Itinerary 19 days in Vietnam – North to Center: Ha Noi, Ha Long, Ha Giang, Phong Nha, Hue, Hoi An

Here is the program we have planned for the trip of a friend, who came to Vietnam for the first time.

• We chose to replace Sa Pa with Ha Giang, for a more authentic and wow experience.
• As Ha Long Bay is one of the priorities of his visit to Vietnam, we have chosen to incorporate a 3 day 2 night boat tour, allowing us to visit both Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, which is also less known and less frequented.
• Ha Noi being my hometown, I chose to come back to Ha Noi between 2 big excursions. It is the ideal place to recharge your batteries, because the gastronomy in Ha Noi remains the best in the country. And resting = eating well in my opinion 😀

Day 1: April 2nd

Early morning arrival in Ha Noi. Take a cab (or shuttle to Ha Noi Opera House and then cab to the hotel).
Check-in at the hotel. First breakfast in Ha Noi.
Visit of the Unique Pillar Pagoda and the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh (before 11:30 am): beware closed shoes and pants are mandatoryBuffet
at will to discover Vietnamese gastronomyAfternoon
: Visit of the Lake of the Restored Sword, the Ngoc Son temple on the lake & the old district of Ha Noi with its 36 streetsEarly
bedtime due to jet lag

• Cab airport – hotel in the old town: about 400 000VND (cab meter, there is no prepaid cab)
• Grab (VTC) city center -> Pagoda at Pilllier Unique : 26 000VND
• Entrance to the pagoda & the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: free of charge
• All-you-can-eat buffet: 300 000VND/person (Quan Sen, 60 Ly Thai To Street)
• Entrance to the Ngoc Son Temple on the Lake of the Restored Sword: 30 000VND

Day 2

Visit the city of Ha Noi off the beaten track (like a real Hanoian).
The day starts around 8am and ends between 5pm and 6pm.
Detailed program will be available later 8pm
: departure to My Dinh bus terminal
.
Night bus to Ha Giang (200 000VND/person)

• Night bus Ha Noi – Ha Giang (200 000VND/person), check the schedule here

Day 3, 4, 5: Hà Giang

DAY 3 : 4h30 : Arrival at Ha Giang. Check-in at the hotel6h30
: Breakfast and visit of the cliff Bắc Sum (if we are lucky, we will see a sea of clouds)
Visit of Cổng trời Bạ, Núi Đôi Cô Tiên, Cây Nghiến cô đơn, Dốc Thẩm Lunch
in the villageAfternoon :
Dốc Chín Khoanh, Làng Văn hóa Lũng Cẩm, Dinh Thự Nha Vương, Cột cờ Lũng CúDinner
: regional specialties & walk in the city center

DAY 4: Breakfast at the ethnic minority market (banh cuon is recommended).
Visit of Mã Pí Lèng & boat on the river Nho Quế, visit of the village Thổ Cẩm Lùng Tám. End of the tour here.

DAY 5: Rent a scooter(link) with or without driver and repeat part of the trip or go to Du Gia waterfalls, Ruộng bậc thang Hoàng Su Phì (check with locals if the view is worth it), Hang Lùng Khuý18h
: take the bus to Ha Noi. Arrival in Ha Noi at 4am

• Tour: 1,980,000 VND/person with ethnic minority guides.
• Return Bus Ha Noi – Ha Giang: 400 000VND/person (check the schedule here)
• Scooter rental: 200 000VND/day without driver
• Scooter rental with driver: 60$US all inclusive/scooter
• Gasoline: 100 000VND max

Day 6: Return to Ha Noi

Rest in the morning.
Lunch in Ha Noi in a very good bui bui.
Afternoon: Visit of the pottery village Bat TrangInthe
evening: puppet show on the waterDinner
in a very good restaurant then walk along the western lake

.

• To go to the pottery village :
  • by taking a bus from the Long Biên bus station: 7000VND which drops off 100m from the village
  • or a cab A/R : 400 000VND
• Pottery course: 20 000VND/hour
• Puppets on water: 90 000VND/person

Days 7, 8, 9 : cruise on Ha Long & Ha Lan Bay

Departure to Ha Noi at 8am. Arrival on Tuan Chau Island at 10.30 a.m.
Cruise (2 nights) on Ha Long and Ha Lan bay with the Serenity Cruise boat ( link Booking )
Visit of villages, caves & nature reserves (see our travel diary here)The
3rd day: the tour ends around 12.15 p.m. Direct bus to Tam Coc (booking here or booking and schedule here)

• Tour: 420€ for two, 3 days 2 nights, all inclusive, shuttle from Ha Noi, full board (link Booking)
• Bus to Tam Coc (4h) : 12$ (reservation here or reservation and schedule here)

Day 10: Tam Coc to Ninh Binh

Visit of Ha Long Bay by land: Tam Coc, Trang An by boat, Mua CaveRental of
a scooter to get aroundBus
(7h) to Phong Nha

, departure at 8pm, arrival at 4:30am

• Bus Ninh Binh – Phong Nha: 13$ (reservation here or train schedule here)
• Entrance Tam Coc – Bich Dong : 120 000VND/person
• Boat Tam Coc: 150 000VND/boat

Days 11, 12: Phong Nha

Visit of the cellars in Phong Nha by scooter (see our travel notebook here and our practical guide here)

• Hang En hotel (Booking link, Agoda link ): 350,000VND/night/double room/night with balcony, breakfast included (they have cheaper rooms)
• Automatic Scooter Rental: 150,000VND/day at Hai Motorbike
• Gasoline: 60,000VND (more than enough for the 2 days)
• Restaurants :
  • Capture: I highly recommend, wood fired pizzas, 310,000VND/meal for two, drinks included
  • D-Arts Zone: they sell there the bun cha way Ha Noi, 200,000VND/meal for two, drinks included
  • BBQ Pork: 100,000VND/meal for two, drinks included
• Visits :
  • Phong Nha Cave: 150,000VND/person
  • Tien Son Cave : 80,000VND/person
  • Boat for Phong Nha Cave and Tien Son Cave: 400,000VND for 12 people max, we shared the cost so it comes back to 36,000VND/person
  • Paradise Cave : 250,000VND/person
  • Golf car for Paradise Cave: 60,000VND/go, 100,000VND/return
  • Dark Cave :
    • option 1 with cellar entrance, zipline, kayak, mud, swimming etc. 450,000VND/person
    • option 2 without cellar entrance, zipline, kayak: 270,000VND/person
  • Mooc Spring :
  • Water activities, swimming pools : 180,000VND/person
  • Walking around: 80,000VND/person
  • Botanic Garden : 40,000VND/person

Day 13: April 14, 2020: Hué’, the old imperial city

Morning bus to Hue (4h
)Visit of
the
former royal palace.
Discovery of the royal gastronomy

• Bus Phong Nha – Hue: 150 000VND/person (see schedules here)

Days 14, 15, 16: Hoi An

Visit a royal tomb in Hue.
Lunch at Hue.
Bus to Hoi An.

• Day 14 (by bike)
  • go to the dressmaker to have one (or more) garment(s) made to measure (see our guide here)
  • Discovery of the local gastronomy
  • In the evening: Hoi An Impression Theme Park
• Day 15 (by bike)
  • The day: Visit of the old town on foot and by bike (5 points of interest with the ticket)
  • In the evening: Walking tour of the old town, dinner at the Night Market, boat on the river
• Day 16 (by scooter) : (see Hoi An’s practical guide here)
  • Tra Que Village (with an agency): cooking classes, apprentice farmer, lunch at Tra Que
  • An Bang Beach: take a nap at the beach
  • Pick up the clothes at the dressmaker’s and ask for alterations to be made
  • Silk Village
  • Terracotta Park
  • Coconut Village : boat trip (40mn)
  • Massage
  • Pick up the clothes at the dressmaker’s

• Transportation: Hue – Hoi An: 90 000VND
• Hotel: from 10€/double room, depending on the location of the hotel. Ours (Green Apple) costs 23€/night a double room with balcony, swimming pool, breakfast, shuttle and free bikes
• Massage : minimum 300,000VND/hour
• Visit :
  • Old town of Hoi an: 120,000VND/person, allowing to visit 5 places of interest. The purchase of the entrance ticket is compulsory
  • Pottery village: 15,000VND/person, entrance ticket is mandatory
  • Terracotta Park: 30,000VND/person
  • Coconut Village : 200,000VND/boat, 2 people maxi
  • Rent a deckchair on the beach: 30,000VND/chair, umbrella included
  • Silk Village: free entrance (without guide) – I don’t know how much it costs with a guide
  • Tra Que Village: don’t know
  • Scooter rental: 100,000VND/day, gas not included
  • Gasoline: approximately 40,000VND
• Restaurants :
  • from 35,000VND/flat
  • bBQ pork skewers cost VND 10,000 per skewer (it sells by 10)
  • sandwiches: between 25,000VND and 35,000VND/sandwich
  • water: 10,000VND the small bottle, 20,000VND a Coke
• Prices of custom-made clothes in Hoi An (it depends on the fabric, and your size too, if you are too big, it will cost more)
  • Short sleeve shirt : between 20USD and 35USD
  • Long sleeve shirt : between 30USD and 40USD
  • One dress: between 50USD and 75USD, up to 150USD for pure silk
  • A top/top: between 20USD and 35USD

Day 17: Da Nang

Discover the gastronomy of Da Nang (see our travel diary here).
Plane from Da Nang to Ha Noi.
All you can eat buffet near the West Lake.

Day 19: Return to France

Plane to France. End of the road trip

Recommended hotels

• Hanoi: a hotel in the old quarter, next to the Lake of the Restored Sword (Ho Guom), for example Essence Palace Hotel & Spa (51€, booking link) or Hanoi Tomodachi House (14€, booking link). On weekends, the whole area around the lake is pedestrian, it is very pleasant.
• Hoi An: Discover Vinh Hung Heritage Hotel, the most beautiful hotel, and the only one in the old town of Hoi An, booked months in advance(Booking link). We enjoyed our stay at Green Apple (free bikes, swimming pool, 23€ Booking link). Read our Hoi An guide here
• Ha Long : one night on the boat or two nights on the bay of Ha Long and Ha Lan with the Serenity Cruise boat (link Booking)
• Ninh Binh – Tam Coc: Tam Coc Banana Bungalow (8€, very nice, Booking link). Vietnamese executives prefer a luxury hotel further away, but with a swimming pool and rooms/houses that look like old country houses: Emeradal Resort Ninh Binh (link Booking)
• Phong Nha: Hang En Hotel, cheap, nice owners, breakfast (banh mi) included. The hotel is right next to the restaurants and the pier for the cellars. Link booking