Sapa hard trek 4 days overnight at home stay

Combine the highlights of North Vietnam with this enjoyable trip. From Hanoi, travel overnight by train to reach Sapa, the delightful former French hill station situated in the mountainous region of Vietnam's northwest, near the Chinese border. The region is home to many ethnic minority groups, each wearing traditional and ornately decorated clothes. Trek valleys to discover several different hill tribes and spend two nights in a village of the Day and Tay communities.

Tour code:

Start city: Hanoi

End city: Hanoi

Duration: 4 days 5 nights

Departure: Daily, upon your request

Destination: Hanoi, Lao Cai, Sapa, Cat Cat, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Giang Ta Chai, Bac Ha, Sin Chai, Lao Cai, Hanoi

Day 1: Night Train to Lao Cai Station
South Pacific Travel’s bus and guide will pick you up at your hotel and transfer you for the overnight train to Lao Cai Station. Enjoy the experience and the romance of overnight train travel.
 
Day 2: Lao Cai – Sapa – Lao Chai – Ta Van - Homestay (B, L, D)
You will take a 1hr bus ride uphill to the beautiful town of Sapa. The ride gives you a glimpse of the stunning vistas and impressive rice terraces. Upon arrival in Sapa Town you have breakfast in a local restaurant and prepare for a great trek down to the picturesque valley of Muong Hoa. You will walk on small paths and trails to reach Lao Chai and Tavan Village to visit the Tay and Day tribes, where you will have a unique homestay experience among the hill tribe people. Enjoy a picnic lunch and continue hiking through the valley arriving at the overnight local house where you will be able to observe a cooking demonstration and have dinner before sleep.
 
Day 3: Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai – Ban Ho (B, L, D).
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and depart Giang Ta Chai village home to the Red Dao minority. You will trek through a bamboo forest which belongs to Hoang Lien National Park and on the way pass by a waterfall where you will have time to take a rest and enjoy the surroundings. Surrounded by amazing scenery and a beautiful waterfall, you will find a great spot to eat lunch. Arrive at Supan before getting to Ban Ho - the village of the Tay hill tribe. Take a rest then explore the village before dinner. Overnight is spent in a stilt house of the local people.
 
Day 4: Sapa – Cat Cat – Sin Chai – Lao Cai Station – Overnight train back to Hanoi (B, L).
Breakfast at sunrise, then return to Sapa by vehicle. Prepare for your last trek. You first sneak through the market and leave the busy town behind. Shortly, you will be following a road going downhill to Cat Cat village. You will stop by a waterfall and a hydroelectric station. Enjoy a traditional music and dance performance here with the colorful culture. Take a rest and continue downhill to Sin Chai village. Enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way back to Sapa town for lunch.  You will have free time in the afternoon to explore Sapa town enjoy a relaxing foot massage and eat dinner of your choosing. Return to the hotel to shower and wait to be transferred to Lao Cai station for the overnight train to Hanoi.
 
Day 5: Hanoi arrival
Arrive in Hanoi Station at around 5h30. Be picked up and transferred to your hotel. Your tour ends.

Chuong Pagoda

Chuong Pagoda (Bell Pagoda)is located in Hien Nam ward, Hung Yen city (An Tao, Kim Dong, Khoai Chau, Hung Yen in the past). It is not only o famous spiritual place in the historical relics of Pho Hien but also an attractive destination for tourists coming to Hung Ven. Located under the old longan trees, Kim Chung Tu (Chuong Pagoda)still retains its ancient vestiges despite the urbanization of Hung Yen city with the construction of many new buildings and streets. Like Hoi An in the southern part of the country in the same period, Pho Hien was a famous prosperous international port in the north in the 16th – 17th centuries under the reign of the Le Kings – Trinh Lords. The saying “the capital ranks the first, Pho Hien ranks the second” affirms the position of this ancient town – the major commercial port and thriving international exchange center in the North during the 16th – 17th centuries.
Recommended Tour: Northern Daily Excursion

Chuong Pagoda (Bell Pagoda)is located in Hien Nam ward, Hung Yen city (An Tao, Kim Dong, Khoai Chau, Hung Yen in the past)

18 Arahats in Chuong Pagoda

Gate Chuong Pagoda

Stone Bridge Chuong Pagoda

Van Phuc Silk Village

Van Phuc village’s gate still retains the ancient shape, and cultural and historical values of this silk village, one of over 1000 traditional craft villages of Vietnam, are still well preserved. In the village, there is on antique loom on display. Previously, the villagers of Van Phuc manually operated it to sew cloth.

On the Nhue River, 10 km southwest of Hanoi Old Quarter, Hà Nội, Việt Nam

All parts of the loom were made of good wood. A shop of traditional silk is placed right at the yard of the communal house in Van Phuc village. In mid-February 2014, Van Phuc was recognized as the oldest silk village that has maintained the trade in Vietnam. With a history of over 1000 years, Van Phuc silk is famous for its smooth, nice patterns and various designs.

We can see the diversity of silk items

In the past, this silk was selected to sew clothes for the kings of the Nguyen Dynasty. At a fair in 1932 in Paris, Van Phuc silk was said to be “the most delicate cloth” of Indochina by the French. Since 1958, Van Phuc silk has been exported to many countries of Eastern Europe and in the world, earning much money for Vietnam.

The most interesting thing is exploring the looms

The village produces over 2 million meters of fabric a year, including various types of “Van”, “Sa”, “Que”, “Lua” etc. Products are sold in over 150 stalls on 3 streets of Van Phuc, Ha Dong. Tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists visit this traditional village each year and are attracted by scarves, shirts, bags, wallets, ties, cloth materials, etc.

Van Phuc Silk Village visitors can learn how the fabric is woven and shop for textiles in a traditional silk-making

Although the village has gone through many ups and downs, tourists come here to buy Van Phuc silk of Ha Dong only. Therefore, despite the appearance of the silk from other regions, the traditional values of Ha Dong silk still has its own vitality. Through skilful hands of Van Phuc’s people, raw silk turns into fabric, dresses, towels, bags, etc..making the silk of this village become famous.

Dyed silk

Man shop to buy Van Phuc silk fabric

Silkworm

Hoi An Vietnam

A UNESCO World Heritage town, Hoi An is one of the most picturesque, lovely places to visit in all of Vietnam. Located in the center of the country, just outside of Danang, Hoi An used to be a flourishing port town from the 15th to the 19th centuries, before the Thu Bon river silted up and basically halted trade in the region. Fortunately in the 1990s, the town was declared a World Heritage site and tourism has since revived the so-called “Venice of Vietnam.” Thanks to the international residents – from the Chinese and Japanese to the French – during the port years, Hoi An boasts a variety of local specialities that you can’t find anywhere else in the country. Dishes like Cao Lau and White Rose Dumplings are reason enough to visit Hoi An, and when you factor in the gorgeous, canal-side setting and preserved colonial French architecture, it really does become a national treasure.
Recommended Tour Hoi An: Hoi An Full Day City Tour, Charming Hoi An 4 days 3 nights, Tra Que Vegetable Biking Trip, My Son Holly Land

Ancient Houses Hoian, Vietnam

 

Hoi An Shop

Phuc Kien Hall in ancient Hoi An

The brightness and colorful lanterns instantly caught my eyes when I hanging around in this ancient town during night. And these silk lanterns are handmade in the town of Hoi An, Vietnam. Also called “Hoi An Lanterns,” the organic shapes of these lanterns come from the fish traps upon which they are based. Traditionally hung on the full moon, these hanging lamps are meant to bring good luck to the house they inhabit!

Hanoi – Top 10 most attractive destinations

Hanoi, a thousand-year-old city, is the economic, politic and cultural and Historical Tours. Every year, Hanoi city tour is arranged for millions of tourists on their journey to travel to Vietnam. Hanoi’s attractiveness comes from the depth of culture and long-standing traditions. Recently, TripAdvisor, the leading travel website in the world, has announced the world’s Top 25 most attractive destinations voted by its readers. And Hanoi is among top 10 at rank 8th. Besides Paris, London and Beijing Hanoi is seen as one of the most attractive destinations with many positive reviews.

Hanoi Vietnam

Hanoi – Top 10 most attractive destinations
Hanoi ranked eighth among top 10 most attractive destinations in the world in 2014, according to the US prestigious travel magazine TripAdvisor. Istanbul of Turkey ranked first, followed by Rome (Italy) and London (the UK). TripAdvisor is the leading travel website in the world. There is an open forum for travel enthusiasts to share information and experiences on destinations. The Traveller’s Choice Awards of the U.S.-based-website is held for the 6th time. The list was based on positive ballots from millions of TripAdvisor readers, travellers and experts around the word in 12 months. According to the post on its website, Hanoi is described as a charming city with a well preserved the Old Quarter, monuments and colonial architecture, while making room for modern developments alongside, which hasn’t forgotten its past. Lakes, parks, shady boulevards and more than 600 temples and pagodas add to the appeal of this city which is easily explored and proposed for Vietnam tour.

1. Hanoi’s Old Quarter 

An old corner of Hanoi street makes me feel like I was back in time. Some tiny plastic stools, little store on the pavement, a street vendor with the conical hat, the red old brick, a badamier changing its colour in winter…everything is just telling me, this ain’t other place but my Hanoi.

Hanoi’s Old Quarter is the ideal destination for tourists to Vietnam travel

Hanoi’s Old Quarter

2. Vietnamese Women’s Museumhas 

exhibit on street vendors

Vietnam Womens Museum

Women’s museum
A room with photos of women who lost family in the wars

Such amazing detail – and good presentation in the Women’s Museum, Hanoi.

3. Street food in Vietnam 

Street food in Vietnam

Bun Cha

Vietnamese Spring Rolls-Cha Gio Nem Ran

Cuc Phuong National Park - South Pacific Travel

Cuc Phuong National Park is one of the most chosen destinations in Ninh Binh. It is really interesting for the tourists love the nature. They can explore there a large reserve of many caves, diversity of flora, fauna and animals.

Cuc Phuong National Park

Cuc Phuong is Vietnam’s first National Park and one of the country’s largest nature reserve. This forest spans parts of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa province. The diversity of its fauna and flora, the beauty of its nature and its many cultural and historical features make the area an attractive destination for tourists.

Covering an area of 22,200 hectares, Cuc Phuong National Park nestles against Tam Diep mountain. Leaving national highway 12A and following a steep path for 15 km, one kilometer before the entrance to the forest, you can already breathe pure, fresh air and hear the sounds of animals. Cuc Phuong has about 2,000 plant species and 2,600 animal species, many of which are listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world. This is one of seven centers of great plant diversity in Vietnam.

Discover Cuc Phuong National Park

To help tourists enjoy the wild nature, the Cuc Phuong National Park’s Center for Ecotourism and Environmental Education offers various tours. According to Luong Van Viet, a tour guide at the center, the ideal time to visit Cuc Phuong is from late autumn to early winter, between September and December. But in every season, this forest has a different beauty that deserves to be discovered. Viet says: “Summer is the season of insects, the most beautiful of which is the butterfly. In April and May, 400 different species of butterflies appear about the same time. The forest becomes a huge garden of color. Summer is also the productive time of different types of reptiles. In the evening we organize sporting tours in which tourists can hear the sounds of a variety of insects”.

Tourists can choose a one-day, two-day, or three-day tour. They can walk or cycle to the rescue center for primates and turtles, the garden for preserving valuable plant genes, ancient caves, ancient trees, and White Cloud Mountain which rises to 648m above sea level. Do Hong Hai, Director of the Center says: “Tourists are invited to follow paths in the forest leading to ancient trees and caves where traces of prehistoric men 7,500 years ago were discovered. There is a skeleton of a reptile which is between 200 and 230 million years old. This is one of earliest skeletons discovered in Southeast Asia”.

Cuc Phuong National Park – Cave

The most popular activities for tourists are camping in the forest, observing wildlife, hiking in the heart of the forest, learning about the 300 plus bird species, and boating or kayaking on Mac Lake or Yen Quang Lake. Tourists are often accompanied by a professional guide who ensures their safety. Luong Van Viet said: “Visiting the caves and sleeping in a tent in the forest are popular adventure activities, for which you must be fit enough. The organizer is responsible for tents and food. One enters the forest on deserted tracks. Depending on the weather you can sleep on top of the mountain or in the valley. At night, we go out to look for animals such as civets, squirrels and night insects”.

Amazing butterflies drinking at Cuc Phuong National Park

Cuc Phuong National Park welcomes over 10,000 visitors a year, mostly foreigners. After five hours of hiking through the forest, tourists return to the park entrance to buy souvenirs. Mr. and Mrs. Hyam are from Britain. They are delighted to have been able to observe plants and animals they had only seen on TV or in magazines. They were overjoyed to see a cobra. Ms Jacky Hyam said: “We didn’t realize there is so much you can eat in the jungle. So many foods you can eat: the leaves, the fruits, the root and water. It’s very interesting. We were fascinated that people used to live there so many years ago. How could you live there? It’s really very interesting. It’s good that there’s no light or electricity there. We had a torch and we could turn the torch off. We see how dark. It’s really worth coming to see it”.

Ruben Heimans, a Dutch tourist, says Cuc Phuong is a place of relaxation: “We saw some insects and butterflies. There are some caves. It’s a beautiful place, beautiful nature. It looks very quiet, green, a nice place to relax and to look to the nature”. The grandeur and richness of Cuc Phuong National Park makes tourists appreciate nature more and makes them more aware of their responsibility to protect its beauty.

Museum of Hanoi

Located on Pham Hung Street, right next to the Vietnam National Convention, the Museum of Hanoi is an important structure in celebration of the Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi. Special structure, large hail and valuable objectsare expected to give visitors unforgettable moments.

Museum of Hanoi

The remaining exhibition hail of this museum 54.000 sq m in area will be officially opened in 2015 to make the museum a venue of Hanoi culture. We hold cultural programs and folk gamesof the Northern plain at the weekends to serve the public. The Museum of Hanoi is built in a diamond shape that becomes larger and larger on top showing the hope that the city will enjoy ever bigger growth.

Higher floors also help prevent the sun from reaching the exhibition halls on lower floors. As you can see, this spiral path makes it easier for physically disabled people to explore the museum. Some even think that the spiral path is the reminder of Co Loa citadel or the river surrounding Hanoi.

Others say that it’s like on ascending dragon – the origin of Thang Long, the former name of Hanoi. This is the letter sent to the future generation from the Hanoi authorities on behalf of Vietnamese people nationwide and it will be opened in 21/10.

The large manually embroidered painting in Vietnam is on display on the second floor.It weighs 1675kg and measures 3m x 4m. Entitled “Millennia wish of Thong Long”, the pointing has images of pure lotus blossoms and elegant architecture of pagodas. It contains the enthusiasm and creativity of 9 artisanswho won the ‘golden hand’ titleand nearly 3.000 embroiderersfrom XQ Vietnam.The excellent artwork was completed after 1.000 tireless working days.

Walking around the second floor, visitors get to know about the tectonic structure and resources of Hanoi via samples of soil and stone placed in gloss boxes.There are many other objects that tell us the story about the nature of Hanoi here. Only when tourists come herecan they have a closer look at these exhibits. This is the skeleton of a turtle from Sword Lake.

Two turtle individuals from Sword Lake died. One is kept here and the other at Ngoc Son Temple. This skeleton was brought here in 1991and it’s the most interesting thing that children love to see in this museum.The Holy Turtle in Sword Lake is closely relatedto the spiritual life of the Vietnamese. That’s the soul of the lake and o familiar image to all Vietnamese people. Hanoians come to Sword Lake, hoping to see the Turtleand this has become a cultural feature of the capital. There’s a miniature forest over there.

When visiting a museum, we see not only antiques but also a green and lively space that kids will definitely love to explore. They will get to know more about rare animals in Vietnam this selection is especially designed for kids. The exhibition section on the third floor has the biggest number of objects with Nguyen Dinh Su’s antique collection Vu Tan’s antique collection, the antiques of the museum itselfand antiques given to the museum as gifts. The Museum of Hanoi hopes to contribute to raising the awareness and knowledge of public and urges them to protect and promote the national identity.

Images of the good old days of Hanoi can be found on the fourth floor. Wooden, bronze and foreign items are all here. My visit with nice stones from the docent once again affirms that the museum has a lot of cultural and historical values for Vietnamese people arid foreigners to explore. Coming here, they hove on opportunity to learn about the 1000-year history of Thang Long – Hanoi. The Museum of Hanoi is not only a special artwork but also one of the top modern architectures in Vietnam. When you have chance to travel to Vietnam and have Hanoi city tour, we can organize s visit for you at this site. Sure that Hanoi Museum is a part of your nice Vietnam tour.

Vietnam National Museum

The Vietnam National Museum of History with typical Indochinese architecture is our first destination today. The place has many interesting things for us to explore. I believe. The Vietnam National Museum of History was established in 2011 from the merger of the Vietnam Museum of History and the Vietnam Museum of Revolution. Located on Trang Tien Street and Tran Quang Khai Street, about 500 m from Sword Lake to the East, the Vietnam Notional Museum of History has become one of the top cultural destinations for visitors to Hanoi. What impresses tourists first of all is the architectural style of the museum. All the exhibition sections ore covered with a two—layer roof-typical type of roof in traditional religious structures in Vietnam Travel.

Vietnam National Museum

The space in between the two layers creates a natural ventilation system for the structure. The lower layer sticks out to protect the expanded doors and windows from the sun and the rain and help the museum hove elegant shade. This imposing structure can draw the attention of any visitor. The two-floor exhibition hall. Nearly 4.000 sq. m in area, has about 10.000 documents and objects on display. The first floor gives tourists on insight into Vietnam in the prehistoric time, its establishment, its development during the 1st-the 10th centuries, and its dynasties like the Ngo Dynasty, the Dinh Dynasty, the early Le Dynasty (938- 1009), the Ly and the Tran Dynasties (1009 – 14OO).

Bronze object area with o range of bronze drums like Ngoc Lu bronze drum, axes, spear points, daggers and other weapons doted bock to the Hung Kings reign displayed on the first floor of the Vietnam National Museum of History leaves o strong impression on tourists. By arranging objects in on order, the museum is telling o story of time. It plans to draw more tourists’ attention and make bigger Impacts on people’s life with specific plans.

A Dao Thinh bronze pot in Dong Son culture is on display at the Vietnam Notional Museum of History. It was discovered together with o small pot with human ashes inside. According to archaeologists, the bronze pot was buried with the dead. There are also weapons of different kinds, shapes and sizes with various patterns in this collection, like axes, lances, spears and arrows. In particular, some daggers hove handle in the shape of letter T, onions or women in short skirts.

These objects give tourists better understanding of the flourish development of Dong Son culture and the exact look at the Vietnamese society when it was first founded. Objects on display at the Vietnam Notional Museum of History not only help the Vietnamese explore their roots but also leave good impression on foreign visitors.

Objects doted to the Ly Dynasty (1010-1225) are what we shouldn’t miss when learning about the story of time here. Stone sculpture reached its peak in this dynasty with the statue of Amitabh. Buddhism was brought to Vietnam from China and India. The hair of the statue of Amitabh has typical impends of Indian Buddhism but the Kasaya has the pattern of lotus petals under Influence of Chinese Buddhism introduced in Vietnam tours.

The base of the statue is decorated with a lot of special patterns of the Ly Dynasty, like a curving dragon or a pair of dragons in kow-tow position in front of a bodhi leaf – the symbol of enlightenment. Other patterns can be chrysanthemum that symbolizes purity and waves – the symbolic representation of tranquillity.

Next to the statue of Amitabho is Lnh Xung stele dated to Thien Phu Due Vo 7 (Ly Nhon Tong -1126).
Its epitaph depicts the merits of the national hero Ly Thuong Kiet – who had raised money for the construction of Linh Xung Pagoda – and his outstanding performance in conquering the Champa and defeating the Song invaders. The steel is carried by a turtle, denoting the immortality of notional heroes’ merits. Objects on displayed on the second floor tell the story of Vietnamese culture in the Le Dynasty. Mac Dynasty’ Le Trung Hung Dynasty (1428 – 1788). Tay Son Dynasty (1778 – 1802) and the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945).

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