every second day.
This seven-day route links all of it: Hanoi and its Old Quarter, the grottoes of Trang An in Ninh Binh, the Fansipan cable car above Sapa, and a full night on board a cruise anchored among the islands of Ha Long Bay — two of them UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Four regions in one week, each completely unlike the last — and all of them within comfortable travel of Hanoi.
Nearly 2,000 limestone islands, and a full night anchored among them — the single reason most travelers come north, and worth every hour of it.
Terraced mountainsides above the cloud line, a Hmong village of weavers and dyers, and a cable car to the highest point in the country.
A thousand years of history in one direction and one of Asia's great boat rides in the other — the two halves of the north's cultural heart.
Hanoi to Ninh Binh, up to Sapa and out to Ha Long Bay — the classic northern loop, with the timings we actually run it to.
Met at Noi Bai Airport by your guide and driver, then 35 minutes into the centre for hotel check-in.
At 14:00 we visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university founded in the 11th century, followed by the Hoa Lo Prison Museum — the French colonial jail later known to American POWs as the "Hanoi Hilton".
In the evening, head for Ta Hien Street — cold local beer, live music and the Old Quarter at its liveliest.
An early pick-up for the 110km drive south through open countryside to the Hoa Lu ancient citadel and its Dinh and Le King temples.
After lunch we take a rowed sampan through Trang An — the Lam, Vang, Dai and Thanh Truot caves, past riverside temples — then climb Mua Cave to the top of Ngoa Long mountain for the view over the rice valley.
Mua Cave is roughly 500 stone steps. It is the single best viewpoint of the trip — take water and go slowly.
Depart Hanoi early for Sapa by coach, with comfort stops en route, arriving around 13:00 for lunch and check-in.
In the afternoon we walk 3km downhill into Cat Cat, a Hmong village of weavers and dyers, past its waterfall and the old French hydro plant, before climbing back up to Sapa town for dinner.
Sapa sits at 1,500m and is much cooler than Hanoi — pack a warm layer even in summer.
After breakfast we transfer to the cable car station for a 20-minute ride over the valley, one of the great mountain views in Asia.
At 2,800m you reach the summit pagodas, with a final 600 steps to the peak of Fansipan at 3,143m. Back to the hotel for lunch and free time, then the coach to Hanoi, arriving around 20:30.
There is a funicular from the cable car station to the summit if you would rather not take the steps.
Hotel pick-up by shuttle, with a break halfway, arriving at Tuan Chau marina around midday to transfer by tender to your boat.
A seafood lunch is served as you sail through the Con Vit islets; the afternoon is spent kayaking and swimming in the clear, sheltered water of Lan Ha Bay. The boat anchors for the night with a sunset party on the sundeck, dinner on board and squid fishing after dark.
The programme varies slightly with the cruise you choose, and kayaking is included on most but not all boats — we confirm the details with your quote.
Sunrise over the bay at 06:00, with an optional tai chi session on the sundeck.
At 08:00 we visit the Dark & Bright Cave by local rowing boat, through the heart of the World Heritage site, followed by a spring roll cooking demonstration and brunch on board. Disembark at Tuan Chau at midday and take the shuttle back to Hanoi.
The bay is at its most beautiful in the first hour of light — it is worth setting an alarm for.
Breakfast, then out to explore the city with your guide: Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, the oldest in Hanoi and built in the 6th century; the Ho Chi Minh complex with the stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda; and the Museum of Ethnology on the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam.
The afternoon is free until your airport transfer.
Dress modestly — shoulders and knees covered — for the mausoleum, temples and pagodas. The mausoleum closes on Mondays and Fridays and for annual maintenance in mid-year; we substitute the Women's Museum when needed.
One clear package covers the whole northern loop, cruise included — you know exactly what your quote pays for before you commit to anything.
We quote every Vietnam trip individually rather than posting a headline price, because the honest number depends on when you travel, how many of you there are, and which cruise you want to spend the night on. Send us those details and you will have a full breakdown within 24 hours — with no deposit and no obligation.
Four things move the number, and you control all of them. Tell us where you land on each and we will build the package around it.
The same planning, the same people and the same 24-hour support that take travelers to Everest Base Camp — now across the water.
Your own vehicle, driver and guide — no coach parties, no fixed group pace
We book boats we know, and tell you honestly what each class includes
We send the official e-visa link and walk you through the application
3–4 star properties we know, with breakfast included every morning
Lunch on the long touring days and full board for the night on the bay
A real person on the end of the line for the whole time you are away
A fully licensed Nepali agency — Regd No: 125496/078/079
What the quote covers is what you pay — taxes and service fees included
"The oar dips, the cave mouth swallows the light, and for ninety seconds there is nothing but stone overhead and water underneath — then Trang An opens up again, greener than before."
— By sampan through the grottoes, Ninh Binh
A glimpse of what waits between Hanoi and the bay — click any photo to view it full size.
Dawn over Ha Long Bay, Day 6
Trang An grottoes, Day 2
Hanoi's Train Street, Day 1
Cruising the karsts, Day 5
A sheltered bay for kayaking
Waterfalls of the northern highlands
Hoi An, central Vietnam — available as an extension
Sunset on the Thu Bon, Hoi An
Send us your preferred dates and group size — we'll confirm availability within 24 hours with a detailed quote and everything you need to prepare.
Fully licensed Nepali agency — Regd No: 125496/078/079
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Add Hoi An, the south, or a second night on the bay on request
Amazing Northern Vietnam • 6 Nights / 7 Days • Free quote within 24 hours
