Northeast Vietnam Tour | Northeast Vietnam Travel | Private Vietnam Tour with Pyala Travel - Travel Program
Travel to Northeast Vietnam and meet the Hill Tribes around Ha Giang and Meo Vac. Individual Vietnam Tour from Pyala Travel.
Northeastern Vietnam Explorer
private tour
Adventurous journey through unknown Northeast Vietnam
A wonderful journey through the unknown northeast Vietnam. From Hanoi you head to the Ba Be National Park. You travel through a special karst landscape and visit the livestock market in Meo Vac, where you are introduced to the Black Hmong and Black Dzao.
from 850,-
12 days
Tabs
Day 1 Hanoi - Ba Be
A long travel day takes you to the Ba Be National Park. The Ba Be National Park is inhabited by different ethnic groups, but the largest group here is the Tay who live in houses on stilts. You will spend the night in a Tay village on the edge of one of the lakes in a simple homestay.
Day 2 Ba Be / boat ride and hiking
Today you take a three-hour boat ride on the Nang River. Along the way you will see some waterfalls and caves hidden in the rocks. Maybe you’ll also see one of the rare tropical birds or fish that live here! After the boat trip you take a short walk to a Tay village where you will stay in simple homestay on the edge of the lake.
Day 3 Ba Be - Meo Vac
A long but beautiful ride through the mountains to Meo Vac is on the itinerary today. This is a new road that allows you to travel directly to the small town of Meo Vac. You travel along the Chinese border through a breathtaking landscape of terraced hillsides. You will see Hmong and Dzao people working in the rice fields with buffalo plowing, and occasionally you will see small settlements where different peoples live.The H'mong and Dzao make up most of the population in this area, and they are often dressed in gorgeous traditional costumes. The Hmong are the largest ethnic minority in Southeast Asia, and they live in north Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and southern China. The Hmong are divided into several subgroups such as the Flower Hmong, Black Hmong, Red Hmong, Green Hmong and White HMong. All of these groups have their own distinctive costume and often speak their own language. The Dzao (also called Tao or Yao) live primarily near the border with Laos and China and are especially recognizable by their shaved forehead and eyebrows. The Dzao are also divided into subgroups, such as the Red Dzao with their lavish red headdresses, or the Black Dzao with their women in striking turbans. The women wear beautiful woven garments with a lot of embroidered details.
On the way you will stop at Phia Den, about a four-hour drive from Ba Be. You'll have lunch at Van Tinh Tuc and you will arrive in Meo Vac in the late afternoon.
Day 4 Meo Vac - Dong Van
One of the largest and most colorful markets in Vietnam is the Sunday market in Meo Vac. You'll have enough time to watch all the wheeling and dealing. Vegetables are weighed and inspected, chickens are carefully selected, heavily laden baskets are tied on people's backs, and everywhere there is conversation, laughter, and gossip. Everything is sold here, from buffalo to clothing, and of course there are many food stalls where you can eat. The home-brewed rice wine flows frequently and there is a lot of bong (large bamboo pipe) smoking.Most people who visit the market are Hmong (especially Blue Hmong), but you also see Red and Black Dzao. They all often have to walk for hours to reach the market. After the market you see groups of people on the many mountain trails returning to their villages.
After visiting the market we drive for about an hour on a scenic road to Dong Van. Along the way you will enjoy beautiful views and you will cross the Mha Phi Pass (1500 m). The closer we come to Dong Van, the more people you will encounter returning from the market. Dong Van also has a Sunday market, and depending on what time you leave Meo Vac, you can catch the end of this market also. Again, this is an attractive market that is frequented mainly by Hmong peoples. You will see some ancient Chinese merchant houses on the market. In one of these merchant houses there is now a cozy tearoom. High above the market on a hill is an old French fort where you can take a stroll for a splendid view of the surrounding area.
Day 5 Dong Van - Ha Giang
Today you leave the border with China and head to Ha Giang, the largest city in the area. En route you'll pay a short visit to the palace of the former Hmong king who ruled over this region for many years.In Yen Minh you'll stop for lunch, and a few hours later you can get a drink and take some nice pictures at the Fairy Bossom vista in Quang Bac. You will arrive in Ha Giang in the late afternoon. Ha Giang itself has a lively market, and you can enjoy a cozy evening with Vietnamese food.
Day 6 Ha Giang - Panhou
From Ha Giang you will drive a little way in the direction of Hanoi, but you'll turn off at Bac Quang and head to the region of Huong Su Phi. In a small side valley, literally in the middle of nowhere, you will stay in the beautiful and pleasant Panhou Village. It is about four hours' drive from Ha Giang to Panhou. In Panhou you can enjoy an excellent meal. The staff here is mainly young Dzao, Nung, Tay and Hmong. The bungalows are reached via a walkway across the river from this simple but attractive resort.In the afternoon you take a light hike through this wonderful, non-touristy area, led by a local guide. You walk for about 3 or 4 hours over small mountain paths and occasionally through rice terraces. The trail is mostly uphill, but you'll often stop and look around in the small villages you pass through. For anyone in normal physical condition this walk is doable, but take into account the possibility of slippery and steep paths, and make sure you bring water and a hat. You will visit villages of the Tay and Dzao.
Day 7 Panhou / day hike
Today you depart Pan Hou with a local guide for a day hike through the green mountains of the area. It is a walk up and down narrow paths. You will visit small, unspoiled villages in the rice terraces of the Dzao people, and enjoy the nature, the fruit on the trees and the domesticated animals in the villages. Take water and a hat with you! If you do not enjoy walking, you can also rest a day at Pan Hou, which is very pleasant; it's a beautiful place with a lovely landscaped garden.
Day 8 Panhou - Bac Ha
The trip to Bac Ha takes you through a beautiful mountainous area with intermediate green valleys and lots of rice terraces. You are now truly in the interior of the country in a remote region. The road is generally pretty good, but can still be tough, especially when it rains. You will pass several villages of the colorful mix of tribes who live here, the Hmong, Thai, La Ha and Dzao. You can visit some of these villages. Along the way you will have lunch at Pho Rang, about four hours' drive from Panhou. You will arrive in Bac Ha in the early afternoon.
Day 9 Bac Ha / day hike
The area around Bac Ha is home to many different colorful tribes, including the Flower Hmong, Thai, Phula, Nung, and Dzao.Today you will take a walk through the mountains to the colorful Flower Hmong village of Ban Pho. The walk is not difficult and is frequently punctuated with stops in the villages. The houses in Ban Pho are still entirely traditionally built by the men of the village. Everything is based on the oral tradition of the elders. Perhaps one of the villagers will invite you to come in and sample some locally-brewed wheat wine!
Day 10 Saturday market in Can Cau
The women of the Flower Hmong are perhaps the most striking of the hill tribes dressed in lavish pink and red costumes. They owe their name, like many other tribes, to the characteristics of their brightly-decorated shirts and skirts with floral patterns that are decorated with hundreds of tiny beads. Usually they wear a plaid scarf and large silver earrings. The differences in color and flower pattern show from which region a Flower Hmong woman comes.In the morning you will visit the Can Cau Market. This market is an hour's drive from Bac Ha. You will notice that this market is more popular for tourists, but despite this market is still interesting to visit.
Day 11 Bac Ha market – Lao Cai / night train
Today is Sunday and you'll find the big Sunday market taking place. It is still (despite tourism that has developed in recent years) one of the largest and most colorful markets in this area. The market is mainly frequented by the Flower Hmong people but you also see Phu La, Black Dzao, Tay and Nung. The market is lively, full of friendly conversations, animated trade, fragrant drinks, children crying, sugary treats and textile handicrafts. It’s a real party!After lunch you travel half an hour by car and then walk to the Tay village of Trung Do. From here you will be brought to the station in Lao Cai to take the night train to Hanoi (departure 20:15).
Day 12 Arrival Hanoi
You arrive in Hanoi early in the morning. You need to arrange a transfer to the hotel. If you want to rest after this travel brick you can choose the Halong Bay travel brick next. Hanoi is your last stop; take a look at the excursions if you want to do more in Hanoi.Tip
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