Northwest Vietnam: Golden Rice Terraces

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Northwest Vietnam: Golden Rice Terraces

Brief itinerary

Location Vietnam
Duration 5 days/4 nights
Tour Type Group

1 : Hanoi – Thac Ba Lake (L,D)
2 : Thac Ba – Bac Ha (B,L,D)
3 : Bac Ha / Ethnic Market – Y Ty (B,L,D)
4 : Y Ty – Fansipan Mountain – Sapa (B,L,D)
5 : Sapa – Hanoi (B,L)

Circuit Highlights

Discover magnificent terraced rice fields during the golden season, from September to October.
Explore Northwest Vietnam in depth through breathtaking landscapes on an off-the-beaten-path journey from Hanoi.
Discover the daily life and culture of the region’s ethnic minority communities through meaningful encounters with local people.
Visit a vibrant weekly ethnic market, where communities from across the region gather.
Spend nights at local homestays for a deeper insight into the traditional lifestyles of different ethnic groups. Sample video by clicking here

Tour Map

Circuit photos

Program Description (5 )

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1 Hanoi – Thac Ba Lake (L,D)

Meet up with our driver and guide for the departure to Thac Ba Lake (180 km, approximately 4 hours by road).

Stops for visits and photos are planned along the way.

Lunch at a local restaurant en route.

Upon arrival at the lake, enjoy a cruise across the lake among its islands, passing small villages inhabited by Tay and Dao ethnic communities. More than 300 red-soil islands and islets rise from the water, some covered with grass and shrubs, others with forests.

Dinner and overnight at a local homestay in Vu Linh Village (Dao ethnic group).

2 Thac Ba – Bac Ha (B,L,D)

Breakfast.

Meet the team for a pleasant walk and visits to the surrounding villages, then continue by road to Bac Ha via Pho Rang and the old National Road 70. Stops for visits and photos are planned along the way.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Upon arrival in Bac Ha, enjoy a walk through Ban Pho Village before heading to the homestay.

Dinner and overnight at a local homestay.

3 Bac Ha / Ethnic Market – Y Ty (B,L,D)

Breakfast.

Meet your guide to visit Bac Ha Ethnic Market, which takes place only once a week, on Sunday, and is undoubtedly one of the two most beautiful markets in the region.

If this day does not fall on a Sunday, you can visit one of the following ethnic markets:

Monday morning: Ban Phiet Market
Tuesday morning: Coc Ly Market
Wednesday morning: Cao Son Market
Thursday morning: Lung Khau Nhin Market
Friday morning: Cho Dau Market
Saturday morning: Can Cau Market
Sunday morning: Bac Ha Market

Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, continue towards Sapa, with visits to villages, tea hills and the border gate along the way.

Arrival in Y Ty, followed by walks and discoveries through ethnic villages, including a visit to a Ha Nhi village, where local people live in their traditional rammed-earth houses.

Dinner and overnight at a homestay in Y Ty.

4 Y Ty – Fansipan Mountain – Sapa (B,L,D)

After breakfast, meet your guide for a full day discovering Mount Fansipan, at an altitude of 3,143 meters.

Lunch, then continue towards Muong Hoa Valley, passing through Lao Chai Village (home to Hmong communities) and Ta Van Village (home to the Giay ethnic group).

Stretching along the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, the valley offers unique scenes for photography: terraced rice fields appearing like sculpted masterpieces across the landscape, simple rooftops perched on hillsides, and paths winding from one village to another.

Here, you will enjoy a pleasant and surprising trek, meeting members of several ethnic communities along the way, including Hmong, Giay and Dao people.

Diner and overnight at a hotel in Sapa town.

5 Sapa – Hanoi (B,L)

Breakfast.

Meet your guide and driver for a pleasant walk to Cat Cat Village, followed by a visit to Sapa Central Market.

Lunch at a local restaurant, then return to Hanoi via the expressway.

Arrival in Hanoi and direct transfer to your hotel.

From this day onward, optional extensions can be arranged for further walks and discoveries around Sapa, including Mount Fansipan, villages in Muong Hoa Valley, or an extension towards the rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai and Tu Le.

---- OPTION for different directions

Detailed Pricing

Number of Participants	2 pax	3-4 pax	5-7 pax	8-10 pax	11-15 pax
Price / person	672$	589$	552$	523$	466$

This price, well calculated for accommodation - hotels with mixed categories between 3 stars and homestays (with locals) with a private room, based on 02 people/DBL or TWN room, with a English-speaking guide and private driver. Anyone who wants their own individual room (alone in their room) must pay a supplement.

Services

Accommodation in the hotels mentioned or similar upon reservation in a DBL or TWIN room for 02 people / room, and if only one person remains, they will be placed in a 03-person room.
Homestay accommodation to discover local life with the people
Private vehicle + competent driver for land transfers
Authorization for ethnic villages
Visit fees
Excursion boat
English-speaking guide throughout the tour
Meals mentioned: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, and D = Dinner