Northern Vietnam Tours

Hanoi

Vietnam's capital races to make up for time lost to the ravages of war and a government that as recently as the 1990s kept the outside world at bay. Its streets surge with scooters vying for right of way amid the din of constantly blaring horns, and all around layers of history reveal periods of French and Chinese occupation – offering a glimpse into the resilience of ambitious, proud Hanoians.

Sapa

Sapa is orientated to make the most of the spectacular views emerging on clear days; overlooking a plunging valley, with mountains towering above on all sides. Views of this epic scenery are often subdued by thick mist rolling across the peaks, but even when it's cloudy, local hill-tribe people fill the town with colour.

Halong Bay

Towering limestone pillars and tiny islets topped by forest rise from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1994, Halong Bay's scatter of islands, dotted with wind- and wave-eroded grottoes, is a vision of ethereal beauty and, unsurprisingly, northern Vietnam's number one-tourism hub. The best way to experience the bay is by taking overnight cruise.

Cat Ba Island

Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, has experienced a tourism surge in recent years. The central hub of Cat Ba Town is now framed by a chain of low-rise concrete hotels along its once-lovely bay, but the rest of the island is largely untouched and as wild as ever.

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Pu Luong in Thai language is the highest peak. Pu Luong Nature Reserve belongs to Ba Thuoc and Quan Hoa districts and Thanh Hoa. It has an area of more than 17,600 ha and rich flora and fauna. With the untouched beauty of the rainforest, hill tribe villages located on the terraces. This place is one of the North West tourist attractions that attracts many visitors.

Ba Be Lake

Ba Be Lake lies in the middle of the vast limestone mountain range of Ba Be National Park with large and small islands of limestone rising out of the water, many of which can be explored as you kayak around. There are also several caves to find, with beautiful rock formations that have developed over millions of years.

Mai Chau Valley

Set in an idyllic valley, hemmed in by hills, the Mai Chau area is a world away from Hanoi's hustle. The small town of Mai Chau itself is unappealing, but just outside the patchwork of rice fields rolls out, speckled by tiny Thai villages where visitors doss down for the night in traditional stilt houses and wake up to a rural soundtrack defined by gurgling irrigation streams and birdsong.

Ban Gioc Waterfall

Ban Gioc waterfall is the largest waterfall in the country, though not the highest. Its vertical drop is "only" around 30m, but it has an impressive 300m span. One side of the falls is in China, and the other is in Vietnam. Water volume varies considerably between the dry and rainy seasons, and the falls are most impressive from May to September.

Cuc Phuong National Park

With 307 species of bird, 133 species of mammal, 122 species of reptile and more than 2000 species of plant, Cuc Phuong National Park is one Vietnam’s most important protected areas.

Trang An

Situated near the southern margin of the Red River Delta, the Trang An Landscape Complex is a spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs. Exploration of caves at different altitudes has revealed archaeological traces of human activity over a continuous period of more than 30,000 years.

Tam Coc

With limestone outcrops amid serene rice paddies, Tam Coc is best appreciated on a languorous row-boat ride with the soundtrack of the river lapping against the oars.