Vietnam Tour 18 Days 17 Nights From Hanoi ( VN18 )

Hello! Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam.

• Arrive at Noi Bai Airport – Hanoi, car and tour guide pick you up and take you straight to your hotel in the Old Quarter.
• After checking in, you are free to relax and enjoy the scenery of Hanoi, then go enjoy food at Koto restaurant.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: (_/_/D)

You will experience Hanoi off the beaten track by Russian Minsk motorbike, you visit the museum in Hanoi, with your guide, you explore different neighborhoods of Hanoi, and visit the market in Hanoi, then you will enjoy street food, you explore Hanoi by safe, and friendly cub 50 motorbike.

Note: If you do not like motorbikes, there is an alternative for your family to ride an open-air wartime Jeep.

Morning: After breakfast, the car and guide will pick up your family at the hotel lobby at the scheduled time, you will ride on a 1952 Russian-made 150cc motorbike heading out of the city. The car, you will introduce some beautiful views of their city.

• Visit the black market to meet and interact with friendly locals. Stop at a food court at the back of the market and try some delicious street food.
• Continuing the journey you will visit a local house, meet the elders and hear thrilling stories.
• The train tracks, the guide has timed it so that you can see a Reunification Express train passing by! This is your Kodak moment.
• Returning to the City, you pass through the French colonial architecture of the French Quarter. You will pass by French-style villas, the Vietnam History Museum, the heritage Metropole Legend Hotel and the Opera House…
• Arriving in Hanoi’s Old Quarter (as opposed to the French Quarter) you will explore the maze of small alleys and narrow streets. Stop at various eateries and food stalls to enjoy the best of Hanoi such as traditional dishes and specialties of Ha Thanh.
• The car takes you out of the city towards Long Bien Bridge, a magnificent architectural work built by the French over a hundred years ago across the Red River.
• You will arrive at Bai Giua, also known as Banana Island, a 24ha strip of land in the middle of the Red River, the island is covered with lush green banana, papaya and guava trees, interspersed with white reed flowers. You will meet the locals, then head back to the City. The last stop will be a hidden Coffee Shop to enjoy a cup of egg coffee with a view.
• Around noon, your guide will take you back to the hotel.

Afternoon: You are free to relax and enjoy the comfort of the hotel or stroll through the hidden alleys of the Old Quarter.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning: After breakfast, your guide will pick you up and take you through the fertile fields of the Red River Delta to Halong Bay, where you will board a boat, where you will spend the evening.

• Upon arrival, you will board a sailing boat for a safety briefing, and the journey will begin with a sightseeing tour around the islets and limestone caves of the bay.

Afternoon: After lunch on board, you will experience sunbathing on the deck and enjoy the peaceful tranquility of the bay.

• Then, you will visit the “Grotte des Surprises” Cave, a hidden gem of Mother Nature. As the boat gently drifts through the beautiful limestone formations with thousands of stalactites and stalagmites, the boat takes you through the islands, you will encounter deserted bays, white sand beaches and floating villages.
• You will enjoy the activities on board and take in the beautiful scenery of the Bay. Relax at the spa on board or swim in the emerald waters.
• At the end of the day, your crew will take you to the overnight anchorage. You can attend a cooking demonstration by the chef or watch the sunset on the deck before dinner.
• The rest of the evening will be at your leisure. You can watch a movie or join the crew in squid fishing before retiring to your cabin.

Overnight on board in Ha Long Bay

Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning: You will join Tai Chi exercises, you will feel relaxed in the morning. Join a morning class with a ‘Local Expert’ on the Junk’s deck in a beautiful natural setting. You will enjoy the scenery on Ha Long Bay in the morning or you can kayak and row through the Bright and Dark Caves to admire the scenery here.

• Return to the Junk. Check out of the cabin and then enjoy a buffet before you return to the port. Get off the boat around noon to drive back to Hanoi.

Afternoon: Arrive at your hotel in Hanoi, you can relax on your own, or you can go to the Lotus Theatre to watch the unique traditional Water Puppet Show.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning: Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and start a 4-hour scenic drive through the picturesque countryside of green rice fields and majestic mountains to Mai Chau, home to ethnic minorities, surrounded by hills, Mai Chau is a peaceful scene.

• Arrive in Mai Chau around noon and check in at Mai Chau Ecolodge. Nestled in the heart of Mai Chau valley surrounded by mountains and rice fields, this eco-resort is a peaceful oasis.

Afternoon: Your guide will take you on a walk (or bike ride if you wish) to Pom Coong and Lac villages, visit stilt houses and lush green rice fields, Lac and Pom Coong villages are ancient Thai ethnic villages where you will visit and experience the daily life of the people here.

• Visit Mo Luong cave and Chieu cave. Two natural cave systems with stalactites and stalagmites thousands of years old are beautiful works of art of Mother Nature, these caves give you the feeling like you are lost in the ancient world of primitive creations.

Visit the Thai Ethnology Museum. More than 1000 artifacts are displayed associated with the daily life of Thai people, with hunting tools, ceremonial costumes, bowls, plates, ancient coins, musical instruments, hundreds of years old books, … The works exude Thai culture over the centuries.

Evening: You enjoy chef Gordon Ramsay’s dishes on the Mai Chau trip, which are local dishes, and rice wine made in the village.

• After dinner, you will return to Mai Chau Ecolodge to watch the traditional dance performance performed by the White Thai people.

Overnight in Mai Chau

Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning: After breakfast, the car and tour guide will pick you up and take you to Pu Luong with its towering limestone peaks and lush green terraced fields and many villages of the Thai ethnic people.

• Upon arrival, you will check in at the bungalows of Pu Luong Resort, a paradise on the mountain top, surrounded by terraced rice fields, palm trees and banana trees with stunning views.

Noon: You enjoy lunch, then free time to explore the beautiful resort with its tranquil setting.

Afternoon: The tour guide will take you hiking (5 km/ 3 hours) around the resort area. You will interact and meet the local people, walk through the rice fields, rice paddies and learn more about the local culture.

Evening: Free to explore. Enjoy dinner and the comfort of the resort.

Overnight in Pu Luong

Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning: After breakfast, your guide will take you hiking (4km) and cycling (40 minutes) around the most beautiful terraced rice fields valley in front of the Retreat.

• Arriving at the beautiful valley opposite the Retreat, you will walk around the terraced rice fields or wind through small paths covered with vegetation, admiring the picturesque Uoi villages hidden at the foot of the mountain, you will record the beautiful scenery.
• You will visit a local house, where you will rest for a while and then cycle around the village. If time permits, you will visit a local family, where you can learn about their traditional brocade weaving.
• Continue cycling through the rice fields and to another village to explore the surrounding landscape. Return to the local house, where the driver will be waiting for you and take you back to the resort.

Afternoon: Free time for you to explore as you like. Enjoy lunch and dinner at the resort.

Overnight in Pu Luong

Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning: From Pu Luong, you go to Ninh Binh. Only 3 hours from Pu Luong, surrounded by beautiful limestone ranges.

• Upon arrival, you will begin to explore the Trang An eco-tourism area (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) with its beautiful scenery, secret caves, high peaks, and quiet streams. You will board a boat to explore the network of caves and arches of Trang An, including Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, and Sinh Cave.

Afternoon: After enjoying lunch, you will continue to visit the ancient capital of Hoa Lu dating back to the 11th century, the spectacular scenery creates a mysterious atmosphere that will surely bring you a sense of excitement

• Upon arrival, immerse yourself in history at the two remaining temples of King Dinh and King Le. Renovated in the 17th century, the temples are believed to have been built on the original foundations of the old palaces from the 11th and 12th centuries.
• Take a leisurely bike ride through the towering limestone mountains, along narrow roads and scenic views. Reach Hang Mua Mountain, where a short hike leads to a stunning viewpoint with breathtaking views of the Ngo Dong River below, cutting through the towering mountains.
• Stay overnight at the boutique resort Tam Coc Garden. Surrounded by rice fields and stunning limestone formations, Tam Coc Resort is an oasis of tranquillity away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Overnight in Ninh Binh

Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning: After breakfast, you will depart from Ninh Binh and drive 3 hours to Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh province, 150 km southwest of Hanoi in the coastal region of the Red River Delta. On the way, you will visit the ancient Co Le Pagoda dating back to the 10th century.

• You will visit Vi Khe Village, one of the largest bonsai villages in Vietnam. You will see bonsai trees in many different shapes, such as phoenix, dragon, horse, unicorn… or the symbol of the Temple of Literature.
• Visit Xuan Thuy National Park, formerly known as the Regional Nature Reserve and later became Vietnam’s first Ramsar site, to preserve wetlands. Xuan Thuy National Park is part of the UNESCO-recognized Red River Biosphere Reserve. This is a rich, biodiverse coastal wetland, home to around 220 species of birds, 110 species of aquatic plants and 500 other aquatic species.
• Around noon, you will arrive at Xuan Giao Commune near the National Park, where you will board a boat to explore the wetlands. After a one-hour boat ride through the National Park, you will arrive at the Clam House, where you will be served a delicious seafood lunch. Take a break and relax in the Clam House before boarding the vehicle back to the mainland.

Afternoon: After a short break, you will begin a tour around Giao Xuan Commune and through the villages. Walk along the country roads to see the lives of the local people and stop to watch farmers working in the rice fields using traditional farming methods. You will also visit ancient houses, a Catholic church and the Agricultural Museum. If it is sunny, you can visit the salt fields to see the locals making salt. You can try your hand at becoming a salt farmer!

• Visit the bird station (applicable for winter from November to March) to see many birds flying from East Asia to Australia such as Black-faced Spoonbill, Spoonbill, Spotted Green-billed Sandpiper, Saunders Gull and Asian Yellow-billed Sandpiper…

Evening: Transfer to a local house in Xuan Giao Commune, where you will enjoy a family-hosted dinner and stay overnight with the family. Clean and comfortable bedding is provided throughout your stay.

Overnight in Xuan Giao Nam Dinh

Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning: Enjoy a relaxing bike ride (or car ride) around the village, watch the beautiful sunrise over the sea, then visit the local Fish Market. Here, you can watch fishermen bring in their overnight catch. Hundreds of people from surrounding villages flock to this wholesale market to buy the best of the day.

• Return to the local homestay. Along the way, you will stop to visit a local fish sauce family, where you can see the traditional method of making the delicious dipping sauce.
• After breakfast and check out of the homestay, you will be taken to Nam Dinh station to catch the day train to Hue. The train ride lasts 11 hours and you will be in a nice and comfortable air-conditioned four-berth soft sleeper compartment. You will enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way and especially cross the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of Vietnam.

Evening: Arrive in Hue, your tour guide and driver will pick you up at the train exit and take you to your hotel in the city center for the night.

Overnight in Hue

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Morning: Start your day with a cyclo (rickshaw) ride through the ‘Citadel’ to Tinh Tam Lake, where you will explore the Imperial City (the fifth UNESCO World Heritage Site on your list) with its palaces, mandarin halls and the ruins of the Forbidden City.

• Head into the countryside to see the final resting place (tomb) of King Khai Dinh, designed in traditional Vietnamese style.
• Visit Uu Dam Orphanage, which is home to around 50 orphans. Learn more about the daily activities and efforts to care for the children. Chat with the children to learn about their school life and their dreams, before teaching them basic English or playing some games with them. Prepare a vegetarian lunch for the children and join them for lunch.

Afternoon: After lunch, you will visit Vietnam’s only ancient arena “Tiger Fight” which was dedicated to battles between elephants and tigers. Most of the time, the arena is held for the pleasure of the royal family and the people here.

• Take a dragon boat down the Perfume River. Along the way, you will stop to visit Thien Mu Pagoda – Hue’s most famous religious site. Explore the pagoda’s landscaped garden, the seven-storey octagonal tower and watch monks chanting sutras.
• End the day at Truc Chi Garden, a bamboo paper handicraft workshop founded by a talented young artist. You will have the opportunity to meet the students and have a hands-on experience to learn how to use the bamboo pulp carving technique to create works of art. Try making your own Truc Chi painting and take it home as a souvenir.

Overnight in Hue

Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning: After breakfast, your car will pick you up from your hotel and take you to Hue train station to catch the daytime train (soft seat with air conditioning) to Da Nang, on the Vietnam route. The train takes three hours.

• Upon arrival in Da Nang, your guide will pick you up and take you to your hotel in Hoi An, a UNESCO heritage town. Hoi An has two beaches just 5 km (3 miles) away with many beautiful beach resorts, so please let us know if you would like to stay at the beach.

Afternoon: Your guide will take you to Hoi An Ancient Town, where you will walk to visit Ong Pagoda, Tan Ky Ancient House, Phuc Kien Assembly Hall and Japanese Covered Bridge.

• Visit the Heritage Museum, which houses Réhahn’s precious Heritage Collection. Admire the paintings of ethnic minorities.
• Visit Reaching Out Tea House, a small oasis of welcome tranquility in the bustling Old Quarter, owned and run by deaf and mute people. Here, you will be treated to delicious cakes and wonderful oriental tea.
• Visit a lantern artisan’s house, you can observe the lantern making techniques of the craftsmen before practicing each stage of lantern making under the guidance of enthusiastic craftsmen: From bending the lantern into the frame, cutting the fabric, gluing, to finishing the lantern. Before the end of the tour, you will have a lantern made by your own hands.
• Explore Hoi An street food through the small streets, you will enjoy local dishes. Every day at 4pm, the streets of Hoi An are filled with countless street food carts, stalls and vendors, you enjoy some Hoi An specialties prepared by locals, introduce you to the faces behind the broth pots and teach you how locals handle those spice trays!

Overnight in Hoi An

Meals: (B/_/D)

You will join a fishing and farming tour in the beautiful countryside around Hoi An, you experience close to the people here.

(Note: if you do not know how to ride a bike, please use our “XE OM” scooter service with a small extra charge)

• Tour Hoi An by cycling through the rice fields and enjoy the countryside scenery, see and experience the life of the people here.
• Visit Tra Que Vegetable Village you join farming. This organic vegetable and herb farm is beautifully presented and provides many fresh products for Hoi An. You will learn the traditional methods of plowing the land, planting and watering vegetables with the people.
• From Tra Que Village, you row along the palm-lined roads through the rice fields, you will ride a water buffalo in the rice fields and enjoy the freshest air of the countryside beauty.
• You will board a wooden boat and head to the river mouth where it meets Cua Dai Beach. The fishing part begins. First, you will learn how to row a bamboo basket boat and row along the waterways, before meeting some local fishermen who will teach you some traditional net fishing techniques that are sure to be fun to try.
• Your tour ends with a delicious Vietnamese lunch on board, cooked by the crew.
• Return to your hotel, free to relax.

Overnight in Hoi An

Meals: (B/L/_)

You are free to explore Hoi An, and enjoy the food to your liking at the local market and street food (try Lao Cau and White Rose Buns), do 24-hour sewing, join a hands-on cooking class.

• The beautiful An Bang Beach is only 5km from the Old Town. You can cycle there to swim and relax.

Overnight in Hoi An

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Morning: After breakfast, transfer to the airport for a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly known as Saigon.

• Upon arrival, your guide and driver will pick you up and take you to Cu Chi, located northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, with a network of deep underground tunnels that are a historical site.
• Upon arrival, you will watch original documentary footage, then walk through the reserve. The tunnels contained living quarters, storage rooms, makeshift hospitals and kitchens… . you will tour the underground tunnels with your guide.
• Try some of the staple food of the Viet Cong soldiers, including cassava and sour tea. Afterwards, transfer to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Afternoon: You are free to explore, either strolling around the city centre or visiting the night market and enjoying some authentic local food.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

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Morning: After breakfast and check out, your guide and driver will take you on a three-hour tour to Vung Liem (Mekong Delta), where you will enjoy the Mekong Delta experience.

• Upon arrival, you will check into the bungalows at Co Co Riverside Lodge. Nestled on the banks of the Mekong River surrounded by coconut forests and rice fields, the lodge makes you feel relaxed

Afternoon: After lunch, take a bike ride along the peaceful village roads through coconut farms, green rice fields and small villages. Along the way, you will stop to visit one of the many dragon fruit plantations where you can enjoy the garden.

• Return to the lodge to shower and rest, you will walk with the locals using traditional torches made from dried coconut leaves to the neighbor’s house, where you will enjoy a traditional music performance.
• Return to the lodge and join a fun cooking class with the chef. Then sit back and enjoy what you have cooked together.
• Enjoy the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Overnight at Co Co Riverside Lodge in Vung Liem

Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning: After breakfast, you will visit a local school and visit the market. Then take a leisurely boat ride through the small palm-lined canals to visit the local handicraft industries with small coconut processing operations. Once the coconuts are dehusked, the coir is separated from the shell to make rope, which is then used to weave mats.

• Take a local ferry to visit a Cao Dai temple, a fascinating insight into a local religion.
• Back to the Lodge. If time permits, try weaving with nipa palm leaves. Leaves are the main building material in the Mekong Delta and are used to build walls and roofs. The locals will show you how they use the leaves and how to make ‘poon’ sticks which glow on the last night with a musical performance.

Afternoon: Check out and return to Ho Chi Minh City, you are free to relax and enjoy the night scene in Ho Chi Minh City

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Meals: (B/L/_)

Pick you up from your hotel after breakfast and transfer to Ho Chi Minh International Airport, where you can catch your flight home or continue your adventure, we’ll help you plan.

• Not ready to go home yet? Extend your stay with a trip to the pristine island of Phu Quoc, where you can end your Vietnam adventure with a relaxing stay at one of its many beautiful beaches and resorts.

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