itinerary in DETAIL 

DAY 1: HANOI – BABE LAKES (-/L/D)

Morning depart from Hanoi to Babe Lakes via Thai Nguyen. Take a stop at Hanoi Ethnology Museum, where we can hear introduction and enjoy a rich collection of the cultural features of 54 ethnical groups living in Vietnam. The visit will be very helpful to us before exploring the real life of

these groups in our coming trip. Lunch en route. Arrive Babe Lakes late afternoon. Overnight in Babe town.

DAY 2: BABE LAKES – CAO BANG (B/L/D)

It’s 3km from Babe town to the Lakes, which is the most splendid part of The “Babe National Park”. Taking a motor boat from the wharf and flow on the three lakes, along Nang River for 4 – 5 hours, we can drop by Widow Islet, enjoy picturesque scenery and greenery of the Park surrounding the lake, see people fishing for shrimps in their dug-out boats; you can climb up to the large Puong Cave with odd-shaped stalactites and stalagmites, home of thousands bats hanging on limestone walls, visit Dau Dang Waterfall, walk over a cliff to see an earring-shaped pond called Fairy Pond, and finally arrive by boat to at Cho Ra, 18km from Babe. Our car will pick-up us in Cho Ra and circle the Lakes by landway with stop to visit the friendly Tay ethnic people in Pac Ngoi hamlet. Late afternoon depart to Cao Bang (3-hour driving). Overnight in Cao Bang.

DAY 3: CAO BANG – BAN GIOC WATERFALL – CAO BANG (B/L/D)

The most remarkable highlight of Cao Bang province, Ban Gioc Waterfall, the largest Falls in Vietnam, takes 2-hour driving from Cao Bang. We can contemplate on this way very sightworthy forests, mountain villages, markets of different ethnic groups, and local specialties sold along the road. As the Falls is located right on the Vietnam-Chinese border, a permit is compulsory to get there and not many visitors, either Vietnamese or abroad, have seen it. Upon arrival at Ban Gioc, we can see on the other side of the Quy Son River, which feeds water to the Falls, many buildings of the Chinese hospitality industry, and mass of Chinese tourists passing the river by rafts to enjoy the beauty of the Falls from the Vietnamese side, which is the much more glamorous one. From Ban Gioc turn back to Cao Bang direction to visit Nguom Ngao Cave, a huge and impressive cave running about 3km long. Return to Cao Bang in the afternoon with stopovers to visit the villages and markets. Overnight in Cao Bang.

DAY 4: CAO BANG – LANG SON – HALONG (B/L/D)

From Cao Bang, drive some 9 hours via Lang Son to reach Halong city, the station to take your trip to another National Park in Cat Ba Island. The road from Cao Bang to Lang Son passes by a lot of War memorials and traces of the 1^st Indochinese War, ended with the leave of the French from Indochina in 1954. Lunch in Lang Son at Ha Nga restaurant near the new Dong King bridge with famous dishes of duck, a specialty of Lang Son. Stop at Lang Son to visit Dong Kinh “bordergate” market, which is wellknown for specialties of Lang Son and various Vietnamese and Chinese commodities. Late afternoon arrive Halong city. Check-in hotel and overnight in Halong.

DAY 5: HALONG – CAT BA ISLAND – FOREST TREKKING – CAT BA (B/L)

After an early breakfast, we will be transferred to Halong Wharf to take our private boat to visit the Bay of Halong. Land at a Port near Hon Gai market and enjoy a busy morning of fishing boats and trading boats gather for selling seafood and other goods. Cruise Halong for around with stops for visiting grottoes, swimming, and kayaking in prettiest areas of the Bay. Lunch will be prepared by the crew with fresh seafood caught from Halong: crab, shrimp, fish and squid. Afternoon our boat will reach Cat Ba Island. Check-in hotel in Cat Ba. Afternoon trek thru the Park of Cat ba to Viet Hai village and back to Cat Ba by boat. Overnight in Cat Ba (dinner at your own arrangement for flexibility). 

DAY 6: CAT BA ISLAND – HAI PHONG – HANOI (B)

Enjoy yourselves on Cat Ba beaches and at leisure until our tourguide comes and picks up you to take an Express Boat to Hai Phong seaport. Our car is waiting for us in Hai Phong. Drive 2.30 hours back to Hanoi and arrive around 20.00. 

End of services.