Classic Vietnam Tour

Welcome to Vietnam!

Arriving at Noi Bai International airport, you will be welcomed by your tour guide and driver, and then transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will go by the West Lake to see the beautiful Tran Quoc pagoda and extend to the nearby memorial John McCain statue. Our next stop is the National Museum of Ethnology, widely regarded as the best in country, which displays a rich collection of artefacts, documents, movies, objects… relating to the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam. Return to hotel.

The 1000 year old city has countless fascinating cultural and historic sites and the city tour will take in the highlights: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, historic Ba Dinh square where Ho Chi Minh declared independence for Vietnam in 1945, the famous One-Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature-Vietnam’s first university dating from the 11th century; Hoan Kiem Lake. One of today’s highlights is an hour cyclo ride through the fascinating Old Quarter (known as the “36 streets”). In the olden days, each street bore the name of the product it sold – “Shoe Street,” “Noodle Street,” …

Dinner tonight will be at a local home.

Today you will overland to the famous Ha Long Bay which means “Descending Dragon Bay”. Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an area of great natural beauty, with some 2,000 limestone islands rising dramatically out of the emerald water. Board the elegant classic junk, and then start cruising the bay. On board activities in the afternoon include an exploration to the well- hidden Thien Canh Son Cave and enjoy a sandy beach at Hon Co Island, swimming or kayaking. Sumptuous seafood on board is one of the highlights beside the scenery. 

(The program details may vary from one junk fleet to the other as they operate in different areas of the bay)

Continue cruising in the less visited area of Halong bay and enjoy the magnificent landscape. A visit to a floating fishing village by a rustic row-boat, operated by the fishermen, pass by the floating school and fish farms is surely one of the day’s highlights. The cruise ends after lunch. Drive back to Hanoi airport for a flight to Hue, the former capital of the last dynasty in the history of Vietnam. 

A full day touring the former royal capital starts with a visit to the Imperial City, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. The Imperial city is a walled fortress and palace, dividing into three parts – the first layer is the Citadel, the second layer is the Imperial City, and the last one is Forbidden City. Next, will be a visit to the most beautiful Tu Duc Mausoleum- an excellent harmony of sophisticated architecture and charming nature. Enjoy a delicious vegetarian lunch at a Buddhist convent. This will be a great chance to learn about the daily life of the nuns, as well as the most popular religion in Vietnam. In the afternoon, onto the tranquil 17th century Thien Mu Pagoda before return to hotel by boat along the Perfume River. 

In the evening, you will enjoy a Royal Banquet style featuring dishes once eaten only by the Royal family.

Today you will overland southward along the coast to Hoi An via Da Nang, passing Lang Co beach and the spectacular Hai Van (“Ocean cloud”) Pass. You will be exposed to beautiful coastline with numerous photo opportunities, from fishing villages, beautiful beaches, tranquil countryside, fishing nets in the bay, the My Khe beach, Marble mountains….  After arriving in Hoi An and checking into our hotel, you will take a walking tour around this delightful UNESCO World Heritage town, visiting the Japanese Covered Bridge, the local market, Tan Ky House and the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. The town is a paradise for local artists and there are galleries galore. Hoi An is also particularly well known for its tailors.

We start the day with a leisure bike ride to explore rustic countryside of Hoian. This scenic route will take you through lush green fields and gardens and different villages, giving you a great view of the daily life activities. Next, you will arrive a  fishing villages and expose to daily life here. You will have opportunities to visit local homes, interacting with friendly villagers, learning about their daily life. Next, try the interesting ride on ‘ thuyen thung” or basket-shaped boat made by bamboo  before returning to town for lunch at a local restaurant. 

The rest of the day is free for relaxation at beautiful beach or further exploration of the town.

Transfer to Da Nang Airport for a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arriving Ho Chi Minh city, you will enjoy a brief city tour of the biggest city in Vietnam, including the Reunification Palace – the former Independence Palace; the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral and the City Post Office. The tour will end with a walk along major landmark buildings during war time such as City’ opera house, Rex hotel, former CIA office building from which the picture of the chopper evacuating people on the rooftop after the collapse of Saigon was taken… 

Check in at the hotel.

The rest of the day is at leisure.

Mekong delta is a vast maze of rivers, islands and swamps, home to floating markets, Khmer pagodas, and villages surrounded by rice paddies. You will travel southwest today for almost two hours to reach Cai Be town and board a private motor boat to explore the fertile delta. The boat tour will expose you to the daily life along the river, watching the floating houseboats on the river bank, houses built by the rivers. Then you will stop at an orchard and sample different types of local fruit. The walking tour though the lush green island give you up-close look at different small family –run businesses such as coconut candy and crispy rice popcorn, handicraft workshops.. . Next, visit Binh Hoa Phuoc island, the “green pearl” of Vinh Long town, where you can immerse yourself in nature and enjoy a lunch of freshest ingredient grown locally, served in a tropical garden setting while listening to traditional southern Vietnamese folk music. Take a nice walk through the bonsai garden before returning to Vinh Long and bus to Can Tho city.

The watery world of Mekong with numerous rivers and crisscrossing canals has created an ideal environment for transportation by boats among local people. As a result, floating markets are commonly found here. And a tour to visit the Cai Rang floating market early in the morning is a must. You can find all kinds of local produce in the market, from fresh vegetable, fruit, and flowers to cooked food. . . Big vessels are often wholesalers, run by a family. The boats function both as shops and shelters as well. In the meantime, smaller boats are retailers. All of them anchored in the middle of rivers’ intersection so that local buyers can see and get access to them from any directions. Every boat hangs one of each available items for sales on a tall bamboo poll as advertisement for their shop. People still keep the habit of getting up early to go to market so they can go to work later so most markets start at day’ break and finishes around 8am. Cruise around the market, watch the local people trading, take pictures, enjoy the colorful sight and sound before return to hotel for breakfast. Then, check out the hotel and visit an ancient house in a village by car before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.

Morning is free at leisure till departure time to the airport for the flight home.

End of the tour