VIETNAM ITINERARY 14 DAYS: ESCAPADE TO DRAGON-SHAPED COUNTRY

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. Once known as a “powerful economic locomotive”, with its wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings.

Overnight at a hotel in Saigon.

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 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 Cho Lon town, 5^th district.

Overnight at a hotel in Saigon.

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 take a rowing boat to join the maze of canals with coconuts on two sides and return to the landing stage. We will then transfer to Can Tho province.

Overnight at a hotel or homestay in Can Thơ.                         

In the early morning, we take an excursion to the floating market of Cai Rang, the largest one 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 (canna indica) vermicelli is made. We will arrive in Saigon airport and take a flight to Danang. Transfer to Hoi An.

Overnight at a hotel in Hoi An.

After a tasty breakfast, we will take a bicycle to ride from your hotel along the De Vong River to Cam An wharf. We will get on the boat to Cua Dai sand dune to enjoy casting net shows and learn how to cast nets by local fisherman. We will continue to Cam Thanh water coconut village, and there we have a brief introduction to the history. Then, we will take the basket boat to traverse a tranquil waterway bordered by coconut palm. The fishermen will teach you how to catch crabs (2 people/boat). We would participate in basket boat racing and catching crabs. You will be shown how to make funny stuff from water coconut leaves. Then, we will get back on the boat and head to Cam An wharf, from where we will continue on bicycle to Tra Que village. Thanks to the special condition of rich soil and water, the village has long been known for growing many kinds of vegetables: lettuce, salad, houttuynia, fragrant knotweed, basil and coriander vegetables etc, with which the traditional specialities of Hoi An have gained part of their fame. We will have a yummy lunch and participate in daily activities with the local farmers.

We will drive to Thanh Ha Pottery Village where you can take part in the daily life of villagers who have been making pottery for over 500 years. Here, we will learn about the process of crafting pottery products such as vases, pots, and kettles.

We will travel back to Hoi An city and stay overnight at the hotel in Hoi An.

In the morning, 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).

In the afternoon, we will drive to Hue – the last imperial capital of Vietnam. We will have some stopovers to visit the Marble Mountains and Cham Museum in Da Nang city. We will then follow the road crossing the scenic Hai Van Pass (21 km long) enjoying an impressive landscape of verdant mountains and clear blue skies.

Overnight at a hotel in Hue.

After a yummy breakfast, we will take a boat trip on the poetic Perfume River. Our first 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 in Hue

Enjoy your breakfast and visit Dong Ba market – a typical local market in Hue before taking a flight to Hanoi, the capital of 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. You can enjoy free time to discover Hanoi by yourself.
Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

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).

Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

After breakfast, pick-up at your hotel in Hanoi by your guide and driver.

Departure for Mai Chau, about 135 kilometers southwest of Hanoi.

On the way, you’ll pass through magnificent landscapes of rice terraces, green hills and traditional villages.

Stop off at an ethnic minority village to meet the local poeple and learn more about their culture.

On arrival in Mai Chau, lunch with a local family, where you can savor traditional local dishes.

Afterwards, walk or cycle through the surrounding Mai Chau valley. Follow the quiet paths, admire the magnificent natural scenery and meet the local people. Visit remote villages, where you can learn more about the local life of ethnic people.

Return by vehicle to the village of Mai Hich.

Overnight at a local stilt house.

In the morning, we will drive to Pu Luong. The road leading to Pu Luong Nature Reserve takes you to breathtaking mountain passes and offers fascinating bird’s- eye views of the whole valley. We will reach Pu Luong right in time for a delicious lunch.

In the afternoon, we will transfer 12km from the hotel to the starting place of our walking journey. After crossing the suspension bridge over the Cham River, we will follow the stream and walk across rice fields, from village to village hunting beautiful water wheels. You can approach the wheels to investigate how water is conducted from the river to handmade bamboo aqueducts by simple devices of all sizes. On arriving in Chieng Lau village, we will take a rest and enjoy the peaceful streamside scenery. We will then walk to the main road and take the car back to the hotel

Overnight at the hotel in Pu Luong

In the morning, 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 on board.

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.

We will say goodbye and you will fly back to your country.