Arrive Hanoi

Upon arrival in Hanoi Airport, warm welcomed by our representative person then transfer to hotel for check in

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.

No Meals
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Hanoi

Hanoi – Full Day City Tour

Start off with an hour Cyclo ride around the French Quarter in the heart of Hanoi, to immerse yourself in an old atmosphere of an area that perfectly captures the timelessness and nostalgia of Vietnam. Mainly formed and developed during the French colonial era in the 20th century, the structure of French Old Quarter is planned on chess board model, so it is difficult to be broken. Buildings and architectures are designed by French architects according to colonial style in accordance with Vietnam climate. This is a great introduction of the thousand-year-old city which helps you delve into a bygone time of Vietnam, from the grand structures dominate the tree-lined boulevard to the modest buildings hidden behind small alleys, from the newly renovated to those near collapse. Many decades after the French left, these architectures have been remained and become important heritages in the distinctly atmosphere and charm of the capital.

Afterward, pay your respect to the nation’s founder at the Ho Chi Minh Complex and Ba Dinh Square, an important point of pilgrimage for the Vietnamese. Explore the nearby simple cottage on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked during his humble beginnings as a revolutionary. Next, move to the Ho Chi Minh Museum featuring an extraordinary tribute to his life. Gain insight into the prewar history of the country at the Governor’s Residence, also known as the Presidential Palace, an excellent example of Hanoi’s classical French architectural heritage, and Ho Chi Minh refused to live in the opulent structure for symbolic reasons, opting to build a traditional Vietnamese stilt house on the grounds instead. Stop by the iconic One Pillar Pagoda - a unique Vietnamese architecture reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond and hear the legend of its construction. Then transfer back to your hotel for leisure. Afternoon, continue with the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius.

Afternoon, our guide & driver will pick you up then transfer to Chợ Hôm market, mainly known as a fabric market, where you can buy wholesale fabric by the meter to make your own dresses and other things. Chợ Hôm market is full of produce, meats, seafood, and traditional Vietnamese foods. Enjoy the market like a local and see how Hanoians buy foods in a local market.

After finishing the city tour, the group proceeds to visit a unique café hidden away in a small alley at the heart of the Old Quarter. With about 95% furniture and decorations made from recycled materials, the café’s owner wants to contribute a part in protecting the environment, raising the community awareness, as well as spreading the message of nature protection to everyone, especially the young. Using the principle of “reduce – reuse – recycle”, all the scraps were cleaned, cut, grafted, and painted to make tables, chairs, decorative lights, and drinking cups.

This evening, you’ll experience one of Vietnam’s unique traditional arts at a Water Puppet show. This style of theatre (known as "Roi Nuoc" in Vietnamese) originates from rural festivals in Vietnam and features artists standing waist-deep in water to manipulate puppets, making them move, talk, laugh and even dance on water’s surface. The plays act out typical Vietnamese stories, depicting farmers working in the paddy fields, water buffalo bathing, courtship scenes and martial arts displays, all to the delight of the audience.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Hanoi

Hanoi – Sapa (Drive)

Our tour guide with private air-conditioned car will pick you up and transfer from Hanoi to Sapa on highway road. It takes 05 hours drive. Upon arrival, you will check in hotel and free at leisure.

Half day Ma Tra & Ta Phin

We begin the day with a 3km trek through breathtaking landscape to the village of Suoi Ho, a settlement of the Black Hmong ethnic minority people. The village will open to your eyes with a welcoming sight of lush hillside tea plantations and cardamom gardens. Observe life and nature there before trekking further on. Following the buffalo-trodden narrow trail, you will reach a small hospitable village named Ma Tra, another Black Hmong settlement in a tranquil valley, a very small village hiding away from the civilisation. You will then continue your walk through the paddy fields and feel refreshed amid a scenic setting, which seem so distant from civilization. See how Hmong children get their education by calling in a small local elementary school. Then transfer back to Sapa by car.

In the Afternoon is free at leisure by yourself to discovery Sapa town.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Sapa

Sapa – Full Day Lao Chai, Tavan & Giang Ta Chai

Depart from Sapa town by car to Lao Chai village, following the road down the hill. Views of the Muong Hoa valley and magnificent surroundings of mountains and rice terrace fields can be seen from this road. Along the road, people from many ethnic groups (H’mong, Zay, and Red Dao) are likely to be met, and there are stalls along the way that serve tea, fruits and sweets. Soon after turning off the main road and taking a local path, we will arrive in the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai, where you will experience the daily life of the villagers.

After that, continue by trekking about 4 km to Ta Van village which is clusters of rural houses embraced by the wavy curves of the terraced paddy fields. Villagers here are the Giay ethnic minority people, a small group only inhabiting Northern highlands of Vietnam. Take a break and have a picnic lunch prepared by your local guide in a local house. After lunch, hike for 3 km over hills and through a bamboo forest. Stop at a waterfall to rest before entering Giang Ta Chai village, home to the Red Dao ethnic minority people. Explore the village and observe villagers in their daily life activities. You will be picked up and return to Sa Pa by car.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Sapa

Sapa – Hanoi (Drive)

Our tour guide with private air-conditioned car will pick you up at your hotel in Sapa and transfer back to Hanoi on highway road. It takes 05 hours drive. Upon arrival Hanoi, you will check in hotel and free at leisure

Meal: Breakfast
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Hanoi

Hanoi – Halong Bay Overnight on Boat

In the morning you will depart Hanoi at 08:30 for a 3.5 hour drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long Bay City. On the way, you will stop for refreshments. Upon arriving in Halong City, you will take a tender transfer to your junk and set sail through the bay while lunch is served. As you cruise the magical bay, you will notice thousands of sculpted limestone islands rising from the waves like dragons’ teeth.

Later in the afternoon, you’ll visit a fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Back on board, you’ll enjoy cocktails or a cooking class while watching the sunset and later unwind at a restaurant for a lavish dinner. Enjoy some evening activities such as movie night, board games, or a beauty treatment before an overnight stay on the junk.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included
Overnight on Cruise

Halong – Hanoi (Drive) & Hanoi – Danang (By Flight) & Danang – Hoi An (Drive)

After rising to the sound of the ocean coming to life, you’ll enjoy breakfast, take a Tai Chi class and watch the sunrise over the bay (if you choose to get up that early!) You will visit a beautiful limestone grotto, then head back to the junk for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Disembarking at the Cruise Café Lounge, you’ll rejoin your private car for transfer back to the Hanoi Airport to board flight for Da Nang. Upon arrival at Da Nang Airport, our guide will pick up at the airport then transfer 45 minutes to Hoi An town . You will check in hotel and free at leisure.

Brunch Included
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Hoi An

Hoi An – Cam Thanh Local Village & Hoi An Walking Tour

Morning you will have breakfast at hotel then take full day city tour

Half day Cam Thanh village tour
It is located about 5km from the southeast of the Hoi An Old Town, Quang Nam, Viet Nam. The existence of the craft of making coconut paintings and the water coconut forest ecosystem Cam Thanh has created a cultural space to attract domestic and foreign tourists to visit, sightseeing or study.

Activities you will do at Cam Thanh Village
You will have chance to explore the water coconut forest ecosystem and learn about the daily life of Vietnamese fishermen, their families and their community. You will learn some techniques fishing tradition and how to paddle the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boats while exploring the now tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of apart war. Take rowing the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boats through these small and beautiful channels, come to inside of the water coco palm forest, see these coconut tree growing and get

End of day, the must – see site is the famous baguette – Banh Mi Phuong for a trial. This is also where the Australian Prime Minister & the celebrity chef Luke Nguyen visited when he attended the Apec meeting in 2017.

Half day Hoi An walking tour
Take walking tour around Hoi An town to visit Hoi An town. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Your sightseeing will include the 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. You will also visit the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, 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.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Hoi An

Hoi An – Danang (Drive) & Danang – Ho Chi Minh (By Flight) Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Delta – Overnight at Ut Trinh

Morning, you will have breakfast at hotel then take flight to Ho Chin Minh, upon arrival our guide will pick up then transfer to Mekong Delta and check in homestay Ut Trinh

Upon arrival you have a fresh shower before cooking some special dishes with the members of local family. We’ll enjoy dinner & overnight at homestay.

Optional activity: Biking on village paths to see the local daily life: orchard, school, church, pagoda, traditional houses and maybe the ancestral ways to pick up fruits in Mekong Delta...

Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight Stay at Home stay Ut Trinh

Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh (Drive)

The program will start with a visit of Cai Be floating market, ... On the way, we can make some stops to see how they make rice-net for spring-rolls, sewing coconut-leaves for cottage roof and specially see how they wave the dried water-hyacynth to make many products: baskets, bags, hats, wallets, shoes...

Then, the rowboat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals to enjoy the peaceful time. Lunch can be served at Ba Kiet / Muoi Huong. Then arrive the local workshop to see how to make rice paper, coconut candy, pop-rice... Enjoy some sweets with a cup of hot tea. Boat trip to visit the brick kilns where you can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay. Our boat will go along the floating village. We will see how to farm catfish on Mekong river.

Also, we can visit Vinhlong market in the town. This is the best choice for you to take pictures of fish, shrimps, prawns, crabs, snakes, rice-field rats, tropical fruits, vegetables... The cruise will end at Vinh Long city around 10:00 AM!.
In the later afternoon , transfer to Ho Chi Minh then check in hotel and free at leisure.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

Morning, you will have breakfast at hotel then take half day city tour

Let’s forget classic routes to explore a different perspective of Saigon, an insight into all the endearingly ordinary Saigon moments that make you more connected to this chaotic city. Morning, our guide and car will pick you up at hotel for a 25-minute drive to a special market, just right at the heart of bustling city, less-known by traveler and only shown by the indigenous. For decades, the market on canal become the shelter/anchor for poor people, mostly gardeners, from Mekong Delta provinces, living on the water by selling seasonal fruits to the Saigonese. Many people have been living on makeshift boats for half of the life, sunny or rainy days. Walk along the wooden boat-line road, interact with fruit vendors to understand why they leave their hometown, or difficulties they face to earn the living.

Next up is the wholesale flower market. Make your way through zigzag narrow alleys and passages filled with flower stalls and learn more about the business of local people here. Every flower you can imagine spills out onto the street like roses, lilies, orchids, daisies, in every color. But wait, look up at the residential areas above, you will be surprised by a different life to the marketplace. Here, the line between commercial and residential is blurred. Old buildings with flower-filled balconies and a spider-web-like network of electric wire right up on your head. Somewhere in an apartment, the elderly relaxing in living rooms or taking care of their grandchildren. Back on the street, bouquets of flowers packed in the back of motorbikes steadily pouring out of the market.

Afterwards, step back in time at the oldest café in Saigon for a reminder of what Vietnamese coffee used to taste like. Before French filtered coffee made its way down the town, there was cà phê vợt. Nothing changes since the first owner created and began selling cà phê vợt at a tiny café hidden in an alley somehow more than eighty years ago, either the particular brewing method using a cloth filter, charcoal stove and traditional clay pot or its décor decked out in blue and white, paint peeling off the ceiling. Come and see how cà phê vợt is made, listen to old stories told by the owner over a cup of coffee.

The impact of the Vietnam War can be witnessed all over the country, and any war or history buff should make sure a visit to the War Remnants Museum is on their must-see list for Ho Chi Minh City. With your private driver and English speaking guide, delve into the images and sounds of Vietnam’s lengthy war history with the French and Americans. The museum features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons and photos of the Vietnamese side of the war, and includes a moving tribute to the journalists, civilians and soldiers lost during the war, as well as a critical look at biological warfare, weaponry, and worldwide movements for peace. Continue to the Reunification Palace, also known as the Independence Palace, which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until the end of April 1975 during the Fall of Saigon. It was here that the Vietnam War ended when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates and led to the formal reunification of the two sides.

The afternoon continues with a drive passing by the former American Embassy and the site where the famous Buddhist Thich Quang Duc self- immolated in June11, 1963. After his funeral, where his remains were finally reduced to ashes, Quang Duc's heart, which had not burned, was retrieved, enshrined, and treated as a sacred relic. His self- immolation begins people’s up-rising movement largely, which lead to the fall of President Diem regime End with a visit to the iconic Ben Thanh Market, a centrally located covered market with ample opportunities to pick up souvenirs or relax with a cup of Vietnamese coffee.

Meal: Breakfast
Overnight Stay at the Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Leave Ho Chi Minh

Breakfast in the Hotel and Check Out

Later you will be transferred to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) Airport to board flight back Home