Welcome to the roof of Vietnam, where the mountains of the Tonkinese Alps (Hoang Lien Mountains) soar skyward, their long shadows concealing some of the country’s best-kept secrets. The landscape is a rich palette that provides some of the most spectacular scenery in Vietnam. Forbidding and unforgiving terrain for lowlanders, the mountains have long been a haven for an eclectic mix of hill tribes. Dressed in elaborate costumes, the Montagnards live as they have for generations and extend the hand of friendship to strangers; an encounter with the Montagnards is both a humbling and heart-warming experience.

Although many of the roads in this region are surfaced, many are dangerous cliffhangers that are regularly wiped out by landslides in the wet season. The stretch from Lai Chau into Sapa offers some of the best mountain vistas in Southeast Asia, as the road climbs more than 1000m over the Tram Ton Pass. The northwestern roads are always improving, but if you suffer from vertigo, backache or (God forbid) haemorrhoids, you might want to stick to the shorter trips. The northwest loop from Hanoi, via Dien Bien Phu and Sapa, is a gruelling but definitive road trip to discover the secrets of the region (soure by Lonelyplanet) .. read more

Northwest Tours:

		North West Loops >> 6 days/5 night trip >> 4WD Tour
		Escape the bustle of the big city and set out on an adventure through Northwest Vietnam’s stunning countryside to drive form Hanoi to Maichau, Son la, Dien Bien Phu, Lai chau, Muong hum, Sapa. This 6-day itinerary takes you off the beaten path on a tour through enchanting, gaping valleys and towering mountains to make friend with remote hill tribe people.
		Hanoi - Mai Chau - Dien Bien Phu - Tu Le >> 5days/4nights tours
		Leaving Tu Le, we travel through rugged terrain with dense vegetation and come into contact with the Black Hmong and the mysterious White Tay people, who are famed for their folk music, poems and songs. The road winds down out of the hills and we descend into valley to end the day at Than Uyen
		Yen Bai - Nghia Lo - Tu Le - Than Uyen Sapa >> 6D/5N Cycling tour
		Our cycling tour is a spectacular ride on back roads that take us to Nghia Lo through a terrain of tea plantations, lush forests, rice fields and gum trees. The town sits on a mountain ridge overlooking the Red and Black River and is home to the Thai, Nung, H’mong, La Ha and Ma peoples.