Arrival Hanoi airport, warm welcomed by our guide & driver then transfer to the city. Hanoi or “River-bound City” as its name literally means is Vietnam’s capital with a thousand-year-old history dating back to 1010. The city’s fascinating beauty, which is characterized by unique cultural relics, ancient streets of antique houses, elegant French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards, and romantic lakes has made it one of the most charming cities of Asia.

 

Meal: None

Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

The city tour begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October – November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam, built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars.

 

Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History, or the Museum of Ethnology. Next, head for Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Take a one-hour cycle tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

 

Then transfer to Train station to take night train to Lao Cai (22.00 to 06.00 next morning)

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight on train – 2 Berth VIP Cabin

Early morning, our guide and driver will wait for you at train station in Lao Cai then transfer to Sapa for freshen up & breakfast.

 

Tour guide takes you about 3km out of Sapa through a hilly landscape to Cat Cat village, home of Hmong ethnic minority people. The traditional trades of brocade making, and silver and bronze smith are still practiced nowadays by villagers after numerous generations of their ancestors. You can see the Hmong women by their looms weaving fabrics. We drive to the Silver Waterfall where a French-built hydropower station has been in service since 1920 (best in the rainy season from May to November). Take a short walk to the waterfall where a great view is offered of the surrounding mountains and the lush forests of Hoang Lien National Park. Along the way, your guide will explain about this special part of Sapa, where many tree species are grown such as plum and peach trees.

 

Continue by car up to Heaven’s Gate where you can see Fansipan Mountain, ‘the roof of Indochina’ at the height of 3143 meters above sea level.

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Sapa

Today we leave Sa Pa early in the morning to travel by car about 2.5 hours through winding mountain roads to Bac Ha Market. You’ll have an opportunity to discover the big outdoor market known as the venue for largest fairs in the region and watch the colorful market lively with minorities of various groups buying and selling assorted goods including handicraft, working tools and livestock.

 

Afternoon, continue to travel by car about one hour to Trung Do village, a settlement of the Tay ethnic minority people. Take a leisure ride on a cart pulled by a water buffalo around the village and observe hospitable villagers with their peaceful lifestyle. From the village, embark on a boat to cruise down the Chay River and enjoy sighting the magnificent mountainous landscape along the way. Disembark and refresh with a cup of tea before transferring back by car to Hanoi

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk when your journey across Ha Long Bay starts. Ha Long Bay meaning Descending Dragon Bay in Vietnamese as legend has it that it was where a holly dragon landed down from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2.

 

After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, go swimming on a quiet beach or sunbath on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with an opportunity to interact with local people who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. An optional kayaking trip is available weather permitting. Back onboard enjoy a lavish dinner and enjoy the bay view at sunset. Spend a night on boat.

 

Meal: Lunch, Dinner

Overnight on boat in Ha Long Bay

In the morning, refresh your body and mind with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Have tea and coffee onboard and continue exploring Ha Long Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Normally, check out at 09:30, have a buffet brunch while cruising back to shore. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Hanoi capital.

 

One the way from Halong to Hanoi, you will stop to visit But Thap pagoda – the country’s cultural historic relic. The pagoda was built under the dynasty of King Tran Thanh Tong (1258-1278) and rebuilt in 1647 in the Le Dynasty. Admire magnificent architecture of the most typical pagoda in Vietnam with four hundreds year statues.

 

When you arrive in Hanoi International airport, check in broad and take fight to Da Nang. Arrival Da Nang International Airport, meet our guide & driver then transfer to hotel in Hoi An for-check in.

 

Meal: Brunch

Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Morning, city tour to discover the charm of Hoi An as a renowned World Heritage Site. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles, and traditions. After receiving a brief introduction to the history, shape, and color of traditional lanterns, start a walking tour around the town to see its highlight sightseeing include the town’s iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the local market vibrant with colors and activities.

 

Afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Thu Bon River to enjoy the countryside landscapes and land on Kim Bong village where carpentry has been practiced since the 16th Century as the village’s trademark to visit some old-fashioned boatyards using timber as the main material. Afterwards, move on to Thanh Ha village to see its traditional ceramic production trade still alive and thriving despite the 500-year passage of time. Return to hotel.

 

Note: Hoi An is famous for speed tailor-made clothes with 4 to 24hours for tourist.

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Morning, meet our guide at your hotel and transfer out to a local market. A guide from the local cooking school will take you on a tour through the market to learn about the ingredients to be used in your recipes. After the market, board a boat to ride along the Hoi An river for about 25 minutes, watching local fishermen casting nets as part of their daily routine.

 

Arrive at a small township and walk to the cooking school. The class starts in an open-air pavilion by the river under the instruction of an experienced chef. Observe, practice, sample and bring out a good lunch cooked the local style to your own taste. Enjoy it yourself.

Afternoon, enjoy your free time

 

Meal: Breakfast, Meal after cooking

Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Morning, you’re transferred to Da Nang train station to take train to Quy Nhon (train time: 08.00 – 14.03). The Very First Luxury Train Ride in Central Vietnam

 

The Vietage is a luxury train experience like no other, offering a unique way to explore Central Vietnam by rail travel. Departing from the coastal city, the Vietage takes you on a scenic journey through some of the most picturesque landscapes in Central Vietnam and Southeast Asia. With comfortable seats and panoramic windows, you’ll have a front-row seat to the stunning countryside on the Vietage while enjoying the luxurious amenities onboard.

 

Arrival Quy Nhon, you’re transferred to hotel in Quy Nhon, check in hotel & relaxing

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Quy Nhon

Full day free

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Quy Nhon

Breakfast at hotel, transfer to airport for flight to Sai Gon. Arrival Sai Gon, you’re welcomed by our guide & driver then transfer to hotel for check in

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Saigon

Morning, meet your guide and transfer about 75 km North-west of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaling over 120 km in length. Its complexity was beyond imagination containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches, and emergency exits all aimed for guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Return to the city at noon time for a rest

 

Afternoon, continue to visit War Remnants Museum which features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam War with the both the French and Americans and the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975. Next, move to Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. You’ll also visit Sai Gon Post Office, a fine colonial building which was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel.

 

Move on to Cho Lon or the city’s China Town where you will visit the Jade Emperor Temple (Phuoc Hai), a rare Taoist structure in Vietnam built in 1909 in dedication to the Lord of Heaven. It’s filled with smoky incense and fantastic carved figurines and still buzzing with worshipers, many lounging in the front gardens.

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Saigon

Today, meet with your hotel to transfer about 136 km to Vinh Long, a riverside town in the vast Mekong Delta, the world’s largest delta.

 

Embark a boat cruise to lively Cai Be. Proceed through a fascinating maze of shady canals to Hoa Binh Phuoc Island. Beautiful landscape of zigzag canals, lush vegetation, peaceful villages and activities of rural life will make you a delightful sight. There on the island, visit some local farmers’ homes, interact with warm-hearted hosts and learn about their trades of bonsai gardening, tile and ceramic production and rice paper and coconut candy making.

Afternoon, drive back to Sai Gon & free at leisure.

 

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight at hotel in Sai Gon

Meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to Ho Chi Minh airport for flight

 

Meal: Breakfast