Limestone karsts rise from emerald water as a small cruise boat sails through Ha Long Bay.

Northern Vietnam

Mountains, a real winter, and long drives

The north has the country’s best scenery and its longest journeys. It also has a genuine cold season that surprises people who packed for the tropics.

Plan my trip Northern tours

The region

What the north is

Hanoi and the Red River delta at the bottom, the limestone bays to the east, and then mountains — first the tourist-ready valleys at Sapa, then the genuinely remote loops at Ha Giang and Cao Bang up against the Chinese border. Distances here are the real thing: Hanoi to Ha Giang is six hours before the loop even starts, and the loop itself is three to four days of mountain road.

Sail junks and a floating fishing village drift among limestone karsts in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

A winding road and river cut through a lush green valley surrounded by limestone mountains in Ha Giang.

Ha Long Bay · Ha Giang

Places

Where to go, and for how long

2-3 nights

Hanoi

Two nights. The Old Quarter on foot and one museum is plenty.

1-2 nights

Ha Long Bay

Two nights on board. One night is a coach trip with a bed in it.

Waves crash against a green, jungle-covered rocky headland at Cat Ba island's coastline.

1-2 nights

Lan Ha Bay

The quieter bay, reached via Cat Ba. Our default over Ha Long.

1-2 nights

Ninh Binh

Two nights. The bay without the boat, and a good first stop.

2-3 nights

Sapa

Two nights, staying in a valley rather than the town.

3-4 nights

Ha Giang

Four nights for the full loop. The best scenery in Vietnam.

Timing

The winter nobody warns you about

Hanoi in January sits between 13 and 18 degrees, damp, with a low grey sky that can last a week. In the mountains it is colder: Sapa drops to 5 degrees and occasionally below zero, and the guesthouses are not built for it. This is not a reason to avoid the north in winter — the mist over the terraces is extraordinary and the crowds are gone — but you need a coat, and we will tell you so when you book rather than after you land.

JFMAMJJASONDHanoi and the baysSapa and the far north

● ideal · ◐ workable · ○ poor. Harvest gold at Mu Cang Chai and Ha Giang falls mid-September to mid-October; January and February are cold and often grey.

The bays

Ha Long, Lan Ha, or neither

Ha Long Bay is genuinely one of the sights of Asia and it carries several hundred boats. Lan Ha, immediately south of it and reached through Cat Ba, has the same limestone and a fraction of the traffic, which is why we book it by default. Bai Tu Long, to the north, is the third option and the quietest.

One night on a bay boat means you board at midday, kayak, eat, sleep and are back on the bus by eleven the next morning. Two nights gets you the second morning, which is the quiet one, and a day out at the far end of the bay where the day boats do not reach. If the budget only stretches to one night, Ninh Binh — karst scenery on a river, no boat hotel needed — is a better use of the money than a rushed bay overnight.

Not for everyone

Who the north does not suit

If long drives are a problem, the far north is out — there is no way to reach Ha Giang or Cao Bang that does not involve six hours in a vehicle each way, and the loop itself is mountain switchbacks. If you are coming in December or January expecting tropical weather, you will be disappointed and cold. And if you are prone to motion sickness, say so before we plan the mountain section; there is a version of it with shorter legs.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay?

Lan Ha for most people: same limestone, far fewer boats, and Cat Ba adds a decent island to the trip. Ha Long if you specifically want the classic view and the bigger ships.

Is Sapa ruined?

Sapa town is overbuilt and the valleys around it are not. Stay in Ta Van or Lao Chai rather than the town and the trip is entirely different.

Can I do Ha Giang without riding a motorbike?

Yes — by car with a driver, which is what we book unless you ask otherwise. The loop is spectacular from a car seat, and the roads are not the place to learn to ride.

How many nights for the north on its own?

Six covers Hanoi, a bay and Ninh Binh comfortably. Nine adds Sapa or the far north. Twelve does the far north properly without rushing the rest.

Northern Vietnam