Authentic Vietnam tour 16 days

Day 1 : Arrival to Ha Noi
Arrive at Noi Bai international airport. Visa arrangements. Welcome by your local tour guide and driver. Transfer to your hotel in the city center. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2 :  Ha Noi City Tour (B/L)

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts and the One Pillar Pagoda. Continue on to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Ethnology, Hoan Kiem lake, Ngoc Son temple and enjoy riding in a rickshaw for 1 hour in the old quater of Hanoi and its teeming streets filled with fascinating shops. Dinner on guests account. Transfer to the train station for departure to Sapa on the night train. Overnight in an air-conditioned soft sleeper cabin.

Day 3 : Lao Cai – Sapa – Lao Chai – Ta Van (B/L)
Arrive at Lao Cai station at 6:00am. Pick up at Lao Cai Station then transfer to Sapa. Have breakfast then leave the hotel , start trekking downhill to Y Linh Ho and Muong Hoa Valley through rice paddies and small hamlets to learn the life of hill tribes here. Communication exchange with local people in Lao Chai village then continuing walking through villages and rice terraced fields to Ta Van village settled by Dzay ethnic. Have pinic lunch on the way then keep going to the bottom of Sapa valley which is supposed to be the most beautiful one in the area. Back to Sapa in the afternoon. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Sapa.

Day 4 : Sapa – Cat Cat – Ta Phin – Ha Noi (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Trek down to Cat Cat village of Black H’Mong tribe. Enjoy the waterfall in CatCat village and beautiful scenery along the way.Jeep back to Sapa. Check out the hotel. Have lunch at the local restaurant. Afternoon, take a car to Ta Phin village to visit the house of Red Dao people, walk around the village to explore the custom, daily life and weaving technique of the Red Dao people. Transfer to Lao Cai for overnight train back to Ha noi. Overnight in an air-conditioned soft sleeper cabin.

Day 5 : Ha Noi – Ha long (B/L/D)
Arrive in Hanoi at around 5am. Pick up at the railway station. Transfer to a restaurant for breakfast. Then leave for Ha Long Bay. Arrive at Ha Long Bay and board the Huong Hai junk. Have lunch, then visit Ha Long Bay, Thien Cung cave, Dau Go cave, Tuan Chau island, Dog island, Sail island and Ti Top Beach. Have dinner on the junk as you enjoy the sunset. Drinks and overnight stay on the junk. (Optional: Kayaking).

Day 6 : Ha long – Ha noi – Hue (B/L)
Have breakfast. Visit man’s head island, Tortoise island, Toad island, Bai Tho mountain. Return and have lunch on the junk. Back to Ha Long wharf. Transfer to Noi Bai airport for boarding flight VN 247 to Hue (19:30 – 20:40). Pick up and transfer to your hotel. Dinner on guests account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.

Day 7 : Hue (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Take a morning cruise on the Perfume River to visit the royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, Thien Mu pagoda and the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang, in a setting of gardens and lakes. In the afternoon, visit Dong Ba market, the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between1802 and 1945, and the ruins of the Purple Forbidden City. Enjoy a night boat trip on the Perfume River enlivened by a performance of Hue folk songs. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.

Day 8 : Hue – Da Nang – Hoi An (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Hoi An, stop for photos and sightseeing at the Hai Van pass, Lang Co beach, the Marble mountain. In the afternoon, stroll around the town, visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, and the Danang-style temples and pagodas. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hoi An.

Day 9 : Hoi An – My Son – Hoi An (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. We drive to visit the holy land My Son. This is a former capital of the ancient Cham civilization that ruled central Vietnam. It is one of four World Heritage listed sites in Vietnam. At the end of the day we will be at our leisure to do our endless shopping in Hoi An. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hoi An.

Day 10 : Hoi An – Da Nang – Nha Trang (B/L)

Breakfast at the hotel. Free for shopping in Hoi An. Depart for Danang to visit the Cham Museum, home to Vietnam’s largest collection of Cham treasures. Lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to Danang airport for boarding flight No VN 337 to Nha Trang (14:10 – 15:30). Pick up at Cam Ranh airport and transfer to hotel. At leisure in the afternoon. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Nha Trang.

Day 11 : Nha Trang and it offshore islands (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Take the morning boat trip to visit the Tri Nguyen Aquarium and the off-shore islands around Nha Trang, including Mun Mot island. Enjoy swimming and beach activities. Lunch at Hon Tam island with fresh seafood. Return to Nha Trang. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Nha Trang.

Day 12 : Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh City Tour (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Cam Ranh airport for boarding flight No 451 to Ho Chi Minh City (8:15 – 9: 30). Pick up and transfer to hotel. Take a sightseeing tour of the city, including the Reunification Palace, which was the residence of the President of South Vietnam until the end of the war in April 1975, and some beautiful French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office. Tour of town and Thien Hau and Quan Am pagoda. After seeing the Emperor Jade Pagoda and the War Remnants Museum, we end the city tour at Ben Thanh market where anything and everything is for sale. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 13 : Ho Chi Minh city – Tay Ninh – Cu Chi – Ho Chi Minh City (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive west to Tay Ninh, headquarters of Cao Dai region. On arrival, attend the fantastic mid-day temple service when followers fill the hall wearing colored robes, a symbol of the curious combination of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. On the way back, visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground network of tunnels constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation, etc. and were used as a military base for the Vietcong during the American war. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 14 : Ho Chi Minh City – My Tho – Ben Tre – Can Tho (B/L)

Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for My tho. Take a leisurely boat ride through the Bao Dinh natural canal which is bordered by rows of traditional stilt houses and fruit plantations. Visit the My Tho wholesale fruit market. Proceed to Tortoise island. Lunch served in the heart of the orchard. Enjoy a boat ride through the Tan Thach natural canal in Ben Tre, cruising under the shadows of the water coconut trees. Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle. After trekking through the fruit plantation on Thoi Son island, enjoy a rowing boat ride along the creeks before returning to My Tho by motor boat. Proceed to Can Tho. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Can Tho.

Day 15 : Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City (B/L)
After breakfast, take the morning boat trip to visit the Phong Dien floating market which is at its busiest at this time of day. Keep cruising through the small channels system and visit a rice noodle making village. Experience the “Monkey Bridge” in the Delta. Visit a second floating market (Cai Rang). Break for lunch. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 16 : Ho Chi Minh City and departure (B)
Breakfast at the hotel. Free for your own activities until transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for departure. End of services. Finish your Authentic Vietnam tour.

Included:

• A/c private car/van for pick up, transfer and sightseeing as per program.
• Domestic flights: Ha Noi – Hue; Da Nang – Nha,Trang; Nha Trang – HCMC (economy class).
• A/c private soft sleeper train ticket: Ha noi – Lao Cai – Ha Noi. ( 2 – 4 pax/Cabin )
• English speaking tour guide.
• Shared cruise in Ha Long Bay.
• Kayaking paddles.
• Private boat trips in Hue, Nhatrang and the Mekong Delta.
• All entrance fees, cyclos and cruises.
• Hotel accommodation based on 2 guests sharing a Twin or Double room.
• Approved invitation letter for Vietnamese visa.
• Half board package meals as indicated (B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner).

Excluded:

• International flight to/from Vietnam
• Vietnamese entry visa fee : 520.000 vnd/person
• Travel insurance
• Drinks & other meals not mentioned in the program
• Personal expenses.