Located 66 km to the east of Lao Cai City in Sapa where the roads soar upward is the town of Bac Ha or what some people call “Little Sapa”. But with an elevation much lower than its bigger kin, the weather is much more pleasing which a lot of travelers take full advantage of especially during weekends. The town fills up with both tourists and locals alike especially during Sundays when the Bac Ha Market is in full swing.

Bac Son: Vietnam’s Hidden Valley Bac Son sits in Lang Son Province, roughly 160 kilometers north of Hanoi near the Chinese border. This agricultural valley is one of northern … Read more

Located 165 km from Hanoi, Mai Chau is a mountainous region in the Hoa Binh Province best known for its agricultural beauty, its numerous ethnic villages, and its laid-back atmosphere. If you’re visiting more than one day, the best experience would be staying at a small, ethnic homestay amidst a field of rice paddies with a great view of the mountains.

Hoa Lu: Vietnam’s First Capital Hoa Lu sits in Ninh Binh Province, 100 kilometers south of Hanoi. This was Vietnam’s capital from 968 to 1010 AD under the Dinh … Read more

Imagine yourself on a small boat gliding through a serene stream that cuts through a vast expanse of rice paddies surrounded by limestone karsts, that’s what you get when you visit Tam Coc. Often referred to as the landlocked version of Halong Bay, Tam Coc translates to Three Caves – Hang Ca, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba along the Ngo Dong River. Travelers hire small boats from the village of Van Lam with local women serving as both boat captains and local guides and are well known for rowing their boats by using their feet.

If stunning scenery and a laid-back vibe where you cap off a day by drinking beer with the locals is what you’re after then the city Ninh Binh may be the destination just for you. It’s approximately 100km south of Hanoi and features hundreds of limestone cliffs scattered across swaths of rice fields, therefore gaining the nickname “Halong Bay on land.”