VIETNAM FAMILY TOUR 15 DAYS: LANDSCAPE & BEACH

Welcome to Vietnam!

After arriving at Noi Bai Airport, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel in the city center. Hotel check-in is available from 2 pm. The rest of the day is free for relax or for discovering city by yourself. Overnight at a hotel.

After a wonderful breakfast, we will drive to Bat Trang village, 15 km from the city center, known as the earliest ceramic village, established in Vietnam. You will explore a pottery workshop where villagers make everything by hand. Your children can try their skills at clay spinning class to make their own products. They will be more than happy bringing their mini masterpieces back home as a souvenir. We will then return to Hanoi to visit the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam), the first University of Vietnam. It was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Ly Thanh Tong and is one of several Vietnamese temples dedicated to Confucius.

After, 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. We will 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. The temple is dedicated to Tran Hung Dao – the General who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century and Van Xuong De Quan – the patron of literature and examinations. Overnight at the hotel.

In the early morning, depart for Ninh Binh by private car with your guide. The enchanting scenery, history and idyllic countryside of Ninh Binh will leave you breathless.

Stop at Xuan La village, an artisans’ village famous for a traditional children’s toy, ‘To He’ in Vietnamese. Watch the master of the house demonstrate each step of making the colorful figurines moulded from rice paste and can make one for himself. 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. Afterwards, we will drive to Cuc Phuong, the largest and oldest national park in Vietnam. An enjoyable hike will allow you to discover the rich fauna and flora here. On the way, we will see a giant 1000-year-old tree and stop to visit a cave once home to a prehistoric man (7,000-12,000 years ago). Many artifacts have been found in numerous caves within the park, including human graves, pointed bone spears, oyster shell knives, stone axes, and tools for grinding. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the harbour of Ha Long Bay, whose name means ‘where the dragon descends into the sea’, already recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Accommodation in the furnished cabin with a splendid view of the bay, welcome drink and an information briefing during your stay on board. An exquisite lunch is served with fresh seafood. Free time to relax before the afternoon’s interesting activities.

Start with an exploration of Cap La Island, the most beautiful island in the bay. This is also the best time to enjoy a kayak ride through the breathtaking karst nature and dive into the emerald water. Later in the cruise, you can enjoy a beautiful sunset. Dinner is served on board. Free time to challenge yourself in night squid fishing or enjoy the tranquillity of the night from your ship.

Wake up early to witness an enchanting sunrise. For those interested, a short Tai Chi lession on the terrace will refresh your mind and body. In the morning, you can also enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while admiring the extraordinary landscape.

After breakfast, do not miss a visit to the hidden cave of Thien Canh Son. You will also participate in a demonstration cooking class. The chef will show you the tricks of cooking our country’s typical dishes and then enjoy them with brunch.

Disembark from the ship around noon and meet our guide for the transfer to Noi Bai airport. Flight to Hue – our imperial city. Arrival at the hotel and check in in your hotel.

After a yummy breakfast, we will take a boat trip on the poetic Perfume River. Our frst visit will be to Thien Mu Pagoda (Celestial Lady Pagoda) built in 1601 on the border of the river. With its seven-storey Phuoc Duyen tower, Thien Mu Pagoda became the symbol of the ancient capital and has often been mentioned in folk rhymes about Hue.

We will continue cruising toward Thuy Bieu village, settled on the bank of Perfume River. The village is famous for its green Thanh Tra (a small kind of pomelo) orchards. We will join the cooking class to prepare Hue’s typical dishes with our chef’s instruction. Then, we will enjoy our delicious food in the open-air riverside restaurant.

After lunch, we will drive to visit the Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, designed by himself before his death. The Tomb complex includes 50 monuments arranged unsymmetrically and shows the perfect harmony of buildings and nature. We take time to soak in its tranquil and relaxing setting. Afterwards, we will continue to visit the Imperial City. We will have a chance to see beautiful structures including the Flag Tower, Nine Holy Cannons, Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace, Nine Dynastic Urns, and the Forbidden Purple City. Overnight at a hotel.

After a yummy breakfast, we will transfer to Da Nang by the mountainous road to arrive at Ba Na hill. After checking in at the ticket counter, we will walk to Hoi An Station. We will take a cable car which reaches a height of nearly 5,000 feet (1,487m), stretching over three and a half miles in length (5,771m). We will admire the truly spectacular views of luscious dense rainforest and beautiful waterfalls below, above you at the peak can be seen enormous stone hands holding the magnificent Golden Bridge. On arrival at Marseille Station, it’s time to enjoy an amazing view from the mountain to the beach below, while strolling on the recently world-famous Golden Bridge at 150m in length and at a height of 1,414m above sea level. After wandering through D’Amour flower garden and Debay Wine Cellar, another cable car ride will take you to the French Village, a romantic replica of a classical French town. Don’t forget to visit Ba Na’s spiritual attractions such as Linh Ung Pagoda, Rain Sheltering Teahouse, Linh Phong Stupa, the Holy Mother Shrine, etc. You will also have free time to enjoy the attractions at Fantasy Park – The “Entertainment Paradise”, discover the ghost house before driving to Hoi An. Overnight at the hotel.

After a delicious breakfast, our guide and driver will take you to My Son Sanctuary-the ancient city of the Champa Kingdom. The Sanctuary is considered one of the foremost Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia with more than 70 architectural works formed between the 4th and 14th centuries. The complex exhibits not only the mystery building technique but also the sophisticated art of sculpture on brick and stone with vivid images of gods, monks, dancers, flowers, animals, and sacrifices of Cham people.

In the afternoon, we will take a half-day walking tour of Hoi An ancient town. In this UNESCO-classified world heritage site, we will visit Chua Ong Pagoda (dedicated to “Quan Thanh De Quan” – an ancient Chinese general), the 200-years-old Tan Ky house (with Japanese and Chinese influenced architecture), and the Japanese Covered Bridge (built by the Japanese then living in Hoi An to connect their quarter to that of the Chinese).

Breakfast is served at your hotel, our driver will pick up you and transfer to the airport. Flight to Saigon. On your arrival to Ho Chi Minh City (former name is Saigon), 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. 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. You will stay overnight at the hotel. 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 yummy breakfast, we will leave the hotel at 8am nd 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 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 the hotel or homestay in Can Tho.

In the morning, we will take an early boat trip to the well-known Cai Rang floating market. The largest in the region, Cai Rang has a variety of boats stuffed with fruit and vegetables which are freshly gathered every day. After exploring the busy market, you will take a walk in Mr. Tu Dung’s orchard to taste fresh local tropical fruits. We will then visit a workshop where you will see how the local (canna indica) vermicelli is made. Continuing, we will visit Binh Thuy’s old house, the site of the 1992 film adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ novel l’Amant. Transfer to Saigon airport for your flight to Phu Quoc Island. On arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel where you will check in and rest.

Free on beach

Depending on your departure time, you will have free time to relax or buy souvenirs. Our driver will take you to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh city at least 3 hours before departure. Return flight to your country. End of our services.

Thank you very much for travelling with Asia Viva Travel.

Have a safe flight!