Vietnam , the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a country in Southeast Asia. Located at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, Vietnam borders China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and shares maritime borders with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia through the South China Sea. Its capital is Hanoi and its largest city is Ho Chi Minh City.

The most visited destination in Vietnam is the largest city, Ho Chi Minh City, with over 5.8 million international arrivals, followed by Hanoi with 4.6 million and Ha Long, including Hạ Long Bay with 4.4 million arrivals. All three are ranked in the top 100 most visited cities in the world. Vietnam is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The jungles and monsoon forests of Vietnam are diverse ecosystems that are alive with unique wildlife. Trekking is a popular activity here, particularly the mountains of Sapa and the primeval landscape of Cuc Phuong National Park. For a more urban escape, take a guided food tour of Ho Chi Minh City, making sure to squeeze in visits to the historic Hoi Truong Thong Nhat palace and the intricately adorned Emperor Jade Pagoda.

Coming to the S-shaped country, you can admire the poetic and charming scenery wherever you go. The natural beauty and unique culture have made Vietnam become a tourist destination worldwide.

Discover Vietnam's Hidden Charm

Duration: 07 Nights / 08 Days

Places: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Danang - Hue - Hoi An - Mekong - Ho Chi Minh City

BRIEF ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive Hanoi – Half day city tour & street food

Day 2: Hanoi – Halong Bay for overnight cruise

Day 3: Halong Bay – Hanoi – fly to Danang – Hoi An

Day 4: Hoi An – half day walking the ancient town

Day 5: Hoi An – Hue – half day city tour

Day 6: Hue – Ho Chi Minh City – half day City tour

Day 7: Ho Chi Minh City – full day Ben Tre (Mekong) tour

Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City departure  

DETAILED PROGRAM

DAY 1: HANOI CAPITAL - FIRST ARRIVAL – CITY TOUR & STREET FOOD

Welcome at the airport by tour guide and driver. Transfer to your hotel in Hanoi for checking-in.

After re-fresh, get out to discover the city central and experience a cyclo tour in Old Quarter, moves at leisure pace that’s perfect for photos and slow-moving sightseeing. Seat back and relax while your driver weaves through the busy streets, dodging speeding motorbikes and rolling past the Old Streets. Stop at Hoan Kiem Lake to learn about legend of the lake. Walking in the old quarter, stop at art galleries, handicraft shops for shopping before turning to your hotel for a short rest.

Continue with walking tour around the Old Quarter of Hanoi to taste some kinds of street food. Personalized as a meal with appetizers, main course, deserts, the culinary journey takes you to popular food stalls to get a unique glimpse into daily life in this lovely city and discover some unforgettable cultural and historical attractions along with interesting and tasty street food. One of the highlights of the tour is sitting on very small chairs as is the special style of Ha Noi and taste egg coffee, hot coffee with condensed milk, topped with egg foam and cinnamon powder. Heading off the Beer corner to try a cold glass of Bia Hoi (local draft beer) and watch the local life moving around. This is a great place to conclude a great experience today.

Stay overnight in Ha Noi.

DAY 2: HANOI – HALONG – HALONG BAY/ LAN HA BAY (190km by express, 3h)  (B, L, D)  

Breakfast at your hotel;

09:00 Depart from your hotel for the 2.5 – 3h drive to Ha Long Bay – UNESCO World Natural Heritage – where thousands of spectacular limestone islets and grottoes rise from the clear emerald Gulf of Tonkin.

Upon arrival, enjoy a welcome drink after boarding the cruise. Relax and avail yourself of delicious seafood lunch, while you passing variety of picturesque stone islands, floating villages, and secluded beaches. In the afternoon, we’ll stop by at a floating fishing village to have a chat with the locals and learn about their daily lives before swimming or relaxing on the sundeck. When the boat anchored at the tranquil overnight spot, delicious dinner will be served.

Over-night on board.

Note: Please be aware that the itinerary is always subject to change due to prevailing weather conditions or changes in regulation by governing bodies.

DAY 3: LAN HA BAY/ HALONG BAY – HANOI – DANANG (168km, 2.5h)  (B/Brunch)

Wake up and join the early Tai Chi lesson on the sundeck, or just relax and take in the breathtaking views of Ha Long Bay as the boat sails leisurely through stunning karst mountains. Depending on the itinerary, you may see magnificent limestone caverns this morning or the day before. Return to the boat to freshen up before checking out of your room, then enjoy amazing brunch while cruising toward the pier and disembarking around noon.

Our car will bring you back to Hanoi after.

15:00 – 15:30 Back to your drop-off point at Noi Bai International Airport.

Take flight to Danang. On arrival, welcome by tour guide and driver. Transfer to your accommodation in Hoi An.

Stay overnight in Hoi An

DAY 4: HOI AN – WALKING THE ANCIENT TOWN (B)

Breakfast at your hotel;

We will spend half-day for a walking tour around Hoi An Ancient Town. The narrow lanes in Hoi An are ideal for a guided walking tour to explore its highlights such as old merchant houses with influences from Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture; the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, first built in the 1590s by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream; the Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation with its intricate woodcarvings… Congregation notice its gorgeous woodcarvings on the beams, walls, and altar while unraveling with your guide some untold stories about the Chinese community during their time in Hoi An.

Continue strolling around Hoi An’s back street and feel soft, clattering hum which is the sound of sewing machines. This little charming town is also home to hundreds of tailor shops and nobody can explain exactly when, how, or why it became sewing central. Visit a tailor shop where you can get some express made-to-order clothes. You will choose to do one of the following options:

Option 1: Calligraphy experience

Step into a back alley to visit an elderly man who has a passion for Vietnamese calligraphy. Have some tea and a chat with him to learn that calligraphy is more than just a way to convey information; it can also be used to convey one's innermost thoughts and feelings. See the master at work as he creates a lucky character in calligraphy for you to take home with you as a souvenir.

Option 2: Lantern making

Known as a key part of Hoi An culture, the silk lantern is a simple yet colorful handicraft. Follow the narrow street to reach the home of a local craftsman, nestled away in a small corner of the quarter. After a brief introduction to the history, to the history, shape, and color of the lanterns as well as the stages of production, try to create or decorate a lantern and take it home as a souvenir.

The last stop of this trip is the home of a local craftsman where you can learn how to create or decorate a lantern and take it home as a souvenir.

Rest of the day is free on your own leisure.

Stay overnight in Hoi An

DAY 5: HOI AN – HUE – CITY TOUR (B)

Breakfast at your hotel;

Travel to the Hai Van pass to see lush mountains, blue skies, and Lang Co beach. From the peak of the mountain, Lang Co beach looks absolutely stunning with its verdant trees, clear waters, and cloud-covered mountains. The fishing village surrounded by deep mountains and endless sky and ocean, itself offers excellent opportunities for photography including fishermen unloading fish; old women laying fish out in the sun to dry.

Spend this afternoon exploring the highlight of Hue City:  Imperial Citadel at the centre of the Complex of Hue Monuments inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, King Tu Duc's royal tomb, a peaceful resting place surrounded by walls with pine woods and a lakeside pavilion with lotus blossoms where the emperor used to stay in the past for fishing, listening to music, and writing poetry.

Stay overnight in Hue.

DAY 6: HUE – HO CHI MINH CITY – CITY TOUR (B)

Breakfast at your hotel;

Transfer to Hue airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). With over eight million inhabitants and four million motorbikes, Saigon is truly a city that never sleeps.

With your guide, explore the city's top attractions: War Remnants Museum, with photos and artifacts from the past, Notre Dame Cathedral, a red-brick structure with twin spires modeled after the original in Paris, Central Post Office, designed by Gustav Eiffel before he built the Eiffel Tower. Unwind in a coffee shop that was once used as a safe haven and weapon chamber by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.

Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Optional Street Food Tour on back of Vespa excursion.

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as “Saigon”) is famed for its busy street life throughout the day, it particularly comes alive at night and never sleeps. Be ready for a healthy appetite and a sense of adventure as the local foodie guide will show you what makes Saigon’s nightlife different and unique in the eyes of the visitors. This evening, explore Saigon’s nightlife the way locals do, all from the back of a vintage Vespa scooter. After the tour briefing, join the hustling traffic, zoom through the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City as you check out some of the famous eating spots of this bustling city. Stroll around district 4 to see the real nightlife of the city and join the locals to taste the street seafood and cold drinks. Continue riding off into the night to a hidden Vietnamese-style coffee shop to have a taste of Vietnamese music like a local. Cap off night excursion at a lively rock bar where a new generation of Vietnamese flaunts their style. Bid farewell to the Vespa before riding back to your hotel.

Notes: You will sit behind experienced drivers who understand their motorbikes and the traffic like the back of their hands.

DAY 7: HO CHI MINH CITY – BEN TRE – HO CHI MINH CITY (B, L)

The fertile Mekong Delta, known as "the rice bowl of Vietnam," has many canals, beautiful paddy fields, tropical fruit plantations, and fish farms. Rural life here reflects the lifestyle of the past. This day trip takes you to Ben Tre, which is considered to be one of the gateways to the Mekong Delta.

Set off for a slow journey along the Mekong River on the charming Apricot boat, a newly tradition-inspired river barge that features the combination of modernity and tastefully traditional riverboat style. Gain a glimpse at countryside scenery and river life while enjoying seasonal tropical fruits and local specialties. Shore excursions include the home of a tropical fruit farmer. Have a walk around his orchard and observe how the local farmers harvest the fruits using the traditional method. Enjoy the opportunity to taste fresh coconuts and grapefruits while engaging in with local farmers for an overview of their daily farming tasks. Stop for a visit at the family-run business where you learn how the coconuts are processed and then enjoy country hospitality as you sip a cup of honey tea and taste the sweet flavor of coconut candy in a rustic yet cozy atmosphere. Tour a hidden island by traditional tuk-tuk or bicycle, passing through sleeping village, local cottage industries, canals, and fruitful orchards. Locals will often friendly greet you with a hello or “xin chao” as you pass by. Relax while discovering more of the Delta from a small rowing sampan as you are paddled slowly through the maze of small canals covered by water coconut trees. Cap off your memorable trip by a tasty lunch with Mekong Delta specialties at the peaceful Apricot Riverside restaurant. After lunch, opt to relax in a hammock, enjoying the cool breeze from Mekong Delta before heading back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Optional: A O Show – Lune Production

Late this afternoon, transfer from your hotel to Saigon Opera House to enjoy the must-see cultural A O Show which is a combination of story-telling circus unique live music, and creative use of bamboo to form awe-inspiring performance art. The show contains episodes of Vietnamese traditional folk games, dances, and circus acts performed against the background of traditional and modern music combined with artistic lighting. Bamboo pipes and baskets are used throughout the performance, creating a rustic yet beautiful portrait from quiet countryside villages to hectic modern city. All these elements harmonize to capture the essence of Vietnam’s fascinating culture. The intriguing performance is also a wonderful opportunity to admire the elaborate architecture of the Opera House, a perfect example of French colonial style circa 1900.

Notes:

• Tour duration: 2 hours (17.30-19.30), including transfer time and show
• Venue: Opera House
• Public Show, join-in ticket

DAY 8: HO CHI MINH CITY - DEPARTURE (B)

Breakfast at your hotel; being free on your own leisure for last shopping.

Transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for departure flight.

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Hotels

Below Rates are in USD per Person

Valid till 16 December 2024

Includes:

• 7 nights' accommodation in 5* hotels
• Transfer service in air-conditioned vehicles
• Entrance and boat fees (where applicable)
• Meals as listed in the program, pre-arranged in local restaurants based on local food
• Scooter tours (where applicable)
• English-speaking local guide in each city
• Domestic flight tickets for Hanoi – Danang and Hue – Ho Chi Minh
• Fresh water (2 bottles per person per day) and wet wipes on all coach transfer
• Government taxes and service charges
• Vietnam visa fees
• Travel insurance.

Excludes:

• International flight ticket (Beirut-Hanoi/Saigon-Beirut)
• Drinks and surcharge for special food requests
• Entrance fees and guide services during free times
• Personal expenses
• All other services not mentioned in the program.

This is a general price. Please enquire for a full personalized quote for you.  All our itineraries are tailor-made to your own requirements and can be modified to your liking.