You will leave from Hanoi at around 08:00 and take the road north towards Viet Tri and Tuyen Quang (Route No.2 ) through the Red River Delta region. You will stop for lunch at a local restaurant in Tuyen Quang Town, an area famous for green tea plantations. You will arrive in Ha Giang at around 18:00 where you will have dinner and spend the night with a Thai family in their traditional stilt house.
As Ha Giang still requires a permit, your guide will assist you in purchasing one from the small office in the town. You will then take a succession of stunning passes, over the rolling mountains and valleys. You will stop for lunch in the small mountain town of Tam Son. After, you will travel through the imposing pine forest to visit a Hmong palace which once belonged to the powerful Vuong family. The palace is infamous for its use as a store for opium and weapons and offers a glimpse into the life of Hmong royalty in a different era. After independence, the palace was evacuated in 1950, and the descendants of this influential family now live in France and Canada. You will continue down the sweeping roads where many black H'mong villages hide behind the stone walls until you arrive in Dong Van at around 18:00. You will have dinner at local restaurant and spend the night in a hotel.
Today is Sunday. After breakfast, you can visit the weekly Dong Van Market to meet the local people and peruse the fascinating ion of handmade goods and speciality produce. You will then climb up above the town to Pu Lo, a French fortress built in 1890 and kept in great condition. After exploring the fortress and the incredible views it offers, you will hit the road to experience one of the most spectacular roads in the whole of Vietnam. At an elevation of 2000 meters, the Ma Pi Leng Pass clings to the side of the undulating mountains, giving unrivalled views of the valleys and terraced hemp fields, which decorate the mountainsides. You will zigzag down into Meo Vac Valley for lunch, before returning to Ha Giang where you will spend the night in a hotel.