On your arrival to Ho Chi Minh City, you will be welcomed by our tour guide and driver. After transferring to your hotel at the city centre (Check-in is available from 2pm), there will be time for your free exploration of the largest city in Vietnam. Once known as a “powerful economic locomotive”, with its wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings.

Enjoy a romantic dinner under candlelight in a local restaurant – offered by Asia Viva Travel congratulating you on a good choice and best wishes for a new life that begins.

Overnight at the hotel.

After a delicious breakfast, we will visit Notre Dame Cathedral, constructed between 1877 and 1880 by the French. We will take a few steps from the Cathedral to the General Post Office to admire its interior with the arched roof and curved windows, reminiscent of early European railway stations.

The city tour will then continue along Dong Khoi Street heading to see the Opera House and the Provincial People Committee building, built in 1897 by French architect Ferret Eugene. We will visit the Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Presidential Palace.

After a prepared lunch, you will take a guided cycle tour for 2-3 hours to learn a deeper understanding of Saigon daily life. We will visit some local markets with several stops arranged at Ho Thi Ky flower market; The medicinal plant store; the Thien Hau Temple in the Cho Lon town, 5^th district.

Overnight at a hotel.

After a yummy breakfast, we will leave the hotel at 8am and make our way to Ben Tre Province in the Mekong delta. Upon arrival at Hung Vuong Pier (90km from Saigon), we get on a boat and cruise along the Ben Tre River. The boat will stop at a traditional brick factory for you to explore its imposing ovens. We will have a short break at a coconut candies workshop, where you will observe how coconut flesh is used and processed. A short tuk-tuk ride on the winding small road of the countryside will take you into the green villages and we will stop at a family braiding mats. The local restaurant will prepare typical dishes of the Mekong delta for your lunch. Following this, we will board on a rowing boat to join the maze of canals and return to the landing stage. We will then transfer to Can Tho province.

Overnight at a hotel or homestay in Can Tho.

In the early morning, we head out on an excursion to the floating market of Cai Rang, the largest in the region, where many boats are full of lush fruits and vegetables which are freshly gathered every day. After exploring the busy market, you will take a walk in Mr. Tu Dung’s orchard and try fresh local tropical fruits. The following visit is to a workshop where you will see how the local vermicelli is made.

Transfer to the airport and flight to Hanoi.

Pick-up by our guide and driver and transfer to hotel.

First discovery of Hanoi’s old quarter by a ride on a cyclopousse and enjoy the beautiful moments together.

Stay overnight in a hotel.

We will start the day with a trip to the Tran Quoc Pagoda. You will then visit the Temple of Literature, constructed in 1070 to worship Confucius, which was also used as the first Royal National University of Vietnam. There are 82 stone steles, carried by tortoises, engraved with names, birthdates, and birthplaces of honored doctorates from 1442 to 1779.

In the afternoon, you visit the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays, the alternative on this day is the History Museum). The museum offers a wide range of informative and well-documented displays of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. The outdoor display is an impressive collection of traditional houses of various minorities from the north to the central Highlands.

We will drive back to the Old Quarter for a 1.5-hour walking tour, specially designed for a deeper insight into Hanoian daily life. You will also visit the Ngoc Son temple which sits on a green islet in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake, connected to the lakeside by a graceful scarlet bridge named The Huc (meaning the early sunlight welcoming place).

After, free time to have diner then transfer to Hanoi train station to move to Lao Cai.

Overnight on the night train to Lao Cai

The train arrives in Lao Cai early at 6.00 am. We will have breakfast in a local restaurant before heading to Bac Ha to visit the biggest local ethnic market of the region. Bac Ha Market takes place every Sunday; the tribal people from surrounding villages come to exchange their products. A lot of people still use horses to carry their loads; they must depart early to get to the market in time. If you come to visit Bac Ha during a spring weekend, it’s easy to meet the locals in their most beautiful and colorful costumes in the market. Nature also contributes to the atmosphere with vibrant red and white flowers blooming everywhere. After a tasty lunch, we will leave the colorful market behind, and follow a zigzag road to visit Ban Pho 1 and Ban Pho 2 villages, inhabited by Flower Hmong people. The car takes us to Sapa in the late afternoon.

Overnight at a hotel in Sapa

After breakfast, we will have a beautiful hike through the amazing scenery of Sa Pa valley. On the way up, we have a panorama view on rice terraces hidden behind morning fog. Following a small track and crossing the Muong Hoa River to Lao Chai Village of Black Hmong people, we will pass by well-tended paddy fields. We continue walking through the beautiful terraces to reach Ta Van Giay village. We will have lunch with a family in the village. In the afternoon, we will continue hiking through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai – the village of Red Dao ethnic. After taking a rest next to a waterfall, we will start climbing uphill to the main road where the car is waiting to take us back to Sapa.

Free time to enjoy your diner then the car takes us to Lao Cai train station to go back to Hanoi. Overnight on the train to Hanoi.

After breakfast at hotel, transfer to Ninh Binh, across the rice fields and northern countryside’s typical peaceful scenery of Vietnam.

On arrival, we will take a bicycle ride and get lost on winding roads passing lotus ponds, temples, and cottages. We will stop to visit Bich Dong pagoda, which is hidden among the trees on a lush hillside. After that, we will go to Hang Mua, which literally means Dancing Cave because King Tran used to come here to enjoy dancing and singing shows performed in this cave. We will arrive at Hang Mua, where we will challenge ourselves to conquer the 500 stone steps to get to the top of Mua Mount. You can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the Tam Coc countryside and the Ngo Dong River.

In the afternoon, you will board a rowing boat in Tam Coc (three grottoes) for a peaceful navigation along Ngo Dong River, cruising among limestone mountains, between rice fields and through three beautiful limestone caves. We wil then transfer to Hoa Lu, the former feudal capital of Vietnam at the end of the 10th century. You will visit two ancient temples dedicated to Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh and admire the unique architecture from ancient times.

Overnight at a hotel in Ninh Binh.

After a refreshing breakfast, we will depart for Lan Ha Bay – Ha Long Bay’s lesser-known little cousin. After a three-hour drive, you will arrive at Cat Ba, the largest island in the Gulf of Tonkin, and head to Ben Beo pier. We will board a traditional boat for a cruise on the magical Lan Ha Bay. You will observe floating villages and marine farming while being served a delicious lunch on board. Around 1:30 p.m, the boat will anchor in front of the pristine beach of Van Boi where you will have free time to swim in the water or sunbathe on the ship’s deck. Later in the afternoon, we will head to Hang Ca or Dau Be cave for a kayaking excursion, another great way to experience the bay. At the end of the day the boat will drop anchor for the night in the middle of the bay. Dinner will be served and you will stay overnight.

Today, we will wake up early to be rewarded with an exquisite view of the bay during sunrise. A fresh breakfast will be served on board at around 7:30 am. The boat will continue to sail in Lan Ha Bay, cruising through the most beautiful peaks and rocks. At around 8:45 am, we will arrive at Viet Hai village, a small rural fishing village. We will cycle through the village and explore its gorgeous landscapes. We will then get back to the boat to freshen up and spend free time in your cabins, while the boat cruises back to Ben Got. A delicious lunch/brunch will be served around 11 am. Then, we disembark and drive back to Noi Bai airport.

On arrival in Noi Bai airport, we say goodbye and see you again!