Vietnam: From North To South in 14 Days

Day 1: Arrive Hanoi - Transfer To Hotel (N/A)

Upon arrival in our thousand years Capital – Hanoi City, our guide will welcome you at Noi Bai airport and then transfer you to your hotel in the city center. Relax some time to recover somewhat from jet-lag. 

If time permits, take an orientation walking tour of Hanoi. You will visit our legend/history about Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son temple (the lake of the Restored Sword), our architectural and our way of with small streets and its name (Old Quarter). Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

 

Optional Tour: Evening Hanoi Walking Street Food Tour from 17:30pm to 19:30pm.
Includes: all food and drink includes, Café, English speaking tour guide, lots of fun

You will have opportunity to sample delicious Vietnamese cuisine just like the locals do - on the street Stroll through hidden alleyways and bustling markets of Hanoi’s charming old quarter Learn more about Hanoi’s unique food culture Try local specialties with influences from French and Chinese cuisine Take in a spectacular night view of Hoan Kiem lake from a secret cafe and discover the ancient Streets of Hanoi Old Quarter with its ancient buildings and temples, transparent lakes and old cultural features.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour & Night Train To Sapa (B)

Today, we will take the sightseeing of the most city's outstanding historical and cultural sites. The visit includes:

- The complex of Ho Chi Minh historical sites, also called the political center of Vietnam including Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilt, One Pillar Pagoda.

- The Temple of Literature for the brief understanding about the two most popular religions in Vietnam (Buddhism and Confucianism).

- Visit one of the museums in Hanoi (Museum of History, Museum of Ethnology, Museum of Fine Art, Hoa Lo Prison, etc). 

- Enjoy our welcome show of northern rural of Vietnam – Water Puppet show.

You will have time for your own dinner before the transfer to Railway station for night train to Sapa. 

Overnight on the train in the 4 soft berths cabin with A/C.

Notes: 
- Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Monday & Friday. 
- Museums are closed on Monday. 
- If you want to have a private 2 person cabin on the train, the extra charge is 60 US$ Per Person for the round trip.
- If you are difficult to sleep on the night train, it is recommended to take the 5-6 hour high quality tourist bus or tourist mini-van from Hanoi to Sapa in the morning next day (from 7:30am to 13:30pm) and spend this night at hotel in Hanoi instead. 

Day 3: Sapa - Visit Hill Tribe Market (B)

Early morning arrival at Lao Cai - The Chinese border town around 6:00AM, then transfer to Lao Cai town. Have breakfast in a local restaurant.

In this area there are some Fair Markets which can't be missed. (Coc Ly on Tuesday, Cao Son on Wednesday, Lung Khau Nhin on Thursday, Can Cau on Saturday, Bac Ha on Sunday, etc)

After breakfast, you will leave for about 2 hours driving to the market. Join in the colorful market of the tribal people in this region. On the fair market the H'mong, Dzao, Phu La people in their best traditional costumes go to the market for shopping and meeting friends and relatives.

Afternoon, drive to the Chinese border gate for a short visit and continue our drive to Sapa town on the high mountain. On arrival in Sapa, check in hotel and spend the rest of the day for exploring the charming town, visiting local market and getting acquaint with the hill-tribal people such as H'mong, Red Zao, Zay... on your own. Overnight at hotel in Sapa town. 

Day 4: Explore Sapa Hill Tribe Villages (B/L)

Have breakfast at hotel and today is for discovering the nature as well as different culture of hill tribal people.
From hotel we start our short car drive passby the scenic Muong Hoa valley.
For the trekking lovers we will start the trekking from Y Linh Ho village (7km trek) throught the rice terraces, hills, bamboo forests and streams to Lao Chai and Ta Van Villages which are decorated by terraced-fields and the house of H'mong, Red Zao and Zay people.
For most travelers, we will start our trek at Lao Chai Village to Ta Van Village (5km).
You will have great opportunity for taking photos of breathtaking landscapes, meeting friendly hill-tribe people at home and work, and getting to understand their tradition, habits... We will return to our hotel in Sapa by car in afternoon. Overnight at hotel in Sapa. 

Note: A full or half day trekking or moving by car and short walk is on your request.

Day 5: Sapa & Night Train Back To Hanoi (B/L)

After breakfast, you can choose one of the 2 tour options below for today: 

Option 1: Visit Cat Cat & Sinchai Villages
We will take a short drive to Cat Cat Village, the home of H’mong Ethnic. Meeting and talking with locals at their home to learn more about their daily life and get to know their habits. From here, you will have a chance to see the hydroelectric power station built by the French by the wonderful Cat Cat waterfall. Then next 3 km trekking to Sin Chai village, the village located at the foot of Fansipan Mountain, “the roof of Vietnam and Indochina”. From here you can enjoy huge stunning landscapes and fall in the beauty in Sapa leaving the crowded modern lifestyle. 
Pickup at Sin Chai village and get back to the town by car around early afternoon (earlier or later) depending on your pace of trekking.

Option 2: Visit Fansipang Peak by Cable car
After breakfast, check out the hotel about 9am and the guide will take you  to visit the Silver Waterfalls by car.  That is 18km away from Sapa – the most beautiful water fall in Sapa. After that, the car picks you up to Fansipang Cable Car Station and spend 20 minutes with cable car to enjoy the spectacular scenery.
Reach the altitude of 2800 meters, you have a good time to see the view and take photos, visit pagoda the spiritual destinations and trek up to 600 steps you will reach the peak of Fansipan - the Roof of Indochina. (Spend about 1,5 hours for hiking and taking photos).Get down the mountain by cable car and return to Sapa town by car. 

Have lunch at the local restaurant and you will have some free time to relax or explore more of Sapa town and local market in town on your own before our transfer to Lao Cai train station for the night train back to Hanoi. Overnight on the train in an air-con soft berth cabin.

Note: We also offer an option of taking the high quality tourist bus or tourist mini-van from Sapa to Hanoi in the afternoon (from 14:00 to 20:00) and spend this night at hotel in Hanoi instead of the overnight train is available on request. 

Day 6: Hanoi To Ha Long Bay - Overnight Cruise (B/L/D)

The train arrives back to Hanoi around 5am and walk to our dayuse hotel by the train station for few hours relaxing and having breakfast. 

8:00am: After breakfast, you will leave for Halong Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you will board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels with sails, a wide transom and rectangular superstructure, that will take you first to the busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Weather permitting, you will be able to swim, fish, climb a hill for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape, or venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan. All your meals will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood. Your overnight will be aboard.

Day 7: Halong To Hanoi Airport & Fly To Da Nang - Hoi An (B/L)

Participate in Tai Chi o­n the top deck or simply watch the sunrise over the magnificent bay. Enjoy your morning cup of coffee or juice before setting out to the near- by cave by row boat, etc. Return back to the boat, where breakfast is served, while sailing around the Bay.

Your cruise will end at noon and you will be met by your driver for the transfer to Hanoi City and continue our transfer to Hanoi airport for a late afternoon / early evening one hour and a half flight to Danang. Arrive in Danang, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Hoi An town, around 30km away. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An. 

Day 8: Visit Myson Sanctuary & HoiAn Ancient Town (B)

Morning, take a discovery trip to Myson Sanctuary, 40km from Hoi An. Located in a lush valley, My Son was a capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries. My Son, considered being in the same league as some of Southeast Asia's greatest archaeological sites, including Angkor in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, Ayutthaya in Thailand and Borobudur in Indonesia. These towers and sanctuaries were built from the 7 to 13 centuries. Admiring great architectural and art works of the Cham lost Kingdom. Having a brief understanding of the history, culture for which My Son was recognized the World Cultural Heritage. Return to Hoi An at noon.

In the afternoon, you will have a guided tour to see the interesting sights of this ancient city. Some hundreds years ago, this town thrived o­n trading with the Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. You will visit a historical Old House, Japanese Covered Bridge, Old Temple and Silk Factory. 
Overnight at hotel in Hoian.  

Optional Tour: Join in Evening Cooking Class at Hai Cafe from 18:00pm to 20:00pm.
Highlights: Learn to make Hoi An speciality dishes - including fried spring rolls,Highlights: Learn to make Hoi An speciality dishes - including fried spring rolls,grilled fish in banana leaves, & beef salad in a bamboo basket.

Our evening class is an interesting and fun way to learn about the local cuisine. Together we prepare 3 dishes before sitting down for dinner to enjoy our efforts.

Your chef will introduce you to the local ingredients, take you through the preparation, and explain the Hoi An style of cooking. Then it is your turn to chop, grate, crush, slice, roll and cook the ingredients into a delicious meal.

Your 5 course dinner also includes 2 additional Hoi An specialties* - White Rose and Fried Wanton. These secret recipes are made by only 1 family in Hoi An, and are included in the meal, but are not part of the cooking class.

Each class has a maximum of 10 persons, runs for 1 hour & 15 minutes and is then followed by dinner. 
Recipes are provided at the start of the class.

Day 9: Hoian To Hue & Visit Royal Palaces (B)

After breakfast in the hotel, you will have a four hour drive over the scenic Hai Van pass (Cloudy Pass) along the coast to the old citadel of Hue. On the way, visit Marble Mountain (Ngu Hanh Son), discover the stunning natural caves of the mountain and enjoy the beautiful view from the top of the Marble Mountain and have a quick view of the Dragon Bridge in Danang city. You will have a short stop in spectacular Lang Co beach for a view before continue on our drive to Hue.  

Afternoon, take the sightseeing in Hue to the Ancient Imperial Citadel, a complex of palaces and temples built by the Nguyen from early 19th Century for which Hue was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.
Then you will embark on a drive to Hue’s countryside to reach the Emperor Tu Duc’s tomb, one of the most beautiful royal architectures of Nguyen dynasty.
Late afternoon, visit Thien Mu pagoda and enjoy the leisure boat trip on the scenic Perfume River. Overnight at hotel in Hue.

Day 10: Hue - Ho Chi Minh City (B)

Transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). On arrival, you will explore this cosmopolitan city o­n a guided tour. Highlights are the famed Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, War Remnant Museum, Municipal Theater, Ben Thanh Market. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh - Overnight Mekong Delta Tour - Can Tho (B/L)

After breakfast, we will depart the city and enjoy the scenic journey along the National Highway bordered by green rice fields to My Tho in the Mekong Delta. On arrived at My Tho, visit Vinh Trang pagoda, and take a leisurely boat ride along the river, view the stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages along the river bank. Proceed to Tortoise islet, have lunch in the orchard garden. Then a boat ride to An Khanh – a less touristy attraction in Ben Tre, enjoy cruising on a hand-rowed sampan under the shadow of the water coconut trees along natural canals, then enjoy seasonal fruit & honey tea.
Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle, taste the delicious coconut candy & observe the pastoral life as you roam through the fruit plantation and village. Towards the end of the day we arrive in Can Tho where we stay at the hotel.

Day 12: Visit Cai Rang Floating Market - Return To Ho Chi Minh (B)

Rising early to the sounds of the Delta coming to life for another day, we breakfast and start our trip with a boat cruise on sparking streams along the endless waterway of Mighty Mekong River to Cai Rang floating market. There will be hundreds of boats loaded with fruits, vegetables and fish jostling for trade. Sellers advertisers their wares by crying out across the waters. We visit the lush orchards and are treated to a delicious tropical fruits. 
Late morning, drive back to Ho Chi Minh. Check in hotel and free to relax.

Evening, you can explore the exciting nightlife of Ho Chi Minh City on your own. Visit Ben Thanh night market and enjoy the street foods, or enjoy some drinks at pub or bar at the bustling Bui Vien street, or go shoppping at the mordern shopping centers. 
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh.

Day 13: Visit Cu Chi Tunnels & At Leisure (B)

Depart hotel in the morning to visit Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of underground tunnels begun in 1948 by the Viet Minh in their struggle against the French. These tunnels were expanded and used by the Viet Cong during the war between Vietnam and America. Americans called this the “Iron Triangle” and was a stronghold of the Vietcong for almost thirty years. You can crawl underground in the tunnels, try the raffle shooting at your own cost, etc... Have lunch and return to HCM and arrive back to the hotel around 14:00pm and you will be free in the rest of the afternoon to relax or go shopping.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh.

Optional Tour: Evening Saigon Food Tour by Vespa scooter from 6pm to 10pm.

Includes: classic vespa scooters, all food and drink includes, live bar music and drink full-face Helmet, Safe Drivers, English speaking tour guide, all entrance fees, cold water throughout, free pick-up and frop-off, pictures from your tour, lots of fun

Highlights – local street food sea food , pancake ...loff top bar to see sunset, live music bar, ride to see city night life

First Our experience drivers on vintage Vespas will pick you up from your hotel, then we will bring you to our Venue, to have a welcome drink at a local bar for you have a free drink and to enjoy the panorama of Saigon.
Then we bring around the City, to enjoy the landmarks of Saigon, to small alley where you see the real life of Saigonese. Our first stop for dinner is a local restaurant where we would like to introduce to you our local specialties like: Vietnamese Pancake, spring rolls... After that, we continue our Discovery of Saigon to local Seafood restaurant, another experience for you to taste the seafood with great ambience of the local. The trip is not done yet, the fun things is still waiting for you after.
We would like to bring to the local acoustic music Cafe to have some desert of drink, to enjoy some music performed by Vietnamese singers.
Our last stop before get back to the hotel will be Bar, where you can enjoy Rock music or Jazz, now you can say you experience the Saigon Night Life. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.

Day 14: Departure From Ho Chi Minh - Farewell To Vietnam (B)

You will be free until the departure time until the transfer you to the airport in Ho Chi Minh for your departure flight home or to next destination. Say farewell to Ho Chi Minh & Vietnam.