Full Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome To Hanoi
Upon arrival at Hanoi Airport, After collecting your baggage, exit the airport to meet outside a Guide. He/she will be holding a sign with your names on it. Please note that local guides are not allowed inside the airport.
From the airport, you will be privately transferred to your lovely hotel.
Settle in and enjoy an electric tram tour or cyclo tour through the Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a network of narrow alleys and shop houses also known as “The 36 Streets”. This is a wonderful place to watch the local life, and peruse items from fabrics to crafts to exotic medicines.
Enjoy a traditional Vietnamese water puppet performance, a uniquely North Vietnamese art form celebrating rural life and folklore for over 1,000 years, this evening.
Day 2: Hanoi City – Halong Bay (B, L, D)
Morning, you'll head out with your guide and begins with a visit Ba Dinh Square to see Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, and the simple cottage where he lived and worked, along with his "house on stilts" and his final resting place; and take in Hanoi's famous One-Pillar Pagoda, constructed in 1049 to resemble a lotus blossom.
Continue to the Temple of Literature, which dates back to 1070 and is dedicated to the cult of Confucius and visits the Museum of History Vietnam (or Museum of Vietnamese women), where we'll learn about the fascinating cultural diversity of this ancient land.
Afternoon, drive to Halong city, settle in and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.
Day 3: Halong – Hanoi – Danang/ By Afternoon Flight (B, L)
Welcome aboard your boat (junk) and sail through the Halong Bay. Allow your eyes to swim through the azure waters of this magical place, where thousands of sculpted limestone and islands rise from the water like gigantic teeth of dragons.
Pass through picturesque areas like the Fighting cock, Mat Quy and Am islets.
Stopping to visit the most beautiful caves named Thien Cung caves.
Continue to enjoy this relaxing cruise through the fairyland-like landscape & enjoy a seafood lunch on board.
Arrive at the shore at around 12.00 pm and drive you back to Hanoi and transfer to the airport for your short flight to Danang, Vietnam's most beautiful city, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located on the central coast of Vietnam.
Fly Hanoi to Danang. After collecting your baggage, exit the airport to meet outside your driver. He will be holding a sign with your names on it.
From the airport, you will be privately transferred to your hotel. Settle in and enjoy the evening at your leisure.
Day 4: Da Nang – Hoi An – Hue (B, L)
Morning tour of Hoi An:
Today, discover how the traditions of the past are treasured in the present in Hoi An on the Thu Bon River, a key international trading port between the 15th and 19th centuries – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved, centuries-old streets, dwellings, temples and pagodas, touring Hoi An's historic highlights with your guide.
Explore its shop-lined streets, view the red-painted Japanese Covered Bridge - the three Chinese characters over the door mean "bridge for passers-by from afar" and visit the 200-year-old "Phung Hung" house, noted for its unique architecture. What you'll see there will reveal much about the lives of Hoi An merchants long ago.
Visit the workshop of a traditional lantern maker for a demonstration of this time-honored craft; meet the artisans and try your skills as you create your own lantern to take home. Hoi An, the cobblestone streets in the old French Quarter are a delight to roam with many cafes, art galleries, and handicraft shops. Hoi An is especially well known for its local artists and tailor-made clothing, with over sixty shops providing this service in town.
Afternoon journey from Hoi An to Hue:
You will be driven north along highway 1 to Hue, a journey of approximately 3 hours with a short visit at Cham architecture & art museum in Da Nang.
Day 5: Hue City Tour – Ho Chi Minh City (B, L)
This morning, stroll around the hectic Dong Ba Market with your guide. The market is best explored in the morning when a sea of conical hats, colorful fabrics, produce of every description and an array of vendors offer delights for the senses await you.
Next, visit the Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City nearby. Modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing by the Nguyen emperors in the early 19th century, the city was badly damaged during the war but the imposing city walls surrounded by a large moat afford good views of Hue. The palace retains a feeling of its past scale and importance, with detailed stonework and pavilions and it is at the moment in the process of being restored to its former magnificence.
Continue to Thien Mu Pagoda, sitting on the riverbank outside the city, this octagonal seven tier stupa has long been regarded as the symbol of Hue and was founded in 1601. It is still a site of Buddhist worship and its huge bell is said to be audible from the city.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll continue to explore Emperors Tombs Hue’s environment is dotted with tombs of past emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. Construction of the tombs was meticulous carried out starting whilst the king was still alive in order to ensure his comfort in the next life. Most of the tombs have courtyards, a temple for worship, statues of elephants and figures and a pond, but the layout of each is different reflecting differing each king’s personality and style. They have a lovely peaceful atmosphere.
Each ruler of the Imperial City built his own tomb during his reign. You can choose to visit one of three following tombs: Khai Dinh, Tu Duc or Minh Mang.
Later this afternoon, you'll be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
After collecting your baggage, exit the airport to meet outside your driver. He will be holding a sign with your names on it. From the airport, you will be privately transferred to your lovely hotel. Settle in and enjoy the evening at your leisure.
Day 6: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels – Saigon (B)
This morning, enjoy scenic drive through the countryside as people work on their rice paddies and thatched hut villages scattered along the way.
Visit a local village making rice paper, a well-known product used to make the delicious spring rolls.
Arriving at the Cu Chi Tunnels to explore part of the 151-mile underground network that zigzagged from the southern tip of the Ho Chi Minh Trail near Cambodia to the Saigon River. Cu Chi is a must for anyone interested in understanding a vital aspect of guerrilla warfare fought by the Vietnamese against both the French and the Americans. These crisscrossing tunnels were begun in the late 1940s by local resistance fighters looking for a place to hide their weapons from the French. Discover secret trapdoors, field hospitals, command posts, underground kitchens, living areas, and meeting rooms.
Afternoon tour of Saigon:
After lunch at a local restaurant continue to discover Saigon's historic landmarks including the former Presidential Palace which was once headquarters for the Saigon Government during the "American War", and the War Remnants Museum, established in September 1975 in Ho Chi Minh City. It contains countless artifacts, photographs, and pictures documenting some of the less heroic activities carried out by the US army in Vietnam. Planes, tanks, bombs, and helicopters are also on display.
Next visit the 1880's General Post Office and the late 19th century Notre Dame cathedral, located in a peaceful part of the city.
Day 7: Depart Ho Chi Minh City
Today free at leisure until transfer to the HCMC airport in time for your flight to the next destination.
We wish you a safe and pleasant journey.
What's included:
– Accommodation
– Pick-ups and transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle as specified in the itinerary
– Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver
– English-speaking guides
– Meals included as indicated as in program: B: breakfast, L: lunch & D: dinner
– Entrance fees
– Bottled water
What's excluded:
– International flight tickets and Visas stamp ( US$ 25 paid on arrival at the airport)
– Any items of purely personal nature such as laundry and telephone calls
– Personal, travel and health insurance
– Early check-in and late checkout
– Meals that are not specified
– Gratuities/tipping to the tour guide, driver and hotel staff and restaurant’s staff