North Vietnam is a blend of mountains, mist and culture, from the lantern-lit streets of Hanoi to the emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, the rice terraces of Sapa and the tranquil beauty of Ninh Binh. It is where we know the ground best, and the natural starting point for a longer journey through the country.
Explore each on its own, or link them into one seamless northern route.
A thousand years folded into lantern-lit lanes, lakeside temples and pavement cafes where the coffee is thick and the stools are always low. Mornings belong to tai chi around Hoan Kiem Lake and the smoke of pho stalls; evenings to rooftop bars, water puppets and the hum of a million scooters. Chaotic, graceful and completely addictive - almost every northern trip begins and ends here, so it pays to know it well.
Our tips - give it two nights, not one. Egg coffee on a rooftop, then the Old Quarter on foot before the heat builds. And book a street food tour for your first evening - it maps the city's flavours early, so you order like a local for the rest of the trip.
The postcard, and it earns it. Thousands of limestone islands rising from jade water, best experienced on an overnight cruise as the day boats head home and the bay falls quiet. Beyond the famous silhouettes are hidden lagoons you enter by kayak, floating villages and cave-set dinners - and a sunrise on deck that no day trip can touch.
Our tips - choose the boat, not just the bay. A smaller cruise into Lan Ha means fewer crowds and the coves the big fleets can't reach. And if you can spare it, take a 3-day, 2-night sailing - day two is when the bay empties out and starts to feel like your own.
Ha Long's inland cousin, minus the sea. The same dramatic karst towers, but here you drift between them on a rowed sampan, past flooded rice paddies and temples tucked into the cliffs. Add the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, hilltop pagodas and lazy cycling lanes between the paddies, and you'll see why they call it Ha Long Bay on land - only quieter, greener and closer to Hanoi than most people expect.
Our tips - Trang An over Tam Coc for the boat ride, and climb Mua Cave's steps at golden hour for the view everyone remembers. Better still, stay the night - once the day-trip buses roll back to Hanoi, the valleys at dusk are a different place entirely.
The far northwest, and almost another country. Rice terraces stacked up the valleys, hill-tribe villages, and mountain air that feels like a held breath after the heat of the lowlands. Fansipan, the roof of Indochina, looms above the clouds - reachable by cable car - while the trails below wind through H'mong and Dao villages where the welcome is warm and the pace is wonderfully slow.
Our tips - skip the sleeper bus if you can. The day train and a private transfer up is gentler, and the valley reveal is worth staying awake for. And time it right - September to early October, or April to May, is when the terraces are at their most photogenic.
North Vietnam is where the country shows off. In one compact loop you can wake on a limestone bay, drift a river between karst towers by lunch, and stand in a mountain rice terrace by the weekend. Four places carry the region, and they sit close enough to thread into one unhurried route - which is exactly what we'll help you do.
No single route is the right one. Here are three shapes that work, depending on how much time you have - a feel, not a fixed plan.
Around 5 days
The essentials, unhurried. Hanoi, a night on Ha Long Bay, and a day drifting through Ninh Binh. Ideal for a first trip or a shorter Vietnam holiday.
Hanoi · Ha Long Bay · Ninh Binh
Around 7 days
The one most travellers land on. Everything in the short loop, plus the mountains of Sapa. A full, balanced week without the cramming.
Hanoi · Ha Long Bay · Ninh Binh · Sapa
10 days or more
For travellers who'd rather linger. More nights in each place and room to add the quieter corners, from Bai Tu Long Bay to the Ha Giang loop.
Hanoi · Ha Long · Ninh Binh · Sapa · and beyond
Five days covers the essentials - Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh - at a comfortable pace. Seven days lets you add the mountains of Sapa, which is why it's the length most travellers choose. Ten days or more gives you room to slow right down and reach the quieter corners.
They're different, not better or worse. The north brings the dramatic landscapes, ancient capital and mountain culture; the south brings the Mekong Delta, warmer weather and a faster city energy. Many travellers do both, north to south, over a longer trip. The north is simply where we know the ground deepest.
Roughly October to April brings the clearest, coolest weather, ideal for Ha Long and the mountains. Sapa's rice terraces are greenest around May to June and golden in September. Summer is warm and lush but can bring rain. We'll steer your dates towards the best of whatever season you're travelling in.
If you have the days for it, yes. Sapa sits further out than the rest of the north, so it rewards travellers who aren't rushing. The terraced valleys and hill-tribe villages are unlike anywhere else in the country. On a shorter trip it's the first thing we'd trim; on a week or more, it's often the highlight.
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