Essentials of Vietnam 20 days 19 nights (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Sai Gon, Mekong Detal)

Xin Chào, Welcome to Hanoi! 

You will be met at the airport and transferred to hotel in Hanoi. Renowned as the “Paris of the East”, Hanoi is one of Asia’s most delightful cities. Rich in culture and history this diverse city draws its influences from both French and Chinese culture. The rest of day is yours to enjoy.

Check in the hotel from 14:00 PM. 

17h30- 17h45 tour guide picks up for Ha Noi Street Food Walking Tour

- Tour guides will take tourists to eat at lots of special corners , alleys and restaurants of The Old Quarter that you might miss if you go by yourself  to try variety of street foods and drinks  such as:Bún chả ( Grilled pork with noodle), Phở bò,gà ( Beef, chicken noodle soup), Bún ốc (Snail noodle soup), Bánh cuốn ( Steamed rice papper rolls), Bánh gối ( Pillow dumpling), Nem rán ( Fried spring rolls), Bánh tôm (Shrimp dumpling), Bánh Mỳ (Vietnamese sandwich), Chè ( Sweet gruel soup), Bánh Bao (Vietnamese dumpling), Bánh khoai, chuối ( Sweet potato,Banana cake), Hoa quả dầm ( Mixture fresh-fruit), Bia Hơi (Fresh beer), Trà đá (Iced tea), Café trứng (Egg coffee) …….

- Tour ends at Hoan Kiếm Lake or anywhere convenient for tourists to return, and then tour guides will show them how to get back your hotel.

Overnight in Ha Noi.

Breakfast take-away and do check out.

6.30 - 7:00: the driver (no tour guide) picks up at the hotel and then depart for Sapa.

You will spend around 5hrs on the car. You will have a short break time at the rest stop.

13.00: Arrive Sapa Town with colorful traditional costumes of H’mong, Dzao, Tay ethnic People.

Enjoy the lunch with local Vietnamese dishes, check-in procedures

14.30: A short drive to the gate of Cat Cat village which is home of Black H’mong ethnic people and is located near the bottom of a deep valley at the foot of Fansipan Peak. Our local guide will show you the daily life activities of the locals, trek down to the valley bottom to the waterfall where the French built a Hydraulic Power Station; stop for photo with bridge and waterfall then you will walk uphill for bus to pick up to get back to Sapa in the afternoon.

Trekking distance is about 2.5 kms and it lasts for 2 hours

17.00: Come back to Sapa Town. Have dinner and overnight in hotel with night activities

Overnight in Sapa

Notes:

- Do check out hotel in Ha Noi

- You can bring a small luggage on the tour. The rest of luggage can be sent at the reception. You will get it back when you come back to Ha Noi.

7.00 – 7.45: Have breakfast at hotel and prepare light pack for trekking

8.00: A short drive to Y Linh Ho then trek through the rice terraces and along Muong Hoa Stream to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai to see the spectacular landscape of Hoang Lien Son Mountain after that heading to Ta Van village - home of Dzay ethnic people.

Trekking distance is about 9 kms and it lasts for 3.5 hours

11.30: Bus picks you up at Ta Van Bridge to Sapa.

12.00 have lunch and time at leisure on your own.

14.00- 14:30 the driver pícks up at the hotel and then depart to Ha Noi.

Come back to Ha Noi around 20:30 PM. Check in and free and easy.

Overnight in Ha Noi.

Breakfast at the hotel & do check out.

08:00 - 08:30: Pick up at your hotel (in Hanoi Old Quarter area only) and depart for Ha Long City.

12:30 - On arrival at the pier, you will board your Ha Long Cruise and you are warmly welcomed by professional and friendly crew.

13:00 - Check-in cabin and enjoy specially prepared lunch while cruising through the most beautiful parts of the magical bay with thousands of amazing limestone islands emerging from emerald water. Sailing with Ha Long Cruise in a very tranquil route, exploring the exotic beauty of the legendary Bay, a feeling in paradise will come to you.

14:30 - Keep cruising to the most beautiful parts of Halong Bay. This is the best time to relax after lunch and enjoy your privacy, capturing stunning photos of the legendary bay.

15:30 - Small tender brings you to visit Titop island, hiking to the top of the island from where tourists can capture a panoramic view of Halong Bay.

16:30 - Kayaking & swimming

18:00 - Join the sunset party on the sundeck in a warm and romantic atmosphere, make friends with other members in the group, enjoy fresh local fruit, listen to soft, light music, and wear traditional costumes for kings, queens and mandarins.

19:00 - Enjoy the special dinner cooked by our professional chef.

20:30 - The moment you choose your own way to relax after dinner, listening to music, singing karaoke, relaxing on the sundeck, squid fishing available for entertainment during the night time.

Notes:

- Do check out hotel in Ha Noi

- You can bring a small luggage on the tour. The rest of luggage can be sent at the reception. You will get it back when you come back to Ha Noi.

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06:00 – Take photos of sunrise, morning exercise with our Tai Chi master, a perfect healthy way to start a new day.

07:00 – Enjoy your breakfast, coffee, tea, and fruits.

07:45 – Visit Surprising Cave – the most beautiful one in Halong Bay.

09:00 – Back to Ha Long Cruise for check-out. Keep cruising towards Ha Long Bay, passing by hundreds of islands and islets with different shapes depending on your imagination.

10:00 – Cooking class opened right on the cruise.

11:00 – Farewell lunch served on the cruise before you arrive at the harbor.

12:30 – Get on the bus to Hanoi. 

15:30- come back to Ha Noi.

Overnight in Ha Noi

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07h30 – 8h00: Get picked up by our friendly guide then depart for Ninh Binh province

09h15: Have a short break for 15 – 20 minutes to relax

10h30: Visit Hoa Lư ancient capital of Vietnam between 968 and 1010. You have a chance to learn about Vietnamese history in the feudal system under Dinh, Le, and Ly Dynasty

11h45: Have a buffet lunch in the restaurant with a lot of local foods such as

goat meat, fish, chicken, and fried rice …Vegetarian foods are always available in the buffet lunch

13h00: Visit Tam Coc by 1.5-hour bamboo boat.  You will be surprised by the charming beauty here with paddy fields, river, water, cloud, sky, and a stunning cave system during the boat trip. All make a masterpiece that the Vietnamese people called “Ha Long Bay on land”

15h00: Continue the tour for 45 mins - cycling around the village to discover the life of the local people.

16h00: Get on the bus to return to Hanoi

18h00: Get dropped off at Hotel in Hanoi

Overnight in Hanoi 

Breakfast at the hotel and do check out. Bring all your luggage  on the tour.

8.00- 8.30: Get picked up by our friendly guide and start to explore Hanoi City 

08.45: Arrive at Tran Quoc Pagoda located on Golden Fish IsLand in West Lake 

It is the oldest pagoda in Ha Noi built in the 6th century.

09.30: Visit Ho Chi Minh complex, you have a chance to see the embalmed body of  Ho Chi Minh then walk around the garden to see 2 houses where he lived & worked from 1954 to 1969. Then visit One Pillar Pagoda where worships the Godess of Mercy – It is the most unique padoga in the world

 Should dress modestly by covering from shoulders to knees when visiting Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, temples, pagodas…

 Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Fridays.

 Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum is closed at least 2 months (15thJune -15thAugust) for the annual maintaining but still can take picture Mausoleum and visit around that area

11.15: Visit Vietnam Ethnology Museum to learn about the culture of 54 ethnic groups living in the whole country of Vietnam

Special Note : we will visit Women Museum instead of Ethnology Museum closed on Mondays

12.45: Have lunch at our restaurant. You have an opportunity to enjoy Vietnamese cuisine 

with 8 delicious dishes.

14.00-14.15 : Continue to visit Temple of Literature – the first university of Vietnam, established in the 11 century 

15.15: Leave for Hoa Lo Prison Museum which originally used by the French colonists in Indochina for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. During this later period, it was known to American POWs as the "Hanoi Hilton

16.15 -17.00: Drop of you at the hotel that near the train station for taking a rest , taking a shower before getting on the train to Hue.

18h30 check in and get boarding pass.

Departure time from Ha Noi 19h20 PM

Arrive time (next day) 10h00 AM

Overnight on the train  

Notes: Check out hotel in the morning and bring all your luggage on the tour.

Arrive Hue at 10:00 AM, The driver will pick you up at the train station and transfer to the hotel. 

Check in time from 14h00 Pm

18:00 pm: Cyclo pick up you at hotels at your hotel for Street Food Tour.

The tour guide will take you to the restaurant to enjoy there special cakes of Hue “Bun Bo Hue, Banh Khoai, Nem Lui, Banh Beo Chen, Banh Nam, Banh Uot”.

Then, the cyclo takes you around streets to admire some romantic places at night such as Imperial Citadel, Truong Tien bridge, Perfume River, Le Loi Str, Hue railway station.

You will have chance to enjoy sweet soup of Hue 

20:00 PM move to the harbor of Huong River to hear a traditional Song “Ca Hue” on the Dragon boat.

21:00 PM tour finish and you walk to go back to the hotel

Overnight in Hue 

Breakfast at your hotel, the tour guide will pick up at 7:45 to 8:15 to discover Hue City 

In the Morning: visiting by boat

- Thien Mu pagoda

- Old Garden House

- Citadel

Coming back center to have a lunch

In the Afternoon: visiting by bus

- Minh Mang Tomb

- Khai Dinh Tomb

- Incense Anh Conical Hat village

- Vong Canh hill

Overnight in Hue 

In the morning: Pick up guests at the hotel at 07:30 am by bus and drive to Hoi An.

Arrive Hoi An at 12:00 to 13:00.

Check in time from 14h00 PM. Free time to visit Hoi an by your own, as Phuc Kien Temple, Tan Ky Ancient House, Phung Hung Ancient house, Japanese Bridge and cultural showroom in Hoi An.

Overnight in Hoi An

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Breakfast at the hotel & do check out

08:30 AM Local guide pick up at the hotel

- Go to market with our chef (about 30 minutes)

- We will have a chance to see and experience the noise as well as directly contact sellers. In addition to this, we will show the ingredients for use in our lesson. 

09:15- Transfer to Cam Thanh village by car or boat on the way, you can explore the beautiful views of the Vietnamese countryside, and see the water and coconut trees growing together.

11:00- Enjoy a welcome drink and take a rest at our restaurant, then join the cooking class. Our chef will teach you how to cook some local food. After the lesson, enjoy what you have cooked.

13:00- PM Keep your moving to Hoi An city and depart to My Son Sanctuary  - The World Cultural Heritage. 

14:30- Arrive at My SonSanctuaryand we'll have 2 hours to discover the site by walking throughout the landscape, learning histories with our local English-speaking guide, and enjoying the Champa's traditional performances.

16:30- Get back to minivan then transfer to the wharf for taking a boat trip to Hoi An with a nice and cool breeze on boarding, beautiful sunset river scenery on the biggest river in Vietnam Central named Thu Bon River. Get your camera ready for the amazing moment of local people's activities along the river 

18:00- Arrive at Hoi An, we will drop you at your hotel. 

Free time for shopping until 22h00 the driver picks up to Da Nang train station for taking a night train to Nha Trang.

Overnight on the train.

Arrive Nha Trang around 10h00 AM, the driver picks up to the hotel for check in. 

Check in time from 14h00 PM. Free your time at beach.

Overnight in Nha Trang 

8:30 – 9:00. Bus will pick you up at your hotel, then move to Cau Da port. From here, you will be on the vessel to begin the journey.

Visit of Mun island: Mun island is the first park for conservation of marine life in Vietnam, where is appropriate for the growth of corals and tropical marine species. When coming here, tour guide will also give you the support equipment such as snorkel, goggles, life jackets for snorkeling to see corals and many other colorful sea creatures.

Time for lunch 

Visit Mot island: We also have performance showed by our own music band to help tourists interact and relax. We make sure that it will give you unforgettable memories in the romantic Nha Trang sea.

Visit Tam island: Here, you can swim next to a white sandy beach or in a swimming pool with 2,700 square metres wide. 

Come back to Cau Da port. 

Overnight in Nha Trang 

Breakfast at Nha Trang, shuttle bus picks you up at your hotel and transfers to Da Lat.

Arrive Da Lat! the shuttle bus will drop you off at the hotel. Check in hotel and free time 

Overnight in Da Lat 

Breakfast at the hotel.

Free and easy day to discover Da Lat city.

Overnight in Da Lat

Breakfast at hotel and take the bus  to  Ho Chi Minh city, it spends 6 hours to Ho Chi Minh city.

Arrive Ho Chi Minh city, the shuttle bus will drop you off at the hotel for check in.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

PICK UP:  07:00 – 07:30 (the time of pick up depends on customer’s hotel/ accommodation’s exact position).

RETURN: 17:00 – 17:30 

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• Tasting fresh fruits while enjoying Vietnamese traditional folk music

• Visiting distinctive family businesses where the locals make coconut candy and crispy rice popcorn mills. 

• Having a boat ride to the floating market on Tien River (Cai Rang floating market).

• Deeply exploring the local village on foot and through handlebars.

• Approaching features of the typical, traditional Vietnamese architectural styles from an ancient house and Khmer temple.

Breakfast at the hotel.

07:30: Pick up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and start the trip to Cai Be. Upon arrival in Cai Be, have a boat ride to the remaining site of a renowned wholesale floating market on the Tien River many years ago. This site entitles you to learn something about the local trading habit that has changed due to the age of modern society when more terrestrial transportation and high techniques of agriculture have dominated everywhere. There, you can realize how diverse the area is and how rich orchard gardens are, which makes it the basket of fruit in the lower part of the Mekong River.

Ramble in small villages where you will uncover the beauty of an ancient house and learn about the indigenous culture. Make a short visit to a small family business where the locals make coconut fudges and crispy rice popcorn. Savor delicious fresh fruit and feel the slow rhythms of Southern Vietnamese folk music – a kind of music entwined with the life and culture of the Mekong Delta people. Paddle through small canals – an exciting experience since you can look around, unwind, and soak up the wonderful atmosphere of the Upper Mekong Delta. Additionally, after arrival on Tan Phong Island, immerse yourself in nature's tranquility.

At lunch time, you not only enjoy luscious food but also get closer to the locals as it is a chance to learn how to prepare Vietnamese specialties. The meal is cooked on your own and served in the heart of the local garden.

Cycle on the village path through orchards. Meet the local islanders to learn more about the local daily life in the Mekong Delta. Visit Ba Kiệt’s ancient house.

Take a boat ride back to Cai Be and meet your bus for the trip to Can Tho City. Proceed to Can Tho City and overnight in Can Tho.

Notes:

- Do check out hotel in Ho Chi Minh

- You can bring a small luggage on the tour. The rest of luggage can be sent at the reception. You will get it back when you come back to Ho Chi Minh.

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Have breakfast at the hotel. You can take a leisurely boat ride to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong River (Bassac River), then visit Cai Rang Floating Market, the most vibrant floating market in the area.

Walking tour of the local noodle factory. Visit Munir Ansay Pagoda - Khmer temple, famous for its unique structure. Then, move by boat to the Con Son tourist area, visit the fruit plantation, and enjoy seasonal fruits.

Have lunch and return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

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PICK UP: 07:30 – 08:00 (the time of pick up depends on customer’s hotel/ accommodation’s exact position).

RETURN: 19:00

Take the morning trip to visit Independence Palace, also known at the Reunification palace, was built on the sight of the former Norodom palace. The Independence palace is a widely known landmark of Ho Chi Minh City and was designed by the architect Ngo Viet Thu. Continue seeing the beautiful structures from the French Colonial times such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Central Post Office. Followed by the remarkable site of the War Remnants Museum the museum has a vast display of the both the Indochina wars. 

Have lunch at local restaurant.

Depart for Cu Chi tunnel, the trip will take approximately one and a half hours bus driving. Upon arrival, before exploring the tunnels, you will have some short introduction followed by introductory video about how the tunnels were constructed and how the people survived in the harsh conditions of the war time. Then, spend your time to explore the remaining area and tunnel systems which included the special constructed living areas with kitchens, bedrooms side by side with other martial facilities like storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers helping whoever lives inside the tunnels meet their basic needs. Besides, there are also many hidden trap doors and dangerous traps within the maze-like tunnels for security purpose during the war. Afterward, special tea and cassava (guerilla’s food during the war) will be served. 

Break time for relax or time for those who want to try the real shooting gun. 

Return to Ho Chi Minh city.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

Breakfast at hotel then fee and easy until the driver picks you up at your hotel and transfers to Tan Son

Nhat airport for departure flight

Note: Check out time before 12:00 at noon.

End of trip!