Vietnam Discovery - 14 Days

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival.
Day 2: Hanoi City Tour – Night train to Laocai.
Day 3: Laocai – Sapa.
Day 4: Sapa – Visit hill tribe villages.
Day 5: Hanoi – Halong Bay– Overnight on cruise.
Day 6: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Fly to Hue.
Day 7: Hue City Tour.
Day 8: Hue – Danang – Hoian.
Day 9: Hoian Ecotour – Explore the ancient town.
Day 10: Hoian – Danang – Fly to Saigon.
Day 11: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels – Tay Ninh.
Day 12: Saigon – Mekong Delta (Cai Be) – Can Tho.
Day 13: Can Tho – Floating market – Saigon.
Day 14: Saigon Departure.

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival.
Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Your driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, enjoy an orientation walk, visiting Hanoi’s main attractions: the Opera House, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. In the evening, savor a welcome dinner of authentic Vietnamese food at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.
Meals: Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi City Tour – Night train to Laocai.
Today you have a full day to explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Your city tour will take you to Hanoi’s key sites: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and stilt house), the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Presidential Palace; the Temple of Literature; the Quan Thanh Temple, the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & West Lake; and one of the city's museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum). In the evening enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese Art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture – before heading to the train station to catch your night train to Laocai.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: on train (in 4 soft berths cabin with A/C).
Day 3: Laocai – Sapa.
The train arrives at the Laocai railway station in the early morning. Your guide and driver will meet you there and take you on the 40km drive to Sapa – Northwest Vietnam’s premier travel destination. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then catch a few hours of rest before beginning your adventure in this beautiful mountain landscape and home to many minority hill tribe peoples. In the late morning, your guide will take you on a two hour trek through the terraced rice fields to visit the villages Cat Cat and Sin Chai, where you will learn about local traditions and daily life. Rest of the day, you are free at leisure or explore the town on your own.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.
Day 4: Sapa – Visit hill tribe villages.
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting out on a full day’s trek to explore Sapa’s cultural diversity and haunting natural beauty. Take a guided hike through yawning valleys decorated with terraced rice fields and pass through remote hill tribe villages. You have three trekking options to choose from: Soft trek (~ 3 km), medium trek (~ 6km) and long trek (~ 12km). Trekking is an excellent way to explore the daily life and familiarize yourself with the cultures of the H’mong, Dzao and Dzay people who populate the region. Have lunch at a hill tribe village then drive back to Laocai to catch your return night train to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: on train (in 4 soft berths cabin with A/C).
Day 5: Hanoi – Halong Bay– Overnight on cruise.
Arrive in Hanoi in the early morning. Your guide and driver will meet you at the railways station and take you to a local restaurant for breakfast, before setting out on a 3 to 4 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay. Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as we sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Tonkin Gulf (weather permitting). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.
Optional: Travel Vietnam recommends the 25-minute scenic flight on the seaplane to those book an overnight cruise departing from Tuan Chau Habour. It will be a "love at first sight" as you admire Halong Bay's magnificient beauty from the top of view. Flights are scheduled at the most suitable and most beautiful time of the day for sightseeing above more than 1,900 magnificent islands and limestone pillars. Excitement like never before! (excluded in the tour package, contact your travel consultant to book with best offer!)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise.
Day 6: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Fly to Hue.
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 we navigate back to Halong City. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier. Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi for your in-country flight to Hue. Upon arrival, your guide and driver will meet you and take you to your hotel.
Optional (please contact our travel consultants for an arrangement in advance):
Austrian engineer Doppelmayr and Swiss engineer Garaventa have completed the world’s largest aerial tramway across Halong Bay. The 2,222m ropeway is suspended from two concrete towers, the larger of which is 188.88m high. Each of the double-decker cabins and six sets of doors is built to carry 230 passengers, making them the biggest ever built. The tramway will take visitors between a terminal in the Bai Chay District of Halong City up to the amusement park at the top of Ba Deo Hill (Hon Gai Ward, Halong City). The Nu Hoang Cable Car (meaning Queen in English) has just operated since late June'16 and the round-trip entrance ticket is 15 USD/ person (excluded). If you interested in taking this gondola lift, our driver can take you to the station of Nu Hoang Cable Car after the cruise and you may spend a couple of hours there. Afterwards, you will be transferred directly to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport for an in-country flight to Hue to continue your holiday.
Meals: Brunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue.
Day 7: Hue City Tour.
Spend an entire day touring the Vietnam’s former ancient capital. Start the day with a visit to the Imperial Citadel, home to the Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City – once the Emperor's private residence. The Imperial City was created in the 19th century and modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Imperial Enclosure houses many palaces and temples within its walls. In the afternoon, continue on your tour stopping at the Imperial Museum, Tu Hieu Pagoda and vibrant Dong Ba riverside market.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue.
Day 8: Hue – Danang – Hoian.
Spend the morning on a private boat cruise down the romantic Perfume River to visit the Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) and the ornate Minh Mang's tomb. Enjoy lunch at a riverside restaurant before starting on your drive to Hoian. Stop en route in Lang Co Bay, a long white-sand beach with blue seawater which offers great view of a peaceful fishing village with boats sailing in Lap An lagoon and flocks of storks flying back to their nests at dusk. Pass over the epic Hai Van pass or Pass of the Cloud, a spectacular mountain pass between Hue and Hoian, with views of the East Vietnam Sea on one side and the lush mountainous landscape on the other. Visit Cham Museum and handicraft villages at the foot of Marble Mountain in Danang before arriving in Hoian, the sleepy riverside town in the late afternoon. Check in to the hotel and then enjoy the rest of the evening free at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoian.
Day 9: Hoian Ecotour – Explore the ancient town.
* Wet Rice Farmer Tour (4.5 Hours):
8:00 AM: Pick up at hotel by bicycle.
Take a leisurely bike ride to a local farm, passing through rice paddies and breathing in the fresh air. Meet the local farmer and learn about daily farm life. Enjoy a break while sipping a cup of tea in the rice fields before changing into your farming clothes!
Change into farm clothes before getting into muddy rice fields: Authentic Vietnamese traditional farmer clothes, conical hat, boots (provided).
Learn the traditional process of growing wet rice and what it entails including the agricultural water system and farming techniques such as using a water buffalo plough!
After lunch, take a walking tour through the narrow winding streets of Hoian ancient town, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year old Tan Ky ancestral house and the famous Japanese Bridge.
Return to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the free evening at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoian.
Day 10: Hoian – Danang – Fly to Saigon.
Have breakfast at the hotel then drive to the airport to catch your flight to Vietnam’s modern metropolis: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Arrive in the late morning and enjoy an orientation tour through Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling streets en route to the hotel. Have lunch at a downtown restaurant of your choosing then set out on a guided city tour. In the afternoon you will visit such sites as the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the City Post Office and Ben Thanh Market. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.
Day 11: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels – Tay Ninh.
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. Next you will visit the beautiful Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh and partake in the noontime prayer service. This large and colorful compound is home to the hybrid religion founded in the 1920s: Caodaism, which combines elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam in order to promote peace. Have lunch in Tay Ninh and return to Saigon in the late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.
Day 12: Saigon – Mekong Delta (Cai Be) – 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 Floating Market, 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 13: Can Tho – Floating market – Saigon.
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.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.
Day 14: Saigon Departure.
Have breakfast at hotel then enjoy a free morning before driving to the airport to catch your departure flight home.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: N/A.

• Visit Hanoi's colonial charming capital.
• Trek along the spectacular landscapes & colorful hill tribe villages of Sapa.
• Discover mythical Halong Bay on an overnight cruise.
• Explore the peace and beauty of Hoian.
• Enjoy the amazing view from Hai Van Pass.
• Experience the landscape and daily life in Mekong Delta.