Hoang Su Phi: A Village Trekking Journey

Arrive into Noi Bai International Airport, where your guide will be waiting to welcome you and transfer you to your hotel in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter, a thousand-year-old tangle of narrow streets, colonial facades and street food stalls. Settle in before gathering this evening for a welcome dinner and a briefing on the days of trekking ahead. Overnight in Hanoi.

Depart early for the scenic drive north to Ha Giang province and the remote district of Hoang Su Phi, watching the Red River Delta gradually give way to mountains along the way. Break around midday in Tuyen Quang for a simple Vietnamese lunch, then continue on to Hoang Su Phi, one of Vietnam's most remote and dramatically terraced landscapes. On arrival, lace up your boots for a short trek through lush forest to Nam Hong village, with rice terrace views unfolding along the trail. Spend the evening with the Red Dao community who call the village home; a herbal bath and a handful of traditional Dao cultural rituals can be arranged locally at an additional cost, for those who'd like to extend the evening. Around 4.4 kilometres of trekking today, roughly 90 minutes. Overnight in Nam Hong.

Trek through the picturesque rice terraces of Nam Khoa, meeting the Red Dzao, Long Tunic Dao and Nung communities along the way and gaining a glimpse into daily life in this remote corner of Hoang Su Phi. Continue on to Nam Ai, home to a tea plant more than a century old, prized for the white-haired buds that still produce one of Vietnam's most celebrated teas. Share lunch with a local family before settling in for the night at a homestay with a Nung family, with dinner and a glass of traditional rice wine shared together as the evening winds down. Around 18.6 kilometres of trekking today, roughly six hours. Overnight in Nam Ai.

Spend a second day based in Nam Ai, setting out on a full day's trek through Nam Son commune, its terraced fields carved steeply into the hillside. Pass Dzao, Nung and Flower Hmong communities at work in their fields along the way, a glimpse into the daily rhythm of life here. Return to Nam Ai for a second night, hosted this time by a Nung or Long Tunic Dao family. Around 15 kilometres of trekking today, roughly five hours. Overnight in Nam Ai.

Say goodbye to your hosts and continue trekking toward Ho Thau village, following quiet trails through bamboo forest, past waterfalls and cascading terraced rice fields. Along the way, look out for Dzao, Nung and Flower Hmong farmers tending their fields, distinctive in their colourful traditional dress, and share lunch with a local family partway through the day. Continue on through smaller trails to Ho Thau, a village mainly home to the Red Dzao community, for the night. Around 15 kilometres of trekking today, roughly five to six hours. Overnight in Ho Thau.

Trek onward to Ban Luoc, passing ripe rice fields winding around the green mountainside like strips of silk and traditional stilt houses scattered across the foothills. Climb further into hillier terrain, past more stilt houses, an old tea plantation and a scatter of waterfalls, before arriving in scenic Ban Luoc village, its rice terraces and farming life spread out below. Tonight's homestay hosts invite you to join in the evening's cooking, a hands-on introduction to the local kitchen before dinner. Around 17 kilometres of trekking today, roughly five to six hours. Overnight in Ban Luoc.

After breakfast, say farewell to your hosts and set out on a final morning trek through Ban Luoc's terraced fields, part of the wider Hoang Su Phi scenic area and home to some of the most striking terracing in Ha Giang, its fields stretching across more than 160 hectares of hillside. Around 3 to 4 kilometres of trekking today, roughly an hour. Your driver meets you at the end of the trail for the scenic drive back to Hanoi, around five and a half hours. Overnight in Hanoi.

The day is free until check-out, before a transfer to the airport for your onward flight, bringing your trek through Hoang Su Phi to a close.