The Golden Road from Bangkok to Northern Vietnam

Tour Brief

Day 1: Bangkok Arrival.
Day 2: Bangkok – City tour.
Day 3: Bangkok – Hanoi.
Day 4: Hanoi City Tour – Night train to Lao Cai.
Day 5: Laocai – Sapa.
Day 6: Sapa – Lao Cai – Night train to Hanoi.
Day 7: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on cruise.
Day 8: Halong Bay – Hanoi.
Day 9: Hanoi – Departure.

Day 1: Bangkok Arrival
Welcome to Bangkok! Your Travel Thailand driver and guide will welcome you at the airport and take you to the hotel for check in. Free time and relax.
Meals: N/A
Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok

Day 2: Bangkok – City tour
After breakfast at the hotel, your guide will pick you up and take you to a Harbor on Chao Phraya River to get on a boat to explore the traditional Thai klongs (canals) and see the still-active waterborne life of the Nonthaburi residents. Then, visit Wat Arun which is known as Temple of Dawn – one of the best well-known sites in Bangkok. It is best seen from the opposite side of the river. After visiting this Wat, you head to the Grand Palace which is the official Palace of The King Of Siam since 1782, made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. It is located on the bank of Chao Phraya River. Inside the Grand Palace complex is Wat Phra Kaew or Temple of the Emerald Buddha – the most beautiful and sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The following visit is Wat Pho – the temple of reclining Buddha. The temple has a long list of credits: The oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, the longest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, the first public education institution.
Next, drive to Pak Klong Talaat Flower market to see Thailand’s exotic flora with many species of orchids. Back to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok
Day 3: Bangkok – Hanoi
After breakfast, we leave Bangkok for flight to Hanoi.
Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Your driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, enjoy an orientation walk, visiting some of Hanoi’s main attractions: the Opera House, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. In the evening, savor a dinner of authentic Vietnamese food at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.
Day 4: Hanoi City Tour – Night train to Lao Cai.
Today you have a full day to explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Your city tour will take you to Hanoi’s key sites: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and stilt house), the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Presidential Palace; the Temple of Literature; the Quan Thanh Temple, the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & West Lake; and one of the city's museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum). In the evening enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese Art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture – before heading to the train station to catch your night train to Laocai.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: on train (in a shared 4 soft berths cabin with A/C).
Day 5: Laocai – Sapa.
The train arrives at the Laocai railway station in the early morning. Your guide and driver will meet you there and take you on the 40km drive to Sapa – Northwest Vietnam’s premier travel destination. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then catch a few hours of rest before beginning your adventure in this beautiful mountain landscape and home to many minority hill tribe peoples. In the late morning, your guide will take you on a two hour trek through the terraced rice fields to visit the villages Cat Cat and Sin Chai, where you will learn about local traditions and daily life. Rest of the day, you are free at leisure or explore the town on your own.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.
Day 6: Sapa – Lao Cai – Night train to Hanoi
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting out on a full day’s trek to explore Sapa’s cultural diversity and haunting natural beauty. Take a guided hike through yawning valleys decorated with terraced rice fields and pass through remote hill tribe villages. You have three trekking options to choose from: Soft trek (~ 3 km), medium trek (~ 6km) and long trek (~ 12km). Trekking is an excellent way to explore the daily life and familiarize yourself with the cultures of the H’mong, Dzao and Dzay people who populate the region. Have lunch at a hill tribe village then drive back to Laocai to catch your return night train to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: on train (in a 4 shared soft berths cabin with A/C).
Day 7: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on cruise.
Arrive in Hanoi in the early morning. You will check in a mini hotel near the station for relax and breakfast, before setting out on a 3 to 4 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay. Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as we sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Tonkin Gulf (weather permitting). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise.
Day 8: Halong Bay – Hanoi
Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for breakfast then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier. Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you Hanoi. Free for relaxing.
Meals: Brunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Day 9: Hanoi – Departure
Your driver will take you to Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi to catch your departure flight home.
Bon Voyage!
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A.