Cultural villages in Sapa

Cat Cat village:

Located 2 km from Sapa Townlet, Sapa District, Cat Cat is the village of H'Mong ethnic groups. There remain heaps of unique customs and practices of people here, one of which is the brocade weaving craft. After being woven, pieces of brocades featuring beautiful designs will be dyed and embroidered. And then brocade fabrics are polished by rolling with a round section of wood covered with wax in order to keep their colors durable. Besides, residents here are skilled at manipulating gold and silver jewelry which is graceful and can be purchased in the village and in other travel places in Sapa.Travel to Sapa

Cultural villages in Sapa 

H'Mong ethnic people still maintain their traditional custom of "pulling wife" which has made particular impressions on many tourists. When a man falls in love with a girl in the village, he can ask his friends to unexpectedly lure that girl into his house and keep her there for 3 days. After these days, the girl can either agree to become his wife or freely go home if she doesn't like him. In case she agrees, an wedding which usually happens from two to seven days will be officially held.

The old-age Cat Cat village with its special culture has drawn many visitors to come and discover.

Ta Phin village:

Ta Phin village can be reached by thirty minute drive North of Sapa. It is the living place of the Red Dao and Black Hmong people.

In addition to luscious scenery and distinctive culture, Ta Phin village is especially well known for its famous brocade. Main brocade products created by the skillful hand of women here are backpacks, handbags, handkerchiefs, wallets, overcoats, etc, all of which are decorated with sophisticated colorful designs of flowers, birds. As for ethnic people, brocade is not only for beautifying but for symbolizing love.

Ta Phin village's brocade has become the indispensable gift for tourists once coming here. Impressive designs on those products showing ethnic groups' special culture helps distinguish them from brocade in other places and become the distinctive feature attracting visitors everywhere.

Hanoi & Sapa Homestay 6 days

Sin Chai village:

Sin Chai village, located at the foot of Fansipan Mountain, is 30km trekking from Sapa town. It is the village of the Dao ethnic people.

Visiting the village will be a terrific chance for tourists to enjoy stunning landscapes as well as discover culture of residents. What makes this community village special lies in local people who will take the time to teach textile weaving and dying and to explain names and function of the local flora. There are also many interesting activities relating to traditional sports, tree planting for visitors to take part in.

If you travelled to Sapa, trekking to such cultural villages as Cat Cat village, Ta Phin village, Sin Chai village, etc would leave you unforgettable memories.

Cat Ba National Park

Cat Ba Island is one the popular attraction for traveler when they join Halong Bay tours. Usually tourist spend one night overnight on cruise and one night overnight in Cat Ba Hotel. Cat Ba island is one of the largest island, belong to Hai Phong city with an area of 280 km2, included Cat Ba National park, complex of beautiful bay, Cat Ba center town.
Cat Ba Island view from the peak of National Park

Cat Ba island has a variety of natural ecosystems with limestone, forest, beach, cave… Original Cat Ba is the place of fisherman. They live in Cat Ba town and floating villages around the island. Today Cat Ba become one of famous attraction for tourist.  Tourist arrive here and join many activities on the island: Trekking through Cat Ba National Park, Biking through village with mountain landscape, kayaking to explore the bay, swimming in natural beach… Vietnam travel
There three beaches in Cat Ba island: Cat Co beach I, Cat Co beach II, Cat Co beach III

Cat Ba National Park founded in 1986, covered an area of 98 km2 with 109 km2 of land area and 52 km2 of sea.  There are 1,561 species of flora from 186 families, 406 species of trees. There are 279 species of fauna, included 53 manual species. 160 bird species, 274 species of insect. There are 178 coral, 900 fish, especially Cat Ba island is a home land of langurs, it going to disappear in the world. Today there are only 68 langur in the National Park.

There are 68 langurs left in Cat Ba National park

Cat Ba National Park

Tourist is easy to get to Cat Ba island when they join Halong Bay tours. Halong Bay cruise will drop you in Gia Luan or Beo tourist wharf then take the shuttle bus to Cat Ba town. Optional from Hanoi ( 160 km to Cat Ba ) tourist will take bus and drive to Hai Phong (50 km to Cat Ba island )city then transferred by ferry to Cat Ba town ( not recommended for tourist, It take long time to get to Cat Ba island. Drive to Halong City then join boat trip to Cat Ba island. You will be enjoyable with Halong Bay view) Huong Hai Sealife Halong bay
Cat Ba National Park has various types of animals, trees, insect, fishes...

Cat Ba island welcome 350,000 tourists every year. There various type of services in Cat Ba island: hotel form 3 star hotel to 5 star hotel or resort in Cat Ba island, driving motor or biking to explore Cat Ba island, kayaking to explore the bay, drinking some beer in the bar, joining massage services. Food in Cat Ba is perfect with various of seafood.

What you will see on a cruise trip?

Most guests who visit Halong will spend either 1 or 2 night on a cruise or junk - this is without doubt the best way to enjoy the scenic landscape of the Bay. Each cruise tailor-makes their own itinerary but in general, you will get to see the major caves and most important grottos of the Bay. 2 day trip is rather cramped as you get only 1 day to spend on board and the rest of the time is spent on traveling back and forth from Hanoi. 3 day trip gives you a better opportunity to see more of the Bay and worth considering if you have time.

2 days 1 night tour

On the first day, your cruise will start at noon and as the cruise sets sail, lunch will be served.

In the afternoon, you may have a chance to stop at several famous sites, such as Luon Cave, Đầu Người Island (Human Head Island), Con Rùa Island (Turtle Island), and Cổng Trời Island (Heaven Gate Island). At one of the stopping points, tourists may also take part in exciting kayaking or swimming activity. However, there might be a small additional fee depending on the tour package you register for.

Coming back to the ship after a long day, tourists would be welcomed by more relaxing activities like massage, Jacuzzi (for luxury cruise), and a delicious dinner on board. Many cruises also organize cooking demonstration where you will learn to make Vietnamese food. Some cruises offer tourists outdoor BBQ party on the sundeck, which is a great way to spend time with friends and families. After that, you may choose to stay at the bar with lots of qualified wines, playing cards with friends, watching TV, or trying your luck with squid fishing.

When you wake up the next morning, your breakfast is ready to serve with an early morning Tai Chi class on the sundeck to get yourself into the flow of the nature. On the second day, you are scheduled to visit more famous tourist attraction, such as Titop Island or Sung Sot Grotto (Surprise Cave). The whole trip ends by a tour back to the harbor after that, so don’t forget to take some nice pictures of the bay on the way.

3 days 2 nights tour

Much similar to the previous itinerary, your cruise trip starts with a brief session about the itinerary and safety instructions on boat. The tour usually starts from 11:00am – 12:00am, so that you can have a tasty lunch while observing the stunning landscape of Halong Bay travel.

The cruise continues going around the bay until you reach a tourist spot, usually a famous beach or limestone cave such as Titop Island, Con Rùa Island (Turtle Island), or Cổng Trời Island (Heaven Gate Island), then anchors for the night there. You will get enough time to enjoy water sports and activities like snorkeling, swimming, and kayaking in the green water of the bay. Depending on your cruise, you might enjoy BBQ party on beach, sundeck, or in the on-board restaurant. Paradise cruise Halong Bay

What you will see on a cruise trip?

On the next day, the journey starts with Tai Chi class in the early morning and breakfast. You have the whole morning to visit other attractions of the bay, and most cruises will transfer you to a smaller day boat so that you can go down the more narrow path of the Bay. You can spend the rest of the day with your friends and family exploring the sea. A delicious dinner is ready anytime when you come back. In Travel to Vietnam

For the thirday, you will often get to see Surprise Cave after breakfast. Brunch will be served as the cruise slowly heads back to the harbour.