Day 1: Hanoi
Upon your arrival, you will be greeted at the airport by a representative of Indochina Travelland and transferred to your hotel.
Enjoy a cool drink whilst your guide introduces you to Vietnam and the exciting journey your about to embark on.
This evening we experience the spectacular and most colorful performance of traditional Water Puppetry. This amazing art form originated in North Vietnam and is still performed in its original form.
After the 1 hour performance, join your guide and tantalize your tastebuds with the traditional flavors of Vietnamese food and enjoy a complimentary dinner, courtesy of Indochina Travelland.
Overnight at your hotel
(Dinner included)
Day 2: City Tour Hanoi
After a relaxing sleep in, we head out and embark on a tour through the amazing historical sites of one of the most fascinating cities in Asia. Hanoi is well known for it’s history, architecture, charm, tranquility and cuisine. Our first visit is to the most well respected site of Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum which includes the Presidential Palace, One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum.
We meet our bus for a short journey to visit the infamous Hanoi Hilton Prison and the 11th century Temple of Literature, Hanoi’s first university.
After our exciting adventures so far, we’ve all worked up a hunger!
We head to a quaint hidden little treasure for lunch, where we relax and rest our feet, enjoying the beautiful ambience, where you can enjoy tasting some of Hanois Specialties, including the traditional northern fish dish ‘Cha Ca’.
After lunch, we drive approximately 25minutes to the Ethnology Museum. Here you will learn of the traditional culture of 54 different ethnic minority groups in Vietnam through articles, stories, displays of traditional houses, costumes, hunting equipment and much more wares used in day to day life.
We return to the center of Hanoi for an exhilarating and most unforgettable ‘Xich Lo’ ride through the charming 36 Street Old Quarter and introduce you to the hustle and bustle of the city streets, discovering the real Hanoi.
With some time to relax or grab another bargain we prepare for our exciting overnight journey to SAPA.
Overnight on train
(Breakfast included)
Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa
We arrive in Lao Cai around 5am, where we are met by our guide and transport for a spectacular hour’s journey up the impressive mountains to Sapa.
Seeing is believing! The imagination could not visualize, nor appreciate the beauty of the stunning vistas and breathtaking mountainous rice terraces until you observe in true form.
Upon arrival at our hotel, we have some breakfast, freshen up and some free time of leisure before our exciting exploration.
We start our trek visiting Ta Van villages, continuing down the valley, along local trails and across rice paddies to visit Dzay ethnic minorities and Black H’mong communities, experiencing the contrasts of culture and daily life between the groups.
The interaction and closeness we experience with the local minority groups is an absolutely incredible experience.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast included)
Day 4: Sapa Villages – Hanoi Overnight Train
We trek downhill from Sapa town to Cat Cat Village. Our 2 hour trek takes us through rice paddies passing by different ethnic minority villages hard at work and flower and vegetable gardens until we reach a magnificent waterfall set within the lush mountains.
We take a rest and continue to Cat Cat village where the village is eagerly awaiting our arrival. With the children’s glee and excitement and a village full of big smiling faces, we are welcomed by a local Black Hmong people.
After a welcoming and a rest, we stroll around the village, learning about the traditional way of life of the Black Hmong. We observe the fascinating demonstration of traditional fiber processing including; Weaving, Dying hemp cloth, Peeling bark from the dried hemp stalks, Tying stripped bark ribbons to form bundles and with the locals strongly encouraging us to try our hand in perfect their art….they certainly get a lot of laughs watching us!!
We say goodbye to the village and continue our trek returning to Sapa.
We return to Sapa for some free time to enjoy what the town has to offer or bargaining for some traditional local wares, before our transfer to Lao Cai for our overnight train to Hanoi.
(Breakfast included)
Day 5: Hanoi – Ha Long
We return to Hanoi around 6am and head to town for breakfast. After freshening up we meet our vehicle for our journey to Ha Long Bay.
Leaving the city behind we drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long Bay, taking around 3.5 hours.
The beautiful countryside that awaits your imagination, takes us through local farming life and villages, providing us plenty of opportunities to stop and capture some spectacular photographs.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the amazing things the locals load onto their motorbikes!!
Arriving in Ha Long Bay, we board our boat, check into our cabins before enjoying a spectacular seafood lunch sailing off into Dragon Bay.
After lunch have some free time to relax and admire the beauty of the bay as we cruise through hundreds of karst formations.
Throughout our cruise today, you will have the opportunity to disembark the boat and explore Sung Sot cave, where you will learn how karsts were formed in this area millions of years ago. For beach lovers and swimmers, we make a stop at one of the sandy beaches for swimming or just relaxing.
We continue cruising the bay until the late afternoon, before setting anchor for the night.
Once anchored, there’s plenty of time for swimming or just relaxing to admire the scenery before settling into another scrumptious meal.
After dinner, why not head to the top deck and enjoy a relaxing drink whilst admiring the peaceful ambience and gazing at the millions of stars.
Overnight onboard
(Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)
Day 6: Ha Long – Hanoi – Hue
After breakfast we take a small bamboo boat to visit Luon, a beautiful tunnel cave set within a lagoon. We reboard our boat and continue cruising the bay, through the old part of Ha Long City, known as the fishing town and the new built harbor bridge.
We have lunch onboard before heading back to the pier for our return to Hanoi.
Return to Hanoi, with time to relax or grab a last minute bargain before our late afternoon flight to Hue.
Overnight at your hotel
(Brunch included)
Day 7: Hue city tour
We commence our exploration and head to one of the most serene and tranquil tombs in Hue, Minh Mang’s Tomb. Set back from the river bank and hidden within the luscious forest area, surrounded by a beautiful lake, this tomb has a peaceful ambience like no other.
A 20 minute drive takes us to the beautiful construction of Khai Dinh’s Tomb, where we see the intricate workmanship of the mosaic architecture within and gaze at the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
On route we make a stop at a small workshop to see the interesting process of making traditional Hue Conical hats and incense sticks.
We return to town and visit Hues oldest 19th Century Pagoda, ‘Thien Mu (Heavenly Lady) Pagoda, which is famous for its Buddhist Centre teachings.
Boarding our dragon boat from the base of the Pagoda, we cruise down the Perfume River, watching local fisherman, whilst passing through the banks of Hue’s town.
After disembarking our boat we enjoy a delicious lunch at a nearby Garden Restaurant
After lunch we visit the Citadel (Forbidden Purple City), located in Hues town. The Citadel is the former living place of the Royal family during the Nguyen dynasty, from 19th century to mid 20th century.
Here you will discover the history of Vietnam during this period of time, as well as the daily life of the Royal family and the typical architecture of this Imperial construction.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast included)
Day 8: Hue – Hoi An
After a relaxing morning we set out on our spectacular drive to Hoi An.
We pass through Lang Co fishing village, set within beautiful blue lagoons, before heading up and over the spectacular Hai Van Pass, where we stop at the highest point to immerse ourselves and gaze at the spectacular scenery at 980 meters above sea level.
20 minutes from the base of the pass we arrive in Danang where we visit Cham Museum, built in 1915, which contains intricate ancient Champa sculptures.
We continue driving to the stunning Marble Mountains, where we climb the marble stairs to reach the peak of the largest mountains of the 5 elements, Thuy Son or more commonly known as ‘Water Mountain’.
We admire the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, countryside and China Beach and continue on to ‘Huyen Khong’, an underground cave, which was a former hospital through the War.
After stopping for lunch at China Beach, where you have the opportunity to take a refreshing dip in the ocean we head to Hoi An.
Upon arrival in Hoi An we stroll through the quaint streets of Hoi An, visiting an Ancient Chinese Temple, The Chinese Assembly Hall and the Japanese covered bridge.
The rest of the afternoon is free at leisure for you to enjoy the peaceful ambience of this quaint ancient town or spend some time with the skillful tailors, treating yourself to tailor made clothes, which Hoi An is renowned for.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast included)
Day 9: My Son Holy Land and Hoi An tour
Following breakfast, we drive to My Son, a World Heritage, and 50 km southwest of Hoi An.
Located in a lush valley, My Son was a capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries. My Son, considered being in the same league as some of Southeast Asia’s greatest archaeological sites, including Angkor in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, Ayutthaya in Thailand and Borobudur in Indonesia. These towers and sanctuaries were built from the 7 to 13 centuries.
We return to the outskirts of Hoi An town to have the great privilege of a spectacular lunch prepared by a local family home within a small farming village.
Upon arrival we are welcomed by the family and enjoy a traditional herbal drink, before setting out on our guided walk through the local farmland. We learn about the history of the village, observe the processes of harvesting, and discover the many traditional uses, in both cooking and Vietnamese medicines, with the herbs and vegetables grown.
The family love to show off their skills in whipping up your lunch, giving you a very creative cooking demonstration.
After lunch, we bid farewell to the family and head back to town where we meet our Xic Lo’s for a leisurely ride through the local areas, tourists do not venture, passing through tiny lanes of the Hoi An town and countryside, discovering local homes, fields of corn, sweet potatoes and beautiful fruit-gardens, just to name a few.
We make a stop at a local fishing village, where we board a boat for a magical cruise down the Cua Dai estuary to Hoi An town.
We return in the mid afternoon for you to have some free time to enjoy the peaceful ambience of this quaint ancient town or spend some time with the skillful tailors, treating yourself to tailor made clothes, which Hoi An is renowned for.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast and lunch included)
Day 10: Hoi An – Saigon
Enjoy a leisurely morning before our flight to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon.
Upon arrival in Saigon, we transfer to our hotel.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast included)
Day 11: Saigon city tour – Cu Chi Tunnel
We set out this morning to explore Saigon City, providing a general overview of this fascinating city with its history and culture. We explore the historical sights of the Reunification Palace, the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, The War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral (built in 1877) and the City’s Post Office.
Before our drive to Cu Chi, we stop for bite and a ‘slurp’, to experience eating Vietnam’s most traditional noodle soup dish ‘pho’.
Our journey to Cu Chi Tunnels is around 70km. The famous Cu Chi Tunnel system was created to assist the Vietnamese Revolutionists against the French in 1948. It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers etc and in certain areas, housed up to 10,000 people, who virtually lived underground for years.
After a video introduction and a guided tour through the grounds, you will have the opportunity to take part in the unique experience of guerillas living underground during the war, with a crawl through 20/30/50 meters of the tunnel system.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast included)
Day 12: Sai Gon – My Tho – Can Tho
Today we head to My Tho, to explore part of the Mekong River.
Upon arrival we board a local boat and cruise along the Mekong River to observe the local fishing port, where hundreds of fishing boats anchor to unload fresh fish. We continue our exploration with a pleasant rowing trip down small canals and dense palm trees, experiencing the local villages between the islands to a small islet.
We disembark on a small island, where we take a short walk through a local village set amongst a peaceful atmosphere and fruit trees, experience how the local people make their living from fruit trees and witness the unusual yet fascinating process of coconut candy in the making.
After filling up on Coconut candy, we stroll through a local village to a family home and tantalize our tastebuds with a magnificent seafood lunch prepared by the family, with a unique experience of tasting local delicacies including ‘Elephant Ear fish’ and traditional Vietnamese rice wine.A family on the island will serve us local seasonal fruits and honey tea whilst performing traditional southern music, called Tai Tu music after lunch.
We continue our journey to Vinh Long where we meet our vehicle for an hour drive and a smooth ferry ride across the Mekong, taking us to Can Tho.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast included)
Day 13: Can Tho – Saigon
This morning we make an early rise to be captivated by Vietnam’s most legendary floating markets, ‘Cai Rang’ and ‘Phong Dien’.
We board our boat and commence our journey along the Mekong River, observing ‘true life on the river’, the hustle and bustle of families carrying out their morning chores and the locals heading our way to the markets to pick up their daily supplies.
We weave in and out of the masses of floating boats selling all kinds of fascinating wares and produce and side with them to test our skills in bargaining, ‘the local way’, picking up some amazing fresh fruits to snack on whilst we sit and observe.
We return to the hotel for freshen up before our return to Saigon.
This evening we say ‘Cam On, Hen Gap Lai!’ and would like to invite you to join your guide in a farewell celebration dinner cruising the Saigon River on a magical floating restaurant, courtesy of Indochina Travelland.
Overnight at your hotel
(Breakfast and dinner included)
Day 14: Departure
Trip ends.
(Breakfast included)
