AUTHENTIC VIETNAM

TRAVEL ITINERARY:

DAY 01: SAIGON ARRIVAL – ½ CITY TOUR.

Arrive Tan Son Nhat international airport. After completing immigration formalities and clearing customs you will be met by our guide & driver outside the baggage claim area who will escort you to a private waiting vehicle for your transfer to your hotel (12 km | Approx. 30 minutes). Our guide will be holding a welcome board with your name. Check in hotel.

Enjoy a private half day Saigon city tour:

• The twin towers of Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed.
• The historic Saigon Central Post Office.
• The Reunification Palace, the headquarters of the Saigon government during the American war.
• The War Remnants Museum for a vivid perspective of the American war through the eyes of the Vietnamese.
• Walking tour along Dong Khoi Street, known as Rue Catinat in French-colonial times.
• Enjoy a walking tour to visit the famous Ben Thanh Market, this will give you a good insight into the Vietnamese markets as well as an opportunity to interact with locals.

Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Saigon.

DAY 02: SAIGON - MEKONG DELTA – SAIGON (B,L).

Breakfast at hotel. Our guide and driver will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel.

• We transfer to My Tho City (70 km & approx. 02 hours).
• We stop at Cao Dai Temple in the town of Ben Luc for taking picture.
• Take a private leisurely boat trip, stocked with cold, cold towels, bottled water, fresh, seasonal fruits, and green tea, cruise around the four beautiful islands known as Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise islands (04 sacred animals of Buddhism).
• Boat over the traditional brick kiln and pottery which is a very old fashion of making the mud brick of Mekong people.
• Visit honey bee farm, enjoy lemon honey tea & dried banana cake, walking on the village road.
• Visit a local house on the island, enjoy seasonal fruits and listen to "don ca tai tu" music.
• Enjoy a rowing boat ride in the shadows of the water-coconut palms along the tiny canals to discover “Coconuts homeland”, Ben Tre.
• Witness the locals separate the hard shells and the coconut flesh, experience the entire candy production process and get hands-on experience making these treats in handicraft village.
• Enjoy a horse-cart around the village to have a look at the orchards and visit local people’s house. to experience the daily life of Mekong people.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant (Top 10 must-try dishes in Mekong delta will be served during your lunch).

Afternoon, we boat back to My Tho via a natural canal, cruising under the shadows of water coconut palms.

Transfer back to Saigon city. Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Saigon.

DAY 03: SAIGON – CU CHI TUNNELS – FLY TO DA NANG – HOI AN (B).

Breakfast at hotel. Our guide and driver will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel and then transfer to Cu Chi district, 50 km to the northwest of Saigon city (approx. 01 hour 30 minutes).

• Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, watch a short introductory video showing how they were constructed, then spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels.
• Experience history first-hand as you crawl the legendary Cu Chi tunnels, sample local food and food eaten by soldiers who lived in the wonder of Vietnam's unique military art.

Transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport to take a domestic flight to Da Nang (approx. 01 hour 15 minutes). Upon arrival Da Nang airport, you are welcome by our driver and then be transferred to Hoi An ancient town (35 km | Approx. 50 minutes). Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 04: BA NA HILL (B,L).

Breakfast at hotel. 08h30: Pick up at your hotel & transfer to Ba Na Hills, pass the sea-shore on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, one of the most beautiful roads of Danang City and Red Beach, where the French first landed in Da Nang. 

09h15: Arrive at the Cable car station at the foot of Ba Na Mountain. Enjoy the first leg Cable car, which achieves two Guinness World records in 2009, longest non-stop cable car (5,042m) and highest non-stop cable car (1,292m). Sitting in the cabin, in mid air, looking upon the endless tree line of the forests, bring you with spectacular views of the lush jungle and fairly waterfalls along the way. Experience pristine ecological systems of the Ba Na Mountains will leave you the sense of unforeseeable discovery. 

Visit the Le Jardin, old wineries, remains of French Villas and Linh Ung Pagoda with 27m high Buddha status. We then leave the Le Jardin for the second cable car station to visit the top of mountain and see the remain of old villas. Conquer the Peak of Chua Mountain at the height of 1,487m. View the whole Danang city under the cluster of white clouds. Leave Peak of Chua Mountain, visit the trail of Dreaming Stream, Rainbow Waterfall, Suspension Bridge, Golden Valley, and ruined Opera House.

Enjoy buffet lunch on Ba Na Hills.

Next, visit the Fantasy Amusement Park, and enjoy the 4D Movie and optionally a few free games. (Games which have rewards, are payable at the location). Play with wild monkeys and take photos. Free time for visiting Ba Na Hills. 15h00: We return to Cable car station at foot of Ba Na Mountain. Transfer back to Hoi An.

Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 05: CAM THANH COCONUT VILLAGE - HOI AN TOWN (B).

Breakfast at hotel. Our driver and tour guide will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel and transfer to Cam Thanh coconut village (about 20 minutes). We will experience basket boat ride around the coconut forest, learn about the daily life of Vietnamese fishermen, their families and their community. During the trip, the boatman will take coconut leaves to make funny natural ornaments such as hats, rings, glasses … You will surely experience the feeling of floating on the waves of water and join an equally fun basket boat race between the baskets together in the cheering and bustling music drum.

Witness the local fisherman on the river and experience on round net or cast net. Coconut forest is a very unique eco region, with a beautiful mangrove forest, is the habitat of many precious animals such as, crab, shrimp, fish...

Local people will teach you how to paddle the Vietnamese unique bamboo basket boat. You will hear stories of past wars and the harsh conditions that soldiers have to endure. Transfer back to Hoi An.

Afternoon: We enjoy a walking around the historic town to visit:

• Hoi An Market.
• Phuc Kien Assembly Hall - One of five official assembly halls in Hoi An (was established in 1697).
• 400-year old Japanese Covered Bridge - The symbol of Hoi An.
• Chua Ong Pagoda (Quan Cong Temple), a centuries-old spiritual treasure trove of Hoi An was established in 1653.
• Tan Ky old house, a living museum with more than 200 years old in Hoi An.
• Hoi An Central market.
• The silkworm & handicraft workshops.
• Enjoy a short cruise on the river to experience the Lantern Floating, a small boat riding with a lantern drop for good luck.

Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 06: HOI AN - DA NANG - FLY TO HA NOI (B).

Breakfast at hotel. Free your time at leisure, enjoy shopping… unstill our driver picks you up the lobby of your hotel, then we transfer to Da Nang airport (35 km | Approx. 50 minutes)for a short flight to Ha Noi (approx. 01 hour 15 minutes). We will board the flight at 19:30. You are welcome at Tan Son Nhat airport and then transferred to the hotel (35 km | Approx. 45 minutes).

Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Ha Noi.

DAY 07: HANOI - NINH BINH – TRANG AN - MUA CAVE - HA NOI (B).

Breakfast at hotel. Our guide and driver will pick you up at the lobby of hotel. We will transfer to Ninh Binh province (105 km | Approx. 02 hours 30 minutes) to visit Trang An Eco-tourism Site. Upon arrival Ninh Binh. We visit Tuyet Tinh Coc. Enjoy a stunning view after climbing up 200 steps. Visit the pagoda in the cave in the middle of the mountain.

We then visit Mua cave. After climbing 500 stone steps to the scenic overlook atop Ngoa Long Mountain, travelers will be rewarded with a stunning panorama of Ngo Dong River and the paddy fields below. To add to the incredible 360-degree view, there are a few worship sites along the ascent, offering visitors a glimpse into Vietnam’s long-standing legacy of Buddhism.

Afternoon: Enjoy the sampan boat trip in Trang An Eco-Tourism Complex and pass through caves and a stunning 1000 meters long cave. This might take you two-three hours on your small boat along the river, proceeding through a scenic landscape dominated by rice fields and karst towers.

Transfer back to Ha Noi (105 km | Approx. 02 hours 30 minutes). Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 08: HANOI – HA LONG BAY – A NIGHT CRUISE (B,L,D).

Breakfast at hotel.  Our driver will pick you up at your hotel, then we depart for Ha Long city to visit Ha Long Bay, a World Natural Heritage site and a World of New7Wonders. (170 km | Approx. 02 hour 30 minutes). Upon arrival in Ha Long. Check-in between 11:30 - 12:00 at the boat port.

• Enjoy welcome drinks and cruise briefing.
• Enjoy lunch while cruising to the magnificent Ha Long Bay. Passing the Fighting cocks Islet, the Elephant leg Islet, the Castle Islet, the Soi Sim Island…
• Luon Cave excursion on bamboo rowing boats or kayaks.
• Swimming or sunbathing at Titov beach.
• Pre-dinner sunset cocktail party
• Enjoy and learn the Vietnamese cooking demonstration on the sundeck.
• Savour a delicious set dinner in dining room.
• Night-time squid fishing.

(The itinerary above may be changed depending on the cruise we choose and weather permitting).

DAY 09: HA LONG BAY – HA NOI (B,L).

• Greet the day with a morning Tai Chi Exercise with an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay.
• Light breakfast. Coffee, tea, and pastries are served in restaurant.
• Arrive at Surprise Grotto - one of the most famous grottos in the entire Ha Long, we will visit the cave by tender.
• Enjoy the international brunch buffet served in the restaurant.
• Check-out on board and disembarkation at boat port.

Our driver will pick you up and transfer back to Hanoi (170 km | Approx. 02 hours 30 minutes)

• Enjoy a cyclo ride through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, also known as “36 streets.
• Explore Dong Xuan market to take photos and see the local life of Hanoi.
• Enjoy a traditional water puppet performance “Roi Nuoc” (Approx. 50 minutes).

Free your time at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 10: HA NOI CITY TOUR - DEPARTURE (B).

Breakfast at hotel. Our guide and driver will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel.

Today, we enjoy a private Ha Noi city tour. We will visit:

• Ho Chi Minh Complex. Follow a long queue to get inside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Take a short walk to Ho Chi Minh’s former house, which is built on stilts.

(Note: The mausoleum is open in the morning on every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The mausoleum is closed on Monday & Friday weekly. Normally, each year, the mausoleum will be closed for about 2 months for maintenance, usually from September to November).

• One Pillar Pagoda (built in 1049), it’s one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples.

• The sixth-century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda.

• Temple of Literature - Vietnam’s first university (Founded in 1070 by Emperor Le Thanh Tong).
• The Maison centrale in Hanoi, also known as Hoa Lo Prison or the ‘Hanoi Hilton’.

Free your timer at leisure, relax or enjoy shopping until our driver pick you up at the lobby of your hotel then transfer to the airport for your departure.