How We Spent Our Holiday on a Private Tour in Vietnam

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Travelling privately was the most important thing we searched for on our honeymoon vacation in Vietnam as the country can be strange to the inexperienced traveller. It’s the main reason why my husband and I decided to book a Vietnam private tour on a 5-day vacation.

Our favourite part is northern Vietnam, a wonderful destination boasting impressive mountains and captivating beaches for a blend of luxurious and adventurous holidaymaking. We loved being close to nature in Halong Bay as well as the rustic charm in Sapa, and our Vietnam private tour allowed us to make the most of the locations. We were amazed by the soft-sleeper train to Sapa, trekking to hill tribe villages, sightseeing on a sea plane and enjoyed a 2-day Halong Bay Cruise. Vietnam looked gorgeous in every way, with strikingly diverse culture and welcoming locals.

Let’s look further into how we traversed the beautiful scenery during our 5-day private tour in Vietnam.

First, we chose a highly-ranked travel agent on TripAdvisor. We booked one of a variety of the best Vietnam private tours on their site. It’s remarkable how convenient and flexible a private tour with a travel consultant, who can arrange everything smoothly for you, is. All we had to do was pack our suitcase and enjoy our honeymoon in Vietnam.

Day 1: Transfer from Hanoi to Sapa

We arrived in Hanoi around 8pm in time to catch the overnight train to Sapa. We spent one night sleeping in a private compartment on the Victoria Express Train. Despite sharing the cabin with two other people on upper berths, we didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Conversely, we found that the train journey was one of the most interesting part of our Vietnam private tour, thanks to the distinctive local experience.

Day 2: Hill tribe villages in Sapa

It took us around eight hours to reach Lao Cai Train Station – a long train journey indeed – but it didn’t matter. We had a good sleep after the long haul flight. Reaching the station at 5am, we took a one-hour bus ride uphill to the cloud town of Sapa. It was such an impressive ride as we swung slowly along the winding path. Believe us, it’s worth taking this uphill ride to get a glimpse of stunning vistas and mesmerising rice terraces, sights which have become familiar to numerous foreign tourists coming to Sapa.

Stunning rice terraces in Sapa

Stunning rice terraces in Sapa>/center>

After breakfast in Sapa town, we had a morning waking tour to a Sapa local market, where some ethnic minority people like the Red Dao and the Black H’mong gather to sell and buy embroideries, silver wares and handicrafts.

The afternoon continued with a walk down to the southwest of Sapa to visit Cat Cat Village, one of the most well-known villages in the area and home to the Black H’Mong tribe. Here, we trekked around the village and saw a bunch of local shops, food stalls, vendor kids and a beautiful waterfall at the end of the village.

The evening was time to share our private moments and luckily, Sapa is a paradise of hill stations and coffee shops. We spent our evening at a romantic restaurant and café together. After the second day of our Vietnam private trip, we took a lot of wonderful photos and savoured a great diversity of local food in the northern Vietnamese highlands.

Day 3: Deep insights of Vietnamese culture

The third day began with a morning trek to Ta Phin, village of the Red Dao, which is probably the ethnic group with the most beautiful traditional costumes in Vietnam. We caught many sights of ethnic women wearing colourful clothes and making some handmade products with uniquely exquisite red colours and patterns.

Our private trip continued to the green Sapa Valley to visit the Black H’mong minority of Lao Chai Village and the Giay minority of Ta Van Village. Here is a perfect chance for those who want to get a deep insight into Vietnamese hill tribe culture.

How We Spent Our Holiday on a Private Tour in Vietnam sapa-hilltribe

Hill tribe village in Sapa

We finished our last day in Sapa at 6pm then took the night train back to Hanoi. It was the end of the third day of our Vietnam private tour.

Day 4: Seaplane from Hanoi to Halong Bay

We reached Hanoi and transferred to Noi Bai Airport in the morning. At around 9am, we departed from the airport to Tuan Chau Marina by seaplane. It took us only 15 minutes to fly over Halong Bay and land on water to embark on the Halong Bay Cruise. This was one of the most awe-inspiring experiences on this private tour in Vietnam. We admired the spectacular aerial view of Halong Bay, which is cluttered with thousands of islets and limestone cliffs, all in different shapes.

After seaplane sightseeing, we set sail on the cruise and had lunch while sailing through emerald waters and the appealing scenery of this natural heritage. In the afternoon, the Halong Bay discovery trail started with a visit to some limestone caves which were formed naturally thousand years ago. This private trip to Halong Bay actually surprised us with how magnificent Mother Nature can be.

The tight schedule on the fourth day was eased by a swim at Titov Island and an exciting night cruise.

How We Spent Our Holiday on a Private Tour in Vietnam halong-view

Wonderful view of Halong Bay

Day 5: Back to Hanoi

On day 5 we were woke up by the sounds of the sea. It was the last day of our private tour in Vietnam. Halong Bay welcomed us with refreshing morning air and a Tai Chi session, a physical exercise helping you relieve stress as well as improve balance and general mobility. Before cruising back to the pier, we visited some famous attractions and enjoyed a tasty brunch on board.

How We Spent Our Holiday on a Private Tour in Vietnam halong-cruise

Halong Bay cruise

At the end of our honeymoon in Vietnam, we had discovered lots of interesting facts about Vietnam, enjoyed the natural beauty and felt very welcomed by the locals. One more thing, booking a Vietnam private tour isn’t as difficult as many people think. Going on a tour will be satisfying if you choose an appropriate travel consultant to rely on.

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