Vietnam to China Overland Trip

Upon your arrival at Hanoi Noi Bai Airport today, your local guide and driver will greet you outside the baggage claim area and transfer you to the hotel.

After freshening up in the hotel, you will be taken to visit the major attractions of Hanoi in the afternoon. You will first visit the Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum Complex (closed on Mondays and Fridays), which is the city's most important historical site located in the center of Ba Dinh square. Please pay attention that no short skirts or tank tops are allowed when entering this Mausoleum. Then, you will proceed to visit the Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature.

Accommodation: Hanoi La Siesta Hotel & Spa

After breakfast in the hotel, we will drive you for around 3 hours to reach the highlight of the Hanoi trip: the Halong Bay, where you will board the Signature Cruise. Lunch will be served on board. As the cruise sets sail after lunch, your fantastic Halong Bay journey begins. The most outstanding features of Halong Bay and undoubtedly its greatest attractions are the numerous islets and Karsts rock formations. We will cruise through these islands and pay a visit to one of the main caves. Tonight, you will enjoy a one-night stay on cruise.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cruises: Signature Cruise

This morning, a Tai Chi class is available on top deck. You may join in to practice it if interested. Excursions to nearby islets will be arranged with an interesting rowboat. Also you will have some leisure time to relax on the sundeck to enjoy the stunning view of Bai Tu Long Bay. A brunch will be arranged on your return trip to the pier. Please pack your luggage and follow the check-out procedures of the cruise company at around 11:00. Your guide will greet you on board and escort you to Hanoi by a private car.

Dinner is by your own arrangement. Then, we will arrange you to watch a traditional Water Puppet Show. After the show, we will transfer you to the railway station to catch an overnight soft-sleeper train to Laocai, with a duration of 8 hours.

Meals: Brunch
Accommodation: Overnight soft sleeper train

You will be met in Laocai and driven to the hotel in Sapa town. Get some rest in the hotel and then commence the day with an in-depth trek in Sapa to discover the local minority people's daily life. According to physical conditions and interests, we have hiking routes of 3km, 6km and 12km for you to choose from. During the hiking, you will pass through some hill tribe villages of H'mong, Dzao and Dzay people and have lunch at one of the villages.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Sapa Legend

This morning, a two-hour trekking trip is arranged through the terraced rice fields. Visit the local villages of Cat Cat and Sin Chai. After that, you will be driven about one hour to the Border between Vietnam and China. Go through the security check and Customs with your valid passport and visa, and then you will come to Hekou, which is a town in Yunnan, China.

Your guide and driver will meet you and transfer you for around 4 hours from Hekou to Yuanyang, which is well known for its spectacular rice terrace views. Check in at the best local hotel upon arrival.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Yunti Hotel

The first destination of this day will be a local market, a brilliant scene in Yuanyang when the locals flock in from all quarters wearing their colorful costumes and dresses. The narrow streets will also be full of assorted vending booths selling local products.

Then, we will head to Qingkou Hani Minority Village and the terraced fields. Qingkou Hani Minority Village has a strong flavor of primeval country life. Its forest, streams, village and terraced fields have formed a sound ecosystem and are the most cherished properties of the villagers. Its terraced field, cultivated one thousand years ago, is an important part of the Yuanyang Rice Terraces, which is one of the world's largest and most imposing terraces. Your guide will escort you back to the hotel after the trip is completed.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Yunti Hotel

Today, you will come to Duoyishu, another famous scenic area of Yuanyang Rice Terraces, to visit its local village and terraced fields. Here, you will find many dotted mushroom-shaped houses, like a scene in the fairy-tale world as well as the cloud-decorated terraced fields, presenting a traditional Chinese ink wash drawing. The next stop is the terraced fields in Azheke, distributed in a deep valley and resembling a huge flower.

After the sightseeing trip, your guide and driver will transfer you for around 3 hours to Jianshui.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Lin An Hotel

This whole day will be devoted to Jianshui. In the morning, you will visit the Zhu Family Garden, a grand complex featuring in fancy combination of garden architecture and dwelling house. The exquisite courtyards, austere ancestral hall, antique furniture, delicate wood carvings and stone sculptures all bear silent witness to the rich life that its former owner once led. Afterwards, you will proceed to visit Zhang Family Garden and Jianshui Confucius Temple, the largest Confucius Temple in Yunnan. The temple was built over 700 years ago to commemorate Confucius, a great thinker, educationist and founder of the Confucianism in history. Then we will take you to visit a 17-hole stone bridge, the Double Dragon Bridge. The bridge is named so because it is located over the confluence of two dragon-like winding rivers. There are also three exquisite and elegant lofts on the bridge that are especially worth your attention.

The trip today will be completed with a visit to Jianshui Ancient Town, famed as the 'Museum of Ancient Constructions'. Over the past 12 centuries, this town has preserved more than 50 ancient constructions and folk houses after many ups and downs. Rambling around the tranquil old town, you could easily discover its unique charm.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Lin An Hotel

Today you will leave Jianshui and head for Kunming. In about 2 hours, you will have a stop at the Stone Forest, which is crowned as "the essence of karst landforms in the world". Besides the rare geologic landscape and various stone formations, the rich Yi ethnic culture is also a highlight in the scenic area. Then continue to drive for another 2 hours to Kunming and check in at the hotel upon arrival.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Cachet Boutique Kunming Artime

Here comes to the last day of your trip. Your guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to explore the Flowers & Birds Market in Kunming, where you will see a great variety of flowers, birds and fish, as well as the local people's busy life. After that, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward journey.

Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La are all popular tourist destinations in Yunan, which feature stunning natural scenery, charming towns and ethnic minority cultures. If you are interested, we can arrange for you an extension trip.

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Meals: Western buffet breakfast