Indochina Tour off the beaten track – 15 days from Laos

The day starts with a visit to the Big Brother Mouse shop to select some books for the village visit. We then head north by car along Route 13, before taking an unpaved road to Ban Khia Luang village. We then have ample time to visit the school, play with the kids, and watch them enjoy their new books.  We also take some time to explore the rest of the village, where you can see weaving and visit the local temple. We stop for lunch at the village, which can either be a western picnic lunch, or traditional Lao food such as sticky rice, laap, and fresh vegetables cooked by the villagers. After lunch, we say goodbye to the village and drive to Ban Khoklin, which takes us through some beautiful scenery of mountains and paddy fields. At Ban Khoklin, we then board a private boat down the Nam Ou River for 30 minutes to Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims and continue down the Mekong River back to Luang Prabang, arriving back there by late afternoon.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Today, we cross the Mekong River by boat to the picturesque village of Ban Chan, a pottery village. We then visit the morning Phousi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea, and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables, and hill-tribe weavings. Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, and today you will visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, a Hmong village, Ban Ou, a Laoloum village, and Ban Thapene, a Khmu village. This then takes us to the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfall, where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails. We then return to Luang Prabang by late afternoon.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Today, we continue our beautiful Indochina tours with a drive through wonderful natural scenery to Xiengkhuang. The journey will give you plenty of opportunities for photos and visiting hill tribe villages. Upon arrival, we transfer out to visit Site 1 of the Plain of Jars, an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are scattered all over the plateau.

Overnight in Xiengkhuang.

After breakfast, continue the trip to Vieng Xay- The former Pathet Lao (PL) revolutionary headquarters of Vieng Xai sits in a striking valley of fertile hills and limestone cliffs riddled with caves, several of which were used to shelter PL officers during the Second Indochina War. The town is famous for the caves in which the stoic officers and some 23,000 people found shelter, but Vieng Xai itself is unbearably pretty. Manmade lakes spot the landscape, and wildflowers explode in crimson and yellow to join the emerald and karst backdrop. The beauty of the terrain somehow underscores the decimation it suffered during the American bombing campaign.

Overnight in Vieng Xay.

Today, a beautiful drive through of one of the most beautiful countryside of Laos to Na Neo border gate, continue to Mai Chau Valley (Vietnam) which is the heart of a beautiful valley that is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. The modern village is an unappealing sprawl, but as you emerge on the rice fields and rural living it is transformed into a real paradise. It’s a stunning area, and most people here are ethnic White Thai who are very friendly.

Tonight, we stay in the homestay, this evening, enjoy the traditional musice and dance.

Drive to DBP. Visit the very primitive village of the Black Thai village on the way that you can see the very basic conditions of life. Continue to biggest daily hilltribe market in Thuan Chau, see different ethnic groups, local fruits, food, but it will be much more beautiful experience when reaching amazing Pha Din Pass, time for photos. Continue our drive to Dien Bien.

Overnight in Hotel.

Morning visit to the museum and sites of Dien Bien Phu. Drive to Lai Chau, visit a village of the Black Dao People, if lucky, you will see an art of hair make-up of the old ladies on the way. Tonight, we stay in Muong Lay, a very lovely town by the “Black River”.

Overnight at Lan Anh Hotel.

Drive to Sa Pa, on your way, you will see many different ethnic villages of the Lao, Lu, Black Dao, Tien Dao, Day, Red H’mong before driving up to the highest pass in Vietnam – Hoang Lien Son. Stop over at “Heaven Gate” for a wonderful view down to an amazing valley and Fanxipang – the highest mountain in Vietnam (Roof of Vietnam). You also visit “Silver Waterfall” – the nicest one in the area before getting to your hotel in Sapa.

Overnight in Sapa.

Sapa – The Queen of the Mountains, overlooking a beautiful valley, lofty mountains towering over the town on all sides, Sapa Tour is a gateway to another world of mysterious minority cultures and luscious landscapes and great choice for Vietnam Tours maker to arrange Vietnam Culture Tours, Vietnam Trekking Tours, Vietnam Homestay Tours… After breakfast, we will do one of the most beautiful Sapa Tours with the drive to visit Lao Chai and Ta Van village of the Black H’mong and the Day people where you can enjoy fresh air, amazing scenery of the imposing mountain range, trek down world’s most beautiful terraced rice fields, visit some local family on the way and learn unique culture and life of these ethnic groups.

Back to Sapa by private car, free at leisure for the rest of the day. Overnight in Sapa.

The Markets in Northern Vietnam are always colorful meeting places for the hill tribes, a spotlight for any Sapa Tours, and of course, your unique Vietnam Tours experience. Minority people come down from the mountains to sell their products, or just for catching up on the latest news, gossip, drinking away troubles, or seeking for lover. In the morning, drive to visit one of the areas’ weekly markets;

Market days:
Can Cau Market – Saturdays
Bac Ha Market, or Muong Hum Market, or Muong Khuong Market – Sundays
Cao Son Market – Wednesdays
Lung Khau Nhin Market – Thursdays
Coc Ly Market – Tuesdays

In the afternoon, your tour guide and driver transfer you back to Hanoi. We hope that you have enjoyed your Sapa Tours with us. We say goodbye with sincere thanks, and we look forward to welcoming you again for your upcoming Vietnam Tours and Sapa Tours.

Overnight in Hanoi.

We start at 8.00 A.M for the 3-hour drive (170 km) through the Red River Delta, which offers plenty of chances for taking photos of Vietnamese farmers tilling the vast green paddy fields. At halfway, we’ll have a visit to a handicraft workshop with fine clothes, embroidered paintings, stone statuettes, and all kinds of gems mined in Vietnam, such as star rubies or sapphires… Our destination is the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay. The bay offers some 3000 mountain islands and islets towering in the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Sea.

Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed on board our luxury junk and treated with wine and fresh local seafood. As our junk glides further into the tranquility of Ha Long Bay amid the towering mountain cliffs and on the emerald green water, you’ll have a relaxing time combining the fine tastes of the wine and the freshness of Ha Long Bay. During the cruise, we’ll stop some times to visit the amazing Sung Sot cave and the Ti Top white sand beach before anchoring for the night. Overnight on board the junk in the wild of Halong Bay.

It is said that your Vietnam Tours will not be complete without a tour to Halong Bay and spending one night on a romantic Halong Cruise. People describe Halong Bay as majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious and words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is Halong Bay, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn from the hand of nature.

After breakfast, we’ll take a little sampan to visit a secret lagoon of Ha Long Bay while the surrounding mountains are just waking up. After that our cruise takes us further into the Bay of Bai Tu Long traveling past the Human Head Island, the Turtle Island, and the Duck Islet… to the studio site where the famous Indochine film was shot. Around noon, our junk travels back to the harbor, pick up and drive back to Hanoi. Stop in Bac Ninh to visit the famous But Thap pagoda that located among picturesque villages, rice paddy fields…,transfer back to Hanoi. Overnight in a Hanoi hotel.