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11 Days - 10 Nights
35+2
3+
Car
Family,Nature & Culture
From October to March
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.
After check in hotel, enjoy free time by some activities at night. The local night market (Friday to Sunday) and the Old Quarter provide opportunities for cultural exploration and shopping. Culinary enthusiasts can try local dishes at a beer station, while enjoy panoramic city views. For a vibrant nightlife, some bars offer diverse and engaging options.
Breakfast at hotel, then, take half day city tour, beginning with 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 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 walking in Hanoi Old quarter & Tasting local foods.
Walking to the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake, St. Joseph Cathedral Church & Café Nhan shop since 1946, Enjoy a special coffee cup with the harmonious blend of pure Arabica coffee of North Vietnam and the handmade preparation.
Walk along Hang Gai “silk” street to Hoan Kiem street. Sit down on a street-side stall to see the host prepare your dish of “Nom bo kho” with ingredients of dried beef, sour kohlrabi, mango, coconut, and a bit chili. It’s crispy, meaty, and delicious, especially attractive flavour which can persuade all fasttidious foodies. Next place is Ta Hien beer corner. Opt some “Nem ran” Vietnamese spring-rolls before enjoying “the cheapest draught beer of the world” voted by Lonely Planet experts in 2011. Bottom-up the beer during chatting with friends.
Finish your street food tour in “Pho Bat Dan” the most famous soft-noodle restaurant of Hanoi Old quarter. Be quick for self-service because this restaurant is so famous that everybody diner out there. End of your tour at your hotel.
Have breakfast at hotel then transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. On the way, you will see some rural areas of the Red River Delta with plenty of chances to take photos of Vietnamese farmers working in paddy fields. Stop halfway to visit a handicraft workshop of fine clothes and embroidered paintings.
Arrive in Ha Long City, check in aboard the booked junk right after the welcome drink is served. Start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view. 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. The bay cruise will continue with up close sighting of Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island, Sail Island, a visit to Sung Sot Cave and swimming stop at Titov Beach. Relax to enjoy the bay view at sunset, have dinner after, go fishing at 09:00 PM and spend a night on board.
Overnight on cruise in Halong Bay.
Early risers can enjoy the splendid yet tranquil view of the bay at the crack of dawn. Breathe the sea’s fresh air, feel the morning breeze, and hear the sounds of birds above. Have breakfast and cruise to visit Human head shaped island and Tortoise Island. Then, have brunch on boat while heading to shore.
Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Hanoi.
Arrival Hanoi, check in hotel and take a rest in 1 hour then our guide will take you to a traditional family of Hanoi with three generations in the house. All family members will greet you like friends who come from afar. You and the members of the home will be the protagonists of the dinner. You can ask anything about life, culture, habits, … of a traditional family so that you can see the difference between Vietnam and your country. Dinner at local family.
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi
Breakfast at hotel then transfer to airport for flight to Da Nang. Arrival Da Nang airport, you are transfered to Hoi An ancient town by private car & guide. Have lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon, visit Hoi An Ancient town. This city recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site is now popular as a city of peaceful with well-preserved architecture, lifestyles, and traditions. Your visiting will be impressed by an enchanting fusion of culture from Vietnam and also outside world including China, Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Today, to explore almost the main attracting spot in Hoi An, our guide will take you to the iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge which a Japanese-styled temple is based on. Then continue to the Museum of Trade Ceramics – a Vietnamese Style wooden house which has showcased antique ceramic artifacts since 1858, the Tan Ky House which has had a long lasting of 200-year-old – an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong temple for worshiping an ancient Chinese general who had been admired as his loyalty, bravery, and justice - Guan Yu, which is built in 1653 by the Chinese settlers. Finish tour, our guide takes you to see the colors activities in local market.
Transfer back to hotel for check in.
Overnight at hotel in Hoi An.
Our guide will pick you up at hotel lobby then transfer to a local market to start your half day of cooking class. You will be guided by a master chef from the local cooking school to know what to buy and how it will be used in your recipes. Finish buying ingredients at the market, embark on a small boat to ride along the Thu Bon River for about 25 minutes to catch the cooking school on the other side of the river. You will be taught in an open-air pavilion beside the river by the experience chef. To make your lunch tasty, you should observe carefully then practice under guidance of the chef. We believe this will be a memorable lunch with taste from Hoi An and made by yourself.
After the tour, transfer to Hue via the Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass). Enjoy a stunning headland-and-bay panoramic view from the pass, which for miles hugs the mountainside along the shoreline and overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Check in hotel, then dinner at local restaurant with royal meal, just imagine that you are the King, beside you are the Queen accompanied by tens of servants. All wear traditional royal clothes. All the served food is royal including dishes reminding dragon, phoenix, or peacock. They look so nice but taste even better.
Overnight at hotel in Hue.
Our private guide will pick you up at your hotel and take a tour of Hue City, the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam for the 1802-1945 period and the last refuge of Vietnamese feudalism. The city’s beauty is characterized by a natural scenic landscape and an extensive variety of historical relics. Begin with Hue Citadel, a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site which is a 520-ha fortress-like grand complex built in the early 1800s and featuring three enclosures separated by heavy ramparts namely Kinh Thanh Hue (Civic City) as the outer, Hoang Thanh (Royal City) as the middle and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden City) as the inner. Continue visiting Khai Dinh Tomb, the burial site of Vietnam’s second-to-last king, and the most elaborate compared to other kings’ tombs. The tomb shows a vivid European influence in architecture despite its Asian style.
Then, transfer to airport for flight to Saigon. Welcome by our guide at Saigon airport and transfer to the city, take photos at some famous places in Saigon city before transfer to cruise for dinner. Cruising 2 hours on a traditional Junk and enjoy some amusing gastronomic moments. Transfer to Saigon peir. You will be greeted by the captain and crews once you board the ship. Relax on the upper deck and enjoy the panoramic view of the city lights. Enjoy several traditional dishes, including rice flower pancakes “Banh Xeo” or pork pineapple skewers made on the BBQ grill for dinner. Enjoy live trational music show and dance during dinner.
Overnight at hotel in Saigon
Following breakfast at the hotel, embark on a transfer to the Ho Chi Minh Agricultural Villages in Cu Chi. Explore cow, buffalo, fish, prawn, chicken, duck, and rice fields. Engage in hands-on challenges, embodying a Vietnamese farmer, wearing traditional hats, and gathering herbs, spices, vegetables, and mushrooms. From 10:00 am to 1:30 pm, partake in a cooking class, crafting three dishes and one dessert. Gain insights into healthy cooking, receive certificates, recipes, and souvenirs.
Then visit Cu Chi Tunnels, start discovering the famous Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the American, 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.
Overnight at hotel in Saigon
Breakfast at hotel, afterward, our guide and driver pick you up at your hotel and transfer about 136km to Vinh Long, a riverside town located in the Mekong Delta.
Enjoy a boat cruise to the Cai Be floating market with sellers and buyers bargaining and exchangeing goods from their boats, and then to Hoa Binh Phuoc islet where the maze o shady creeks will surely fascinate you. You will have a change to mighle with local peasants, learn the secrets of their bonsai gardening. Visit local homes where the famillies produce tiles and ceramics; drop into rice-paper kiln and coconut-candy kiln; and observe daily country life.
Afternoon, free at your leisure until time for cooking class. Dinner at homestay with food – made by yourself.
Overnight at local homestay
Morning, transfer to Ninh Kieu wharf then visit Cai Rang Floating Market by shuttle-boat, you can see bustling activities along Can Tho riverbanks. Particularly, you may know how local people go fishing with plenty of fish traps and how they transport passengers as well as products by the waterway. Approaching Cai Rang floating market, you can reappear the selling activities in the past using a traditional “offering pole” exchanging consumer goods hanging on the pole for Mekong fruit and vegetables with local sellers. To understand more about lifestyle over here, keep on going into the small creeks called Rach Nho in which the Southern countryside can be seen clearly before cruising back to Ninh Kieu Wharf.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon, transfer back to Saigon.
Overnight at hotel in Saigon
Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to Saigon airport for departure flight.
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