Overview:

Immerse yourself in the fascinating variety of northern Vietnam's ethnic minority cultures at the Bac Ha Sunday market. It's the perfect follow-up to the previous day's more intimate experience trekking to Hmong and Dao villages from your base in Sapa.

Description:

The Sunday market in Bac Ha is a very special event for ethnic minority groups living in northern Vietnam. You will appreciate it even more after a Saturday trek to visit villages of the Hmong and Dao peoples in mountainous Sapa.

This 2-day tour begins with an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. You will be picked up there and transported to Sapa, from where you set out after breakfast on a trek to visit the villages of Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai and Ta Van. The villages are set among graceful terraced rice fields. Spend the evening exploring delightful Sapa, which the French established in part due to its scenery and climate.

Bac Ha is about 110 kilometers from Sapa. There you will experience the most colorful market in northern Vietnam. Members of various ethnic groups including the Black H’Mong, Flower H’mong, Black Dao, Tay, Ha Nhi and Nung come from their villages in their distinctive attire..

You will be able to sample unique kinds of food with special wines made from rice, cassava, corn and fruits such as plums, apples and peaches. Your guide will be able to interpret for you so you can talk with the people..

Visit the residence that the French and Chinese built for Hmong King Hoang A Tuong in 1920 before returning to Sapa. You will have time for an afternoon walk to another village, Ban Pho, before leaving for Lao Cai and the night train back to Hanoi. .

Night 1 (Friday): Hanoi – Lao Cai

20:00: Pick-up at your hotel for transfer to Hanoi Railway Station to take the night train to Lao Cai. Sleep on the train.

Day 1: Sapa – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van

05:30: Arrive in Lao Cai early in the morning. Transfer to Sapa and have breakfast.

10:00: Start trekking to visit Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, and Ta Van. Lunch on the way.

14:30: Take a van back to Sapa, have dinner, and spend the night at a hotel.

Day 2: Bac Ha – Lao Cai

07:30: Leave Sapa for Bac Ha Market by van. Afterward visit the house of H’mong King Hoang A Tuong. Return by van to Sapa for lunch. Walk to Ban Pho village in the afternoon.

15:00: Return to Lao Cai Station. Have dinner before boarding the train. Sleep on the train. Arrive early the next morning in Hanoi, where you will be picked up and dropped off at your hotel.