ITINERARY
Arrive at Tan Son Nhat International airport, welcome by our guide and transfer to hotel for check in. The distance is approximately 30 minutes.
Your visa should be pre-arranged, or be sure that your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to custom desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival.
Ho Chi Minh City formerly named Saigon is the largest city and economic center of Vietnam always bustled with activities of modern life. It is where businesses converge and shoppers indulge themselves into unlimited choices. However, the city also carries with it a rich historical legacy in contrast with its dazzling glamor.
Begin with the Reunification Palace which was formerly the South Vietnam President’s residence until the end of April 1975. Proceed to the War Remnants Museum featuring an extensive collection of exhibits of weaponry, photos and documentation on Vietnam’s wars with the French and American, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built by the French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles, France. Move on to the City Hall and take a leisurely stroll down to the colorful Dong Khoi Street full of fancy shops, stylish café, restaurants and art galleries. Stop for sipping a cup of Vietnamese coffee at a rooftop café.
Leave Saigon at around 8AM then transfer about 85km to the South for the picturesque little province of Ben Tre, particularly famous for its coconut candy and quite waterways.
On arrival, take a Xe Loi ride through Huu Dinh village with lush sceneries of fields and gardens. Continue a short walk to Huu Phuoc Bridge where you will board a boat sailing through small canals. A welcome drink of fresh coconut and tropical fruits will be served.
Stop over at a brick factory where locals still use traditional brick making method by hands. Then return to your boat to cross An Hoa River where you will take a sampan ride along narrow canals. Visit a local house and enjoy fresh fruits and tea before heading to a rice noodle factory which produces Hu Tieu noodle, one of the most popular breakfast dishes in the Southern.
Switch to a bike then cycle on village roads; stop at a local house with the traditional family business of sampan boat building. Continue riding to My Long for a call on a former soldier who survived after 2 years fighting the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh. Spend time chatting with him and enjoy crispy rice paper, the famous specialty of the village. Back to your bike and head to a local riverside restaurant. Have lunch and relax. After lunch (by your our account), visit a nearby house which is renowned for sticky rice maker in the village. Here you can feed his tock of catfish and stroll around the fruit garden.
Back to the pier and cruising to Ben Tre city where your car waits for you for the drive to Ho Chi Minh.
Transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for flight to Nha Trang, the beach capital of Vietnam! The coastal city boasts one of the world’s most beautiful bays with long pristine sandy beaches on the turquoise waters dotted with little islands and the best scuba diving place in Vietnam.
On arrival, meet our guide then drive about 45 minutes to hotel for check in.
You have a free day at leisure for relaxing and unwinding at the resort overlooking beautiful Bay. Snorkel or dive among the coral reefs in crystal blue waters, hike nature trails, cool off in your private plunge pool, indulge in spa treatments or just relax on the white sand beach and admire the unspoiled mountain and sea views.
Today you are free at leisure for relaxing at the resort. There are various activities awaiting you such as snorkeling, diving to discover colorful coral reefs, hiking nature trails, cooling of in your private plunge pool, indulging in spa treatment or simple lying on the sandy beach to admire the breathtaking scenery of mountains and seas.
Free at leisure until transfer to airport for flight to Da Nang city. Flight time is approximately 45 minutes.
Arrival Da Nang airport, you are transferred to Hoi An ancient town by private car & guide.
In the morning, you will meet your private guide at your hotel who will take you to visit the 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, 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.
Return to your hotel at noon time for leisure time
Free at leisure until transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Hanoi city. Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide. The driving distance is approximately 45 minutes.
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.
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.
Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. The transfer is approximately 3 hours. 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 and you may stop on the way to admire the local scenery.
Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and 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.
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 board.
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.
Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to airport for flight departure
TOUR INFORMATION
Accommodation in a double or DOUBLE room with daily breakfast
One night cruise on a wooden junk in Ha Long Bay
Lunch or dinner as specified in the itinerary
Services of a driver and private air-conditioned vehicle during all tours and transfers.
Experienced English-speaking guide during all tours and transfers
Vietnam visa approval letter on arrival as complementary
Private board for sightseeing as mentioned in the program, Entrance fees for all visits as mentioned in the itinerary
Mineral water is available as complementary
International & Domestic flight tickets
Meals, if not specified in the itinerary
Gratuities for guides and drivers
Visa stamping fee at the airport (45US$ in Vietnam paid by cash at the airport)
Travel insurance (we highly recommend that you purchase adequate insurance)
Personal expenses, such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc. All other services not specified in the itinerary
All other services not specified in the itinerary
Not included VAT
