Sapa Golf & Halong Bay Cruise 7 Days: Heron Lake, Sapa Grand & Fansipan

An early check-out and a drive of about 50 kilometres north-west to Vinh Yen, a little over an hour on the Noi Bai – Lao Cai expressway, for a tee time at about 07:00. Heron Lake Golf Course & Resort — Dam Vac to Vietnamese golfers, after the natural lake it is built around — opened in 2004 to a design by Pacific Coast Design of Australia: 18 holes, par 72, 7,039 yards from the back tees, across some 90 hectares.

Water is in play on most of the round, which makes the course a fair test for mid and higher handicaps, while the wide paspalum fairways keep it forgiving for newer players. The herons the course is named for still feed along the lake edge in the early morning. Green fee, caddy and a shared buggy are included. The clubhouse has a restaurant, locker rooms and a practice area; lunch there is at your own expense.

After the round you rejoin the expressway and follow the Red River valley north to Lao Cai, then climb the last 30-odd kilometres into the Hoang Lien Son range — about four and a half hours from the club. Sapa sits at around 1,500 metres and is noticeably cooler than the plain, so keep a jacket out of the suitcase. Check in and a free evening. Overnight in Sapa.

Breakfast at the hotel, then a drive of about 42 kilometres — roughly an hour and a quarter, downhill most of the way — to Bat Xat in the Red River valley, for a tee time between 08:00 and 08:30. Sapa Grand Golf Course opened in July 2023 and is the only 18-hole course in Lao Cai province: more than 100 hectares of rolling ground with the Hoang Lien Son range as the backdrop to most holes.

The layout uses the natural slopes rather than flattening them, so expect uneven lies, elevation changes from tee to green, and bunkers and water set where a straight drive would otherwise finish. Cloud drifts across the hills on many mornings; it rarely stops play, but it can change club selection from one hole to the next. Green fee, caddy and a shared buggy are included. The clubhouse has a pro shop, changing rooms, a restaurant and a terrace over the course.

After the round you drive back up to Sapa. The late afternoon and evening are free: the stone church and the square in front of it, the market and the lake are all within a few minutes' walk of one another. Overnight in Sapa.

Breakfast and check-out, then at about 08:30 a short transfer to the Fansipan cable car station. Fansipan, at 3,143 metres, is the highest peak in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia — the Roof of Indochina. The cable car, opened in February 2016, took two Guinness World Records: the longest non-stop three-rope cable car in the world at 6,292.5 metres, and the greatest elevation difference of its type, 1,410 metres. The ride takes about fifteen minutes over the terraced Muong Hoa valley.

From the upper station it is about 600 stone steps to the summit marker, past a complex of pagodas and a large bronze Buddha. Take them slowly; the air is thin enough to notice. A funicular covers most of that height if you prefer not to climb, paid on the spot. Buffet lunch at the mountain restaurant is included.

After lunch you drive back down the expressway to Hanoi, about five and a half hours with a rest stop, arriving in the early evening. Check in and a free evening. Overnight in Hanoi.

Weather: Fansipan makes its own weather and the summit can be in cloud on a day that is clear in Sapa. The cable car runs in cloud and the visit is worthwhile either way, but the long view over the valley is never guaranteed.

Breakfast and check-out, then east on the expressway to the coast, about two and a half hours. Halong Bay was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1994 and again in 2000, and holds close to two thousand limestone islands and islets. You board around midday, are shown to your private cabin, and sit down to lunch as the ship sails out among the islands.

The afternoon is spent on the water: the ship stops for a visit to one of the bay's caves and for a swim from a sheltered beach or a paddle by kayak, depending on the day's route. Back on board, the ship anchors for the night in a quiet channel between the islands. Sunset is best watched from the sundeck. Dinner is served on board. Overnight on the cruise.

Note: the cruise programme is run by the ship and can change with the vessel, the weather, the tide and the port authority's instructions on the day; the stops on Days 5 and 6 are typical rather than guaranteed. Golf bags stay locked in the vehicle or at the Hanoi hotel for this night.

For early risers there is a tai chi session on the sundeck as the sun comes up behind the islands. After a light breakfast with tea or coffee, you go out by bamboo boat or kayak into a lagoon enclosed by cliffs and entered through a low arch at water level — a stretch of the bay the ship itself cannot reach.

Back on board you check out of the cabin while the ship makes its way back towards the harbour, and brunch is served on the return leg. You disembark late in the morning, where your driver is waiting for the drive back to Hanoi. Check in and a free afternoon and evening. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel and a free morning. Check-out is by 12:00. At the time agreed with your guide, your driver collects you and the golf bags from the hotel and drives you about 35 kilometres to Noi Bai International Airport for your flight home. A late check-out or extra nights in Hanoi can be arranged on request.

Every day can be changed — tell us what you'd like to add or skip.