Day 1: From Hanoi toBa Be Lake , 240 km, height 250-300 m above sea level
Departure at 7:00
• Visit the Nghi Tam flower market at 8:00
• Visit the ethnographic museum in Thai Nguyen at 10:00
• Stop along local factory of tapioca vermicelli and acacia woodworker on the road .
• Cross Ba Be Lake in boat if the 24 seat bus and walk about 20 minutes to get to the local house of Tay ethnic group.
• Accommodation and local dinner (the local house of ethnicity with private rooms, the bathroom and the common shower outside the rooms)
Detailed itinerary:
Stop at the Nghi Tam flower market to see many types of flowers sold in Hanoi
we pass the province of Thai Nguyen, the country of green tea, the fortress of Viet Minh ATK where Ho Chi Minh and General Giap have had important decisions to humiliate the French invading army and then we go to Bac Kan, the chief place of minorities Tay, Nung and Hmong, but more famous place to see and the Ba Be lake. We stopped half-way to chat with the local Tay people ...
At 9:30 Hanoi-Thai Nguyen on the highway passes the gigantic factory of Sam Sung where 100 thousand Vietnamese workers work, stop in a bar at the intersection and then highway towards Cho Moi to Bac kan, about 45 km, and then we go to Bắc kan about 50 km, and then we continue for 50 km to Ba Be from Phu Thong, which was a fortress of the French. we arrive at Pac Ngoi at 5, calmly!
Day 2: Ba Be-Bao Lac
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â—‹ 150 km mountain road, hairpin, good quality, ascent to also at Phia Oac pass 1931 m of the Ngan Son chain
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â—‹ Minority ethnic groups: Tay, Dzao (long road meeting), Hmong, and black Lo Lo (rare only in some villages like Na van, Coc San, Khuoi Khuong).
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â—‹ The Bao Lac market on Sunday where you can meet ethnic groups: Tay, Nung, Dzao, Lo lo, San chi (Khuoi Chu village, Xa Thuong ha, xa Kim Cuc, xa hong tri, and Co ba)
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Detailed itinerary
Visit the lake of Ba be in the boat for 4-6 hours of hike up the cave of Puong and through the cave to reach the bus.
Bao Lac is a small town in the province of Cao Bang, bordering China and where authentic minorities still live. To visit the villages sometimes it takes a 5 km walk via clay path.
Departure at 11:00 arrival at Bao Lac at 17:00
Hotel Duc Tai or Thuy Duong, very modest hotel, private rooms, dinner in a local restaurant and breakfast at the hotel.
Day 3: Bảo lạc-60 km-Meo vac-20km-Dong Van-90km- Quản bạ-42km-Ha giang
The road 34 along the river of Gam-road 4c, this route is off the beaten track, not very touristy. There are breathtaking landscapes, the road becomes more rough, hairpin, and narrow. People's poverty is met.
The Gam River comes from China and descends to the large lake at Tuyen Quang, after which it meets the Lo River (Pan Long in China). The river is main to the east with two tributaries, the Gam River and the River Chay.
Overnight at Dong Van, Meo Vac or Quan Ba depends on the coincidence with the market.
Ethnic groups to meet: Hmong, Dzao, Lo Lo, Nung
Photography: terraced rice fields, limestone mountain landscapes, minority people
To visit:
§ The authentic and cultured markets of minorities among famous markets: on Sunday like Meo Vac, Dong Van, and also markets following the zodiac signs like the one at Lung Phin.
§ The villages of the ethnic groups
§ The palace of the Hmong ethnic king
§ The breathtaking landscapes of the mountains, valleys, terraced rice fields
Overnight at Hotel Hoa Cuong standard, breakfast and dinner outside in local restaurant.
Otherwise overnight in an ancient house of a mandarin from the Hmong ethnic group. Chung Pua Alberge of Meo Vac.
Very interesting to understand their cultural customs
"Everywhere you find the limestone mountains, layers on layers, miles of different shapes, without words to describe it. The steepness as if it fell free from sky to the foot of Ma pi leng, the landscape is breathtaking".
Day 4: from the Dong Van chain to the Hoang Su Phi-thông nguyên pan hou
Ha giang-90km-Thong Nguyen
The district of Quan Ba has settled in the valley surrounded by limestone peaks
Ha giang is capital on clear river Song Lo
There live the villages of ethnic Tay under the foot of the mountain Tay Con Linh (2000 m), the beautiful village of ethnicity of the Tay is Phuong Do. During ripe rice season, you can make a beautiful trek between the villages and the rice fields.
Pan Hou is a remote place where there is a straw houses set along the source and the forest.
Trekking to Thong Nguyen, is a fairly steep path half way through the rice fields and forests to discover the landscapes at Thong Nguyen where the Dzao, Tay ethnic groups live.
Near Panhou there is a hot thermal source for a shower.
Day 5: From Pan Hou to Bac ha
200km
With the off-road you can discover a street off the beaten track Thong Nguyen-Tan Trinh-Yen Binh-Ban Lien-Ta Cu Ty-Bac ha. It is a very narrow road that crosses the area with very low population density. From Tan Trinh to Yen Binh, the ethnic village of Pa Then known for the fire dance, the road 279 is truly ruined up the border of the province of Lao Cai.
And then you go down to Yen Binh and Ban Lien, the valley of ethnic Tay and Dzao, along the river Chay.
Stop to visit a village of the Tay ethnic group and the cultivation of cinnamon.
Day 6: Bac Ha-Sapa
100 km
The morning is dedicated to visiting the colorful market of ethnic groups, including the largest flowering Hmong.
The famous market of Bac Ha on Sunday, and also that of Can Cau on Saturday.
Topas ecolodge in Thanh Kim is a great place to stay overnight, the place chosen by Facebook founder for his vacation in Vietnam.
Road Bac Ha-Bac Ngam-Tang Loong-Thanh Phu-Thanh Kim
Day 7: Thanh Phu-Sapa
30 km
Classic trekking route from Lao Chai-Ta van-Y Linh Ho, half the terraced rice fields and villages of black Hmong ethnic groups, Dzay.
Trekking hard in the Ban Khoang area - Ta Phin takes 4-5 hours 50% ascent and 50 descent, note well that during the rainy period, the trekking becomes very tiring.
Ethnic groups: Hmong, Dzao, Tay, Giay
Day 8: Sapa-Tan Uyen-Than Uyen-Mu Cang Chai
160 km
Visit the village of the Lu ethnic group, a Lao ethnic group. This ethnic group still maintains the custom of brushing their teeth in black. They live in houses on wooden stilts. They grow rice and green tea.
In the area of Than Uyen and Tan Uyen the Thais settled.
Day 9: Mu Cang Chai-Nghia Lo
130km
Hard Trekking to Mu Cang Chai from Ba Nha to Nga Ba Kim via uphill road, passing the round, the terraced paddy field. There are villages of Hmong ethnicity along the trekking and many terraced rice fields. Lunch at Nga Ba Kim in local popular restaurant.
Afternoon on the move, cross the Khau Pha pass where you can admire the beautiful Lim Mong valley. Dinner and show in the house of ethnic Thai, village of Chao Ha.
Day 10: Nghia Lo - Ky son
200 km
In the morning, the excursion to the local market and visit of a village belonging to the Thai ethnic group. Transfer to the village of Ky Son Moon Garden, accommodation and participate in the ceremony to the spirits of the house.
The customs of the ethnic groups:
Day 11: Ky Son-Duong Lam-
The bike tour from Ky son to Duong Lam is very interesting to understand the Vietnamese culture, their home, tradition. These villages still maintain traditional characters of Vietnamese culture.
We visit the Mia pagoda, an architectural masterpiece of the Mahayana Buddhist religious topic. We continue to the village square where a very important building is erected in the spirit of the village, the Dinh or the village's ancient town hall. We also visit a typical Vietnamese ancient folk home.
At Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen where the Tay ethnic group live, there are the Long Toong ceremonies and the Then song. The Long Tong festival, or descend to the rice fields takes place from 4 to 10 January lunar after the Tet holiday. It is the festival of ethnic groups Tay, Nung, and also Kinh to inaugurate the new season of rice. Then Song is popular type with religious color.
The cerimony of Cap sac or the initiation of the Dzao ethnic group. The ceremony to get to know one who has obtained a sacred name of the spirital world.
The offer to the genius of the Nung ethnic forest. People believe that the forest has a protector genius. Genius can protect people from misfortune such as illnesses, floods, etc. on the 30th of January and on the 2nd of July a lunatic offer must be offered.
Day 12: Ky Son-Ninh binh
150 Km good road, we visit a spectacle of nature that was created millions of years ago. In the delta of the red river, thousands of mountains, islets, limestone pinnacles are raised like dragons. Thousands years, the sea has risen and withdrawn leaving its debris and the red river nourishes tirelessly to form a very fertile plain. About 2 thousands years ago, the bans left the mountain to march towards the sea. After a thousand centuries, States are founded and disappeared, with its heroes and traitors, all remembered and forgotten in the voice of the people or in its temples.We have an excursion on a rowboat to admire the enchanting landscapes of the place.
