4-Day Northern Vietnam Hidden Gems: Da Bac, Mai Chau & Pu Luong Homestays

You step out of the van before dawn and the valley breathes around you — rice paddies glossy with dew, limestone ribs rising like weathered teeth, and a woman on a narrow path balancing a stack of firewood. The guide hands you a steaming cup of tea and points toward a lane where incense sticks dry in the sun; the scent is sharp, almost electric, daring you to slow down. This is Northern Vietnam away from the motorbikes and monuments — a loop that starts in Hanoi and threads through Quang Phu Cau’s Incense Village, the Dzao and Thai communities of Da Bac and Mai Chau, and the forested terraces of Pu Luong.