The Best of Vietnam in 12 days

Today, You will visit Ho Chi Minh's complex, including the mausoleum of the nation's founder and leader. Here, large crowds gather to pay their respects to the man they simply call “Uncle Ho” as he spent his whole life fighting for our freedom. The Presidential Palace and Uncle Ho's wooden stilt house can also be seen here. One of the must-see places in the complex is the One Pillar pagoda dating back to the 11th century.

The next stop is the Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam's oldest university and dedicated to one of the world's most famous scholars, Confucius. Inside the temple grounds, huge steles rest on the backs of even larger stone turtles (in Vietnam's culture, the turtle represents longevity). The stele recorded the names of the successful candidates who later became mandarins in the Emperor's court.

You also will  visit the  Museum of Ethnology  where you will learn more about our people, culture and custom and our history.

Then you will be taken in a 45 minutes cyclo tour to see Hanoi ‘s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake.

You will then enjoy a water pupet show that one should not miss while visiting Hanoi. Overnight  in Hanoi.

Note:  Ho Chi Minh mausoleum is closed on Monday and Friday. Most of musuems are closed on Monday so there will be alternative options if you depart on Monday or Friday.

After pick-up from your hotel, you will leave Hanoi by private car/van at 8:30 am, arriving at the jetty around 12:30 pm. You will be welcomed aboard and set sail through the bay while lunch is served. You will pass through the magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons' teeth. After lunch, you will take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, and then go swimming on a quiet beach or sunbathing on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Back on board, you can enjoy cocktails while watching the sunset. Later, you will unwind dinner before an overnight stay on the deluxe

Greet the day with a morning tai chi session, with an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay. After breakfast, you will visit a beautiful limestone grotto and then go back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Checkout is at 11:45 am and the boat arrives at the harbor by noon for the drive back to Hanoi. You will then have free time before an overnight stay in Hanoi.

Following breakfast, you will be free until transfer to the airport for a flight to the ancient imperial capital of Hue. In Hue, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay in Hue. Free for leisure at your own way.

Rising up in this ancient land, you will have breakfast in the hotel before setting off for a romantic cruise on the Perfume River. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to some of these tombs will be on the itinerary on that day. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day. Thien Mu Pagoda is considered the unofficial symbol of Hue, and the center of Buddhism in Central Vietnam. You will rejoin your car and drive to King Khai Dinh’s tombs.

In the afternoon you will embark on a tour of Hue, including the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and the Phu Cam conical hat village.

You will leave Hue for Hoi An, World Heritage recognized city. You will stop in Danang for a visit to the Cham Museum and the handicraft villages at the foot of Marble Mountain. Once in Hoi An, you will check into your hotel and have some free time to explore before embark the half- day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200-year-old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Following the tour, there will be free time for shopping, including visits to local tailors who can-do custom-made clothing very quickly. Then, you’ll take a break and have a peaceful evening stay.

Duration: 6 hours

08:30AM/14:30PM: You will be picked up at your hotel lobby and transferred to Vong Nhi village by E-car, you receive the bikes and we start cycling through the village (around 6 km). On the way we may see lots of stunning landscapes from peaceful countryside such as green water coconut forest and prawn & red snapper farms or immerse ourselves in rustic beauty of rice fields.

Arrival at Thanh dong organic farm- a 10,000sqm organic garden supporting 10 local families. We will take a short stroll around the vegetable garden while listening to the life-changing story of the farmers since they have been approached organic method of cultivating herbs.

Afterwards we join the farmers to do some gardening activities like preparing and applying organic manure to the land, raking the ground, sowing herb seed, watering or picking vegetables.

Then, we leave the farm for taking the basket boat ride along the Do River to The Field Restaurant. You may enjoy the beautiful scenery or fishing life of local villagers on the way there.

Before getting back to the hotel, we will enjoy short cooking class and have Vietnamese family style lunch/dinner.

After leaving Hoi An, you will drive to Danang Airport. From Danang, you will take the one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), where you will be transferred directly to your centrally located hotel. You will embark on a city tour of Saigon, including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, the War Remnants Museum and bustling Ben Thanh Market. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

The program will start with a quick visit of Cai Be floating market. Then, visit of the local workshop to see how to make rice paper, coconut, pop-rice... Enjoy some sweets with a cup of hot tea. Then, the rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals to enjoy the peaceful time.

An optional lunch can be served at local house or on boat

After lunch, we’ll come to Tân Phong - island for biking / walking on village paths to see the local daily life: orchard, school, church, pagoda, traditional houses... On the way, we can make some stops to see how they wave the dried water-hyacinth to make many products: baskets, bags, hats, wallets, shoes...

Come to visit the local garden, we will enjoy some cups of tea when listening to the traditional music. The cruise will back & end at Cai Be pier.

Enjoy the breakfast at hotel then you will be picked up for the tour to the Cu Chi tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250 kilometers, from Saigon to the Cambodian border, and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitors a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam War must have been like. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

Free at leisure until transfer to Hochiminh International Airport for your departure.

We hope you have had a memorable trip and wish you pleasant onward travels!