Northern Vietnam Adventure Arc 4x4 Hanoi to Halong Bay - 12 days

Northern Vietnam is a great place to visit the majestic natural scenery and learn about the distinct culture of the mountain tribes. Are you planning to visit distant places but can't ride a motorbike? Don’t worry! We will organize a 4WD adventure tour in the North of Vietnam for you.
This 12-day Northern Vietnam 4WD journey will take you to some remote, remote but also beautiful destinations such as: Mai Chau, Phu Yen, Mu Cang Chai, Sapa, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lang Son and Ha Long Bay, where you can get a real spirit of adventure. Don't wait any longer; Pack your bags and be ready to join us now!

Adventurous Self-drive Northern Vietnam 4x4 Tour from Hanoi to Halong Bay - 12 Days

Destination:

Enquiry Now

Tour code: OFFR03
Duration: 12 days 11 nights
Route: Hanoi - Mai Chau - Mu Cang Chai - Sapa - Ha Giang - Meo Vac - Ba Be - Cao Bang - Lang Son - Halong Bay

Day 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau (L/D)
- After breakfast, you will go to our garage to pick up your car and start your journey to Mai Chau. When leaving the city, you will start crossing the delta of the Da River, admiring the green fields, the overlapping beauty of mountains and trees. Around 12:30 AM you will have lunch at a local restaurant on the way from Hanoi to Mai Chau.
  
  In the afternoon, you will continue to drive around rivers, on narrow country roads and will stop along the way to discover a Muong ethnic village. Then, you will be stopped at Thung Khe Pass to see the wonderful view of Mai Chau valley from above. Late afternoon when arriving in Mai Chau town, you will be greeted with breathtaking views of majestic nature with ancient temples and peaceful rural villages. Let's move to the Thai stilt house and enjoy dinner with traditional dishes of the ethnic people.
  
  About 150 km
Day 2: Mai Chau - Phu Yen (B/L/D)
- After breakfast, we will depart to Phu Yen - where nature is endowed with high mountains, rolling hills, green jungles and valleys nestled on the mountainside. We will start in the direction of Hua Tat, a peaceful mountain road built by the French during the war, now seemingly forgotten. And this will also be a challenge for you because Hua Tat is a pass that was once famously steep and dangerous.
  
  After lunch at a local restaurant, we will continue our journey on the magnificent 43rd Street, which leads to an area inhabited by both Kinh and Thai ethnic minorities. After crossing the reservoir bed of the Da River on the Van Yen ferry, continue on the beautiful winding road to Phu Yen, a small town in Son La province located in the heart of a vast rice valley. We will have dinner with local cuisine and overnight at the hotel in this town.
  
  About 172 km
Day 3: Phu Yen - Mu Cang Chai (B/L/D)
- Today we will say goodbye to Phu Yen and come to Mu Cang Chai. This promises to be a long journey with lots of wonderful natural landscapes of Northern Vietnam to admire. We'll start driving from town and pass through Lung Lo Pass (a historic route during the Vietnam War) before reaching Tu Le, a small town, where we'll have lunch.
  
  After lunch, we continue to drive along beautiful passes, through rustic villages of the Hmong and Thai people. When arriving in Mu Cang Chai, which is known as the place with the most beautiful terraced fields in Northern Vietnam, we will enjoy dinner in town and move to a hotel for the night.
  
  About 187 km
Day 4: Mu Cang Chai - Sapa (B/L/D)
- Continuing the journey to discover the North of Vietnam, you will go straight to Fansipan - known as the roof of Indochina. Along the way, we will experience the magnificent natural scenery with green mountains running along the road from Than Uyen to Tram Ton - the highest pass in Vietnam - which will surely make you amazed.
  
  Drive through the challenging passes of Lao Cai, 2,000 meters above sea level to reach Sapa town where you will check in to your hotel and have lunch at a local restaurant. Then today, you will spend the afternoon exploring this beautiful town.
  
  Sapa has become one of the most famous tourist destinations in northern Vietnam thanks to its natural beauty and rich culture, diverse ethnic groups such as Mong, Dao, Tay, Giay, Xa Pho, Kinh, Hoa. In this town, you will stay at a hotel for dinner and overnight.
  
  About 186 km
Day 5: Sapa - Ha Giang (B/L/D)
- After breakfast, we will say goodbye to Sapa to go to beautiful Ha Giang. Before that you will spend some time at the Chinese border along the route. Lao Cai international border gate is one of the largest international border gates in Vietnam. Here, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a bustling border city, where a large number of tourists pass through every day.
  
  We will follow the small road along the Chinese border to Viet Quang, and have lunch here. Continuing the journey to Ha Giang, you will discover the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and green valleys, and at the same time we will visit some ethnic minority villages and markets. We will arrive in Ha Giang in the late afternoon, have dinner and spend the night at the house of the local ethnic people.
  
  About 240 km
Day 6: Ha Giang - Dong Van - Meo Vac (B/L/D)
- You start your journey today by driving to Dong Van - which contains the wild and attractive beauty of the Dong Van rock plateau, the unique features in the culture of the ethnic minorities. Drive along a winding road for about 14 km until you reach Dinh Vuong, about 14 km from Dong Van. The Vuong family is located in Sa Phin valley with classical Chinese style, they are considered as the royal family of the Mong people in Dong Van. The entire structure is made of wood and stone, all imported from China. Coming to Dong Van, you will have the opportunity to walk around the ancient alleys with hundreds of years old clay brick houses.
  
  Next is the journey to Meo Vac - home to ethnic minorities such as Dzao, Tay and Hmong. Feel the idyllic and simple features of the indigenous people in a small village in Meo Vac. We will have dinner and overnight at a homestay.
  
  About 180 km
Day 7: Meo Vac - Ba Be (B/L/D)
- Continuing the journey, we will come to the next destination of Ba Be National Park - the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam. Before that, we will spend some time witnessing the majestic natural beauty of Nho Que river. The road from Meo Vac to Ba Be is considered one of the most beautiful roads in our journey, stretching through countless mountains and green valleys.
  
  Before going to Ba Be, we will stop in Bao Lac town to have lunch at a local restaurant. Then we will continue to conquer 30 km of paved roads and a short trail through the forest. Along the way we will be able to admire some beautiful streams and rivers along the way, making today's trip even more enjoyable. In the late afternoon, when you arrive in Pac Ngoi, you will move to a small house of Tay ethnic people located in Ba Be National Park to spend the night and enjoy dishes made by local people.
  
  About 180km
Day 8: Ba Be - Cao Bang (B/L/D)
- The morning of the eighth day will be spent exploring Ba Be Lake and Ba Be National Park. It’s up to you how to spend your time on the boat, whether it’s relaxing and enjoying the views or going for a swim in the cool waters to refresh yourself. The views consist of stunning karst formations all around you covered with patches of wild vegetation and a rich wildlife. The boat will then continue along the Nang River, giving you a chance to explore the caves of Puong Grotto where you can marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites created through river erosion, as well as observe the thousands-strong bat colony that lives here. You will have lunch in a local restaurant before driving to Cao Bang.
  
  We will drive 3 hours to reach Cao Bang - the place with the most magnificent waterfalls and caves in Vietnam. We will have dinner at a restaurant and overnight at a hotel in Cao Bang city.
  
  About 150 km
Day 9: Cao Bang - Quang Hoa - Lang Son (B/L/D)
- After breakfast, we will leave Cao Bang city and go straight to Lang Son city. On the way, we will admire the beauty of the mountains, the valleys of Cao Bang, and cross the passes to come to Quang Hoa, where the Nung An people live. Here we will have lunch at a local restaurant, and take a moment to learn some of the craft villages of the Nung An people such as Phuc Sen knife-making village.
  
  After that, we will visit Dong Khe and That Khe - two heroic historical monuments in the war of independence of the Vietnamese people. Come to Lang Son - a major trade hub between Vietnam and China, with a lot of Chinese home appliances and electronics such as toys, phone chargers and other items.
  
  After a long day of driving, have dinner at a local restaurant and then return to the hotel to check in.
Day 10: Lang Son - Loc Binh - Tien Yen - Halong Bay (B/L/D)
- We will start your day by exploring Tam Thanh cave and To Thi mountain after breakfast at the hotel. Tam Thanh is the largest cave in Lang Son, located only 2 km from the city center. This cave has a length of 400m, after going through 30 stone steps created by the ancients, you will encounter a spiritual space called Tam Thanh Pagoda. Then you will go to conquer To Thi mountain associated with a folk legend holding a child waiting for the husband of a Vietnamese woman. From the top of the mountain, we will capture the whole view of the mountains, forests, and fields of Lang Son.
  
  After that, we will continue driving along the mountain roads and along the coast until we reach Ha Long City.
  We will arrive in Ha Long in the evening, check-in hotel and have dinner in this most beautiful coastal city in the North.
Day 11: Halong Bay (B/L/D
- After breakfast, you will have the morning free to explore Halong City, including the market and the beach. At 12:00 PM, we will move to Tuan Chau Island and embark on the Pelican Halong Cruise. Here we’ll enjoy a welcome drink as we receive the cruise briefing and get checked in, before a Vietnamese buffet lunch is served. During lunch we’ll pass by some stunning islets, like Incense Burner, Dog Stone Islet, Fighting Cocks, Soi Sim Beach and Coconut Three Island. Eventually we reach Tung Sau, where we disembark to visit a floating pearl farm. If you like you can also do some kayaking while here.
  
  Then we head to Tip Top beach for some swimming, and those who can make the climb can go to the top for the best panoramic view of HaLong found anywhere in the bay. Following this we return to the boat for some relaxation, and an optional massage service is now available. In the early evening we attend a cooking class on the sundeck, learning how to make Vietnamese spring rolls, before being served BBQ dinner at 19:30. The rest of the evening is free to spend relaxing, having fun with your fellow guests, or even trying your hand at squid fishing before settling in for a night on the quiet waters.
Day 12: Halong Bay - Hanoi (B/L)
- Early risers can greet the day with a Tai Chi lesson during sunrise around 6am, before enjoying breakfast in the dining room. At 8am we disembark to visit Sung Sot Cave, which takes about 45 minutes. Then we gently cruise back to the dock, arriving at around noon, and say our farewells to the crew.
  
  Continue on the final leg of the 12-day Northern Vietnam 4WD Adventure Tour by returning to Hanoi along the main road via the Red River Delta. You're once again surrounded by the tranquility of rice fields and rustic rural villages. And about 5:00 PM, you will arrive in Hanoi.
  
  The tour has come to an end.
  
  About 180 km

Tour Includes:

4×4 car with material insurance
Accommodation at ecolodges, hotels, homestays as mentioned
Overnight cruise in Halong Bay
Experienced English-speaking guide
Local Experts: Tour guide & mechanic with their vehicle. For a group of 10-15, there will be an extra supporter to handle situations better, if any (included in the price)
English-speaking tour guide and boatman assistants
Meals as stated in the itinerary (B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner)
(Optional) Vegetarian and vegan food is available
Bottled water
All sightseeing tickets and travel permits on frontier
All Taxes and Fees
No extra charge after confirmation
24/7 hotline support guaranteed

Tour Excludes:

Personal expenses, tips and gratuities
Travel insurance
International flights and taxes
Beverage
Other personal expenses: drinks, souvenir, etc.

What To Take:

Pack essentials, including light comfortable clothes suitable for outdoor activities, comfortable walking shoes. Take a small day pack for hiking and trekking
It is essential to bring your passport on this trip. We also recommend packing: insect repellent, sun cream, raincoat and sun hat...

Enquiry Now

Check Availability

FREE CANCELLATION

Northern Vietnam Adventure Arc 4x4 Hanoi to Halong Bay - 12 days

Destination:

Tour Includes:

Tour Excludes:

What To Take:

Related Tours

In Association With

GROUP MEMBERS