15 DAYS CHARMING VIETNAM
START Ha Noi, Ha Long Bay overnight cruise, Bat Trang Ha Noi, Lao Cai, Sapa, Hoa Lu, Tam Coc, Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi tunnels, Cai Be homestay, Ho Chi Minh city FINISH
DAY 1 : HANOI ARRIVAL (D)
Meet on arrival and transfer to hotel for check-in. 01 hour cyclo tour around Old Quarter, French Quarter. Enjoy water puppet show followed by dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 2 : HANOI (B)
In the morning, we visit Ho Chi Minh complex inclusive of Uncle Ho’s Mausoleum and Museum, house on stilts, One Pillar Pagoda. Continue to visit the Ethnology Museum, the Literature Temple which is Vietnam”s first university constructed in 1070. Free at leisure for the rest of day. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 3 : HANOI – HALONG BAY / CRUISE OVERNIGHT (B,L,D)
Drive about 4 hours to Halong city. Enjoy the landscape of the Red River Delta country side and have a short break on the way. Arriving the harbor and embarking junk cruise. Savor a delectable lunch served while cruises among the limestone islands. Relaxing and swimming on the beach of Soi Sim island. Or you can kayak among the hidden areas of the bay.
Dinner and overnight on cruise.
DAY 4 : HALONG BAY –BATTRANG - HANOI / TRAIN TO SAPA (B,L,D)
Start your day with Tai Chi on sundeck. Breakfast will be served at sunrise. Explore the amazing Sung Sot Cave – the nicest cave in Halong Bay .Continue your cruise exploring the Bay, passing Ba Hang fishing village, Dog Islet . After lunch, check-out and disembark.
Transfer back to Hanoi. On the way, visit Bat Trang ceramic village. Dinner before transferred to train station for night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train ( 4 berth cabin ).
DAY 5 : LAO CAI – SAPA/ CATCAT-TAPHIN VILLAGE (B,L)
Arrive at Lao Cai Train station at about 6.00AM. Drive to Sapa, ave breakfast and coffee time before walking tour around Sapa Town. In the afternoon, take a 2km trek to Cat Cat Village, home of H'mong Ethnics. Then continue the ride to Ta phin village (12km from Sapa) home to the Red Dzao minority. Visit Ta Phin Cave, Ta Phin handicraft shops and explore the daily life of Red Dzao. Back to hotel. Free time at night. Overnight in Sapa.
DAY 6 : LAO CHAI & TAVAN VILLAGE / TRAIN TO HANOI (B,L,D)
After breakfast you check out and leave your luggage at the hotel. Trekking down to Lao Chai village to visit the Tay and Day tribes then keep going along the bottom of the Sapa valley to get to Ta Van village, which is supposed to be the most beautiful one in the area. Have a picnic lunch on the way. Back to hotel and departure for Lao Cai. Dinner before boarding night train to Hanoi. Overnight on train ( 4 berth cabin )
DAY 7 : HANOI– HOA LU-TAMCOC – HANOI/ TRAIN TO HUE (B,L,D)
Departure for Hoa Lu, the first capital of Vietnam in the ancient and medieval eras. Visit the historic capital of Viet Nam and the famous ancient temples of Le and the Dinh Dynasties. Then, we leave for Tam Coc. After lunch, boat trip to visit Tam Coc to see the beauty of the karst formations as you pass along their base and row into one of the many caves carved through the limestone. Turn back to Ha Noi.
Dinner before transferred to train station for night train to Hue. Overnight on train ( 4 berth cabin ).
DAY 8 : HUE TOUR (B,L)
Meet at train station and you will be transferred to hotel for breakfast & refreshing. Then, we start to discover Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945 including Flag Tower, Noon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, and Forbidden Purple City. We also visit the traditional villages making hat and incense. After lunch, continue to visit the mausoleum of Khai Dinh or Tu Duc king. Then, take boat trip on Perfume river to visit Thien Mu pagoda and Minh Mang tomb. If lucky, we can see the sunset from sampan boat. At night, you have free time. Overnight in Hue.
DAY 9 : HUE - HOIAN (B,L)
Breakfast and check-out. Deoparture for Hoian via Haivan pass. We stop at Lang co beach for photo shot. Arriving Hoian and check-in.
After lunch, cyclo tour around the ancient town to visit Japanese bridge, Phuc Kien communal House, the ancient house of Tan Ky. Finally, we will walk through alleys for some shopping.
Free time for the rest of day. Overnight in Hoian
DAY 10 : HOIAN (B)
Free at leisure.
DAY 11 : HOIAN – DANANG/ FLIGHT TO HOCHIMINH (B,L,D)
Breakfast and check-out. Transferred to Danang, Stop by Cham museum, Non Nuoc beach, Marble mountain.
Proceed to airport for flight to Hochiminh city.
Meet at Tan Son Nhat airport and transfer to hotel for check-in. After that, visit to the War museum, strolling down city center for photo taking at Opera house, Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post office.
Dinner and overnight in HCMC.
DAY 12 : HALF DAY CUCHI TUNNELS (B)
After breakfast, we depart for Cuchi. This underground tunnels network constructed by Vietnamese fighters during our struggle for independence. Before exploring the system, we watch a short documentary film of how this extraordinary tunnels constructed. We then spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels ( with 3 levels ). Also on display are various mantraps and the remains of war. Return to city center. Free at leisure for the rest of day. Overnight in Hochiminh city.
DAY 13 : HOCHIMINH – CAIBE/ HOMESTAY (B,L,D)
Departure for Cai Be. On arrival, cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables to see the colorful Cai Be floating market. Then, we stop at local workshops to see how the locals making some products: rice wine, coconut candy, rice paper, pop rice, sewing coconut-leaves for cottage roof..
Lunch at local house. After that, take a rowing boat through smaller canals to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and visit nursery garden by the Mekong.
Check-in a homestay. From there, you can take a biking tour through village paths on your own to see the local farms, houses, and the real life in Mekong Delta.
Or you cab join the host to prepare dinner. They are willing to share some secrets of cooking Vietnamese dishes. Enjoy tea or rice wine. Overnight at homestay.
DAY 14 : CAIBE - HOCHIMINH (B,L)
Breakfast and walk along the village to enjoy the fresh air in the morning. Boat trip to visit the brick kilns. Our last stop will be Vinh Long market.
Return to Hochiminh city. Free time for the rest of day. Accommodation in HCMC.
DAY 15 : HOCHIMINH DEPARTURE (B)
Free time till transferred to airport for your departure flight.
Inclusion :
- Private land transportation as per itinerary
- Hotel accommodation as per program
- Well experienced English Speaking guide
- Boat trip, cyclo, water puppet show, all entrance fees
- Standard round trip train ticket HAN-LAOCAI-HAN ( 4 berth cabin )
- Local train ticket HAN-HUI ( 4 berth cabin )
- Meals : 14 breakfasts + 10 lunches + 07 dinners
- 02 bottles of mineral water/pax/day tour
- All private tour
Exclusion:
- Domestic air ticket DAD-SGN: from USD 80/pax ( by Vietnam Airlines )
- International air ticket
- Visa fee , airport taxes ( if any )
- Tip for guide/ driver
- Beverage during meals
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses not mentioned above