DAY 01: HANOI ARRIVAL (-)
Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be picked up (car & driver only) from the airport and transferred to a hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore this fascinating city and its bustling streets. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 02: HANOI – CITY TOUR (B, L, D)
Depart your hotel to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum and One pillar pagoda) and the Tran Quoc Pagoda. Continue to the Temple of Literature, the first University in Vietnam dating back to the 16th century.
In the afternoon, enjoy a cyclo tour through the Old Quarter will provide another fascinating insight into the character and history of the city, before moving on to Dong Xuan Market with its bustling stalls and brisk trading of day-to-day local goods. Finish the day with a traditional water puppet show.
Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 03: HANOI – HALONG BAY (B/L/D)
This morning we will depart for Halong Bay, one of the most stunning natural wonders of Vietnam. After breakfast at our hotel in Hanoi we will be heading out to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Around 12:00, we arrive at your jetty in Halong City towards noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After your welcome onboard, a lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.
Overnight on boat in Halong Bay.
Note: This tour may be subject to change depending on weather conditions.
DAY 04: HALONG BAY – HANOI – FLY TO DANANG (B/BRUNCH/D)
Enjoy your fresh morning in the middle of the bay, the sun rises on Halong in the morning and breakfast is served (brunch on some boats) while the vessels cruises slowly through the magnificent rock formations and back towards port. Disembark and transfer back to Hanoi. Arriving in the afternoon, you will be transferred to Hanoi airport for your onward flight to Danang. Arriving in Danang in the evening, you will be picked-up at the airport (car & driver only) and proceed to Hoi An for check-in. This evening is free at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An
DAY 05: HOI AN (B/L)
After breakfast at your hotel, discover Hoi An sights: despite the passing of 200 years and the ravages of weather and war, the centre of Hoi An remains much the same as it was in its heyday. This walking tour is the best way to see the wooden-fronted houses that once belonged to the town’s prosperous merchants, the Japanese-covered Bridge and the wonderful market as well as the many silk, handicrafts, antique shops and galleries. Overnight in Hoi An
DAY 06: DANANG – BANNA HILL – GOLDEN BRIDGE – DANANG (B/L/D)
Have breakfast at hotel before depart to Ba Na Hills – King Mountain, also known as the second DaLat/ Sapa in Central Vietnam. You will admire the hights by the most modem cable car system in Southeast Asia and will visit Dream Stream Cable car Station. After finishing the first cable car, you will visit France wine cellar, Linh Ung pagoda, then observe the panorama of Danang City. Continue to visit one of the world’s greatest places 2018 – The Golden Bridge before return to Danang. In the afternoon, en-route drive back to Hoi An, visit Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountain), climb Thuy Son (‘Water’ Mountain) by the stone stairs and enjoy the panoramic view of the nearby countryside. Return to Hoi An in the late afternoon. Overnight in Hoi An.
DAY 07: DANANG – HO CHI MINH CITY – CU CHI TUNNELS TRIP – CITY TOUR (B/L/D)
In the morning you will be transferred (car & driver only) to Danang airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City you will greeted by your guide and driver at the airport and proceed to the famous Cu Chi, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. The tunnels, over 250km in length and up to three levels deep in places, played a huge part in the Viet Cong’s victory over the Americans, allowing them to control a large rural area surrounding Ho Chi Minh City.
Return to Ho Chi Minh City, check-in in your hotel.
After lunch, we visit the Reunification Palace, the former palace of President Thieu and his predecessors. Today this building is a museum and venue for official receptions. Inside you can visit the private rooms of the president, the “War Room” from where the South Vietnamese forces were controlled, and, most poignantly, the room where the North Vietnamese army finally took control in 1975.
Nearby is the Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral, built between 1877 and 1883 and one of the city’s major landmarks. Neo-romanesque in form, Notre Dame is the major seat of the Catholic religion in modern Vietnam. Continue to the Jade Emperor Pagoda located on the fringes of district 1. Dating from 1909 and built by Cantonese Buddhists this quiet oasis was designed using feng-shui principals showcasing ornate statues and effigies. Finish by a visit & shopping at Ben Thanh market.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 08: HO CHI MINH CITY – MY THO – HO CHI MINH CITY (B/L/D)
Have breakfast at hotel, then depart from the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City to the area referred locally as ‘the rice bowl of Vietnam’ – the mighty river Mekong´s delta.
On arrived at My Tho, take a leisurely boat ride along the river, view the stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages along the river bank. Proceed to Tortoise islet, have lunch in the orchard garden. Then a boat ride to An Khanh – a less touristy attraction in Ben Tre, enjoy cruising on a hand-rowed sampan under the shadow of the water coconut trees along natural canals, then enjoy seasonal fruit & honey tea to the sound of "Southern Vietnamese folk music", performed by locals.
Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle, taste the delicious coconut candy & observe the pastoral life as you roam through the fruit plantation and village. Meet the bus and return to HCMC.
Return to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 09: HO CHI MINH CITY – CITY TOUR – DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Free time until transfer to the airport (car & driver only) for your onward flight.
