A Graceful Journey in Vietnam

This morning the guide will pick up you at your hotel and start the trip with Tran Quoc pagoda, a Buddhist relic and national heritage lying on the West Lake.             

Then visit Ho Chi Minh complex, the final resting place of Viet Nam’s greatest father; his house-on-stilt and One pillar pagoda – modeled after a lotus flower, a symbol of Hanoi.

Leaving Ho Chi Minh complex, we visit the Temple of Literature constructed in 1070 dedicating to Confucius, sages, and scholars. It was also the first university of Viet Nam once.

At noon, relaxing and having lunch at a local restaurant in Hanoi Old Quarter before exploring the daily life of traditional ceramics village of Bat Trang. Visit showrooms and see how they model the products. 

Back legendary Hoan Kiem lake to visit Ngoc Son Temple dedicated to Tran Hung Dao - General Commander for his struggle against Mongolians. In the afternoon, the guide will drop you off at your hotel.

You are free until checking out hotel and being picked up at 21.00 to transfer to Hanoi station for the train to Sapa.

Dinner on your own. Overnight on train cabin.

This morning, arrive early at Lao Cai Station. You will be met by our local guide and then have breakfast at a local restaurant. After breakfast, drive 30 km to your hotel in Sapa town. The room is at your disposal at 1.30pm.

Leave your luggage in reception storage, the guide will take you for a walk south of Sapa to the beautiful village of Cat Cat. The winding valleys surrounding the village of Y Linh Ho offer some of the most beautiful scenery of the region. Following this route, you will explore one of the untouched areas in Sapa. Trek along a gentle incline, you will pass by the green paddy fields and a deep river gorge and reach the river bank. Take a short rest to stretch your legs and see local children fishing on the river. After that, venture into the villages of terraces of the Black H’mong. Take your time to explore the village at your own pace and enjoy the great views of the region. Stop at a local restaurant for lunch then coming back to your hotel in late afternoon. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, follow a small track and cross Muong Hoa River and pass well-tended rice terraces on your way to the Black Hmong village.  Continuing through the colorful rice terraces you will reach the village of Lao Chai. As you continue your trek along the Muong Hoa River you will cross a small suspension bridge, roughly 2km from the settlement. Here you can discover a fascinating collection of rock carvings. These engravings depict some beautiful images of the man, stilt houses and some beautiful decorative patterns.

The day is devoted to a beautiful hike through the breathtaking scenery of Sa Pa valley. Start by the road that descends in the wake of the street Cau May (6 km) En route, stop for lunch and admire the rice terraces, a truly awe-inspiring sight. 

Transfer back to the hotel in Sapa. The rest of the day is yours to spare. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, our guide and driver will pick you up for a leisure trip. The drive uphill offers the most spectacular scenery of Fansipan Mount. Just a kilometer out of the town rose flower farms and later chayote grows on bamboo frames covered a vast area. We’ll stop at the magnificent Silver Waterfall before continue the road trip for some kilometers further to Heaven Gate and Tram Ton Pass. At 2047m above sea level, the Heaven Gate & Tram Ton Pass is the highest mountain pass in Vietnam. From here enjoy walking around for half an hour for beautiful scenery of both two sides of Hoang Lien Son mountain range. The wind blows stronger to force the clouds moving constantly. It is the best point here to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the two sides of Fansipan Mountain Range. Amazingly that the weather is very different by the side: In many days It is foggy and cloudy on Sa Pa side and sunny brightly the other side.

Leaving the Heaven Gate for the way back downhill 7 km, then stop to pay to visit some lush farm in O Quy Ho where different kind of vegetable, flower, fruit trees and even medicinal plants are grown for years which makes this part of Sapa evergreen. Lunch at a local restaurant.

At noon, you will check out the hotel and be picked up by the shuttle bus at 15.00-15.30PM to transfer back Hanoi.

Upon arriving Hanoi, you will check in the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, we will leave Hanoi without a guide by private car for a 180-km journey to Halong Bay, one of UNESCO World Heritage site with its 2000 islands located in a background of limestone in Gulf of Tonkin. Coming to Halong, visitors will be impressed with the beauty of natural achievement and many wonderful types of scenery.

You will enjoy an overnight cruise on a wonderful boat floating on Halong Bay and savoring a special menu of fresh seafood will absolutely bring you the best moment you have ever had.

You will be served with lunch and dinner on the boat. In the evening, you will enjoy 1 hour of free-flow at the bar on board. Feel free to select the drinks that you like, ranging from juice, beer, soft drinks, and wine. Overnight onboard.

You are recommended to wake up early in the morning on this day because that is the most wonderful time for you to contemplate aquamarine water of the bay at its best. Once satisfied with the lunch on the boat, you will continue the excursion through impressive limestone surrounding the bay. In the afternoon, we will head straight to Hanoi airport by private car for the flight to Danang.

On arrival in Danang, meet your local guide and then drive to your hotel in Hoian for check-in. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Today will be a fun and interesting day to experience the rural life in Hoian and Vietnamese Cuisine.

After breakfast, you will meet our local guide at your hotel and then we will have a chance to visit the local market. From here, you can feel the bustle of the morning market, have an opportunity to have direct contact with sellers. You might also learn some tips about “bargaining” when going shopping. Our tour guides will introduce to you the necessary ingredients for cooking classes.

Next, you will be switched to a coracle and paddle on the canals of the Bay Mau nipa forest. You will be immersed in the natural beauty of the nipa palm forest. You can get some loveable handmade souvenirs made from nipa palm leaves such as hats, watches, rings.

Our guide will show you a very fun folk game “bit mat dap nieu”. After that, it is time for a short break with local tea. To prepare for our lunch, you will join in the cooking class with our local chefs. The chefs will teach you how to cook Vietnamese foods and share valuable information in Vietnamese cultural cuisine. Then you can enjoy Vietnamese food made by yourself during lunch.

The relaxing time will be a sightseeing tour along the Thu Bon River by boat. On the river, you have a chance to contemplate the river beauty in the countryside of Vietnam, the traditional way of catching fish as well as the lives of the hospitable fishermen here.

Back to your hotel around 3 pm, you will then be lead to the Reaching Out Tea House to enjoy peaceful and quiet moments of silence and tranquility. 

Transfer back to the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight in Hoi An.

Pick up at the hotel in Hoian. Transfer to Ba Na Hills and take Cable Car which gains 5 world scores to Ba Na hills station. Stop at By Night station to visit Vong Nguyet hills, Linh Ung Pagoda, The Old Villas of French. Continue moving up by cable car to the Nui Chua Mountain – the top of Ba Na range, visiting Nghinh Phong top, Le Nim Villas, Orchid Garden… Experience hill climbing train (first and unique funicular in Vietnam) and visit an old French cellar (Debay Ancient Wine Cellar), flower garden Le Jardin D’amour and Linh Ung Pagoda. Enjoy a walk across the famous Golden Bridge and admire the panoramic view over the area of mountain and lush trees. Have lunch on your own choices.

Have lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, free for joining games in Fantasy Park – the third biggest indoor games zone in Vietnam with series of interesting games: 4 – 5D film, skiver, the death race, dinosaur park… 

Return to the hotel in Hoian. The rest of the day is yours to spare.

Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

 On this day, you are free at your leisure to enjoy the beach of Hoian. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, you will be transferred without the guide to Danang Airport to take the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, you will be picked up by our local guide and driver and transferred to your hotel to check in. Have lunch at a local restaurant. Take a short rest before being picked up by our motorbike driver for shopping tour this afternoon and have a ride around Ho Chi Minh City. Dropping at the doors of many shops, malls, and markets, you will have the chance to select fabulous and elegance outfits and show them off with your friends and family.

Transfer back to the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Our guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel, and drive 2,5 hours to Cai Be. We will stop along the way for refreshments and toilet. 

Upon arrival, we will visit a flea market before cruising along a vast network of canals and channels to enjoy wonderful views of the Mekong River. Stop by a house-boat at the floating market for having fresh fruits, and see how locals do their business on the water.

In your visits to some local cottage industries, you can see a coconut candy workshop, try some snake wine, learn how to make pop-rice, or witness the process of making rice paper. 

Cross to the other side of the Mekong River to a famous island named Tan Phong. Here we visit a tropical fruit garden, listen to Vietnamese traditional music, and slowly enjoy getting in touch with local life by taking a hand-rowing sampan.

Lunch will be served at a local house. Your host will show you a cooking demonstration and challenge yourself with cooking a traditional Vietnamese dish and enjoy your wonderful lunch afterward. 

After that, we can choose to take a rest at the house or take a cycling tour of about 30 minutes around the village, this will give you a fantastic way to experience local life. 

Get back to the house, say goodbye to your hosts and drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. We drop you at your hotel.

Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

This morning we will leave the city by private vehicle to visit the amazing tunnel network of Cu Chi. This incredible system, covering almost 250km in length was shelter to over 16,000 Vietcong guerrillas during the wars. Initially started in 1948 to provide shelter against the French air and ground sweeps, the network went on to serve as communication routes, storage facilities, hospitals and living quarters for Vietnamese fighters throughout the American war.  If you are interested (and game) you can even descend into the tunnels to learn more about the harsh conditions faced by Vietcong guerrillas who lived there. Return to the city center and take a short rest. Lunch on your own. 

In the evening, you will be transferred to the bank of Saigon River and board the Bonsai Cruise to enjoy the buffet dinner while slowly cruising on the boat trip along the river. Then transfer back to the hotel to overnight.

On this day, you are free at your leisure until being picked up and transferred to the airport (without the guide) for the departure flight. The room is at your disposal until noon. Meals on your own. End of services.