North – West Loop(From Ha Noi)(5 days and 5 nights)

Day 1(L)Ha Noi - Mai Chau - Son La:

After breakfast at your hotel in Hanoi. You will meet tour guide and driver for travel through the Red River Delta before stopping in Mai Chau valley for lunch and a short walk, and then drive onto Son La . Arrive Son La for visiting prison and museum before check in to your hotel. Overnight in Cong Doan hotel.

Day 2 (BL) Son La - Dien Bien Phu :

Drive up over Fa Din pass you will arrive Tuan Giao. Enjoy delicious lunch in Hoang Quat restaurant . After lunch you'll enjoy the picturesque scenery as you pass the villages of Black Thai, White Thai and Muong peoples. Arrive Dien Bien Phu where you can see largest rice valley in the mountain area. Overnight in Him Lam hotel.

Day 3 (B)Dien Bien Phu - Lai Chau:

In the morning visit Dien Bien Phu Museum, the French ditch defence work at the A1 strong point, the commending under group shelter of Dien Bien Phu. Drive to Muong Lay, the drive is stunning with verdant rice terraces carved into the landscape. Continue to Lai Chau (formerly Tam Duong) for the night. If you happen to be in Lai Chau on a Sunday morning, the town is bustling with activity as the local hill tribes gather for their weekly market day. Overnight in Phuong Thanh hotel.

Day 4 (B)Lai Chau - Sa Pa:

From Lai Chau to Sa Pa you pass through Tam Duong (formerly Binh Lu), and over the 2047 meter Tram Ton pass, Viet Nam's highest mountain pass and considered the most beautiful stretch of road in the country. Sa Pa is nestled at over 1600 meters in the breathtaking Hoang Lien Son Mountains. After lunch trek to Cat Cat cultural village, just 3kms from Sa Pa town. A leisurely walk through the old village offers an overview of the traditional customs and practices of the ethnic Black H'mong minority. Stop by a stunning waterfall and the vestige of a hydroelectric power station, constructed by the French during the colonial era in Viet Nam. Follow a dirt trail snaking through the mountain and enjoy spectacular scenery while trekking along a narrow river until you reach Y Linh Ho village, home of the Black H'mong minority. Take a rest by the Muong Hoa Stream before climbing toward the road where your driver is waiting to transport you back to SaPa. Overnight in Chau Long hotel.

Day 5 (B)Sa Pa – Lao Cai - Hanoi:

A short journey of 20 minutes by car takes you to Muong Hoa valley, one of the most beautiful valleys in northwest Viet Nam. Descending into the valley by foot you will see the largest terraced rice paddy in the Sa Pa area (If you visit the valley between May and October, there is a chance to experience and observe how the locals plant and harvest rice). The walk takes you from Lao Chai village of the Black H'mong minority to Ta Van village of the Zay minority, providing the opportunity to see the different traditions and costumes of the two ethnic minority groups. Return to Sa Pa for lunch. After lunch trekking to Suoi Ho village to see tea plantations and cardamom gardens. Follow the buffalo trails to visit the hospitable villages of the Black Hmong minority people in Ma Tra, a very small village hiding away from the civilisation. You will then continue your walk through rice paddy filds and spectacular scenery. During the day you will also be able to visit a local school. We will reach the road where your driver is waiting to transport you to Lao Cai station to catch the night train back to Hanoi.