DAY 1: HANOI ARRIVAL

Today you’ll land in Hanoi. Warmly welcome by tour guide and driver at the airport then transfer to a hotel in Hanoi. Check into your hotel.

Accommodation in Hanoi.

DAY 2: HANOI SIGHTSEEING FULL DAY (B, L)

Hanoi, a city of lakes, is a very attractive city with French-style architecture. You have a full day of sightseeing ahead,  we will visit Ho Chi Minh Complex which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (outside), the Presidential Palace, House-on-Stilts, and One Pillar Pagoda, which was built by Ly Thai Tong. Then we will visit the Museum of Ethnology, this museum is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic minority peoples. As well as the comprehensive array of exhibits inside, there are also traditional tribal houses reconstructed within the ground.

Have lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, we will visit the Temple of Literature which was originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam’s first University dating back to 1070. The temple highlights the importance that Vietnamese society placed then and now on education. Then we went back to the center of Hanoi to visit Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake.

45 minutes Cyclo takes you around the Old Quarter.

Enjoy a water puppet show before returning to your hotel.

Accommodation in Hanoi.

DAY 3: HANOI - SAPA - CAT CAT VILLAGE (B, L)

Breakfast at the hotel.

8.00: Our car and tour guide will pick you up at the meeting point and then depart to Sapa, following the Noi Bai - Lao Cai highway. Along the way, you will have a chance to contemplate the beauty of the northwest mountains where terraced fields are sparkling in sunlight or dim in thick fog. Have a short break in 30 minutes then continue the trip to Sapa.

Have lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, you start visiting Cat Cat Village which is occupied by the Black Hmong tribe. Here, you can see the hydroelectric power station which was built by the French in the twentieth century. You will experience the tribal way of life of ethnic minorities while enjoying wonderful views of the terraced rice paddy fields and the waterfall in Cat Cat Village. Evening: You are free to explore the charm of Sapa by night, enjoy roasted corn, and baked eggs beside a charcoal fire, or go shopping.

Accommodation in Sapa.

DAY 4: Y LINH HO - LAO CHAI - TA VAN - MUONG HOA VALLEY - HANOI (B, L)

After breakfast, we will trek to Y Linh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van Village to understand more about ethnic minority communities, and enjoy imposing mountain scenery, terraced fields, and marvelous nature. Visit ancient sacred stones big - and small ones which have many unique images, and secret signs. See the bridge made by rattan like Muong Hoa Stream. You have lunch in Lao Chai.

After lunch, the car will pick you up at Ta Van and then depart to Hanoi.

Accommodation in Hanoi.

DAY 5: HANOI – NINH BINH – HOA LU, TAM COC (B,L)

After breakfast, our car will take you to Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh. It takes you about 2 hours to get there.

Arrive in Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Daicoviet (Vietnam’s ancient name), which existed 41 years since 968 when Dinh Bo Linh took the throne until 1009. This site was chosen for the capital due to its proximity to China and the natural protection afforded by the region’s bizarre landscape.

Visit the temple of the Dinh & Le dynasty; learn about the history of Vietnam in the war with China.

Then, we will go to Tam Coc to have lunch and a short rest.

Afternoon, take the small riverboat rowing along the river will bring you to visit Tamcoc, which is still called “Dry Halong Bay”. The mixture of the mountain, the river, the rice paddies, and the caves with the stalactites flowing down as mysterious marble boasts the breathtaking scenery. About 2 km from Tam Coc Wharf is the Bich Dong Pagoda destination hidden at the foot of limestone mountains. After that, we will leave Tam Coc and drive back to Hanoi City.

Accommodation in Ninh Binh or Hanoi.

DAY 6: HA NOI - HA LONG BAY (B/L/D) - SAMPLE ITINERARY

After breakfast, leave for Halong Bay was awarded by UNESCO as a natural heritage in 1994. This two-hour drive will show you the diversity of the North Vietnam villages and rice fields along the journey.  Arrive at Ha Long Wharf,  transfer to Junk by tender

12.30: Welcome cocktail on the boat and check in to your private cabin.

13.15-14.15: Lunch is served on board, during cruising toward Ha Long Bay.

14.45: exploring the Caves, more available activities as:

See the view on sundeck, relaxing in a restaurant.

Kayaking and Swimming.

17.30: Stop in the sleeping area overnight.

19.30: Have set dinner with seafood provided by Ba Hang Fishing Village.

21.00: Freely enjoying the beauty of Ha long at night, join us with one of the optional activities:

Enjoy chatting at the Bar.

Enjoy night fishing.

Overnight on board.

DAY 7: HA LONG BAY - HA NOI - FLYING TO DANANG (B/L)

6.00: Practice Tai Chi on the Sundeck

7.00-7.30: Start your day with a light breakfast. During breakfast, cruise to explore another part of Ha Long Bay, and admire the beauty of one of seven new wonders in the world.

7.45: Cooking class by chef cook of the sundeck.

8.30 - 9.30: Pass through Cua Van fishing villages and Fishman’s Museum.

9.40: Check out and take all luggage outside of your cabin, cruise back to the Tourist Wharf through Ha Long Bay.

10.00: Have brunch.

11.30: Back to the Tourist Wharf

Say goodbye to Halong Bay, and transfer to Hanoi airport for a flight to Danang.

Upon arrival at Danang Airport, our guide will pick you up and escort you to the hotel in Hoi An for check-in. Dinner is on your arrangement.

Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 8: HOI AN EXCURSION (B, L)

A full-day tour here includes the Japanese Covered Bridge, the beautiful Chinese Assembly Halls, the Phuoc Kien Pagoda, and the local market. Later you’ll also take a boat trip on the Thu Bon River to a village of woodworkers and boat-building families on Cam Kim Island. Return to your haven on world-famous “China Beach,” with the evening at your leisure.

Accommodation in Hoi An.

DAY 9: HOI AN

Freetime in Hoian.

Accommodation in Hoi An.

DAY 10: HOI AN – HUE (B, L)

After breakfast, drive to Hue through the spectacular Hai Van Pass.

Upon arrival, visit the Imperial Citadel, a complex that covers an area of ​​520 hectares and is comprised of three circles; the Hue Capital Citadel, the Royal Citadel, and the Forbidden Citadel.

Have lunch at a local restaurant.

Continue to the Mausoleum of Emperor Tu Duc, built according to the laws of geomancy. Before heading back to the hotel, walk through the Dong Ba Market, where you'll pick up everything from fabrics and gold to fake watches, flowers, and street food.

Accommodation in Hue.

DAY 11: DEPART HOI AN FOR HO CHI MINH CITY SIGHTSEEING (B, L)

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, the largest Vietnamese city. There are street markets, sidewalk cafes, and sleek new bars. This teeming metropolis offers 300 years of timeless traditions and the beauty of an ancient culture. To the west of the city is the huge Chinese neighborhood called Cho lon, which means “Big Market.” Notre Dame Cathedral, in the heart of Saigon’s government quarter, is of neo-Romanesque architecture with two high square towers and iron spires. The Central Post Office is French-style and City Hall, known as “Hotel de Ville,” is typical of the French architecture that would be seen in any village in France. Visit the War Remnants Museum, featuring collections of weapons and photographs from the two Indochina wars.

Accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 12: HO CHI MINH CITY - CU CHI TUNNELS - HCM (B, L)

After breakfast, drive to Cu Chi tunnels, well-known under American War Time – an underground network of 200km long. During the world of independence, Vietnamese guerillas built a labyrinth of narrow tunnels virtually underneath U.S. bases, using them to hide during bombing raids and to stage surprise attacks. Also on display are various mantraps, the remains of an American tank, and numerous bomb craters made by 500-pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers. For those interested, there’s even the opportunity to fire off rounds from an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range.

Have lunch.

After lunch, back to Ho Chi Minh City. Free time to go to explore Ho Chi Minh City, shopping…

Accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 13: HO CHI MINH CITY – BEN TRE – HCM (B,L)

After breakfast, we will go to Ben Tre Pier in town or Chet Say Pier ( 5 km from the center ). Boating on Ben Tre River – one of the tributaries of the Mekong River- go along mangrove trees growing up ashore on the waterway. Witness lively activities of the town market on land and transferring on the waterway as fishing boats, and coconut cargo boats. Discover handmade local workshops and country in Nhon Thanh village.

Stop for lunch at a local restaurant by the river.

Go back by boat and drop the tour off at Chet Say pier.

Accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 14: CONCLUDE SAIGON/HO CHI MINH CITY (B)

You have the morning free to relax before your return flight home.

Finish an unforgettable Vietnam trip with TripAsean or you can extend some day to Siem Reap (Cambodia), Mui Ne (Phan Thiet), or Phu Quoc Island.

Goodbye & see you the next time!