Insider of Vietnam - 12 Days

5/5
  • Enjoy Foodie Tour in Hanoi
  • Explore Hanoi City and a special vicinity tour
  • 2 days cruising to the majestic Halong Bay
  • Discover a seashore area of uniformly interlocking basalt rock columns located along the coast in Phu Yen
  • Visit the highland area – Dalat, known as the “City of Eternal Spring”
  • Witness the daily busy life on Cai Rang Floating Market.

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s charming colonial capital. After clearing your immigrations and picking-up your luggage, you will be welcomed by our representative outside the arrival hall for a transfer to the hotel at the city center. Check in and have a short break afterward.
Tonight, your guide will take you out to explore Hanoi’s nightlife in the Old Quarter, the heart of Hanoi. The city comes alive in the evening. First, find yourself among hundreds of locals and expats sitting on plastic stools with a pint of bia hoi in hand, cheering and shouting “bottoms-up!” at Bia Hoi Junction, the corner of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets in the Hanoi Old Quarter. Do it as locals do and enjoy the new city with all your senses. Then, walk through the Old Quarter’s narrow streets as your guide points out a range of tasty noodles, breads and snacks. At night the sidewalks become a stage where these small pop up restaurants feature lively, but they all disappear during the day. Sit down and enjoy a flame grilled Vietnamese barbecue of beef, chicken, tofu and vegetables on skewers. End the exploration with a dessert from Hanoi’s best-known ice-cream shop by Hoan Kiem Lake before getting a good night’s rest.
Meals: Street foods.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour – Vicinity Tour
Your city tour starts at Ho Chi Minh Complex containing the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Close to this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda, whose origins date back to the foundation of city. We follow it with a visit to the Temple of Literature, which is well known as the first university of Vietnam.
This afternoon, join us on a half day tour to Hanoi vicinity which is carefully designed to create an enjoyable way to view daily life and familiarize yourself with the culture of the Vietnamese people who populate the region.
Take just a short drive away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi’s city center to the less visited Dao Thuc village, whose origins date back to the foundation of the art of water puppetry. This village still remains a very traditional village on the Red River Delta. During your exploration, you will have a chance to admire not only the charming rice fields, local houses, gardens, and friendly locals working in their farms… a beautiful village with poetic scenery, charming rivers… but also a water puppet show performed right  where this art form originated!
Transfer back to Hanoi, where you will spend the rest of day at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 3: Halong Bay – Overnight on cruise
(The itinerary is a sample, depends on weather and it will be different between cruises. Our travel consultants will provide the exact schedule and program if you book other cruise such as Hera Cruise, Halong President Cruise, Emperor Cruise, Halong Violet, Halong Jasmine, Paradise Luxury Cruises, Orchid Cruise, Indochina Sails, Au Co Cruise, Starlight Cruise etc.)
Halong Bay is one of the most loved spots in Vietnam for a reason – it’s gorgeous. On this Halong Bay tour, we take you away from the hectic pace of life in Hanoi and introduce you to the tranquil, beautiful Halong Bay…
Following breakfast, journey east through the rich farmland of the Red River Delta to Halong Bay, truly one of Vietnam’s most scenic impressive sights. On arrival you are welcomed onboard a traditional junk. Settle into a private comfortable cabin and unpack for a two day cruise around Halong Bay. Along the way, enjoy a huge lunch served on board and admire the picturesque scenery of islands. These limestone karst formations are littered with beaches, grottoes and beautiful caves. You will anchor for a leisurely swim in a secluded cove and an enjoyable visit to Sung Sot cave, one of the many hidden grottoes beneath towering cliffs. The remainder of day is for your own pleasure; observing the bay, lazing around the deck or simply soaking up the sunshine.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise.

Day 4: Halong – Hanoi
Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for breakfast then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City. Your driver will meet you at the Halong jetty and take you back to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi – Fly to Phu Yen
After breakfast, your driver will pick up and transfer you to Noi Bai Airport to catch a flight to Phu Yen.
Tuy Hoa city has been transmitted among tourists to be a paradise for refreshing oneself actively. Besides undulating sea, white waves, Tuy Hoa (Phu Yen) city also has lots of interesting sightseeing spots awaiting trippers from everywhere to visit. Your guide and driver will meet you outside the baggage claim of Tuy Hoa Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. On arrival, check in your hotel and spend rest of day at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Phu Yen.

Day 6: Phu Yen Tour
After breakfast, journey north of Phu Yen to visit all the area attractions. On the way, stop to see the panoramic view of O Loan Lagoon. Visit the nearly 120-year-old church – Mang Lang – which is considered the oldest church in Phu Yen Province and one of the oldest churches in Vietnam. The first printed Vietnamese book, still preserved in this church, is the eight-day teachings of Priest Dac Lo (the local people call him Father Dac Lo) who gave the birth of Vietnamese script.
Visit the national landscape – Ganh Da Dia which means Sea Cliff of Stone Plates – is a set of prismatic stones arranged together. The rocks are dark lava columns with roughly flat surfaces of different shapes – round, pentagon, hexagon, polygon… Ganh Da Dia looks like a gigantic beehive or pile of dinner plates, hence the name.
After lunch, drive to Bai Xep – one of the beautiful scenes in the film named “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass”. Free to bathe.
Rest of the day, you are free to explore Tuy Hoa City at night.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Phu Yen.

Day 7: Phu Yen – Nha Trang – Da Lat
Have breakfast and check out the hotel. After that, your guide and driver take you to Nha Trang City. On the way, you will see Dai Lanh Beach with crystal clear water. Make a tea stop at the beach in Nha Trang then continue driving to Da Lat. On arrival, check in to your hotel and relax.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Da Lat.

Day 8: Da Lat City Tour
After breakfast, visit Thien Vien Truc Lam – the largest Zen Monastery of Vietnam. Then take the steps down toward the Tuyen Lam Lake, enjoy sightseeing of the nicest vast lake of Dalat on boat. On the way back to the city for lunch, visit Lat village, home to a number of distinct ethnic minority groups with varying traditions and beliefs. Here you have the chance to purchase traditional handicrafts and gain a unique insight.
Enjoy an afternoon of sightseeing takes in the art deco former summer residence of Bao Dai – the last Emperor of Vietnam, the old Dalat Railway Station and the Central Market.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Da Lat.

Day 9: Da Lat – Fly to Saigon – City Tour
Awake early in the morning then transfer to Lien Khuong Airport for onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Enjoy a full day to tour Saigon’s diverse attractions. Start with a visit to Saigon’s China Town, then learn about traditional Vietnamese medicine at the FITO Museum. Stop for lunch then come back to your hotel for check in an take a rest.
Continue on the city tour with a visit to the War Remnants Museum and former Presidential Palace. Conclude the day exploring the city’s French colonial architecture, stopping at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the City’s Post Office. Browsing through the amazing array of goods at Ben Thanh Market.
The market is one of the earliest surviving structures in Saigon and an important symbol of Ho Chi Minh City, popular with tourists seeking local handicrafts, textiles, Ao Dai and souvenirs, as well as local cuisine.
Meals: Breakfast box.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Day 10: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels
After breakfast at hotel, you travel outside of Saigon to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground labyrinth of passageways, used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or “American War” as it’s referred to here) as protection against American air raids. Those inclined are invited to crawl through selections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime.
Come back to Saigon for lunch and spend the rest of day to explore the city on your own.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Day 11: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Can Tho
In Southern Vietnam, Mekong River unravels into nine sprawling rivers, forming the fertile Mekong Delta. It’s here the river rules. Daily life flows with the ever-changing waters, fisheries thrive during the annual flood and rice fields are quickly dug as the waters recede.
Depart Ho Chi Minh City after breakfast, driving two-hours to reach Cai Be in the heart of the Mekong Delta for one of the highlights of the tour – a cruise on the mighty Mekong River and the chance to witness life on and around the water of the “Nine Dragon River”. Board a traditional wooden sampan boat around the Cai Be riverside town, a commercial spectacle established in the 19th century. Marvel at boats replete with exotic produce and interact with locals in order to discover more about their stock. Next, disembark and stroll to the coconut candy factory to discover the manufacturing process of the sweet treats, as well as puffed rice – the local equivalent of popcorn.
A delicious home-cooked Vietnamese meal will be served for lunch in a local family. Then take a walk through their fruit orchard to see the fresh seasonal fruits on the trees and listen to melodious Vietnamese folk music known as “Don Ca Tai Tu”.
Reboard the boat through the narrow canals around the island, appreciating the tranquility and lush landscapes of this part of the Delta, to Vinh Long. Drive to the largest city in the Mekong Delta: Can Tho, a buzzing town with a lively waterfront and a colorful mix of narrow back streets that make for some rewarding exploration. Rest of the day, you may like to walking along Ninh Kieu Park and on a pedestrian bridge of Can Tho City.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Can Tho.

Day 12: Can Tho – Saigon – Departure
Wake early and leave the hotel to visit the famous Cai Rang floating market by motorized boat. This is a great opportunity to get fantastic photos of colourful boats laden with fruit and vegetables. Boats are filled with teetering piles of fruit and vegetables, from carefully balanced watermelons, to bright flowers. Then venture deeper into the country-side, passing traditional houses made of wood and palm leaves as you observe the activities of the local people, and sample the fresh, exotic fruit. Return to Ninh Kieu quay in Can Tho around 10 A.M. Check out the hotel then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Enjoy a last minute shopping or sight-seeing before driving to the airport to catch your departure flight home.
Good bye & safe travels!
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: N/A.

  • 3 star accommodations with daily breakfast
  • Private transfers
  • Service of English Speaking Guides as mentioned in the itinerary
  • Entrance fees for all mentioned sights visited
  • Halong Bay Cruise package (2 days/ 1 night)
  • 2 domestic flights
  • Bottled drinking water during the tour.
  • Travel insurance
  • Flights into and out Vietnam
  • Vietnam Visa fee
  • Tipping and other personal expenses.

HOTEL IN HANOI:

HOTEL IN HALONG:

HOTEL IN HUE

HOTEL IN HOI AN

HOTEL IN Ho Chi Minh CITY