North Vietnam Da Bac Off the Beaten Path Trip 3 Days

Day 1: Hanoi to Da Bac: Into the Mountains and the World of the Dao People

🚗 Duration: ~8 hours total (including transfers and exploration)

Your journey begins at 8:30 AM, when our guide and driver pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi. Leaving the busy streets behind, we head west toward Da Bac, a hidden gem tucked among the emerald mountains of Hoa Binh province.

As you drive through the scenic countryside, rice paddies give way to forested hills, and small villages appear like peaceful brushstrokes on the landscape. This is rural North Vietnam — tranquil, timeless, and breathtakingly beautiful.

After about four hours, you’ll arrive at Sung Village, home to the Dao Tien ethnic group — a small community of about 400 people who live harmoniously with nature. Their stilt houses, surrounded by lush hills and plantations, create a picture of serenity.

Begin a gentle 3-kilometer walk through the village, visiting Sung Cave and nearby forest trails. Your local guide will share stories of the Dao people’s beliefs, customs, and intimate relationship with the forest. Along the way, you’ll discover how they identify medicinal plants used for generations in traditional healing.

Stop by the community house, where local teachers preserve the ancient Dao language and pass it on to the next generation. Visit a local family to witness the art of beeswax painting and indigo dyeing — age-old crafts that create the tribe’s iconic patterned clothing.

In the evening, enjoy a delicious home-cooked dinner featuring organic ingredients from local farms, then unwind at your Dao homestay, surrounded by the sounds of the forest.

🌿 Emotional Highlight: Walking through Sung Village at dusk, the soft smoke of kitchen fires rising into the cool mountain air — it feels like stepping into another time, another rhythm of life.

Included:

• English-speaking guide
• Meals: Lunch, Dinner
• Private transportation
• 2 bottles of mineral water (500 ml) per person/day
• Accommodation: Da Bac Homestay (shared traditional house)

Day 2: Trekking & Kayaking: From Sung to Da Bia – The Heart of the Highlands

🚶 Trekking Distance: 8 km | 🚣 Kayaking on Da Reservoir

Wake up to the gentle sounds of roosters and rustling leaves, and enjoy a simple yet hearty breakfast prepared by your hosts. Then lace up your shoes — adventure awaits.

Today’s journey takes you from Sung to Da Bia Village, a trek of around 8 kilometers through some of northern Vietnam’s most pristine landscapes. The first four kilometers follow a small concrete path before winding into a narrow forest trail. As you descend gradually from 530 meters to 120 meters, you’ll cross cool streams, walk beneath towering bamboo, and pass tiny hamlets nestled among the hills.

Your guide will point out native plants and explain how the Dao and Muong people use them for food, medicine, and craftwork. The trek is moderately challenging but deeply rewarding — a journey through nature’s quiet majesty.

At the local pier, board a small boat and glide across the tranquil waters of Da Reservoir, surrounded by limestone cliffs and dense forest. Then, embark on a kayaking adventure — the perfect way to explore this untouched paradise. Paddle gently past floating fishing houses, watching reflections ripple across the still water.

Arrive at Da Bia Village, where the Muong ethnic community warmly welcomes you. Spend the afternoon exploring, chatting with locals, or simply relaxing by the lake. As night falls, gather for dinner prepared with love by your Muong hosts — fresh vegetables, lake fish, and fragrant herbs — before resting in a cozy lakeside homestay.

🌅 Emotional Highlight: The lake glimmers under the fading sunlight as children’s laughter echoes from the shore — a perfect harmony of nature and human warmth.

Included:

• English-speaking guide
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Private transportation
• Kayak activity on Da Bia Lake
• 2 bottles of mineral water (500 ml) per person/day
• Accommodation: Da Bac Homestay (shared local house)

Day 3: Ngoi Hoa Bay: A Tranquil Farewell to Northern Vietnam’s Hidden Beauty

🚗 Return to Hanoi (approx. 4 hours)

After breakfast, take a leisurely 3-kilometer walk from your homestay to the nearby pier. Step aboard a local wooden boat for a scenic cruise through Ngoi Hoa Bay, part of the vast Da River Reservoir.

Often called the “Halong Bay of the Mountains,” this serene waterway is a masterpiece of limestone cliffs, green peaks, and shimmering reflections. Glide across the lake, watching fishermen cast their nets and water buffalo graze by the shore — moments of simple beauty that define life here.

Your driver will meet you at Ngoi Hoa Harbor for the return journey to Hanoi. Along the way, enjoy one last look at the lush countryside and quiet charm of Hoa Binh province before arriving back in the city by late afternoon.

🌄 Emotional Highlight: As the boat drifts through the misty mountains, you’ll feel a deep sense of peace — the kind that only comes from being close to nature and far from the noise of the world.

Included:

• English-speaking guide
• Meals: Breakfast
• Boat trip: Da Bia – Ngoi Hoa
• Private transportation
• 2 bottles of mineral water (500 ml) per person/day