14 DAYS OF FULL EMOTIONAL VIETNAM TOUR IN YOUR LIFE
This is probably the most wonderful tour we have had. In fact, this tour package is highly rated by our customers. This is about two weeks of a holiday across Vietnam at its most beautiful and diverse. From vibrant Saigon to an ancient seaport more than 300 years old, Hoi An in the central region is a big difference. The tour continues to take you to Hue, which was once the capital of Vietnam in the 19th century with palaces, temples, and tombs of kings like in movies. The trip is more than you can imagine when you travel to Northern Vietnam, a tremendous diversity in an ancient land that is not large at all. It is the capital Hanoi with more than 1000 years of history, culture and architecture. Then there are hiking trips in the most pristine mountainous areas in Pu Luong. And in Ninh Binh, where there are many monuments and beautiful landscapes, you will have dream-like experiences, especially in Trang An boat route. After long days with challenges for both your mind and health, Ha Long Bay is probably a great reward before you return to normal life. This tour will truly be an experience you have never had in your life.
BRIEF SCHEDULE
Day 1: Welcome to Vietnam - Saigon city arrival (The Pearl Of The Orient)
Day 2: Saigon - Discovering French colonial buildings And Cu Chi Tunnels (B/L)
Day 3: Saigon - Hoi An - The ancient lantern town (B)
Day 4: Hoi An – Ancient town exploration (B/L)
Day 5: Hoi An – Hue city (Ancient Capital) (B/L)
Day 4: Hue city – Full day Hue Royal City (B/L)
Day 7: Hue – Hanoi capital (B)
Day 8: Hanoi - Full day city tour - Water puppet show (B/L)
Day 9: Hanoi – Puluong Natural Reserve (B/L)
Day 10: Puluong Natural Reserve – Ninh Binh (B/L)
Day 11: Ninh Binh – The best attractions of Ninh Binh (B/L)
Day 12: Ninh Binh – Halong bay: Natural Wonder (B/L/D)
Day 13: Halong bay - Lan Ha bay - Exploration (B/L/D)
Day 14: Halong bay – Hanoi (or Noi Bai airport) (B/L)
Wish you all the best and see you soon!
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DETAIL ITINERARY
Day 1: Welcome to Vietnam - Saigon city arrival (The Pearl Of The Orient)
Welcome to Saigon, the southern gateway of Vietnam. This is the most vibrant city in Vietnam. With over 300 histories, Saigon holds a lot of historical value, interesting cultural layers and it is waiting to be explored by you.
When you arrive in Saigon city, your driver will pick you up and transfer you to your accommodation in the city center. The rest of the time is free at leisure.
- Self guided day in Saigon
Take advantage of your time wandering the streets of Saigon city. You will find this city very lively, a very busy but very lovely city. Saigon people are very friendly. Sit down at a cafe shop to see the rhythm of Saigon life flowing by, regain energy after a long flight to prepare to explore Saigon the next day.
- Overnight in Saigon.
- Welcome Board
- Private transfer airport to hotel
Day 2: Saigon - Discovering French colonial buildings And Cu Chi Tunnels (B/L)
Take the morning trip to visit Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace. The Independence palace is a widely known landmark of Ho Chi Minh City and was designed by the architect Ngo Viet Thu. Continue seeing the beautiful structures from the French Colonial times, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and the historic Central Post Office. Continue to the War Remnants Museum, which has a vast display of both the Indochina wars.
Have lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, depart for Cu Chi tunnel. The trip will take approximately one and a half hour bus driving. Upon arrival, you will have a short introduction about how the tunnels were constructed and how the people survived in the harsh conditions of wartime. Then, spend your time exploring the remaining area and tunnel systems. The tunnels include specially constructed living areas with kitchens, and bedrooms side by side with other martial facilities like storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers helping whoever lives inside the tunnels meet their basic needs. Besides, there are many hidden trap doors and dangerous traps within the maze-like tunnels for security purposes during the war. Afterward, try a special tea and cassava (guerilla food during the war). Later you will be back at your hotel.
Overnight in Saigon
Day 3: Saigon - Hoi An - The ancient lantern town (B)
Give yourself a lazy morning with breakfast and late coffee then enjoy the rest of your time in this bustling city. If you have a late flight, take advantage of the remaining time to freely roam the streets and go to Ben Thanh central market. This will make you remember Saigon longer.
Then the driver will take you to the airport to flight to Da Nang - Hoi An.
After landing at Da Nang international airport, a guide and driver will take you to the beautiful ancient town of Hoi An. This is an ancient town hundreds of years old. It was once a busy trading port. Enjoy the festival atmosphere here by wandering the streets. You will definitely have wonderful moments.
Overnight in Hoi An
Day 4: Hoi An – Ancient town exploration (B/L)
Today your English-speaking guide will meet you at the hotel around 8:00 and take you for a cycle trip to the countryside and rivers around Hoi An. As you meander through the countryside, you will experience the friendliness of the local people greeting you along the way and enjoy the beautiful views of the neighborhood.
After that, you will board a boat for a river cruise to meet and engage with local fishermen. Enjoy a hands-on experience of traditional net fishing. Later, you will take a paddle boat trip in a unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boat down the waterways of a coconut palm paradise.
After the boat trip, have delicious lunch and cycle back to your hotel.
Walking around tourist attractions in Hoi An town.
Overnight in Hoi An
Day 5: Hoi An – Hue city (Ancient Capital) (B/L)
Have breakfast at the hotel and get ready for the transfer from Hoi An to Hue city (ex capital) by private car. You will drive through one of the most beautiful roads in the world - Hai Van Pass. You will be blown away by the stunning views of the mountains and the sea. Upon arrival in Hue check in the hotel and have free time to explore the surrounding area.
Hue is an ancient city, a former capital with many famous landscapes. This place is the center of the Nguyen Dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam during the monarchy period. Now it still retains its palaces and mausoleums built in the 19th and early 20th centuries quite intact. Hue is waiting for you to explore.
Overnight in Hue
Day 6: Hue city – Full day Hue Royal City (B/L)
Hue City is the cultural, political, and economic center of the Thua Thien Hue province, and used to be an old imperial city of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty. During this time, the most remarkable architectural monuments were constructed, which now are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Your guide will meet you at your hotel around 8:00-8:30 am.
Start your exploration with the boat trip on the Perfume River to Thien Mu pagoda, which is the oldest pagodas in Hue. Then visit the Imperial Citadel, where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. Here you will also visit the Royal Antiques Museum to see the collection of ornaments from the Nguyen dynasty. Then head to the bustling Dong Ba market.
Have delicious Vietnamese lunch. In the afternoon, we will head to Khai Dinh’s Tomb, which combines traditional Vietnamese style with a European touch, making it unique from the other tombs in Hue. Then explore Minh Mang's Tomb, which represents the Confucian style. On the way, you will also visit conical hats and incense sticks villages.
You will be back at your hotel around 16:00-17:00.
Overnight in Hue
Day 7: Hue – Hanoi capital (B)
Relish a healthy breakfast on the final day in Hue. Complete the hotel check-out formalities. Later, your private driver will transfer you to the airport to take your flight to Hanoi.
Welcome to Hanoi, the oldest city in Vietnam with 13 centuries of continuity as its capital. Hn is the capital as well as the economic, political, cultural center of Vietnam feudal dynasties in more than 1000 years where most of dynasties left their marks. Therefore, Hn is very rich in historical sites and beautiful landscapes.
And with 5,175 monuments, relics, 2209 of them were ranked (accounting for 42.65%), Hanoi leading the country in the number of relics. In addition, Hanoi also has so many traditional trade villages, architecture heritage and a system of museums. Each region is a cultural layer with different origins. What you will see in Hanoi will truly amaze you.
Welcome to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Your driver and tour guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Checking in the hotel and have free time to explore the city at your own pace, or rest after the flight.
Overnight in Hanoi
Day 8: Hanoi - Full day city tour – Water puppet show (B/L)
8:00: Explore the charming city of Hanoi, often referred to as the ‘Paris of the East’, with its yellow ochre colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and scenic lakes.
Visit the historic Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing monument of marble and granite built to house the preserved body of beloved revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, affectionately known to the Vietnamese as “Uncle Ho”. Visit the One Pillar Pagoda, a Buddhist temple built in 1049 of wood in the shape of a lotus blossom and set on a single stone pillar. Continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university built in the late 11th century. The picturesque temple is an example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture and is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong banknote. In the afternoon, visit the fascinating Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays) which houses an extensive collection of traditional costumes and artefacts from Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups.
Conclude your day by watching an entertaining water puppet performance, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form said to have originated in the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta where villagers entertained themselves by manipulating puppets over the water. The show uses colourful wooden puppets to depict scenes of rural life and episodes of national history set to music.
Overnight in Hanoi
Day 9: Hanoi – Puluong Natural Reserve (B/L)
Around 7:00: Transfer Hanoi - Pu Luong. You enter Pu Long Nature Reserve by road via a breath taking mountain pass giving you a panoramic view of the whole valley. You arrive at your accommodation in time for a delicious lunch, followed by free time to explore the beautiful retreat, with its captivating panoramic views and tranquil setting.
After check-in the resort, You head to the Cham River with a suspension bridge where you begin your walk in search of stunning water wheels. Get up close to each wheel and discover how water is moved from river to handmade bamboo aqueducts. Via simple constructions of all sizes. Arriving at a local fisherman's bamboo tent, you have a short rest to gear up for the rafting adventure with them. Float along the calm river and enjoy the views, in between learning how to paddle and steer your handcrafted rafts. Arriving at scenic Tan Lap bridge, you disembark to be transferred back to the hotel.
(Bamboo rafting will depend on the conditional weather)
Day 10: Puluong Natural Reserve – Ninh Binh (B/L)
8:00: Opening a new day with fresh air and majestic beauty of view from the resort.
After nice breakfast and coffee time. 8:00, driver and tour guide will take you to Pho Doan local market. We must say that it is another world: poor life but so interesting. All products are made and found by locals sold and displayed there.
Take time to feel it until you think it is enough for you then following the tour guide. He will take you along the villages, the fields, You'll have chance to engage with locals here and see their rural way of life. Sometimes, on your roads, there would be other spaces that open in your eyes. They are beautiful paddle fields or rice terraces. That moment, just stop and have your own best pics to keep something about that area.
At the end of hiking tour, delicious lunch is waiting for you.
After lunch, Driver and tour guide will take you to Tam Coc – Ninh Binh, a center of tourism in Ninh Binh province. You will see the beauty of flat land with different paddle fields.
Just check in the hotel or resort before taking time to talk a walk around or riding on a bike to see around. You would never be upset. That area is so lovely and poetic.
Back to hotel to take a bath and have a great dinner.
Day 11: Ninh Binh – The best attractions of Ninh Binh (B/L)
Embark on an exciting adventure with a visit to Hoa Lu, Vietnam's ancient capital and first centralized feudal state from the late 10th century. Though the old citadel is mostly in ruins, the temples of the Dinh and Le dynasties remain and are surrounded by picturesque rice paddies.
Savor a delightful lunch at a local restaurant, featuring a variety of local dishes such as goat meat and fried rice.
After lunch, take a 2,5-hour bamboo boat ride to Trang An. It all comes together to form a masterpiece that the Vietnamese refer to as "Halong Bay on land."
This is a world heritage site with two values: cultural and natural. I really don't want to say much about it before you enjoy it for yourself. Imagine a fairy tale and you are a part of it. You will have wonderful moments to rest. Close your eyes to feel the wind and the sounds of birds around you.
If time allows, challenge yourself with 470 stone steps to conquer the top of Mount Mua, one of the attractive spots in Ninh Binh before returning to the hotel. This will be an unforgettable experience for you.
Day 12: Ninh Binh – Halong bay (B/L/D)
7:30: Driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and take you along a scenic route to Halong Bay where you will board a cruise ship.
Today could be the biggest reward after long days of traveling everywhere in northern Vietnam. You will cross 4 delta provinces to reach Halong Bay, a natural heritage and wonder of the world. A beautiful yacht is waiting to welcome you, taking you out to the bay with a view beyond words. All fatigue will quickly disappear when you see with your own eyes the majestic scenery of limestone mountains that seem to open up to welcome you into another world. You can participate in on-board activities such as visiting caves, kayaking, swimming or simply stay on the ship to rest with a cocktail. The end of the day awaits you with sunset. Night falls on Halong Bay with a shimmering scene of ships. You will never forget this moment.
The manager of the cruise will convey to you the specific schedule when you board the train.
Overnight on cruise
- Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather, tide levels and operating conditions.
Day 13: Halong bay - Lan Ha bay - Exploration (B/L/D) Today you will explore more deeply about the Halong region. Halong is not only beautiful in appearance. Inside it contains many other interesting things for you to explore. Today activities include biking in Viet Hai Village & Relaxing at Ba Trai Dao Area 3D2N (Stellar Of The Seas)
Overnight on cruise
Day 14: Halong bay – Hanoi (or Noi Bai airport) (B/L)
Breathe fresh air which we don't have when living in big cities. There will be some more activities before the cruise slowly returns to shore. As always, decide what's right for you. Wake up for a tai chi class around 6:30 and go out to visit the cave or not, it's up to you. When the cruise returns to shore, you are about to say goodbye to Halong and Vietnam. A cup of coffee can make time pass more slowly. You will have a lunch or brunch before disembarking
Around 11:00: The driver will be waiting for you and take you directly to the airport to return home. The places you go through are just a part of Northern Vietnam. There are many other beautiful places waiting for you to visit.
See you again one day soon.
If you do not have the flight at the same day, just back to Hanoi one more night. What I have not done yet, just do it like visiting beer street, where people call the crossroad of the world.
- Private transfer: Ha Long bay to Hanoi (or Ha Long bay to Noi Bai airport)
- Transfer time: 3.5 hours
The tour ends here!
Thank you and see you in other tours!
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THINGS INCLUDED
Accommodation
3-stars hotels:
Ho Chi Minh: Queen Ann Hotel or similar
Hue: Cherish Hue Hotel or similar
Hoi An: Kim An Hotel Hoi An or similar
Hanoi: Mina Hotel and Spa Hanoi or similar
Pu Luong: Pu Luong Retreat or similar
Ninh Binh: Le Clos Du Fil hotel
Halong Bay: Le Journey Cruise or similar
4-stars hotels:
Ho Chi Minh: Alagon Sai Gon Hotel or similar
Hue: Eldora Hotel or similar
Hoi An: Silkotel Hoi An or similar
Hanoi: Tirant Hotel or similar
Pu Luong: Pu Luong Retreat or similar
Ninh Binh: Hidden Charm Hotel & Resort
Halong Bay: La Pandora Cruise or similar
5-stars hotels:
Ho Chi Minh: The Myst Dong Khoi or similar
Hue: Silk Path Grand Hue Hotel and Spa or similar
Hoi An: Palm Garden Hoi An or similar
Hanoi: Apricot Hotel or similar
Pu Luong: Pu Luong Retreat or similar
Ninh Binh: Emeralda Resort Tam Coc
Halong Bay: Doris Cruise or similar
Check-in room at 14:00 // Check-out room at 12:00 noon (Except Early check-in or Late check-out mentioned in the program)
Flights
- Hanoi to Da Nang (with 20 kg luggage allowance)
- Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh (with 20 kg luggage allowance)
Guide
Experienced English speaking guide
French/German/Spanish/Russian/Chinese speaking guides are available upon request. The surcharge will be applied
Meals
As per the tour program:
B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D= Dinner
Transport
- Door-to-door pick-up & drop-off services by private car
- Limousine bus from Hanoi to Sapa and from Sapa to Hanoi
- Air-conditioned bus between Hanoi and Halong Bay (2-way)
- Air-conditioned bus or private cars for the excursions
Other included
– All sightseeing tickets according to the itinerary
– Tissues and water on coach
– Service charges and government tax
– 24/7 hotline support guaranteed
– Vietnam Visa letter approval
Other not included
X International flights and departure taxes
X Optional Tour
X Beverage, Personal expenses, tips, and gratuities
X Early check-in and late check-out (If not mentioned)
X Compulsory Gala Dinner on 24 Dec, 31 Dec and 21 Jan (Tet)
X Public holiday surcharge (Christmas and New Year, Tet holiday in Vietnam, Local New Year in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand) if applicable
X Surcharge for airport cabs from 12:00 am – 05:00 am
X Visa stamping fee on arrival at the airport (Vietnam: $25/person)
X Services not mentioned above
