Highlight: Major cities of Vietnam with Hanoi capital – Mai Chau – Ninh Binh – Halong Bay – Hue – Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh city – Vinh Long Mekong Delta
ITINERARY
Day 1: Hanoi Arrival – Welcome dinner (Dinner)
Upon arrival, a local guide with your private driver will pick you up and travel to the hotel for check-in and then free. In the early evening, the guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel to take you to an excellent local restaurant for our welcome dinner. This is our way of thanking you for having trusted us and for the beginning of unforgettable experiences. Breakfast and lunch on your own. Dinner is included. Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi.
Day 2: Easy morning scooter tour and Street food tour by night (Breakfast, Dinner)
Today, your guide will pick you up at the hotel to start the scooter tour through Phung Hung Street with beautiful mural paintings recalling Hanoi in the past, Ngoc Ha Market to have a stroll through the bustling local site, then 100-year-old Long Bien Bridge. Drive your scooter to Giang Cafe at Nguyen Huu Huan Street, later on, to enjoy an Egg Coffee or Cafe Sua Da before riding back to your hotel.
This evening, you will go for a street food tour and understand what makes the Old Quarter of Hanoi such a captivating place. Here, you will be able to try many Vietnamese specialties such as banh cuon (steamed rolled rice pancake) and banh mi (the famous Vietnamese sandwich that even appears in the Oxford Dictionary). Then stop at a bia hoi (beer club) on Ta Hien Street and taste the fresh Vietnamese beer that is so popular with locals and travelers. After that, you will head to a pho restaurant where you will be able to choose between regular pho or pho tron (pho noodle mixed with chicken without soup). Then, continue your way along Hoan Kiem Lake for a tasty ice cream. You will then say goodbye to your guide and go on to explore Hanoi by night on your own. Lunch on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi – Mai Chau homestay (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Morning departure from Hanoi for Mai Chau on a picturesque road through the valley. Having lunch on the way at a local house. Arrive in Mai Chau and check in at a traditional stilt house of the Thai ethnic minority. The afternoon will be devoted to light trekking to the White Thai village in the surrounding area. The end of the day is free for discovering the local arts and crafts village. In the evening, enjoy your dinner and overnight in a Thai traditional house on stilts.
Day 4: Mai Chau – Ninh Binh – Hoa Lu – Tam Coc (Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast, drive from Mai Chau to Hoa Lu via Nho Quan. Plains, sugar land and waterfalls are on the way, this trip offers us one of the most picturesque countryside landscape of Vietnam. Arrival in Hoa Lu in the early afternoon. After late lunch, head to Hoa Lu, one of the most famous sites of Vietnam for its historical remnants and impressive limestone peaks, which gives it the name “ Terrestrial Halong”. There, you will also discover in the heart of the forest the temples of two Dinh kings dating back to the 10th century. In the afternoon, you will go step onto a sampan to travel to the caves of Tam Coc (“the three lagoons”), nestled in the middle of an aquatic landscape and gigantic rock formations. After the boat ride, you will return to Hanoi to arrive at the end of the day. Transfer to your hotel for check in and spend the night. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Ninh Binh.
Day 5 : Ninh Binh – Ha Long Bay – Overnight on cruise (Breakfast, Lunch)
In the morning, you will travel to Halong and arrive around noon. There, you will embark on a cruise through the must-see Halong Bay. This world-famous bay is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam, with its giant rock islets covered in luxuriant vegetation overlooking the waters. Halong Bay includes some 1,900 islands and islets of rocky peaks, often uninhabited and unvisited. This scene creates a spectacular marine landscape, which earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 1994. You will be served lunch and dinner abroad with excellent, freshly caught seafood from the bay. At the end of the day, you will have the chance to enjoy a night fishing session on the boat.
Note: The cruise provides an English-speaking tour guide on board. Therefore, your tour guide will take you to the pier and meet you after you disembark from the cruise. However, if you would like your own guide to accompany you on the cruise, we will arrange for you with an additional fee. Please give advanced notice if this is required.
Day 6: Ha Long Bay – Ha Noi – Flight to Hue (Breakfast, Brunch)
After breakfast onboard, we’ll keep cruising and continue to enjoy the gorgeous limestone towers of the bay and back to the pier around 11:15 a.m. We’ll head to Hanoi’s airport, passing a vast expanse of rice fields of the Red River Delta. You will see scenes of farmers working in the fields, children going to school, and even little pigs being brought into town on motorbikes.
On the way to the airport, you will pay a visit to But Thap Pagoda, one of the most beautiful and largest pagodas in Vietnam and which contains magnificent wooden sculptures. You will then reach Noi Bai Airport, where you will take your flight to Hue. Upon your arrival, your guide and driver will take you to your hotel for check-in. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Hue.
Day 7: Hue – Motorbike tour (Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast, you will start your Hue motorbike tour as a pillion passenger. Firstly, you will pay a visit to the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, one of the most beautiful sites of Hue. Built during the emperor’s lifetime, in a narrow valley about 8 kilometers from the center of Hue, the tomb is a model of traditional Vietnamese art and architecture. In a calm and peaceful atmosphere, about 50 buildings are spread over the entire area of the tomb site. Altars, pavilions, theaters and temples are united, in what is called the area of worship. Then you will be guided along the paved paths along the lake to the Emperor’s grave, its enclosure, the main courtyard and the stele pavilion of the tomb. You will probably be surprised by the size of the imperial tombs reflecting the dream of greatness, power and beauty of their founders.
In the afternoon, you will visit Thanh Toan Bridge – a unique and ornamental Japanese-style tiled bridge and Thien Mu Pagoda. Return to Hue. Dinner on your own. Overnight at hotel in Hue.
Day 8: Hue – Danang – Hoi An (Breakfast)
You are free in the morning. In the afternoon, you will leave for Danang city, traveling via the spectacular “Hai Van” route, which offers a superb panoramic view of the bay below. You will make several stops along the way, including one at the paradise beach of Lang Co. You will then take the road to Hoi An and arrive there at the end of the day. Lunch and dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Hoi An.
Day 9: Cooking class at Tra Que herb village – Visit Hoi An ancient town (Breakfast, Lunch)
First, you will be picked up privately at your hotel and taken to the market where you can be in the thick of the organized chaos and learn more about local ingredients, as well as witness daily local life. After buying some necessary ingredients for your cooking class today, you will be transferred to Tra Que village which is famous for its vegetable production. This area produces unique herbs, spices and vegetable gardens that you will smell far before you even arrive. The chef will teach you to cook some traditional dishes and some flavor combinations that you can use upon your return home. With a beautiful balance between fresh herbs, meats, and a selective use of spices, the cooking class will teach you not only how to make delicious dishes but also how to create harmony between flavors. Lunch will provide you the opportunity to taste the dishes you’ve prepared in a peaceful place overlooking to the vegetable garden.
After that, you will return to Hoi An town for a visit of this ancient town, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site because of its unusually well-preserved ancient streets and homes. Set out to explore the quaint cobblestone thoroughfares of the township with more than two-century-old Chinese houses. Places of interest include the Japanese Bridge, the Chinese Temple, and Phung Hung Chinese-trading house. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Hoi An.
Day 10: Hoi An free day – No guide and vehicle (Breakfast)
The day is free at your leisure. Lunch and dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Hoi An.
Day 11: Danang – Flight to Ho Chi Minh city – Cu Chi speedboat – Join-in (Breakfast)
This morning, you and your guide will go to Danang airport, then take a flight to Ho Chi Minh city. You will be greeted at the airport by a guide and driven to your hotel for check-in.
At around 11:00 am, you will enjoy a joining trip exploring Cu Chi Tunnels with totally new experiences: accessing into Cu Chi by boat instead of car, exploring local life outside Saigon. Embark on your speedboat from Ho Chi Minh City’s pier; your English-speaking guide will introduce you to life along the banks of the Saigon River as your boat gracefully slips through knots of floating water hyacinths on this scenic one-hour boat trip. A traditional Vietnamese lunch of local specialties like lemongrass chicken and caramelized clay pot pork will be served before your visit to the tunnels. After a short documentary, your guide will lead you through the historic Cu Chi Tunnels, dug by resourceful guerrilla fighters to provide communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters during numerous conflicts. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
Day 12: Ho Chi Minh city – Visit the tumultuous capital of the South (Breakfast)
In the morning, you will set off to visit the historical sites of the city: the old Post Office (built in the French Indochina era), Notre Dame Cathedral, Dong Khoi Street – a wide avenue lined with luxurious shops and hotels. After that, you will discover the city’s Chinatown (Cholon), where Binh Tay international market and Thien Hau pagoda are located. Depending on your interests, you can choose to visit the War Remnants Museum or the FITO Museum. The first exhibits US weapons and vehicles used during the Vietnam War, along with photos showing the consequences of this war and details of the chemical weapons that were used (caution: some images can cause discomfort). The FITO Museum, which is the largest private museum in the country, is dedicated to illustrating the history of traditional medicine in Vietnam. At the end of your visit, you will have some free time to stroll around and explore the city. Lunch and dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
Day 13: Ho Chi Minh – Ben Tre – Vinh Long – Home stay at Vinh Long (Breakfast, Lunch)
In the morning you will depart from Ho Chi Minh City to explore Ben Tre in the Mekong delta, also known as the “Green Venice” of Vietnam. After visiting a brick factory in Phong Nam where bricks are still hand-made, step onto a boat for a cruise along the Chet Say river (one of the Mekong’s arms). You will make several stops along the way to discover different local workshops, allowing you to understand better the specialities of the local economy. The boat will then cross a small canal and stop at a small village, where you will continue your discovery of the delta by visiting a workshop specializing in carpet-weaving. You will even be able to try this activity yourself, before hopping in a xe loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) or on a bicycle to wander around the village. You will see traditional farms, rice fields and vegetable plants, before stopping at a small local restaurant to taste a delicious (and generous) lunch made of regional specialties, such as “elephant-ear fish” and freshwater shrimps. In the afternoon you will get back on the sampan for some leisure time along the narrow canals. You will travel to Vinh Long. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the homestay in Vinh Long.
Day 14: Vinh Long – Ho Chi Minh (Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast, having some time to rest and you will travel back to Ho Chi Minh City. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
Day 15: Ho Chi Minh departure (Breakfast)
After checking out of your hotel. It’s time to say goodbye to Ho Chi Minh city and the driver and guide will take you to the airport for your flight back home.
TOUR INCLUSIONS
- Accommodation in the category chosen or similar (subject to availability)
- The private cruise in Halong Bay
- Meals as mentioned in the program: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- All local boat rental and cycling as mentioned in the program
- Transfer from and to the airports by private vehicle with A/C
- All domestic flight tickets in economy class as mentioned in the program
- All entrance fees and sightseeing as mentioned in the program
Vietnamese speaking guide(s) as mentioned and during tour
- Meals and drinks which are not mentioned in the program
- International flight tickets and airport taxes.
- Visa fees upon arrival in Vietnam.
Tips & personal expenses. Personal insurance. Any services not clearly mentioned in the program
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