Mr Linh delivered what we were hoping for. Perfect organization, with flexibility. We were two couples (ending up in a minivan for 11, so plenty of space and very comfortable journey. If you are heading north, you'll have many hours in the car. Hence, if they tell you that a large car is needed (slightly more expensive), it makes a big difference.
We wanted to visit both Ba Be lake and go to the North Vietnam (Cao Bang - Ha Giang). Usually, the Cao Bang - Ha Giang loop from/to Hanoi takes 3 days, and we thought that we could do Ba Be as well since we had one day more. They were hesitant saying that time would be short, and that it would involve a lot of driving and early rises. The solution they offered was what we wanted.
The first day, we went from Hanoi to Ba Be. We stayed at Mr Linh's homestay. The family is from Ba Be, hence it makes sense to have a homestay there.
Side note about homestays. I was expecting to stay with families and discuss with them. It turned out that all homestays are tourist-oriented. I don't blame them, they do that for a living. But you end up with other tourists. Hence there are very limited exchanges with local people. Some homestays have individual rooms with AC, others like big dorms, and you sleep on the floor. Bathrooms are shared. I don't mind rough travel, but I would have enjoyed more being the sole travelers with a family to share meals with them and talk. This may be the case, when you really go off the beaten track. I am not sure that Mr Linh provides it. But if you are into that, you can ask them. They may arrange it. In any case, as the north is a must-go place for many travelers, it is not a surprise that homestays developed to accommodate several travelers at the same time. Bottomline, homestays was not what I expected, but this is the way they developed it, and it works.
Back to the trip and Ba Be. The lake is beautiful, surrounded by forests. Is it worth spending time there? Retrospectively, we thought it was not necessary to go there. We spent one night there, and in the morning went with a small boat along the river to the cave. The trip is nice, but not that nice (a long drive for a short stay). I guess that it becomes interesting when you are trekking in the forest.
If you want to combine Ba Be and the North, I would advise a longer trip. Otherwise, skip Ba Be (this what they told us beforehand, and they were right).
Note: you may think that they want to push you to take their organized trip. They are experienced, and they know how long it takes to go from one place to the other. In the North, distances are short, but travel times are VERY long.
The North. This was a really great experience. The landscape is breathtaking. I won't spoil it. See it for yourself :-) It was just what we wanted to see.
Don't miss the small trek they propose in the gorge, below the cliff. The boat trip in the gorge itself may be nice, but the trek takes through small minority communities, and the view up there is spectacular. It is not difficult, except for the heat ...
A word about the people on board.
The driver (Mr Long) and the guide (Mr Lei) were fantastic. They are friends, and they have done many trips together. The atmosphere was very relaxed. Mr Long was very careful, a safe driver. Mr Lei (not sure about the spelling) was very kind and very knowledgeable. They were really there to accommodate our whims, which were limited to say stop in the middle of nowhere to take a picture, or to go and see people working in the rice fields.
A word of caution though. If you see a stand alone mike in the car (usually kind of golden plated), be careful. This is a mike-amplifier-loudspeaker all--in-one, that you can connect via Bluetooth to any device, like a cell phone. And Mr Linh has a play list of songs from all countries ... thus we ended up singing karaoke with the cell phone during the trip ... You'd better be in tune. Both love karaoke, and they'll often sing Vietnamese songs (better than the radio). If we happened to stop in a karaoke restaurant, they would go and sing. That was fun.
Note: the tip at the end is customary: minimum 5$/day for the guide, and half for the driver (don't tip the same, it would be insulting to the guide).
Finally, in the north the minorities are very poor, in particular in the mountains. Children go around naked. Mr. Lei and his wife (a school teacher) collect clothes and distribute them during the winter. Mr. Lei knows the people in the North. If he is your guide, ask beforehand if you can buy clothes in a market in Hanoi to give away.
Alternatively, buy lots of cookies to distribute.
In conclusion, highly professional and perfect organization. And more importantly, it did not feel at all like a "product". It was more like a good company traveling together.
And for this, thank you Lei and Long.
