Self-Launched North Vietnam Loop: Hanoi to Sapa, Ha Giang, Ba Be, Cao Bang & Halong Bay

Land at Noi Bai Airport and take bus 86 or the VinBus airport line into the Old Quarter (~£1.20) rather than a £12-15 Grab. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Ma May, Hang Bac or Ta Hien streets. Spend the afternoon walking the Hoan Kiem Lake loop, crossing the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple (entry ~£1), then wandering the 36 Streets for street food: bun cha, banh cuon, egg coffee. Evening beer on Ta Hien or a quieter rooftop.

🚌Bus 86 from Noi Bai to Hanoi centre ~£1.20; walking in the Old Quarter

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, private double or 4-bed dorm (~£12-18/night)

• →Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple walk (self-guided)
• →Old Quarter street food crawl
• →Water puppet theatre at Thang Long (tickets ~£3, book via Klook or at the box office)

Do your own walking day of Hanoi's headline sights. Start early (07:30-08:00) at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and his stilt house (free, closed Mon & Fri, no shorts/sleeveless), then One-Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature (~£1.50). Lunch at a local com binh dan. Afternoon: Museum of Ethnology (~£2) — genuinely worth it before heading into the hills — then a one-hour cyclo ride through the Old Quarter (~£4, negotiate on the spot). Optional: bespoke Ao Dai fitting at a tailors on Hang Gai if you want the Lan Huong experience without the package. Collect your bags, have dinner, and take the ~21:00 Livitrans or King Express sleeper train from Hanoi to Lao Cai (~£18-25 soft sleeper; book 3-7 days ahead on 12Go Asia or at the station).

🚌Cyclo ~£4; overnight sleeper train Hanoi–Lao Cai ~£22 (12Go Asia or Vietnam Railways)

🛏Soft-sleeper berth on overnight train to Lao Cai (~£22)

• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & stilt house (free)
• →One-Pillar Pagoda (free)
• →Temple of Literature (~£1.50)
• →Museum of Ethnology (~£2)
• →Old Quarter cyclo tour (~£4)
• →Water puppet show if missed on Day 1 (~£3)

Arrive Lao Cai around 06:00. Grab a local bus or shared minivan up to Sapa (~1hr, ~£2-3, departs when full from outside the station) — or arrange a homestay pickup. Drop bags, breakfast, then walk out of Sapa town on the Muong Hoa Valley trail down to Lao Chai (Hmong) and Ta Van (Dzay) villages — 8-10km, 3-4hr, mostly downhill then flat, easy to follow alone or with a local Hmong guide who'll find you in town (~£12-15 for the day). Picnic lunch of banh mi from a Sapa bakery. Overnight in a Ta Van homestay with dinner — most run £8-14 including meals.

🚌Local bus/minivan Lao Cai–Sapa ~£2.50; walking the valley trail

🛏Ta Van village homestay, dorm or private room (~£9-14 with dinner)

• →Self-guided Muong Hoa Valley trek to Lao Chai & Ta Van (~8-10km)
• →Optional local Hmong guide (~£13)
• →Homestay dinner in Ta Van

Walk from Ta Van up to Giang Ta Chai (Red Dao village) over the river bridge, then on to Su Pan — 8km of terraced hillside, roughly 3-4 hours. This is where you'll meet Red Dao and Black Hmong women selling indigo textiles; buy directly if you want souvenirs. From Su Pan take the local route back: a xe om (motorbike taxi, ~£4-5) or a shared minivan to Sapa town, or walk the road section if you have energy. Check into a 2-3* hotel in Sapa town (plenty of £12-20 rooms on Agoda/Booking), shower, then eat at the night market — grilled skewers and thang co if you're brave.

🚌Walking Giang Ta Chai–Su Pan; xe om or minivan Su Pan–Sapa ~£4-5

🛏Sapa town guesthouse/hotel 2-3* (~£15/night)

• →Trek Giang Ta Chai to Su Pan (~8km)
• →Red Dao & Black Hmong village visits
• →Sapa night market food

Morning walk down to Cat Cat village (3km from town, ~£1.50 entry) — the H'mong waterfall village is touristy but the walk down through rice terraces is lovely; take a xe om back up. Afternoon: taxi or shuttle to the Fansipan cable car station (~£2) and ride to the 'Roof of Indochina'. Cable car ticket ~£25-28, plus optional funicular. Check the cloud forecast — go early afternoon on a clear day. Dinner in town, then sort your onward transport to Bac Ha or Muong Khuong for tomorrow (your hotel can call the bus company).

🚌Xe om to Cat Cat ~£2; taxi to cable car station ~£2

🛏Sapa town guesthouse/hotel 2-3* (~£15/night)

• →Cat Cat village walk (~£1.50)
• →Fansipan cable car (~£26)

Sunday is market day — if you can, time this for a Sunday and take a shared minivan or local bus from Sapa to Muong Khuong (~2hrs, ~£5), a far less touristy hill-tribe market than Bac Ha's own. From there continue to Bac Ha (~1hr, ~£3) and visit the H'mong King's Palace (Hoang A Tuong, ~£1). Non-Sunday alternative: go straight to Bac Ha and do the Bac Ha Sunday market instead, or use the day for a walk to Ban Pho village. Overnight in a Bac Ha guesthouse or homestay (~£10-15 with breakfast).

🚌Shared minivan Sapa–Muong Khuong ~£5; Muong Khuong–Bac Ha ~£3

🛏Bac Ha guesthouse or homestay (~£12 with breakfast)

• →Muong Khuong hill-tribe market (Sundays)
• →H'mong King's Palace (~£1)
• →Optional Bac Ha Sunday market

The long transfer day: public buses run Bac Ha to Ha Giang via Lao Cai with a change, roughly 6-7 hours total (~£8-10). If you want the Hoang Su Phi rice-terrace scenery, book a shared minivan or a local driver for the day (~£35-45 split between 2-3 travellers) and stop at Sin Man and the terraces around Thong Nguyen — spectacular in Sept/Oct harvest. Arrive Ha Giang town in the evening, check into a hostel (many also arrange the Ha Giang Loop), eat pho and sort your Loop permit and bike/driver for tomorrow.

🚌Public bus Bac Ha–Ha Giang via Lao Cai ~£9, or shared day-driver ~£40 split

🛏Ha Giang town hostel, dorm or private (~£8-12)

• →Hoang Su Phi rice terraces & Sin Man viewpoints (if taking the scenic driver option)
• →Meet Tay, Nung, Red Dao and La Chi communities along the road

The classic Ha Giang Loop. Options: (a) easy-rider — hire a local driver with motorbike for the 3-day loop, ~£32-38/day including fuel, the safest choice if you're not a confident rider; (b) hire a semi-automatic scooter (~£7-10/day) with an international driving permit plus the required Vietnamese licence translation; or (c) shared minivan tour. Head north via Quan Ba Heaven's Gate and the Fairy Bosom, then detour to Sa Phin to see the H'mong King's Vuong Palace (~£1.50). Overnight in Dong Van town — guesthouses and hostels £10-16.

🚌Easy-rider guide + motorbike ~£35/day including fuel (or scooter hire ~£9/day)

🛏Dong Van guesthouse (~£13)

• →Quan Ba Heaven's Gate
• →Vuong Palace, Sa Phin (~£1.50)
• →Ha Giang Loop day 1 riding

Morning in Dong Van's old quarter — the Sunday market is the best on the loop if dates align; otherwise the cobbled lanes and the old French fort on the hill. Short walk up to Pu Lo fortress for the view over town. Then the highlight: ride the Ma Pi Leng Pass, the road cut into the cliff above the Nho Que river — 20km of the best scenery in Vietnam. Optional boat trip on the Nho Que river gorge (~£5-8). Continue to Meo Vac for the night (~£12-15 guesthouse).

🚌Easy-rider/scooter continuing the loop ~£35 incl. fuel

🛏Meo Vac guesthouse (~£13)

• →Dong Van old quarter
• →Pu Lo fortress walk
• →Ma Pi Leng Pass
• →Optional Nho Que river boat (~£7)

Long riding/bus day south through the hills towards Ba Be. Your easy rider can take you to Bao Lac, then you'll switch to a local bus to Ba Be (~5-6hrs total, ~£12-15); alternatively many Ha Giang hostels run direct minivans to Ba Be for ~£18-22 shared. Arrive in Pac Ngoi village on the lakeshore, check into a Tay family homestay (~£10-13 including dinner and breakfast) — the stilt houses here are simple and lovely. Evening rice wine and dinner with the family.

🚌Easy rider to Bao Lac + local bus to Ba Be, or shared minivan ~£18; total ~£18-20

🛏Pac Ngoi village Tay homestay (~£12 with dinner)

• →Road journey through Hmong, Dao, Tay and Nung areas
• →Dinner with Tay family homestay

Hire a boatman in Pac Ngoi for a half-day lake and river trip — ~£18-25 for the boat, split between 2-4 people, payable direct to the village cooperative. Cruise the Nang River, drift through Puong Grotto (a cave the river runs straight through), stop at Dau Dang waterfall, and visit Tay and Dao villages around the lake. Afternoon back at the homestay for a swim or a bike ride. Second night with the same family.

🚌Village boat hire on Ba Be Lake ~£22 per boat (split 2-4 ways)

🛏Pac Ngoi village Tay homestay (~£12 with dinner)

• →Nang River boat trip
• →Puong Grotto
• →Dau Dang waterfall
• →Hill-tribe village stops

Morning local bus from Ba Be to Cao Bang (~3-4hrs, ~£6-8; buses leave from outside the park entrance). Check into a hotel in Cao Bang town (~£12-15), then hire a bicycle (~£3-4/day) and ride out through rice paddies and karst peaks to Hua Ma Cave (~6km), or the more scenic 20km loop past Tay and Nung villages. Flat and easy. Dinner at the Cao Bang market — try the local banh cuon and sour pho.

🚌Local bus Ba Be–Cao Bang ~£7; bicycle hire ~£4

🛏Cao Bang town hotel 2-3* (~£13)

• →Cycle to Hua Ma Cave (~£1.50 entry)
• →Terraced fields and hill village ride

Get up early: Ban Gioc is 85km north of Cao Bang and needs a full morning. Options: a shared tour (~£18-22 per person) or hire a driver for the day (~£40-50 split). On the way stop at Nguom Ngao Cave (~£2) — enormous caverns, well lit. At Ban Gioc take a bamboo raft right up to the falls (~£3-4, arrange with the raftsmen at the river), and walk up to the Truc Lam pagoda for the view. Back to Cao Bang mid-afternoon, then a bus to Lang Son (~2.5hrs, ~£5). Overnight in Lang Son town (~£12).

🚌Shared Ban Gioc tour or day driver ~£20; bus Cao Bang–Lang Son ~£5

🛏Lang Son town hotel (~£12)

• →Ban Gioc Waterfall & bamboo raft (~£4)
• →Nguom Ngao Cave (~£2)
• →Truc Lam pagoda viewpoint

Bus from Lang Son to Halong City (~3.5-4hrs, ~£7-9), arriving in time for the mid-afternoon boat boarding. Book a standard 2D/1N Halong Bay cruise via Klook or GetYourGuide rather than as part of a package — budget boats run ~£80-110 per person including cabin, all meals, kayaking and cave visit; transfer can be added for ~£12. Evening on deck, then squid fishing off the boat and a night in your cabin.

🚌Bus Lang Son–Halong ~£8; optional cruise transfer ~£12

🛏Aboard overnight Halong Bay cruise, standard cabin (~£95 incl. meals & activities)

• →Halong Bay overnight cruise
• →Kayaking / cave visit
• →Squid fishing from the boat

Early morning swim or tai chi on deck, breakfast as the boat sails back past the limestone islands, then disembark around 11:00-12:00. Take a shared limousine van back to Hanoi (~£10-12, 3-3.5hrs, easiest option, bookable through the cruise). Check back into an Old Quarter hotel, then evening free — Banh Mi 25, a bia hoi corner on Ta Hien, or the night market if it's a weekend.

🚌Shared limousine van Halong–Hanoi ~£11

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel (~£15)

• →Sunrise on Halong Bay
• →Free evening in the Old Quarter

Slow morning: coffee at a Hoan Kiem cafe, a last wander around the lake, and if time allows the Temple of Literature or Hoa Lo Prison Museum (~£1.50). Bus 86 back to Noi Bai for your flight — allow 60-75 minutes in traffic. Everything wraps up by mid-afternoon, matching the operator's 16:00-17:00 drop-off.

🚌Bus 86 Old Quarter–Noi Bai ~£1.20

• →Hoan Kiem area morning walk
• →Optional Hoa Lo Prison or Temple of Literature (~£1.50)