Historic
Hanoi and its Old Quarters, World Heritages
listed Halong Bay, Hue,
Hoi An; Boat cruises on the Perfume Pagoda; plus markets; rice paddies; ethnic
minority villages. Saigon and the Mekong Delta.
This really is "Classic Vietnam".
Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi
(D)
Arriving
at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi,
you'll be met and driven to your hotel. In the evening, you’ll be picked up to
Thang Long theatre to watch the Water Puppet show an art form unique to
northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural
culture.
Overnight
in Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi
city tour – Sapa (B/L/D)
After
breakfast at your hotel, you'll be picked up to start a Hanoi
city tour. You’ll visit Ba Dinh Square,
where silent sentries guard the marble and Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum where Ho Chi
Minh lies in state (closed on every Monday & Friday and October &
November) and see the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked. You’ll
continue to visit the One Pillar Pagoda and hear the legend of its
construction, born from the love of an emperor in the 11th Century. You’ll drive
to visit the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s West
Lake. You’ll also call the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and the
dedicated to Confucius; it is a serene retreat from the busy streets outside
and later become Vietnam’s
first university.
After
lunch at local restaurant, driver and guide will take you to visit the EthnologyMuseum for an overview of Vietnam’s
54 distinct ethnic. Pass by HoanKiemLake,
also known as Lake of Restored Sword
from the legend that surrounds it en-route to one of the city’s fascinating
museums.
In the
afternoon, you’ll take to the streets by walking tour of the Ancient Quarter of
36 streets District. This densely populated corner of the city was once a
centre of commerce where goods were sold under the street name of a particular
guild. Still a thriving community of sellers today, you’ll see streets name
such as Sugar Street, Tin Street
and Paper Street.
Ancient homes and temples are interspersed with stores in this souvenir hunter’s
paradise. You’ll then visit Dong Xuan Market-one of the biggest markets in Hanoi.
Your guide will then escort you to Hanoi
railways station to board an evening train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train.
Day 3: Lao cai - Sapa – Cat cat village
(B/L/D)
6h00
Arrival at Lao Cai Station where the bus is waiting to drive you along the
exciting curvy road, surrounded by steep mountains and rice fields on terraces
to Sapa. Have breakfast and then visit Cat Cat village of H’Mong
people, visit Cat Cat waterfall lying in a small valley. Check in and have
lunch.
PM: Free time to relax or visit daily ethnic market, Sapa
town. Overnight in Sapa.
Day 4: Lao Chai – Ta van Village – Hanoi
(B/L/D)
AM: After
breakfast, You’ll then start the tour by walking on a small path down the
valley to the MuongHoaRiver and
from here to the Black H’mong village Lao Chai. Black H’mong is one of
the biggest minority groups in the Sapa area. They are proud of their culture
and keep their traditions and way of living. They have their own language and
wear traditional indigo blue clothing. And then, you’ll continue to Ta
Van village (1.200 m) to visit Zay people. Zay is a fairly small minority group
of about 38.000 people who live mainly in the mountains in Northwest Vietnam. The development has meant
that some of their old customs have been lost but many women still wear
traditional shirts with a purple, blue or green colour. The Zay houses are
built of wood and bamboo with a clay floor. You’ll return to Sapa to refresh at
hotel. An then drive to Lao Cai and have dinner before taking an
overnight sleeper train at 20.15 back to Hanoi.
You’ll spend the night on the train.
Day 5: Hanoi
- Ha Long (B, L, D)
Arriving
in Hanoi in the early
morning, you’ll be picked up to a mini hotel for refreshment. After breakfast,
you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay and go through the scenic
countryside. The wondrous HalongBay
is truly one of Vietnam’s
most impressive scenic sights. Heading out of the town we embark on a boat for
an exploration of the legendary HalongBay. This
exciting five hour cruise will provide us a fantastic view of the picturesque
scenery blending with the sky and some 3,000 limestone islands rising amazingly
from the clear and emerald water. The limestone karsts formations are littered
with beaches, grottoes and beautiful caves. Along the way we will anchor for a
leisurely swim in a secluded cove and an enjoyable visit to one of the many
hidden grottoes beneath towering cliffs. Stay overnight on the Junk Cruise
Day 6: HalongBay
- Hanoi
(B/L) Waking up and
having breakfast served onboard. Continue cruising around the bay. Take sampan
to visit LuonCave and
come back to the boat. Having brunch before disembarking and van will pick you
up at the pier and transfer back to Hanoi.
Visit Dong Trieu ceramic and pottery village on the way. Arrive in Hanoi
at 04:00 pm. Free at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi
Day 7: Hanoi - Hue (B/L) Transferring to the airport to catch morning flight to Hue.
Check-in hotel upon arrival and take refresh for a while. This quiet city is
widely known for the magnificent architecture of its citadels, palaces, royal
tombs, pagodas and temples built under the Nguyen Dynasty. We visit the major
sites including the Imperial Citadel with ForbiddenRoyalCity like in Beijing.
You will then be taken by boat trip on PerfumeRiver to
visit Thien Mu pagoda and Ming Mang Emperor's mausoleum. Overnight in Hue
Day 8: Hue - Danang - Hoi An (B/L) This morning we drive to Hoi An, we will cross Hai Van Pass where you will
have magnificent view of the China
Sea. Stop at Lang Co to have break. Visit the
fascinating ChamMuseum,
famous ChinaBeach
and the MarbleMountains
en route to charming Hoi An. Known as Faifo to early Western traders, it was
one of South East Asia's
major international ports and today it still retains that special old-world
feel. Enjoy a walking tour through the Old Quarter and try some of the local
specialties. Hoi An is also famous for its large number of tailor shops, so if
you want to have a new wardrobe made up, this is the time to do it. Overnight
in Hoi An
Day 9: Hoi An - Saigon (B/L)
Free at
leisure until transferring to Danang airport to take flight to Ho
Chi Minh City - Vietnam's
largest city has an exciting buzz as millions of people rush around on their
daily business. We'll see the historic ReunificationPalace
and some great examples of French colonial architectures. You will be free at
the rest of day to make your own exploration to discover the city. Overnight in
Saigon
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh - Cu Chi Tunnels - Tay Ninh (B/L) Enjoy a morning
drive through typical southern Vietnamese countryside to Cu Chi district, and TayNinhProvince.
Upon arrival in Cu Chi district, make a couple of stops for photo opportunities
and a visit to a rice paper making factory at TanPhuTrungVillage.
Experience ourselves the underground village of Cu Chi
guerrilla fighters, which is simply a network of tunnels built during the long
years of wars. Continue to drive another an hour and half from Cu Chi towards
Tay Ninh to visit the incredible Cao Dai Great Temple, and attend the noon time
service with architecture that could have come straight from a Walt Disney
fantasy and where all the major faiths of the world blend together in a unique
religious cocktail; photo opportunities during the ceremony. Lunch is at a
local restaurant. Drive back to Saigon
and arrive at 4 pm. Free at leisure for the rest of day. Overnight in Saigon
Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City
– Mekong Delta
(B/L)
Drive to
Vinh Long, a city famous by the MekongRiver and
floating market. You’ll cruise to visit Cai Be floating market, fruit orchards,
a traditional family-run brick kiln. You'll have a lunch at one of the local
family and have a shot show of traditional music in Mekong Delta which is
operated by the local people. You'll have time to wonder around the fruit
market to buy some kind of famous tropical fruit such as banana, pomelo, dragon
fruit, and mangos tin and so on.
You’ll
return to Ho Chi Minh City.
You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City
departure (B)
Your time
will be your own until your private car and driver arrives to take you to Tan
Son Nhat airport for your departure flight.
