DAY1: Hanoi Arrival – Capital Of Vietnam (Meals)
Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide. The driving distance is approximately 45 minutes.
Your visa should be pre-arranged, or be sure that your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to custom desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival. Fast track service can be booked in advance.
Hanoi or “River-bound City” as its name literally means is Vietnam’s capital with a thousand-year-old history dating back to 1010. The city’s fascinating beauty which is characterized by unique cultural relics, ancient streets of antique houses, elegant French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and romantic lakes has made it one of the most charming cities of Asia.
DAY 2: Hanoi Full Day City Tour - Take Train To Lao Cai (Meals:B)
The city tour begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars.
Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History or the Museum of Ethnology. Next, head for Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Take a one-hour cycle tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.
Evening, our guide & driver will transfer you to Hanoi Railway station to take a night train to Sapa about 380 km North of Hanoi (Departure time is around at 8:20 PM)
Note: we can also tailor-made tour with private transfer through the new highway instead of night train
DAY 3: Sapa Arrival - Half Day Lao Chai & Ta Van Village (Meals:B)
Reach to Lao Cai in morning at around 06:30 AM, meet our guide & driver then transfer to beautiful town of Sapa. The transfer distance from Lao Cai to Sapa is approximately 1hour.
Check in hotel if room is available otherwise leave luggage, have breakfast and relax at hotel lobby
30 minutes transfer with a private vehicle and driver to the Silver Waterfall (best in the rainy season from May to November). Take a short walk to the waterfall where a great view is offered of the surrounding mountains and the lush forests of Hoang Lien National Park. Along the way, your guide will explain about this special part of Sapa, where many tree species are grown such as plum and peach trees. Continue by car up to Heaven's Gate where you can see Fansipan Mountain, ‘the roof of Indochina’ at the height of 3143 meters above sea level.
DAY 4: Bac Ha Market - Buffalo Cart & Boat Trip (Sunday) - Lao Cai (Meals:B)
Today we leave Sa Pa early in the morning to travel by car about 2.5 hours through winding mountain roads to Bac Ha Market. You’ll have an opportunity to discover the big outdoor market known as the venue for largest fairs in the region and watch the colorful market lively with minorities of various groups buying and selling assorted goods including handicraft, working tools and livestock.
Afternoon, continue to travel by car about one hour to Trung Do village, a settlement of the Tay ethnic minority people. Take a leisure ride on a cart pulled by a water buffalo around the village and observe hospitable villagers with their peaceful lifestyle. From the village, embark on a boat to cruise down the Chay River and enjoy sighting the magnificent mountainous landscape along the way. Disembark and refresh with a cup of tea before transferring back by car to either to Sa Pa or Lao Cai railway station.
Late afternoon, transfer to Lao Cai railway station to take an express train to Hanoi (Departure time is around at 09:00 PM)
DAY 5: Hanoi - Ha Long - Overnight On Boat - Unesco World Heritage (Meals: L,D)
Meet your driver for a train station transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.
If you request refreshment service at 3star hotel near railway station for a shower & breakfast, extra charge is 15US$ per person. Room is used from 5:30 AM to 8:00 AM
In the morning, transfer from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. The transfer is approximately 3 hours. You may stop on the way to admire the local scenery.
Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and relax at waiting launch room until check in onboard at
12.15 (Boarding time)
12.30 : Welcome Drink – cruise briefing, safety instructions, check-in cabins.
Strong believers in the holistic nature of premium service, your Paradise Private Butlersare trained in all areas of service for you to take away with you priceless memories of a professional and efficient but still warm and personal service.
Your heavenly journey across Halong Bay commences.
13.00: Seafood Lunch Platter. Enjoy your meal in the elegant dining-room, the private dining of your cabin or even on the balcony for a better view of the amazing landscape that unleashes before your eyes.
Paradise Cruise gives you the chance to see more undiscovered parts of the Bay- not only will you cruise through Halong Bay but you will also pass by many amazing areas. You will pass Luon Cave called the “Tunnel Cave” in English, due to its long 60 meters leading to a tranquil lake; Trong Cave, which enchanting interior is often used for gala-diner and banquet; Ho Dong Tien cave whose mouth, you will see, is right at sea level.
15:00 - 16:30: In the afternoon take to a kayak and paddle your way around while collecting trash from around the bay- you will be given all the equipment needed and staff will be ready and waiting onboard to receive what you’ve picked up and dispose of it properly after returning to shore.
16.30 – 18.00: Continue cruising and sightseeing on the Bay while the Afternoon Tea is served on the Sundeck: A Coffee and Tea brewing demonstration will introduce you to the traditional culture of tea and coffee in Vietnam. Nibbles include cakes and biscuits.
You can request a cooking demonstration with your butler to discover the Vietnamese cuisine. Try making the spring rolls yourself, with the assistance of your butler or the Chef.
18.00 – 19.15: Relax or book on-board Spa Services (refer to the menu in your cabin)
19.30 – 21.00: Dinner À La Carte
21.00 – 23.00: Evening Activities – relax at leisure; choose from our selection of movies to watch in the intimacy of your cabin; try Squid Fishing or book a Beauty Spa service onboard.
DAY 6: Halong - Hanoi - Da Nang - Hoi An (Meals: Brunch )
6.30: Tai Chi session on the Sundeck at the break of dawn
7.00 – 7.30: Light breakfast: Tea, coffee and assorted pastries
7.30 – 8.30: Choose among visiting Luon Cave on a rowing bamboo boat with local people; exploringSung Sot Cave, one of the largest and most beautiful caves in Halong Bay or swimming, kayaking and trekking at Titop Island.
8.30: Breakfast À La Carte
9.45: Cabin Check-out and bill settlement
10.30 : The boat anchors in the wharf. Time for you to go ashore from the boat and we arrange private car with guide to pick you up upon disembarking and transfer directly to Hanoi airport for flight to Da Nang. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Arrival Da Nang airport, you are transferred to Hoi An ancient town by private car & guide. The transfer from Da Nang to Hoi An is approximately 40 minutes.
DAY 7: Hoi An Full Day Ancient Town (Meals: B)
Morning, city tour to discover the charm of Hoi An as a renowned World Heritage Site. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. After receiving a brief introduction to the history, shape, and color of traditional lanterns, start a walking tour around the town to see its highlight sightseeing include the town’s iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the local market vibrant with colors and activities.
Afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Thu Bon River to enjoy the countryside landscapes and land on Kim Bong village where carpentry has been practiced since the 16th Century as the village’s trademark to visit some old-fashioned boatyards using timber as the main material. Afterwards, move on to Thanh Ha village to see its traditional ceramic production trade still alive and thriving despite the 500-year passage of time. Return to hotel.
Note: Hoi An is famous for speed tailor-made clothes with 4 to 24hours for tourist.
DAY 8: Hoi An - Da Nang – Ho Chi Minh (Meals:B)
Morning, transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide. The transfer distance is approximately 30 minutes
DAY 9: Full Day Ho Chi Minh City Tour & Cu Chi Tunnels – Story Of War (Meals:B)
Morning, meet your guide and transfer about 75 km North-west of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaling over 120 km in length. Its complexity was beyond imagination containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches and emergency exits all aimed for guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Return to the city at noon time for a rest
Afternoon, tour in the city starting with Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. Next, visit Sai Gon Post Office, a fine colonial building which was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Move on to Cho Lon or the city’s China Town where you will visit the Jade Emperor Temple (Phuoc Hai), a rare Taoist structure in Vietnam built in 1909 in dedication to the Lord of Heaven. It’s filled with smoky incense and fantastic carved figurines and still buzzing with worshipers, many lounging in the front gardens.
DAY 10: Ho Chi Minh Departure
Meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for flight...
