Itinerary:
Day One - Check in Hotel in Hanoi (no meal)
Today you will arrive in Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Their driver will wait for you at the exit gate to take you to the hotel in Hanoi. Arrive at the hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink while doing the check in. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Check in time is after 1pm.
Day Two - Hanoi - Ha Long Bay (B, L, D)
Pick up at the hotel and start the scenic drive to Ha Long Bay. Embark on V'Spirit Classic Cruise followed by a short cruise briefing. Savour a delectable lunch as the ship cruises amongst the limestone islands. Kayak among the hidden areas of the bay, around the Drum Cave area. Enjoy the sunset party on the sundeck and admire the best moments of the day when the sun starts to set. Have dinner and socialize with other guests or just lay around.
Day Three - Ha Long Bay - Hanoi (B, L)
Start your day with some Tai Chi exercises or photo hunt. Have breakfast on board and enjoy the peaceful morning of Ha Long Bay. Cruise to Titov Island. Go swimming and relaxing at the beach of Titov or climb up to the top of the island for a panorama view of Ha Long Bay. Return to the boat, freshen up and then check out of your cabin. Continue your cruise exploring the bay. Participate in a cooking class before enjoying a traditional Vietnamese lunch.
Disembark V'Spirit Cruises. Transfer back to Hanoi. Re-check in the hotel. Stay overnight in Hanoi.
Day Four - Hanoi - Bus to Sapa - Lao Cai - Tavan - Giang Ta Chai (B, L, D)
Their car and guide will pick you up at the meeting point and depart to Lao Cai on the highway running from Noi Bai. You have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery on both sides of this road. Arrive in Sapa. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then proceed to visit Lao Cai. Explore the life of ethnic minorities, admire the spectacular natural scenery with the terraced rice fields. The trek will take approximately four hours. Stay overnight in a hotel in Sapa.
Day Five - Sapa - Cat Cat Village - Bus Back to Hanoi (B, L)
The driver and guide will take you back to Sapa to group for the Cat Cat village tour. Explore Cat Cat - a colonial French discovered area and a renowned resort to officials from the early twentieth century. Arriving at Cat Cat village, you will be visiting the hydropower station, the waterfall of Cat Cat village, as well as learning about the culture, customs and unique people here with traditional crafts. Pick up from Cat Cat village and then head back to Sapa town. Enjoy a meal at a local restaurant. You'll have free time to go shopping. Their driver will take you back to Hanoi. Re-check in to the hotel in Hanoi. Stay overnight in hotel in Hanoi.
Day Six - Hanoi Free Day - Overnight Train to Hue (B)
Today you will have free time to discover the Hanoi old quarter. Go shopping in your leisure time. At 6.30pm, transfer to the Hanoi train station to take the overnight train to Hue. Stay overnight on train (four berths sleeper cabin sharing).
Day Seven - Arrive in Hue
Arrive in Hue station at around 8.40am. You will be picked up to transfer to the hotel. Wait for check in time (1pm). Leisure time in the afternoon. You will have the chance to admire the beauty of Hue City at night on Perfume River. Enjoy Hue folk song performances by local artists who sing folk songs to the tune of traditional woodwind, stringed instruments and the teacups.
At the end of the performance, coloured lanterns are released onto the river. You can take a taxi to get back to the hotel or walk on foot to explore beautiful Hue city at night. Stay overnight in New Star hotel in Hue.
Day Eight - Hue City Tour (B, L)
Get picked up from the hotel and take a full day to discover Hue. Visit Emperor Minh Mang Mausoleum, Emperor Khai Dinh Mausoleum and Emperor Tu Duc's Mausoleums. Stop on the way to see how conical hats and incense sticks are made. Have lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Imperial capital during Nguyen dynasty, the Royal Citadel, Forbidden City, Hue Royal Museum and the seven-storey Thien Mu Pagoda on the riverbank. Return by the boat on the gentle Perfume River. You will then be transferred back to your hotel by taxi. Stay overnight in hotel in Hue.
Day Nine - Hue - Hoi An (B)
Their driver will pick you up from the hotel and take you to Hoi An by car. Check in to the hotel in Hoi An. The day is at your leisure. Stay overnight in the hotel in Hoi An.
Day 10 - Hoi An - My Son Holy Land (B, Light Lunch)
The bus and tour guide will pick you up at your hotel. Leave Hoi An for My Son Holy Land. Arrive in My Son Holy Land - surrounded by the marvelous mountains, 48km west of Hoi An. My Son was chosen as a religious centre, built in the late 4th century under the Cham's King Bhadravaman. It is a huge religious complex with over 70 towers and temples of different architectures. Wander through the elaborate carvings and sculptures of the Cham people, tourists are welcomed at the Old Tower of the Cham. Spend two hours to enjoy and discover the beauty of Ancient buildings of the Champa Kingdom with their tour guide.
Day 11 - Hoi An - Free Day (B)
After having breakfast at your hotel, have a free and easy day at your leisure to wander around the ancient town. Indulge yourself in tailored shops for a better understanding of the harmonized combination of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese cultures or explore nearby handicraft villages. Stay overnight in the hotel in Hoi An.
Day 12 - Hoi An - Airport Transfer - Arrive in Ho Chi Minh - Check in to the Hotel (B)
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then wait for their driver to transport you to Da Nang airport to take flight to Ho Chi Minh city. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh and check in to the hotel. The rest of the day is spent at your leisure, discovering the most active city in Vietnam. Stay overnight in hotel in Ho Chi Minh.
Day 13 - Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta - My Tho - Ben Tre (B, L)
Meet their tour guide at your hotel. Enjoy a scenic journey along the National Highway bordered by green rice fields. On arrival at My Tho, visit Vinh Trang pagoda, take a leisurely boat ride along the river, view the stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages along the river bank. Then take a boat ride to An Khanh and enjoy cruising on a hand-rowed sampan under the shadow of the water coconut trees along natural canals.
Visit a family business that epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle, taste the delicious coconut candy and observe the pastoral life as you roam through the fruit plantation and village. Meet the bus and return to HCMC. Stay overnight in a hotel in HCMC.
Day 14 - Cu Chi Tunnel (B, L)
Their tour guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel then start the drive to Cu Chi. Cu Chi is now considered a heroic district for its role in the anti-American war in Vietnam. It is legendary for original tunnels system of over 220km and is a popular spot for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors. The peacefully rural rice paddy scenery contains ducks and water buffalos swimming in the rivers alongside the road.
Go back to Ho Chi Minh City and have lunch in a local restaurant. Stay overnight in hotel in Ho Chi Minh.
Day 15 - Ho Chi Minh - Home (B)
Have breakfast at the hotel. Today is your last day in Ho Chi Minh City. You will have leisure time to go shopping or exploring before their driver comes to pick you up and take you to the airport for your flight back home.
Includes:
- Twelve nights in hotels
- One-night cruise on Halong Bay with guided tour
- One night on an air-conditioned sleeper train from Hanoi to Da Nang
- First priority domestic flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh (with 20kg checked luggage and 7kg carry on)
- Guided tour to Hue
- Guided tour to My Son Holy Land
- Guided tour to Mekong Delta
- Guided tour to Cu Chi Tunnel
- Meals as outlined in the itinerary (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
- Private car airport transfers in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City
- Train station transfers
- Tax and service charges
- Entrance costs and fees
