North-Vietnam Bicycle Tour Travel Laocai Bac Ha Xin Man Ha Giang Bac Me Cao Bang Ba Be lakes

Day 1: Overnight train to Lao Cai
You will be met up with Lotussia Travel guide at your hotel in Hanoi and transferred to Hanoi station for overnight train to Lao Cai

Day 2: Lao Cai –  Bac Ha
You will be greeted by Asia Pacific Travel local team at Laocai station and transferred to a local restaurant for breakfast. Enjoy a full day cycle from Laocai to Bac ha with stops en route for visiting local tribal villages.

Day 3: Bac Ha – Xin Man
We will bike across one of the most remote parts of northern Vietnam. At first we tackle a steady climb of 6km on good paved road but then turn into short section of jeep track. After around 3-hr riding we will have a picnic lunch wherever we find  good for that. After lunch we continue riding to Xin Man, a small and busy town near Chinese border. Xin Man is around 75 km from Bac Ha and the biking in the afternoon is not less challenging than the one in the morning. We will climb for the first hour or so up to a plateau at 2500m, where we have fantastic view before hitting rough paved road for a steady descent into Xin Man. During the biking we will have regular stop for break, snack and taking photo. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 4: Xin Man – Hoang Shu Phi – Ha Giang
Today we take a gentle ride covering 90km from Xin Man to Viet Quang Town. The ride takes us down to a bridge over the main river and for the next 40km we ride along a quiet road that gently climbs and follows the river upstream to Hoang Shu Phi, a quiet town at 1000m. Have a break in town for snack and refreshment then continue with downhill quiet road 60km to Viet Quang. We will have a late light lunch in Viet Quang Town then take a bus transfer to Ha Giang Town, the capital of Ha Giang Province which is the final frontier in northern Vietnam, a lunar landscape of limestone pinnacles and granite outcrops. Dinner and overnight in Ha Giang Town.

Day 5: Ha Giang – Bac Me – Bao Lac
Today the ride is mostly road based. At first we tackle 12 km climbs and then it is an undulating, idyllic route through friendly villages and paddy fields, surrounded by jagged limestone hills. Around noon time we will reach Bac Me Town where we will have lunch in local restaurant. After lunch we will continue riding to Bao Lac. The long and gentle section in the afternoon can be done partly by biking and partly by driving. We may ride around 35km on quiet road then take a drive to Bao Lac Town where we stay overnight in a simple guest house. Dinner in town.

Day 6: Bao Lac – Tinh Tuc – Ba Be Lake
Having a relaxing breakfast and then we leave the town around 9am. Today we will enjoy the last ride of our trip. We start with a climb 6km, followed by an undulating quiet road though scenic villages. We will have snack break on the way and have late light lunch in the small town of Nguyen Binh. After the lunch we will take a relaxing drive to Ba Be National Park. We will stay  overnight in the beautiful village of Pac Ngoi, which is home to Tay people who live on Ba Be Lake in stilt house. Our hosts will cook us a great dinner and we will have a great time talking with the friendly hosts.

Day 7: Ba Be Lake – Cho Ra – Hanoi
After the breakfast we say goodbye to the hosts and take a short walk through the village. We will board a long boat for a fantastic boat trip on the stunning Ba Be Lake. This lake is one of the country’s largest natural lake, surrounded by limestone cliffs, waterfall, caves and an abundance of wildlife. The interesting boat trip lasts around 1.5hr and we will ride along the Nang River to reach Cho Ra Town. Drive 5hr back to Hanoi with a lunch stop on the way. We arrive in Hanoi about late afternoon. End of Asia Pacific Travel service.

 
Trekking Bac Ha Ha Giang Visit Khau Lan Lang Tan Hill tribe villages


Day1: Hanoi – Lao Cai

You will be met up with Asia Pacific Travel guide at your hotel in Hanoi. Overnight train to Lao Cai.



Day2: Lao Cai – Bac Ha

Arrive Laocai station early this morning. You will be greeted by Asia Pacific Travel local team and transferred to a local restaurant for breakfast. Drive through the famous market town of Bac Ha and beyond over one of Vietnam’s highest road passes. This is a full day in the vehicle, though there’s no time to get bored as the scenery is truly breathtaking.



Day3: Bac Ha – Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang

Upon leaving Bac Ha we set off on a full day journey through Sin Man and Hoang Su Phi to  Ha Giang Town. The rough but scenic route traverses a dense jungle before crossing over a pass and dropping down to Sin Man. This day is a real challenge for our driver as we travel by winding roads with many uphill and down hill drives. Along the way we may encounter the Nung Ing, Tay, Red Dao, Dao Ao Dai, La Chi and Co Lao, just some of the many hill tribe groups who have settled there. O/N in Ha Giang.



Day4: Ha Giang – Khau Lan

You have the opportunity to participate a guided tour in the Ha Giang museum followed by an early lunch. The guides pick you up at the hotel and you travel by Transfer to the commune Centre in Quyet Tien. There from you will walk about 3 hours to Khau Lan village, passing green paddy fields, little villages and beautiful forests. In Khau Lan – the Dao people, you meet the village leader and your host families. Arround 6.30 pm. All the tour members will have dinner at one family and split later to spend the night in three or four different host families.



Day5: Khau Lan Trekking

Khau Lan is a small village of the Dao people. You have the unique opportunity to share the daily life of your host family, which might include working in the fields, fetching wood, cutting grass for the livestock and cooking meals. Depending on the activity, you have lunch on different spots, outside the village. After another local meal for dinner, you might spend the evening sitting together around a fire, discussing and laughing with the local people then you will spend another night at your host family’s house.



Day6: Khau Lan – Lang Tan

After breakfast and farewell with the hosts, you take another trail back to Quyet Tien commune center, passing beautiful caves, streams and forests. The Transfer bring you to Quan Ba District town, where you have about 2 hours time to take a shower and relax in the district guesthouse or take a walk through the small town. Around 2 pm. Your guides will pick you up to travel by Transfer to Thanh Van Commune. After a short walk (30 minutes) you will arrive in Lang Tan village. Lang Tan is a small village of Hmong people. The village is placed in rugged mountains which makes planting rice difficult. In order to increase their income, the villagers developed a special maize wine production. After you have met the village leader and your second host family, then there is plenty of time is available to walk around in the pretty village and meet the people. In the evening the group will enjoy a local dinner and sleep in Hmong style houses.



Day7: Lang Tan Trekking

Together with a Asia Pacific Travel guide and a local pathfinder you walk over hills and through forests, villages of Hmong and Dao people to Can Ty Commune where the Transfer is waiting for you. The car takes you through beautifully landscape to Dong Van Town, visiting the vestige of Hmong kingdom on route. Around 6.30 pm. All the members of the tour check-in a small hotel in Dong Van and take dinner in a local restaurant.



Day 8: Lang Tan – Quan Ba passing Meo Vac

The Transfer take you through a beautiful landscape of rolling and imposing mountains and steep valleys leading from Dong Van to Meo Vac District. This is the most remote corner of Vietnam, where the traditional life of ethnic minority people is the most vivid and colorful. After lunch in Yen Minh town, the cars take you to Hop Tien village. In Hop Tien you can visit a hemp cooperative, where local people explain and demonstrate the traditional hemp production (including dyeing with natural colors, weaving and decorating). Around 5.30pm. You will travel back to Quan Ba town, where you check in the comfortable district guesthouse. At 6.30 pm you go out for dinner in a local restaurant before you spend the night in the guesthouse.



Day9: Quang Ba Trekking

After a local breakfast you will have time to visit the very colorful market in Quan Ba town. On this market you will see people from different ethnic minority groups, which walk all the way from their mountain villages to Quan Ba town, in order to trade items and meet other people. 12.00 am. You will have dinner in a local restaurant in Quan Ba town. 6.30 pm Dinner in a local restaurant in Quan Ba town and overnight in the district guesthouse.



Day10: Quang Ba – Hanoi

In Quan Ba visit an incredible local market. Different minority people descend from their mountain villages to trade items and meet other people. Begin the drive back to Hanoi. End of Asia Pacific Travel service.
Ha Giang

Ha Giang Travel

Ha Giang is a mountainous province in the extreme North of the country. The province of Ha Giang has a total area of more than 7,884 sq km. Ha Giang province borders Tuyen Quang province in the South, Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces in the West, Cao Bang in the North-west, Yun Nam and Quang Xi provinces (China) in the North with a borderline of over 274 km in length.

Ha Giang climate is temperate so it is cool through the year and the air is fresh. It has been remarked an ideal destination by domestic and foreign tourists.
Ha Giang province has lots of nature resources for developing travel such as the rocky highlands Quan Ba, Dong Van, vast primeval forests, mysterious caves, hundred year tea gardens and a number of rivers, springs, waterfalls and mineral springs.

There are 22 ethnic groups living together creating preciously cultural value and ranked cultural monuments such as Vuong family’s building, Cang Bac Ma, Sung Khanh pagoda, etc. In the Sunday market Dong Van, Meo Vac, Quan Ba…different ethnic groups come to the market to trade and also to travel.  They dress colorfully and make the market one of highlight of any tour to Ha Giang.
The only way to travel to Ha Giang is by road. There is no train serving Hanoi – Ha Giang. There is no airport in Ha Giang province neither.

To travel to Ha Giang, it is possible to take a public bus or to hire a private vehicle. The cost is not the same of course. A guided tour is highly recommended for Ha Giang travel.

Ha Giang Tourism

Ha Giang, a mountainous province in the extreme North of the country has a total area of more than 7,884 sq km. Ha Giang province borders Tuyen Quang province in the South, Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces in the West, Cao Bang in the North-west, Yun Nam and Quang Xi provinces (China) in the North with a borderline of over 274 km in length.

Ha Giang climate is temperate so it is cool through the year and the air is fresh. It has been remarked an ideal destination by domestic and foreign tourists.

Ha Giang has lots of nature resources for developing tourism such as rocky highlands, vast primeval forests, mysterious caves, hundred year tea gardens and a number of rivers, springs, waterfalls and mineral springs.

There are 22 ethnic groups living together creating preciously cultural value and ranked cultural monuments such as Vuong family’s building, Cang Bac Ma, Sung Khanh pagoda, etc. In the Sunday market (Dong Van, Meo Vac), different ethnic groups come to the market to trade and also to travel. 

Ha Giang not only plays an important role in the national socio-economic development, security and defense but also is an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

Ha Giang Tour

Ha Giang, located in the northern mountainous border area offers a wide selection of tour activities such as 4wd tours, cycling tours, trekking tours. The shortest tours can be arranged from Hanoi are the three-day tours and the longest can be up to a week.

The most popular tours are the 6 day tour that begins in and ends in Hanoi. Booking this tour, travelers will have the opportunity to visit Ba Be National park, Bao Lac, Dong Van plateau, Meo Vac, Yen Minh, Quan Ba Ha Giang.

Classic touring is combined with easy trekking or cycling. Spending in a local house in local village is also included in the Ha Giang tour (homestay).
One of the biggest highlight of Ha Giang tour is to visit the Sunday market. Both Dong Van market and Meo Vac markets are open on Sunday. Different ethnic groups come to the market for buying, selling and also for eating “Thang Co” and drinking rice wine. Those who live far from the market need to depart the day before. These central highland markets are not only the place where ethnic people trade but also the place they socialize.

 Another tour that is also very attractive is the 7-day tour that includes such destinations as Ba Be park, Bao Lac, Dong Van, Meo Vac, Yen Minh, Quan Ba, Hoang Su Phi, Xin Man and Bac Ha. The trip takes its end in Bac Ha which is also very popular for the Sunday market. The road from Ha Giang to Bac Ha is quite bad. But the scenery is terrific.
For more information about Ha Giang tour, visit www.hikingvietnam.com or www.lotussiatravel.com