Hanoi – Halong Bay – Sapa – Hue – Hoian – Saigon
Duration: 14 days 13 nights
Day 1: HANOI ARRIVAL
Welcome to Hanoi – Vietnam!
Upon arrival at the Airport, you are greeted by our guide and driver then transferred to your hotel for check in. Rest of the day will be at your leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2: HANOI FULL DAY CITY WITH WATER PUPPET SHOW (B)
Morning, transfer to Ba Dinh Square – the biggest square in Hanoi where all the biggest cultural, political events of the cities, especially demonstrations, take place. Start our visit at the Complex of Ho Chi Minh including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts, his fish pond and the One-Pillar Pagoda. Then, visit Hoa Lo prison, also known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton".
Afternoon continue the trip to the Temple of Literature first which is considered as the first university of Vietnam. Afterwards, we have an overall view of the capital by cyclo, which starts around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, stop to visit Ngoc Son Temple located on the Hoan Kiem Lake (the “Sword” Lake). From here we wander through the narrow streets of the Old Quarter to experience the daily life of the local people.
Evening highlight will be the Water Puppet Show. Overnight in Hanoi.
Please note: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Mondays, Fridays and all the afternoons.
Day 3: HANOI - HALONG BAY (B/L/D) – PRIVATE CAR (WITH NO GUIDE ESCORT)
After breakfast, we will drive to Halong (private car with no guide escort), one of the earliest World Heritages Sited designated by UNESCO for Vietnam in 1994.
Check-in on the boat and enjoy a lunch of fresh seafood while the boat sails through the unusual seascape with thousands of picturesque rocks and islets, beaches and hollow islands. We can stop to visit some karsts grottoes or just go swimming, or stop at a beach and enjoy the sunset on the sea. (Lunch and dinner with local food on board).
Overnight on the boat in Halong Bay.
Please note: Cruise program may vary depending on the cruise. You will have a station English speaking guide on board.
Day 4: HALONG - HANOI (B/L) – OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI (NO GUIDE ESCORT ON TRAIN)
Wake up early to enjoy the Sunrise at Halong Bay. The Vietnamese call the “East Sea” by a point-oriented name “Eastern Sea”, After breakfast our boat will continue to cruise in marvelous areas, where almost each islet has its own name, adopting its shape or reminiscent like Sail Island, Fisherman’s head rock, Butterfly rock or Turtle islet etc. Disembark and transfer back to Hanoi (private car with no guide escort), and transfer to a mini hotel for a short rest. Free until transfer with our guide and driver to the train station for your night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train (Private cabin for 2 pax).
Day 5: LAO CAI - CAT CAT, LAO CHAI, TA VAN VILLAGES – SAPA (B)
Arrive at Lao Cai Station at 06.00. Transfer to Sapa then have breakfast at local restaurant. After a short rest, start today by hanging around with our guide at the Sapa market, where we can meet the montagnards and admire their handicrafts made of wood, silver, or dyed and embroidered fabrics and clothes. Later, take a 2-km short trek to Cat Cat Village, the home of Hmong Ethic. Meeting and talking with locals to learn more about their daily life.
Go on to Lao Chai (10km from Sapa) and walk through 3km to Tavan with stops at the villages of the tribal people Hmong, Tay and Dzay en route. Back to Sapa. Overnight in Sapa.
Day 6: SAPA – BAC HA MARKET – LAO CAI (B) – OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI (NO GUIDE ESCORT ON TRAIN)
Today is Sunday, nothing will be better than driving overland to a market of the hill tribal people, mainly from Flower Hmong ethnical group. After breakfast, at around 7 o’clock we will drive to Bac Ha, about 110km from Sapa. With a dozen of tribes living in the surroundings, including Flower Hmong, Chinese, Nhang, Dzao, Nung, Phu La, Thai and King (or Viet), the market is extremely exciting esp. in the early morning. The winding road to Bac Ha helps maintain the colours (in both literal and figurative sense) of the area. In Bac Ha market, we can meet hundreds of beautiful women from Flower Hmong tribe, who are famous for their wonderful craft and hand-made flowering clothes and textile fabrics, or intermingle with people from Black Hmong, Dzay, Dzao and other ethnic groups coming to the market not for purchasing stuffs, but for meeting and chatting – just once a week - like in a real cultural center.
Afternoon, we can hike around or take our car heading to further hamlets in Ban Pho. Head to Lao Cai to catch your train back to Hanoi. Overnight on train (Private cabin for 2 pax).
Day 7: HANOI - HUE CITY TOUR (B) @ MORNING FLIGHT
Picked up at the train station and transfer to a nearby mini hotel for breakfast and a short rest. Later transfer to the airport for your flight to Hue.
Being recognized by UNESCO as the 1st Cultural World Heritage for Vietnam, Hue is highlighted by the old royal architectural works and the most traditional Vietnamese lifestyle. We will discover the charm of the city from the Royal Citadel, Forbidden City, Hue Royal Museum.
Afternoon visit the Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, which is renowned for its architecture and sublime forest setting. Then, proceed to the Tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, the last monument of the Nguyen dynasty. Lastly, transfer to the wharf and get on a boat for a trip on the beautiful and serene Perfume River and visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, situated on Ha Khe hill, on the north bank of the Perfume River. The pagoda features a seven successive tiers, each of which is dedicated to a human form taken by the Buddha. Overnight in Hue.
Day 8: HUE – HOIAN HALF DAY TOUR (B)
After breakfast and check-out from hotel, we will depart from Hue to Hoian by the Hai Van Pass (the “Ocean Cloudy Mountain Pass”) and enjoy the beauty of Lang Co Beach before reaching Hoian.
Visit the Hoian ancient town of Hoian including the tile-roofed Japanese Bridge, taciturn Chinese Assembly Halls and Trading Houses, Pagodas, and the market located by Thu Bon river. Go shopping in Hoian famous handicraft shops. Overnight in Hoian.
Day 9: HOIAN – MY SON SANCTUARY – HOIAN (B)
Today, we will visit the religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom. My Son, 60km southwest of Hoi An, sits in a lush green valley with dozens of red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from the seventh through the thirteenth centuries. Your guide will take you through the museum and the holiest of sites before returning to your hotel. We also have a chance to enjoy Cham dances in this Holy Land (at 0930). Back to Hoian. Free at leisure in the afternoon. Overnight in Hoian.
Day 10: HOIAN – DANANG - SAIGON CITY TOUR (B) @ MORNING FLIGHT
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Saigon. Upon arrival at the airport, you are welcomed by the local tour guide and transfer to the city center to check in hotel.
Afternoon, we start the city tour at the Reunification Palace, the witness of the fierce Vietnam War ended in 1975. The grand building today is a Museum and Hall of official receptions. Nearby the Palace are the colonial-styled Central Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral, built between 1877 and 1883 and one of the city’s major landmarks. Enjoy a walking tour on Nguyen Hue street to take the photos of the Opera House and the Ho Chi Minh Committee (outside). From here, walk to Ben Thanh Market one of the most typical symbol of Saigon to experience the daily life of the locals and shop for hand-made goods there. Overnight in Saigon.
Day 11: SAIGON – MY THO – BEN TRE – CAN THO (B)
After breakfast, leave Saigon, enjoy the scenic journey along the way bordered by green rice fields. Upon arrival in My Tho, visit Vinh Trang pagoda, take a leisurely boat ride along the river, view stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages along the river bank. Then a boat ride to An Khanh – a less touristy attraction in Ben Tre, enjoy cruising on a hand-rowed sampan under the shade of the water coconut trees along natural canals, then enjoy seasonal fruit & honey tea to the sound of "Southern Vietnamese folk music", performed by the locals. Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle, taste delicious coconut candy & observe the pastoral life as you roam through fruit plantations and villages. Proceed to Can Tho. Free time to visit the bustling Can Tho market. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 12: CAN THO FLOATIG MARKET – SAIGON (B)
Early in the morning, take a leisurely boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong river ( Bassac River), then proceed to visit Cai Rang floating market, which is the liveliest in the whole religion.
Have you ever tasted Vietnamese vermicelli soup? Well, now go and see how it is made. Then wander around the village and meet the friendly local people and experience how to cross a "Monkey bridge" which is built by only one stem of bamboo. Visit the orchard garden. Back to Saigon.
Around 18:00 - 18:30, the tour guide will pick up & transfer to the pier check in cruise. The delicious dinner will be served while cruising along the Saigon River & seeing the skyline, bustling rivers lives. Continue enjoy your evening with variety of traditional performances aboard the ship. You will return pier around 21:00 and transfer back hotel. Overnight in Saigon.
Day 13: SAIGON – CU CHI TUNNELS – SAIGON (B)
Morning visit Cu Chi Tunnels, one of the few remaining monuments to the Vietnam War. Beneath the ground lie 200 km of tunnels, dug by hand and inhabited by the forces of the Vietnamese guerillas during the conflict. At its peak, prior to the Tet Offensive in 1968, the tunnel complex was a base to almost 10,000 troops. To this day, it remains one of the most impressive examples of how fierce the war used to be. You can even try to crawl some metres in the tunnel underground to have the real experience. Return to Saigon for your final night in Saigon.
Day 14: SAIGON DEPARTURE (B)
Free at your leisure until transfer to the airport for your flight back home.