Wake up in Lao Cai around 5.30am where you will meet your Sapa tour guide and taken for a simple breakfast at a local restaurant before the morning's sightseeing. Breakfast is followed by a 5 mile drive, along the rim of a deep valley, which in turn is followed by 60 minute trek through beautiful landscape surrounded by rice paddy terraces and mountains covered by rain forest under the protection of Hoang Lien National Park. Also you will hear about the life style and tradition of Back Hmong and Giay minorities.  The first part is on the road but we soon turn to the right and walk on a small path down the valley to Y Linh Ho village settled down by the Muong Hoa River and from here to the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai. Black H’mong is one of the biggest minority groups in the Sapa area. They are proud of their culture and keep their traditions and way of living. They have their own language and wear traditional indigo blue clothing. The H’mong peoples have just recently changed their living way from sifting style into the sedentary one. So there are still a lot traces of the past time can be seen: rudimentary houses, stone wall around homes… After that,  you continue to Ta Van village (1.200 m) to visit Zay people.  Zay is a fairly small minority group of about 38.000 people who live mainly in the mountains in Northwest Vietnam. The development has meant that some of their old customs have been lost but many women still wear traditional shirts with a purple, blue or green color. The Zay houses are build of wood and bamboo with a clay floor.
If you visit the valley sometime in between May and October, you will be able to observe and experience how the local do planting and harvesting, one of the most important activities in the daily life.  After visiting Ta Van village the car will return you to Sapa. Settle in and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Accommodation: Stay 1 night in Sapa

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After breakfast you will be picked up again by your private local guide and driver and then depart Sapa for a 3 hour drive to one of the most colorful markets of the region. After the market tour and lunch at a local restaurant you will be driven back to Lao Cai to catch the shuttle bus back Hanoi. The bus will drop you at the nearest point in walking distance of your hotel in Hanoi so that you can walk back to the hotel. Relax and Good night.

Below are the market options:
Please note: Your tour program may vary, depending on your day of arrival and whether you are wishing to focus on activities or culture.

Option 1: Bac Ha - Sunday market.
Leaving Sapa we drive to Bac Ha market (approximately 3 hours). Arriving at Bac Ha, we visit the big market and the colorful ethnic people of the Flower H'mong, Phu La and Dao Tuyen minorities, who gather here to buy and sell their handicraft products. After spending the morning exploring the market our lunch will be served at a local restaurant. After lunch we drive downhill to start a short walk to Trung Do Village which is home to the Tay minority. Here we can visit a traditional Tay house. We will then travel by boat through amazing countryside to Bao Nhai Village.

Option 2: Can Cau Market - Saturday market.
We will take a 3 hour drive to Can Cau market.  Our journey will take us through the mountainous border area between Vietnam and China.  Situated 20 kilometres from Bac Ha, Can Cau is a small but very colorful market.  Opening only on Saturdays, it always delivers a very photogenic display of Flower Hmong, Nung and Phu La ethnic costumes. After spending the morning exploring the market, we will leave for Bac Ha town where we will have lunch.  From Bac Ha we drive downhill (1/2 hour) to start a short walk to Trung Do Village which belongs to the Tay minority. Have the opportunity to visit a traditional Tay house. We will then travel by boat through the amazing countryside to Bao Nhai Village.

Option 3: Lung Khau Nhin  - Thursday  market.
From Sapa, we drive first downhill to Lao Cai City, then uphill through Muong Khuong District onto Lung Khau Nhin Commune. The road condition is good but having many sharp bends which offers stunning scenery of the beautiful mountainous region along the border to China, especially the terraced rice paddies, tea farms and pine plantations… Taking place every Thursday, Lung Khau Nhin Market is not only a small market hiding itself amongst the mountains and forests of the far North Vietnam but also an original tribal one. This remote mountainous area is the place where the Flower H’mong mainly gathers to exchange their homemade products. You will join locals to enjoy the excitement of this weekly market to which local tribal peoples come to attend not only for shopping but also for socializing. Walk from section to sections, corner to corners, seeing and smelling of different local products such as spices, vegetable, farming tools, handicraft and even medicinal herb…, meeting smiling peoples everywhere. There are not many foreign travelers get here and you will find yourself lost in the crowd of ethnic people in their traditional colorful costumes.

Option 4: Cao Son - Wednesday market.
Enjoy a beautiful scenic drive to visit the Cao Son market. We take a dirt road which leads up into the mountains through the pine tree forests and villages that surround the tiny markets. Flower H'mong, Tu Di, Tay and Giay are ethnic minorities who come to trade local products such as food, agricultural supplies and fabric here. After exploring these markets our car will take us back to Muong Khuong for lunch. After lunch in a local restaurant we will visit the most secluded peaceful villages, and have the opportunity to observe traditional practices such as distilling wine from corn and making bacon. We will be offered a special corn cake when you stop by a local house.

Option 5: Coc Ly Market – Tuesday market.
Drive from Sapa (3hrs) to Coc Ly market situated between the stunning mountains by the Chay River. Every Tuesday morning, the people from the surrounding ethnic villages such as Flower H’mong, Phu La and Dao Tuyen gather to sell and buy their products. Having explored the market, we will have a boat trip to Flower H’mong village of Na Nen then trek to Trung Do village of Tay minority people. Enjoy a picnic lunch in a local house with the Tay people. From there we can travel by boat, down the river, and experience the magnificent sights surrounding the beautiful river banks.

Overnight in Hanoi

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You have free time in Hanoi before flying departure to Luang Prabang.

Welcome to Laos. Upon arrival at Luang Prabang Airport. obtain your Laos visa and then clear Immigration and Customs. After collecting your baggage, exit the airport to meet your  local guide. He/she will be holding a sign with your names on it. From the airport, you will be privately transferred to your lovely hotel.

After a soft rest, your city tour begins with a visit to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. After that, you will visit Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts.

If time permits, we will take a short walk around the small streets of city center, watching the life of local people, and visiting the traditional house of Heuan Chan, the Chantal wooden house dating back to 100 years old. Late afternoon, we climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic sunset view of the city and the Mekong River.  The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by local and hilltribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Accommodation: Stay 3 nights in Luang Prabang

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An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession. From there, we will take a short visit to the morning local market near the Royal Palace. At the market, you can find anything from rice, to fresh vegetables, to steamed fish, frogs, and anything else that might be the day’s catch, just set up on the ground, this is what the locals do every day. This is really the chance for you to get a real flavor of the local culture.

After breakfast, we embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, firstly stopping at Xiengmene Village, where we visit Wat Long Khun temple and the limestone cave Tham Sakkarin, and a tour around Ban Xiengmene village. We then continue by boat up the Mekong which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside as well time to explore the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. Afternoon, we return by road back to town. Along the way, we visit the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine and continue to typical Lao villages at Ban Xangkhong and Ban Xienglek, well known for its handmade Jute Sar paper.

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After breakfast at the hotel, we ascend the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a panoramic view of the city and the Mekong River. We then visit Wat Visoun, dating back to 1513 during the reign of King Wisunarat (Visoun), this is Luang Prabang’s oldest templeand was once home to the Prabang Buddhas.

We then transfer directly to the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails.

Before returning to Luang Prabang, we stop to visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park (closed on Tuesday, and from 03rd May to 19th June every year), one of the must-visit spots, where you can have an optional 15-minute tour to learn about butterflies and local flora.

From there, we will drive to the nearby Elephant Camp, where we will enjoy a short elephant ride exploring the Mekong River

Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, we will take a short visit to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center, where you will have a short tour so you get information about Silk, about weaver, about the Women that work in the Center..

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