North West Vietnam
Mai Chau is a beautiful large valley populated by the ethnic White Thai tribe whose villages and farms are spread throughout the area. A popular destination 4 hours drive from Hanoi it's a place to relax and enjoy the hospitality of the locals, or trek to some of the minority villages.
Adventure tour programs - tailor a longer trip into the North West
Private excursions are arranged for all the North of Vietnam.
The North West and North East Tours are just some of them. There are many options and all tours and excursions can be tailored to meet the customers schedule and interest.
Leaving from Hanoi and travelling by four wheel drive visiting all the major places of interest, and returning to Hanoi by train from Sapa is an option.
See below for details and an overview of our established North West Discovery Tour.
All of our North West Tours are conducted as private tours with your
own personal guide and private vehicle with driver.
Contact us
to arrange a North West Tour to suit you.
North West Tour Programs
Mai Chau - 2 days / 1 night - (Private Tour)
Day 1: Depart Hanoi 7.30am arriving in Mai Chau at 11.30am.
Check into the Stilt house at the White Thai ethnic minority village and have lunch. Spend the afternoon walking around the village and meeting the people.
Dinner and overnight stay in the Stilt house possibly enjoying an evening of folk songs and dancing together and drinking wine from the bamboo tube.
Day 2: After breakfast we go for an enjoyable stroll through the valley visiting 5 of the local villages. We have lunch in one of the villages and return to Hanoi.
Tour price:* from ... $255 ($US) per person - minimum 2 persons ...
Tour price includes: Private car, personal guide, accommodation, all meals and refreshments and national park entrance fees.
Printer friendly tour program - N/W 2day/1night ... 
Mai Chau - 2 days / 1 night - (Trekking & Sleeping in Village) (Private Tour)
Day 1: Depart Hanoi 7.30am and arriving at Mai Chau at 11.30am.
Here we have lunch and prepare for our trek.
Trekking 15km through the beautiful Mai Chau valley to the villages of White Thai people.
Dinner and stay overnight in village.
Day 2: After breakfast trekking 9km to White H'mong village, here we stop for lunch. After lunch a short trek to Moc Chau town where our private car picks us up and return to Hanoi.
Tour price:* from ... $265 ($US) per person - minimum 2 persons ...
Tour price includes: Private car, personal guide, accommodation, all meals and refreshments and national park entrance fees.
Printer friendly tour program - N/W 2day/1night (Trekking) ...
North West Discovery - Adventure program
During this cultural expedition, you will enjoy the best of North West Vietnam in the areas of Mai Chau, Lai Chau and Sapa.
The mountainous North West provides the perfect terrain for trekking routes. The Thai minority, a warm and friendly ethnic group, welcome you into their homes and share their stilt house lifestyle.
The roads wind precariously across the mountain ranges, capturing the intensely varied lifestyles of the Vietnamese people. The final two days of your journey may be spent trekking the Sapa Valley to stay in minority villages, or just relax and enjoy strolling around the town and surrounding area.
North West Discovery - 7 days / 6 nights
4WD Landcruiser or Mercedes Benz bus - (Private Tour)
Day 1: Leaving Hanoi at 7am we head west to Mai Chau. Arriving around midday we check into the White Thai ethnic minority village and spend the afternoon relaxing and walking around the village meeting the people.
Dinner and overnight stay in the Stilt house possibly enjoying an evening of folk songs and dancing together and drinking wine from the bamboo tube.
Overnight in village.
Day 2: Departing in the morning we say farewell to our village friends and hit the road for Son La. Arriving in the mid afternoon we check into our hotel and have free time to relax or to take a stroll around the town.
Son La is the site of an old French penal colony where anti colonial revolutionaries where jailed. Although much of it was destroyed by the US warplanes offloading their unused ammunition during the Vietnam US war, it has been partially restored and along with the little museum makes for interesting viewing. The surrounding area of Son La is home to several Montagnards (Mountain people). The White Thai, Meo, Muong, and Black Thai people. A small display of their handcrafted wares can be seen in the local town market.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 3: Moving on we head directly west towards Dien Bien Phu, one of the remotest parts of Vietnam. Passing by the villages of the ethnic minority people, The White Thai, Meo, Muong, and the Black Thai we take in the picturesque scenery.
Dien Bien Phu is 35km as the crow flies from the Laos border, and is situated in the Muong Thanh Valley.
For centuries it has been a major town on the transit route for traders between Myanmar, China and the north of Vietnam, but more recently in May of 1954 it became a place of special significance in the creation of a modern state of Vietnam.
It was the site of a decisive battle that led to a 57 day siege of the French garrison and consequential end of the French colonial occupation.
The history of Dien Bien Phu is the main attraction here and now being the capital of Lai Chau province the once small town is growing considerably.
On the site of the battle there now stands Dien Bien Phu Museum, here old French tanks and artillery can be seen along with the re-building of the bunker headquarters of the French commander Colonel Christian de Castries.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 4: Heading north through Lai Chau province we are confronted by some of Vietnams most spectacular scenery. Nestled in a beautiful valley and surrounded by a magnificent mountain range we enter the small town of Lai Chau. On arrival we check into our hotel and freshen up.
Then if so desired we can take a drive up the mountain Pha Din. In the local language Pha Din means heaven and earth, and according to the local legend, this area was the frontier between Heaven and Earth. Climbing and descending the slopes with their many bends and deep gorges amid such magnificent scenery is a really enjoyable and interesting trip and makes for some good photos.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 5: Departing Lai Chau and arriving at Sapa around mid afternoon we check into our hotel, freshen up and have the rest of the day to explore the town and maybe take a short hike up to the lookout over the Sapa Valley.
Here there is great shopping for local produce at the towns market, and many handicrafts available from the hill tribes people selling their wares.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 6: On this morning we can return to Hanoi or stay for another day in Sapa.
If the choice is to remain for a further day then we can go on a comfortable Trek through the Sapa valley visiting some of the villages of the colourful Dao hill tribes people and returning to the town in the afternoon.
Or we can take a short hike to visit the Black H'mong Hamlet of Cat Cat where you can sit and relax or bathe in the rainforest waterfall, then on to the village of Lao Chai and return to Sapa. Or you can just relax and enjoy the local attractions of the town.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 7: Return to Hanoi arriving back at 5-6pm.
Discovery Tour prices:*
6 Days: from ... $770 ($US) per person - minimum 2 persons.
7 Days: from ... $800 ($US) per person - minimum 2 persons ...
Tour prices include: Private 4WD Landcruiser or Mercedes Benz bus, personal guide, accommodation, all meals and national park entrance fees.
What's not included in your tour:
Drinks and personal expenses.
Printer friendly tour program
N/W Discovery 6/7day excursions ...
All of our North West Tours are conducted as private tours with your
own personal guide and private vehicle with driver.
Contact us
to arrange a North West Tour to suit you.
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* Please see our Terms and Conditions - prices correct at time of publishing but may be subject to fluctuation.