On the way to the historic remains of Dien Bien Phu

On the way to the historic remains of Dien Bien Phu

Diên Biên Phu is a name known worldwide thanks to the famous battle in 1954 between the army of Viet Minh (led by General Vo Nguyen Giap) and the French troops (by Commander Christian de Castries). The victory of the Vietnamese army ended French Indochina and led to the division of Vietnam into two entities: the North and the South. Before arriving at all the remains classified as a special national site which marks this grand historic moment, we take the opportunity to discover other traces of the Indochina War and the riches of the mountains of northern Vietnam: panoramas splendid lakes, waterfalls, villages and various minorities await you to make your trip to Vietnam memorable.

Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi

Stop At: Hanoi, Hanoi
We begin this trip to Vietnam with the discovery of eternal sites such as the legendary lake of the restored sword (Hoan Kiem), the Ngoc Son pagoda, the old quarter and its streets with 36 corporations, Saint Joseph cathedral, the old merchant house restored to its original identity, the old Dong Xuan market (built by the French), the East gate and some pagodas.

Suggestion for a cyclo tour of the colonial era with the School of the Far East, now the Vietnamese History Museum and the Hanoi Opera House, replica of Paris’s Garnier.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel.

Day 2: Hanoi, Thac Ba

Stop At: Thac Ba Lake, Yen Binh District, Yen Bai 320000 Vietnam
Crossing rice fields, the Tam Dao mountain range and the Red River to reach Yen Bai. In February 1930, this city was the site of a mutiny sparked by Vietnamese students, civilians and soldiers against the French colonial army. This uprising was the most serious disturbance during the colonial era.

Direction the Thac Ba lake. The road winds its way between tea plantations on the neighboring hills. Arrival in Ngoi Tu, a small Dao ethnic village in white pants.

Motorboat ride on Thac Ba Lake, the largest artificial water reserve in northern Vietnam. Depending on the season (and the water level), we can discover very many islets made up of the innumerable hills around.

Back to the homestay for the sharing of a hearty and hearty dinner, washed down with a "homemade" rice alcohol!
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 3: Thac Ba, Nghia Lo

Stop At: Nghia Lo, Nghia Lo, Yen Bai Province
The flexible awakening, the breakfast prepared by our hosts engulfed, we take the direction of Nghia Lo more to the west. Here, the rice fields turn from green to yellow in autumn and this magic makes it one of the regions renowned for its beauty. The surrounding peaks peak at 1500m. In 1951, this village experienced a battle being one of the significant episodes of the Indochina War between the forces of the Viet Minh and those of General de Lattre.

Small detour on the heights, to Suoi Giang to discover endless expanses of tea plants, the oldest of which are 300 years old. The sunset over the mountains can be there!

A Thai family welcomes us this evening for the gîte and a hearty dinner with local specialties.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 4: Nghia Lo, Tu Le, Mu Cang Chai, Than Uyen

Stop At: Mu Cang Chai, Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai Province
After thanking our host family, we continue our trip to Vietnam towards Than Uyen via Tu Le and Mu Cang Chai, a few kilometers away.

In the Tu Le valley, from October 16 to 23, 1952, fighting pitted the 6th Battalion of Colonial Parachutists of Commander Bigeard against General Giap's divisions 308 and 312.

We cross beautiful valleys of Mu Cang Chai. The landscapes are sublime: beautiful perspectives, in particular at the Khau Pha pass, rice terraces, and many ethnic villages to make stops. This passage has been classified as a national natural heritage. Detours on the slopes are suggested for in-depth discovery.

We then cross a higher and harsh region, visibly less generous and mainly populated by the Hmong; before descending into a beautiful green valley, this time mostly Thai, and which brings us quietly to Than Uyen.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 5: Than Uyen, Bac Ha

Stop At: Bac Ha, Bac Ha, Lao Cai Province
We leave Than Uyen to start the climb to Bac Ha. The mountain continues to offer us beautiful landscapes of steep valleys. Before climbing the altitude of 1000 m to reach Bac Ha, visit the Trung Do village of the Tay ethnic group located on the banks of the Chay river.

Depending on the weather, the visit of the flowered Hmong ethnic group to the village of Ban Pho is the highlight of our arrival. In addition, they are renowned for the distillation of corn alcohol: tasting in moderation!
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 6: Bac Ha

Stop At: Bac Ha, Bac Ha, Lao Cai Province
Discovery of the surroundings of Bac Ha, this gives us a panoramic view of the daily activities of the locals. Many groves, rivers, rice fields crisscross our advance. Meeting the workforce at this time of day is a time of shared emotions.

Our walk resumes to discover new villages and their inhabitants with whom we multiply the exchanges. It is more often than not that we are invited to share a cup of tea or a glass of rice spirit!

We join Na Lo for the second night with our hosts.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 7: Bac Ha, Sapa

Stop At: Sapa, Sapa, Lao Cai Province
After breakfast, we take the road to the Coc Ly market located on the edge of the Chay river where ethnic groups such as Hmong flower, black Dao, Tay, Nung, Phu La meet. Here, the locals trade vegetables, meats , clothing, ethnic fabrics, utensils of all kinds, Chinese products, but also buffaloes and small horses.

Sapa is our destination today. Former resort health resort created by the French, Sapa is today renowned for its valley and its surrounding villages. Discovery of the city center with its market and church.

Free evening.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel.

Day 8: Sapa, Lai Chau

Stop At: Lai Chau, Lai Chau, Lai Chau Province
We cross the highest pass in Vietnam, Tram Ton, 1900 m above sea level. If possible, a stop at the Argent waterfall (100 meters high). On the way, small detours to visit the ethnic villages and their daily life. We can be lucky enough to come across the weekly market day in the region where many ethnic groups (Hmong flowers, Hmong red, Lao, Lu, Dzay and Dzao) come to stock up and sell their local products.

Free evening.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel.

Day 9: Lai Chau, Sin Ho, Muong Lay

Stop At: Muong Lay, Muong Lay, Dien Bien Province
After breakfast, we end up on a wide plateau surrounded by limestone hills at an altitude of 1,500 meters.

We immerse ourselves for a time in local life, as close as possible to the inhabitants of the black Dao, Lao, red Hmong, Day ethnic groups… in villages on the road to Muong Lay.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel.

Day 10: Muong Lay, Dien Bien Phu

Stop At: Dien Bien Phu, Dien Bien Phu, Dien Bien Province
Resumption of our trip to Vietnam, en route to the Dien Bien Phu basin.

On arrival, after lunch, we leave the luggage at the hotel and take a walk to discover historical sites:

Hill A1 (Éliane 2): The day before May 7, Vietnamese soldiers dug a tunnel towards French positions on the hill to dispose of nearly 1,000 tonnes of explosives and destroy the defense network. On the morning of May 7, the Vietnamese army conquered the hill, paving the way for the final offensive on General de Castries' headquarters.

General de Castries HQ / bunker: The underground HQ is located in the center of the entrenched camp. It is 20 m long and 8 m wide and has four rooms that serve as both a workplace and a home.

Memorial to French soldiers killed in battle

Dien Bien Phu military cemetery

The Dien Biên Phu Victory Museum: Its colossal halls exhibit 1,000 objects, photos and documents, reliefs, sculptures distributed according to different themes: Diên Biên Phu's strategic position, values of victory, etc.

The terrible battle of spring 1954 forever marks the history of this valley, 18 km long and 6 to 8 wide, and marks the end of the French presence in Indochina.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel.

Day 11: Dien Bien Phu, Son La

Stop At: Son La, Son La, Son La Province
Detour to the Muong Phang forest where the staff of General Giap, the winner of the battle, was located. The visit lets us imagine all the strategies implemented. On the RN 279 that we take for the direction of Son La, there are still Viet Minh cannons which pounded the airfield of the Dien Bien Phu basin.

On the long route beautifully traced through the middle mountains, we stop to visit villages of the Black Thai and Hmong ethnic groups.

Arrived at Son La, visit the old colonial penitentiary where the separatists were imprisoned. Next to the latter is a small museum of ethnic groups in the region (black Thai, Meo, Muong) which we can also visit.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel.

Day 12: Son La, Moc Chau

Stop At: Hoa Binh, Hoa Binh, Hoa Binh Province
Discovery of Hoa Binh Lake. This largest artificial water reserve in the north of the country (220 km long) has a hydroelectric plant (the largest in Vietnam) which provides 40% of energy for the entire North. Picturesque lakeside villages follow one another on this pleasant and rather shaded road.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Moc Chau, Moc Chau, Son La Province
In Phu Yen, the rural landscapes, the rice terraces, the beautiful houses on stilts ... all this adorns our journey which will lead us to the Doi village where we spend the night.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 13: Moc Chau, Pu Luong

Stop At: Moc Chau, Moc Chau, Son La Province
The landscape of the Moc Chau plateau is totally unique and sometimes recalls the countryside of northern Europe with its small stone walls, fruit trees and fields dotted with large rocks which give it a lunar aspect in places. Tea is grown there and dairy cows are raised there. We still take advantage of the beautiful morning light for the photos. Resumption of the road for the direction of the Mai Chau valley which keeps us going!
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Pho Doan, Thanh Hoa 448100 Vietnam
Immersion in this immense valley where rice fields are legion, and where the local peasants are busy. After a good lunch with the locals, we continue to the Pu Luong nature reserve.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 14: Pu Luong, Ngoc Son Ngo Luong

Stop At: Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, Tu Do, Lac Son Vietnam
After waking up in the morning, swim in the waterfall early in the morning and then return to our hosts for breakfast.

Leaving Pu Luong, we see the small Thai hamlets and their bamboo wheels irrigating the fields and allowing the ethnic groups to work the rice fields. We take small paths in the middle of the wild landscapes in the heart of the mountains on the Muong territory.

At the entrance of Mu village, from the top of the valley, a small river flows and a waterfall with turquoise waters flows to form several pools large enough to bathe eventually.

We continue the descent along the beautiful rice terraces to the Sat village. Arrival at the Muong homestay to eat and stay overnight in their house on stilts.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Night with the locals.

Day 15: Ngoc Son Ngo Luong, Hanoi

Stop At: Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, Tu Do, Lac Son Vietnam
Wake up smoothly this morning. Quiet breakfast and possibility of swimming in the waterfall. It’s a question of getting into the local rhythm by discovering the daily activities of the Khai, Mon and Coi Gao inhabitants of this peaceful valley.

Then we greet our hosts for the return to Hanoi. Departure flight, end of your trip to Vietnam or continuation in the center and the south.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.