Tour Overview
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Hanoi Arrival
Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Complete customs, then meet your private guide and driver. Check into your hotel. Your driver will take you to the Old Quarter for a walking tour and a taste of Hanoi's famous street food. Stroll along Hoan Kiem Lake, a peaceful city-centre escape framed by local legends and scenic views of Turtle Tower. End the evening with a traditional Water Puppet show.
Overnight in Hanoi
Hanoi to Sapa
Breakfast at the hotel, then check out. Visit Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French in 1896 and notorious as a detention centre for political prisoners and later American POWs during the Vietnam War. Known as Hell's Hole, it is infamous for the harsh conditions endured by its inmates.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Depart for Sapa, the mountain town the French once called the summer capital of Tonkin, along Vietnam's longest highway stretching 250 km through the northern highlands. On arrival in Lao Cai, stop at Milestone 102 at the Lao Cai International Border Gate for photos.
Dinner at a local restaurant. Check in to your hotel in Sapa.
Overnight in Sapa
Sapa — Cat Cat Village and Fansipan Summit
Breakfast at the hotel. Head to Cat Cat Village, a roughly 7 km, 3-hour visit through the homeland of the Black H'Mong people. The village sits amid stunning mountain scenery with terraced rice fields, waterfalls, traditional cultural performances, and handmade handicraft stalls tended by welcoming locals.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Spend the afternoon at Sun World Fansipan Legend. Board the Muong Hoa luxury train, the most modern of its kind in Vietnam, and enjoy sweeping views of the Muong Hoa Valley's terraced rice fields through its transparent windows. At Hoang Lien Station, board the Fansipan cable car (holding two Guinness World Records) to ascend the mountain. Continue on the Do Quyen mountain train, which winds through a tunnel beneath the Great Buddha statue, to reach the upper station.
From there, hike through Thanh Van Dac Lo and Bich Van Zen Temple before reaching the summit of Fansipan, the Roof of Indochina. Visit Tam Thanh Mau Temple, the Lower Pagoda, and take photos at the Fansipan flagpole. Train, cable car, and mountain train tickets are all included.
Dinner at a local restaurant. Free time to explore Sapa's lively night market.
Overnight in Sapa
Sapa to Hanoi — Duong Lam Ancient Village
Breakfast at the hotel, then check out. Begin the drive back to Hanoi.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit Duong Lam Ancient Village, a traditional Vietnamese village renowned for its centuries-old architecture. Explore well-preserved communal houses, ancient temples, and working farms, and take in the peaceful rural scenery that has changed little over generations.
Dinner at a local restaurant. Free time to explore the Old Quarter or join an optional night tour of Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi
Hanoi City Tour and Departure
Breakfast at the hotel, then check out. Full city tour of Hanoi covering the Temple of Literature and the French Quarter, whose elegant boulevards reveal why this city was once dubbed the Paris of the East. Cross the iconic red Huc Bridge to visit Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake, a serene blend of history and spirituality.
Continue to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, the Presidential Garden, Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilts, and the One Pillar Pagoda. Finish in the Old Quarter, Hanoi's vibrant historic heart of narrow streets, traditional shophouses, and street food stalls.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight to Singapore.