ESSENCE OF VIETNAM IN 16 DAYS

DAY 1: ARRIVE HANOI

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, your driver will meet you and take you to your hotel.

Free time in the evening and overnight in Hanoi

DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR – SAPA (B/L/D)

0800h – Guide will meet you at your hotel & you will depart to visit:

Ho Chi Minh Complex: Completed in 1975 the complex contains Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, his former stilt house residence, the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh museum.

Next stop is a visit to the Temple of Literature

1200h – A delicious set menu lunch will be provided for you in a local restaurant.

1300h – Your tour recommences with a visit to the Museum of Ethnology which is widely acknowledged as the best in Vietnam and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic minority peoples.

Then it is on to the Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake

The Old Quarter, also known as the 36 streets, is a bustling area of narrow streets home to literally thousands of small businesses and street vendors, selling a wide variety of goods. Originally each of the 36 streets names’ were related to the products being sold there. Hence you can walk from Fish Street to Tin Street to Bamboo Street and you will enjoy exploring the area while riding in a traditional cyclo.

2000h – your driver will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to Hanoi railway station where you board an evening train to Lao Cai.

Overnight on train in a shared, 4 berth, soft sleeper cabin.

DAY 3: LAO CHAI – SAPA – Y LINH HO – TA VAN (B/L/D)

0600h – Arrive at Lao Cai railway station where you will be met and transferred by shuttle bus to the township of Sapa which takes approx one hour.

0800h – After breakfast, a morning shower and leaving your main luggage at the hotel, we will walk from Sapa towards Muong Hoa valley. Here you will discover the wonderful scenery of the Hoang Lien mountain range and meet people of the Black H’mong tribes before Trekking through terraced rice paddies and minority villages along the Muong Hoa River.

We then cross the suspension bridge towards the Zay village, arriving at Ta Van, where we have dinner cooked on a wood fire and enjoy the hospitality of a local Zay family.

Overnight in Home stay accommodation or hotel

DAY 4: TA VAN VILLAGE – LAO CHAI – HANOI (B/L/D)

Enjoy views of the magnificent landscape with your sunrise coffee and enjoy a delicious breakfast.

Once we have said our goodbyes, we will set off to trek through bamboo forests towards Giang Ta Chai waterfall, cross over a rattan suspension bridge and enter Giang Ta Chai village which is inhabited by the Red Zao minorities.

Here we will experience daily life before crossing over Muong Hoa River up walk up the mountain to visit Supan village, the home of the H’mong people. We then board the bus back to Sapa where you can take shower in the hotel and have dinner before transferring to Lao Cai train station for the night train back to Ha Noi.

2115h. Train departs. Overnight is in a shared, 4 berth, soft sleeper cabin on board the train.

DAY 5: HANOI – HA LONG Bay (B/L/D)

0500h – Arrive at Hanoi train station and transfer to the hotel where you can have a shower and enjoy breakfast.

0745h-0830h – Your transport will pick you up at your hotel and you will depart for |Ha Long Bay. You will stop for a short break at the Humanity center situated approximately half way on to the bay and enjoy local specialties.

1200h – Arrive Ha Long Bay and transfer by tender to your luxury Junk where the captain will welcome you on board the boat.

A delicious lunch will be served for you as the boat passes through many of the thousands of islands and islets within Ha Long Bay.

1530h – You will have the opportunity to explore what is commonly thought to be the biggest and most amazing cave in Halong Bay, the Surprise Cave.

1700h – Kayaking for an hour around the fishing village and observe the daily life of the local community there. Then back to boat for Sunset Party.

1930h – Enjoy a dinner of local or western food and spend a romantic night on board the Junk.

Day 6: HA LONG BAY – HANOI — HUE (B/L)

Rising to the sound of lapping bay waters, we have time for an early morning dip followed by breakfast. Sitting on the upper deck, you can relax while taking in the breath-taking beauty of the rocky islands rising from the emerald water of the bay. After breakfast, explore Sung Sot cave, swim and relax. Cruises back to the jetty while brunch is served while you are cruising through the bay, along the way seeing more of the fascinating formations.

Cruise check-out and transfer to Hanoi

1700h – Arrive Hanoi and transfer to Hanoi airport to board flight to Hue.

Arrive Hue and transfer to your hotel for check in.

DAY 7: FULL DAY SIGHTSEEING  HUE CITY  (B/L/D)

0900h – Your day of discovering the wonders of Hue will begin when your English speaking meets you at the Hotel.

As part of your Hue city tour you will visit the impressive complex of the Imperial Citadel. Built in the 19th Century and surrounded by high stone walls and moat, the Citadel was once the exclusive home of the Nguyen Imperial Family. It is similar to the famous Forbidden City in Beijing and is not to be missed.

1200h – A delicious set menu lunch will be served at a local restaurant and after lunch you will take a cruise on the famous Perfume River and visit Tu Duc and Minh Mang tombs.

Tu Duc Tomb is one of the most beautifully designed tombs of the Nguyen dynasty. Embedded in a lush pine forest, the tomb is the final resting place of Emperor Tu Duc (1848-83) who had the longest reign of all emperors of the Nguyen dynasty.

Return to your hotel at approximately 1600h.

DAY 8: HUE –MARBLE MOUTAIN – CHAM MUSEUM – HOI AN (B/L)

0830h – Your guide will meet you at the hotel and travel with you in an air conditioned private vehicle from Hue to Hoi An driving over Hai Van pass. The scenery from the top of Hai Van pass is spectacular and offers some great photo opportunities.

The pass, which once formed the boundary between the kingdoms of Dai Viet and Champa, also forms a boundary between the climates of northern and southern Vietnam, sheltering the city of Da Nang from the winds that blow in from the northwest.

You will arrive in Da Nang at approximately 1130h and after having lunch at a local restaurant you will visit the Cham Sculpture Museum. Next stop will be at the Marble Mountains and Non Nuoc village where you will ride the new twin glass elevators to the main area for a visit before continuing onto Hoi An.

1830h – Dinner will be provided for you at a restaurant in Hoi An before you return to your hotel.

DAY 9: HOI AN ANCIENT TOWN – MY SON HOLYLAND (B/L)

0800h – Start from your hotel and travel 50km from Hoi An to My Son holy land.

My Son was a major religious site for the people of the ancient Champa Kingdom which flourished between the 4th and 13th centuries The Champa people ruled Central Vietnam until it was finally annexed by the Vietnamese in the 19th Century. The Champa King lived in the political capital of Tra Kieu (whose commercial capital was the port of Hoi An) and so the My Son complex became the most important temples of the Champa Kingdom. Bricks were used to build the temples without the aid of mortar and sculptures of gods, priests, animals, and scenes of mythical battles adorned the walls. The temples were places of worship to the Hindu God Vishnu.

Lunch in Hoi An.

After lunch you will join to a walking tour of Hoi An Old Town. Famous for its quant mixture of Chinese, Japanese and European architecture, the old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. You will visit, the Japanese bridge built in the 16th century and famous for being the only covered bridge known to incorporate a Buddhist pagoda, the 200 year old Tan Ky house, museum of trade ceramics and several other historical sites.

Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 10: HOI AN COUNTRYSIDE – RIVER CRUISE – FREE DAY AFTER NOON (B/L)

We start at 8 30 h from your hotel  for  Hoi An Backstreets & Village tour. The tour takes you by air conditioned vehicle down the quiet backstreets and through small villages where the locals live so you can see Vietnamese life up close.

Along the way we will take a break at a village café for a coffee, soft drink or a beer before getting on board a private boat at the near by ferry terminal for a slow and enjoyable cruise on the Thu Bon River. At the end of the cruise you will arrive at a local restaurant on the banks of the river for a delicious set menu seafood dinner.

Back to the hotel at 2 pm and enjoying the free time for walking in town or shopping.

Overnight night in Hoi An.

DAY 11: HOI AN- DA NANG – FLIGHT HO CHI MINH (B)

Free time until our drive meets you to transfer you to Da Nang airport to board your morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Arrive to HCMC where you will be met and transferred to your hotel in the exciting district one.

Overnight in Ho Chi minh

DAY 12: HO CHI MINH CITY TOUR (B/L)

Begin our urban experience in bustling HCMC , the country’s commercial center and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. Visiting Chinatown, the Thien Hau Pagoda, the Reunification Palace , the Opera House and Hotel de Ville. If desired, also visit the moving War Remnants Museum.

Explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street , the city’s main shopping boulevard with shops selling clothes and accessories by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares. The urban modern Ho Chi Minh City with its numerous shopping malls, cinemas, discotheques and a bewildering number of bars.

Overnight in HCMC

DAY 13: CAO DAI TEMPLES AND CU CHI TUNNEL (B/L)

This morning we drive to Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh. Cao Dai Holysee Temple is the cathedral of the Cao Daism religion with the Divine Eye – official symbol of Caodaism. Cao Dai followers worship Jesus Christ, Confucius, Taoism, and Buddha. Time to observe the midday service.

Following lunch you will drive to visit Cu Chi Tunnels. Cu Chi Tunnels consist of more than 200km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam War. Overnight in HCMC.

DAY 14: HCM CITY – MY THO – CAN THO (B/L)

Leave HCMC to lush My Tho where we cruise on a private boat through the green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where we are treated to a delicious lunch in a local restaurant in the heart of the Mekong , complete with tropical fruits. We also visit the snake farm Dong Tam that breeds snakes for, among other things, snake wine and visit VinhTrang pagoda, a combination of Asian and European pagoda before heading Can Tho city, heart of the Mekong Delta. Overnight in Can Tho.

DAY 15: CAN T HO – HCM CITY (B/L)

After the breakfast Take boat trip to join in the Cai Rang floating market – one of the most bustling floating markets in Mekong Delta with hundreds of small boats barging and jostling for space to sell their goods and to experience the Mekong rural lifestyle. After sampling local fruits, our guide will escort the guests back to the hotel through myriad canals. Lunch at local restaurant before return to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in HCMC.

DAY 16: DEPARTURE DAY ( B )

Free day for you untill  checked out of your hotel we will transport you to the airport or train station where your time with us will sadly come to an end.

Notes :

1. More people more discounts. Please enquire for more details
2. Tour can starting from Ho Chi Minh city or Ha Noi City.