Vivutravel is a leading tour operator in Vietnam and Indochina. We are also expert in organizing photography tours in Vietnam and you are promised to exprience spcetacular landscapes in Vietnam which will be nice spots to capture amazing shots. As below, we would like to suggest you a best proposal for Vietnam photo tour in the North covering Hanoi Old Quarters, Halong Bay & Sapa mountainous town. Best time to do the trip is from the last ten days of August and the first ten days of September.

Day 1: Hanoi arrival – Market & walking tour
Activities: Welcomed by our experienced tour guide and transfer to your hotel for check-in. After a short rest at your hotel, pick up and transfer to Hanoi Old Quarters for a market and walking tour. You will have chance to see the daily life of Hanoians as well as visit to a local market named: Dong Xuan Market where offers diversified local ingredients and products.

Day 2: Hanoi early morning & city tour – Night train to Lao Cai
Activities: Wake up early in the morning for a walk around the lake and take photos of local people practicing local tai chi which will be very interesting. You can also take some photos of the old streets in the early morning with quiet atmosphere – very different from the bustle and hustle you often see. For the whole morning, visit to the famous historical sites in Hanoi. And in the afternoon, visit to Nom ancient village in Hung Yen province which is just 40Km from the city center. The village is dated back from more than 300 years ago which retains many ancient architectural buildings, natural scenery and local customs. Your photo tour to Nom ancient village will be highlighted with Vietnamese ancient & traditional village, village’s market, village’s pond, bridges, Vietnamese old houses, ancestral houses of seven big families in the village. And the most beautiful place to see in Nom ancient village is Nom Pagoda. In the past, the pagoda was famous as the biggest pagoda of the North. The pagoda houses 122 clay statues of Buddha and deities of all sizes. Each statue features lively facial expressions and gestures. Just walk leisurely to explore pagoda’s beauty with the century-old rock towers, peaceful ponds, shady green trees and stone bridges. Back to Haoni for night train to Sapa.

Day 3: Lao Cai – Lao Chai & Ta Van hill tribe villages – Sapa
Activities: Arrive at Lao Cai railway station, pick up and transfer to a local restaurant for having breakfast. Start your Sapa trekking tour from the main road to go down to Muong Hoa valley. Beginning of the trip is the moment for admire the panorama view of the town and then the valley from the main road. After 4km on the main road, we start going down to the valley by the small trails through the terrace rice fields to get to Y Linh Ho hamlet, a small village of the Black Hmong people. From Y Linh Ho village, we go along the river to go to Lao Chai village (means "old village" in the local dialect). It is time for you to visit the local families, listen to your guide's explanation about the local culture: how they live, way of building the traditional house, techniques of making clothes... or listen about the way of treatment for a sick person. Stop for lunch. The lunch is served in one of the local refreshment restaurants on the side of the river. In the afternoon, leave Lao Chai to continue to Ta Van village, the Giay people's residence. The guide to bring you into some family: listen about their life, enjoy some green tea, learn about the differences of their culture from the other hill tribes even they leave close to each other.

Day 4: Sapa – Hang Da – Xa Xeng – Hau Thao – Sapa
Activities: Be intruduced about the trip via the map and then we start doing one day trek to Hang Da, Hau Thao, Sa Seng and Giang Ta Chai villages will give a special atmosphere of peaceful villages in the mountain, those are visited by fewer tourists than the other villages. The walk from Sapa center will lead you to the new road to explore Sapa market and meet many diffirence hill-tribes, you even can speak with them by English. Keep walking up hill and now it is along the mountain side that appears the amazing scenery of the Chapa valley with its river, rice terraces and villages located close together. Keep trekking up you will get to Hang Da village visit some houses along your unsoiled trek, Keep descending to Xa Xeng village you will see amazing rice paddy terraced. Picnic lunch will be served at a beautiful port or Local house. After lunch and short rest you will continue your trek to Hau Thao and Giang Ta Chai villages where you swimming in river in hot day. Later on we take the van back to Sapa.

Day 5: Sapa ethnic market – Night train back to Hanoi
Activities: The markets in the Northern Vietnam are always the colorful meeting places for the hill tribes, spotlight for any Sapa Tours and of course, your unique Vietnam Tours experience. Minority people come down from the mountains to sell their products, or just for catching up on the latest news, gossip, drinking away troubles or seeking for lover. In the morning, drive to visit one of the areas weekly markets. Back to Lao Cai railway station for night train back to Hanoi.

Day 6: Hanoi – Halong – Overnight on board
Activities: Arrive at Hanoi railway station in the early morning where our private car and guide are waiting for you for transfer to a mini-hotel in Hanoi. Have breakfast and take a short rest there before we start at 8.00 A.M for the 3.5 hour drive (170 km) through the Red River Delta, which offers plenty of chances for taking photos of Vietnamese farmers tilling the vast green paddy fields. At half way, we'll have a visit to a handicraft workshop with fine clothes, embroidered paintings, stone statuettes and all kinds of gems mined in Vietnam such as star rubies or sapphires... Our destination is Halong bay – the most famous World Heritage Site in Vietnam, famous for its beautiful seascape, thousands of spectacular islands and islets jutting out from the sea, amazing caves with marvelous stalagmites and stalactites in different sizes and shapes. On the way, stop to visit Phu Lang pottery village for capturing photos of local ceramic products as well as the process of manufacturing. Phu Lang's pottery items are featured by the sophisticated skills of the pottery craftsmen. They are trying their best to preserve and develop the pottery making of Phu Lang village throughout Vietnam, and even abroad.

13: 15 – 13:30: Embark at Hon Gai International harbor.
13:45 – 14:00: Check-in, enjoy welcome drink & cruise briefing.
14:00 – 16:45: Cruise to Cap La
17:00 – 18:00: Enjoy paddling around Cap La and Tra San by kayak.
18:00 – 18:15: Back to junk for relaxing.
19:00 – 21:00: Have dinner and overnight on board in Cong Do.

Day 7: Halong bay discovery
Activities: 07.30 – 08.00: Morning view of Bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee. Have breakfast in the fresh air.
08.30 – 09.00: Start cruising to Cong Dam while discovering geological values of Bai Tu Long Bay.
09.00 – 11.00: Enjoy kayaking through the hidden lagoons and geological park in Cong Dam. Go swimming in the crystal water.
11.30 – 14.00: Back to junk for lunch and relaxing.
14.00 – 19.00: Cruise to Hon Co Island for swimming or kayaking to discover the stunning scenery of the Bay.
19.00 – 21.00: Explore the well- hidden and have a deluxe dinner in Thien Canh Son cave. Overnight in Cong Do area.

Day 8: Halong bay – Hanoi & Departure
Activities: 07.30: Enjoy fresh air & gentle breeze of the bay in morning. Have breakfast on board.
07.30 – 08.45: Cruise to Vung Vieng fishing village.
09:00: Visit Vung Vieng fishing village by a rustic row-boat.
10.15: Check out of the cabin, start cruising towards the harbor.
11:00: Have lunch on board.
12:30 – 13.00: Disembark at Hon Gai habor and get on car for transferring back to Hanoi airport for flight back home.