DAY 1: Ho Chi Minh Arrival (Meals: No)
DAY 2: Full Day City Tour (Meals: B)
DAY 3: Full Day Mango Cruise In Ben Tre (Meals: B,L)
DAY 4: Ho Chi Minh - Flight To Da Nang (Meals:B)
DAY 5: Hoi An Cooking Class - Half Day City Tour (Meals:B,L)
DAY 6: Free At Leisure (Meals:B)
DAY 7: Hoi An - Hue Half Day City Tour (Meals:B)
DAY 8: Hue Full Day City Tour ( Meals: B)
DAY 9: Hue - Flight To Hanoi ( Meals:B)
DAY 10: Full Day City Tour (Meals: B)
DAY 11: Hanoi - Halong By Seaplane & Enjoy A 15 Minutes Scenic To Halong (Joining Group)- Overnight On Boat (Private Boat) (Meals: B,L,D)
DAY 12: Halong - Hanoi By Private Transfer (Meals: Brunch)
DAY 13: Hanoi Departure (Meals:B)
DAY 1: Ho Chi Minh Arrival (Meals: No)
Arrive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, welcome by our guide and transfer to your hotel. Ho Chi Minh City formerly named Saigon is the largest city and economic center of Vietnam always bustled with activities of modern life. It is where businesses converge and shoppers indulge themselves into unlimited choices. However the city also carries with it a rich historical legacy in contrast with its dazzling glamor.
DAY 2: Full Day City Tour (Meals: B)
Meet our guide at your hotel and take a full city tour. Start with a visit to the War Remnants Museum, which features an extensive collection of exhibits including weaponry, photos and documentation on Vietnam’s wars with the French and Americans. Continue to the Reunification Palace, which was formerly the South Vietnam President’s residence and symbol of the Southern Administration’s reign until end of April 1975. Next, call in Saigon Post Office, a fine colonial building which was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Stop at Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles. 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.
DAY 3: Full Day Mango Cruise In Ben Tre (Meals: B,L)
Depart from Saigon around 8 am and head south to Ben Tre province, it takes 2 hours for driving, the place is famous for its coconut production and quiet, peaceful waterways. On arrival, take a Xe loi ride through the local village of Huu Dinh to enjoy the green fields and gardens, start your boat trip through small canals with beautiful tropical scenery. On board the boat, enjoy a welcome drink of fresh coconut juice and tropical fruits while cruising.
The cruise will first stop at a brick making shop, then take a sampan trip through narrow canals and enjoy the peacefulness of the region. Enjoy fresh fruits and tea at local house before heading to visit a rice noodles factory which produces Hu Tieu noodles, one of most popular breakfast dishes in the region. Then switch to a bicycle and ride on village roads past green gardens and local houses, and stop at another local house where they live on their traditional family business, sampan boat building. Continue your cycling trip to visit Mr Sau Tuong, a former Vietcong soldier who survived two years fighting the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh. Have a chat with him and enjoy the crispy rice paper made by his wife, and see how it is made.
Enjoy a 5-course lunch of local specialties, relaxing before the boat bring you back to Ben Tre city and back to Saigon.
DAY 4: Ho Chi Minh - Flight To Da Nang (Meals:B)
Meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for one hour flight to Da Nang. On arrival, you are transferred 45 minutes to Hoi An ancient town by private car & guide.
DAY 5: Hoi An Cooking Class - Half Day City Tour (Meals:B,L)
Morning meet our guide at your hotel and transfer out to a local market. A guide from the local cooking school will take you on a tour through the market to learn about the ingredients to be used in your recipes. After the market, aboard a boat to ride along the Hoi An river for about 25 minutes, watching local fishermen casting nets as part of their daily routine. Arrive at a small township and walk to the cooking school. The class starts in an open-air pavilion by the river under the instruction of an experienced chef. Observe, practice, sample and bring out a good lunch cooked the local style to your own taste. Enjoy it yourself.
Afternoon, continue tour for half day Hoi An city tour. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Your sightseeing will include the 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.
DAY 6: Free At Leisure (Meals:B)
Moring, have breakfast at hotel then free at leisure in your hotel
DAY 7: Hoi An - Hue Half Day City Tour (Meals:B)
Transfer to Hue via the Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass). It takes around 2.5 hours to 3 hours for transferring from Hoi An to Hue. On the way, you will have time to enjoy a stunning headland-and-bay panoramic view from the pass, which for miles hugs the mountainside along the shoreline and overlooking the Pacific Ocean
Arrival Hue, check in your hotel and start for a half day city tour with our guide. This place is the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam for the 1802-1945 periods and the last refuge of Vietnamese feudalism. Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the city is characterized by a natural scenic landscape and an extensive variety of historical relics. Take a boat cruise along the Perfume River to enjoy an open view of the river and its surroundings. Stop along the way and land on shore to visit two prominent historical landmarks namely the Minh Mang Tomb, where the 2nd Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was buried, and Thien Mu Pagoda, an active Buddhist monastery overlooking the river from a vantage point with its origin dating back to 1601.
DAY 8: Hue Full Day City Tour ( Meals: B)
Morning, meet our guide at your hotel and take a full day tour of Hue City, the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam for the 1802-1945 period and the last refuge of Vietnamese feudalism. The city’s beauty is characterized by a natural scenic landscape and an extensive variety of historical relics. Begin with Hue Citadel, a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site which is a 520 ha fortress-like grand complex built in the early 1800s and featuring three enclosures separated by heavy ramparts namely Kinh Thanh Hue (Civic City) as the outer, Hoang Thanh (Royal City) as the middle and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden City) as the inner. Continue to Khai Dinh Tomb, the burial site of Vietnam’s second-to-last king, and the most elaborate compared to other kings’ tombs. The tomb shows a vivid European influence in architecture despite its Asian style.
Afternoon, stop for shopping at Dong Ba market - the city’s traditional commercial center
DAY 9: Hue - Flight To Hanoi ( Meals:B)
You are free until transfer to airport for an hour flight to Hanoi airport, warm welcomed by our guide & driver then transfer to the city.
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 10: Full Day City Tour (Meals: B)
Morning, start a full day city tour beginning with Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November) and the rural style 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. Go to 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. Next, 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.
DAY 11: Hanoi - Halong By Seaplane & Enjoy A 15 Minutes Scenic To Halong (Joining Group)- Overnight On Boat (Private Boat) (Meals: B,L,D)
Finish your breakfast around 9 AM, say farewell to Hanoi as you depart from the Noi Bai Airport by seaplane to the coastal port town of Halong Bay. Enjoy fabulous aerial views over the countryside and experience the thrill of a water landing at the Tuan Chau Island Marina. It takes about an hour for the flight with 15minutes of scenic.
11h00: Landing at Tuan Chau Marina, Halong Bay and then wait until check in aboard the booked junk right after the welcome drink is served. Start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view.
12h30: Board: Welcome drinks and a quick briefing of the itinerary and safety information by our Cruise Manager.
13h00: Let the vacation begin with a lunch buffet as the boat cruises towards South East Halong Bay, passing by Chicken Rock, Finger Islet, and Frog Islet.
15h00: Arrive to Dark and Bright Lagoon and visit the area by rowboat or kayak. Kayaks can be booked in advance at reception with extra cost. Anticipate a great chance to see Cat Ba Langur, one of the rarest langurs left.
16h30: Return to main boat for swimming around the area, relaxing on sundeck or indulging yourself with spa service.
17h00: Bar opens for the Happy Hour "Buy one get one free".
18h00 Cooking demonstration with traditional Vietnamese food on the sundeck (or in the restaurant if weather does not allow).
19h00: Set menu dinner will be served in the restaurant.
21h00: Free time to be spent watching a movie in the restaurant, squid fishing at reception, or relaxing at the bar.
DAY 12: Halong - Hanoi By Private Transfer (Meals: Brunch)
06h15: Early start for a Tai Chi demonstration on the sundeck; tea and coffee available.
07h00: Light breakfast will be served in the restaurant.
07h45: Discover Surprise Cave, one of the biggest caves in Halong Bay with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites.
09h00: Back to main boat for check out. Please put your baggage out to the corridor and settle your bill at reception.
09h30: Buffet brunch will be served in the restaurant while the boat heads back to harbor.
10h30: Disembark to Tuan Chau Marina and depart for Hanoi.
15h00: Return to Hanoi.
DAY 13: Hanoi Departure (Meals:B)
Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to airport for flight departure
