Detailed itinerary : HANOI - NINH BINH - HA LONG - HUE - DA NANG - HOI AN - HO CHI MINH CITY (Saigon) - VINH LONG - CAN THO (The Lower Mekong) (13 days / 12 nights)
Day 1: Arrival to Hanoi
Arrive at Noi Bai international airport. Visa arrangements. Welcome by your local tour guide and driver. Transfer to your hotel in the city center. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi city tour ( B / L / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts and the One Pillar Pagoda. Continue on to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Ethnology, Hoan Kiem lake, Ngoc Son temple and enjoy riding in a rickshaw for 1 hour in the old quater of Hanoi and its teeming streets filled with fascinating shops. Dinner on guests account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hanoi ( B / L / _ )
After breakfast, transfer to Ninh Binh (110 kms). Visit Dinh and Le Temples in Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century. Then continue to Van Lam Village. Lunch. In the afternoon, take a small sampan for a 3-hour cruise to discover Tam Coc caves. Then visit Bich Dong Pagoda before returning to Hanoi. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.
Day 4: Hanoi - Ha Long ( B / L / D )
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Halong through the Red River Delta. Then leave for Ha Long Bay. Arrive at Ha Long Bay and board the Huong Hai junk. Have lunch, then visit Ha Long Bay, Thien Cung cave, Dau Go cave, Tuan Chau island, Dog island, Sail island and Ti Top Beach. Have dinner on the junk as you enjoy the sunset. Drinks and overnight stay on the junk. (Optional: Kayaking).
Day 5: Ha long - Ha noi - Hue ( B / L / _ )
Have breakfast. Visit man's head island, Tortoise island, Toad island, Bai Tho mountain. Return and have lunch on the junk. Back to Ha Long wharf. Transfer to Noi Bai airport for boarding flight VN 247 to Hue (19:30 - 20:40). Pick up and transfer to your hotel. Dinner on guests account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.
Day 6: Hue ( B / L / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Take a morning cruise on the Perfume River to visit the royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, Thien Mu pagoda and the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang, in a setting of gardens and lakes. In the afternoon, visit Dong Ba market, the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between1802 and 1945, and the ruins of the Purple Forbidden City. Enjoy a night boat trip on the Perfume River enlivened by a performance of Hue folk songs. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.
Day 7: Hue - Danang - Hoi An ( B / L / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Hoi An, stop for photos and sightseeing at the Hai Van pass, Lang Co beach, the Marble mountain. In the afternoon, stroll around the town, visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, and the Chinese-style temples and pagodas. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hoi An.
Day 8: Hoi An - Myson - Hoi An ( B / L / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for My son to visit the Cham Holy land - The World Heritage. Return to Hoi An. Afternoon, stroll around the town, visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An and the Chinese-style temples and pagodas. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hoi An.
Day 9: Hoi An - Danang - Hochiminh city ( B / L / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Danang airport for boarding flight VN 321 to Ho Chi Minh City (8:20 - 9: 30). Pick up and transfer to hotel. Take a sightseeing tour of the city, including the Reunification Palace, which was the residence of the President of South Vietnam until the end of the war in April 1975, and some beautiful French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office. Tour of Chinatown and Thien Hau and Quan Am pagodas. After seeing the Emperor Jade Pagoda and the War Remnants Museum, we end the city tour at Ben Thanh market where anything and everything is for sale. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in HCMC.
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh - Cu chi tunnels ( B / L / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive west to Tay Ninh, headquarters of Cao Dai region. On arrival, attend the fantastic mid-day temple service when followers fill the hall wearing colored robes, a symbol of the curious combination of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. On the way back, visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground network of tunnels constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation, etc. and were used as a military base for the Vietcong during the American war. Return to HCMC. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in HCMC.
Day 11: HCMC - My Tho - Ben Tre - Can Tho ( B / L / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for My tho. Take a leisurely boat ride through the Bao Dinh natural canal which is bordered by rows of traditional stilt houses and fruit plantations. Visit the My Tho wholesale fruit market. Proceed to Tortoise island. Lunch served in the heart of the orchard. Enjoy a boat ride through the Tan Thach natural canal in Ben Tre, cruising under the shadows of the water coconut trees. Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle. After trekking through the fruit plantation on Thoi Son island, enjoy a rowing boat ride along the creeks before returning to My Tho by motor boat. Proceed to Can Tho. Dinner on guest's account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Can Tho.
Day 12: Cantho - Hochiminh city ( B / L / _ )
After breakfast, take the morning boat trip to visit the Phong Dien floating market which is at its busiest at this time of day. Keep cruising through the small channels system and visit a rice noodle making village. Experience the "Monkey Bridge" in the Delta. Visit a second floating market (Cai Rang). Break for lunch. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in HCMC.
Day 13: Ho Chi Minh City and departure ( B / _ / _ )
Breakfast at the hotel. Free for your own activities until transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for departure.
