Description
Highlights of this safari:
- Explore Hanoi like a local
- Discover Hue, a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Enjoy a magical boad trip around Hoi An
- Sightseeing and learning about Vietnam’s history in Ho Chi Minh
- Get personal with one of Vietnam’s natural highlights: the Mekong Delta
Short overview:
Day 1: Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi
Day 3: Ha Long Bay
Day 4: Hanoi
Day 5: Hue
Day 6: Hue
Day 7: Hue|
Day 8: Hoi An
Day 9: Hoi An
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City
Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City
Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City
Day 13: Can Tho
Day 14: Departure
Program & Route:
Day 1 – Hanoi, Medallion Hotel of Hotel De L’ Opera Hotel.
Upon arrival to Hanoi Noi Bai Airport your driver and guide will meet you and they will transfer you to your hotel. Check-in and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 2 – Hanoi, Medaillon Hotel of Hotel De L’ Opera Hotel
Meet your guide and driver and head towards Hoan Kiem Lake. It is a cultural thing in Vietnam to wake up very early (6am) and start the morning with some exercise. It is very interesting to see how the local people, mostly women from varying age, start their busy routine. Several groups of people can be found practicing tai chi and aerobics. Be part of Vietnam and join the locals in their morning routine!
Soon after, you will start a walking tour where you will be able to witness the French architecture in different Vietnamese buildings. We will also visit some typical communal houses which have been restored by UNESCO. Next, we will head towards Quan Thanh Temple, a Taoist Temple dated from the 11th Century and ending with the impressive Tran Quoc Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda located in a small island in the center of the West Lake.
Vietnam is very well known for its food, so a stop to try some specialties is a must.
Day 3 – Ha Long Bay, Phoenix Cruiser of Paradise Luxury Cruise.
This morning, you will depart from your hotel by shuttle bus to Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karts’ landscape. On arrival you will board your boat; a wooden junk built modeling the old Vietnamese court vessels. This typical boat, with sails, wide stern and a rectangular superstructure will take you to the World Heritage area, where you can enjoy some activities if weather permits.
Day 4 – Hanoi, Medallion Hotel or Hotel De L’ Opera Hotel.
Enjoy the views of the bay and surrounding islands. Your cruise will continue around the bay while brunch is served. The vessel will cruise at a slow pace back to the harbour for disembarkation.
In the afternoon, you will be transferred by shuttle bus to Hanoi. Upon arrival, check-in at the hotel and enjoy the rest of the evening free at leisure.
Day 5 – Hue, Romance Hotel or La Residence Hotel & Spa.
After having an early breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to Hanoi Noi Bai airport for your flight to Hue. Upon arrival at Hue, meet your driver and guide and head towards your hotel. Check-in and enjoy the rest of the day free at leisure. We recommend visiting a local market.
Day 6 – Hue, Romance or Hotel La Residence Hotel & Spa.
After an early breakfast, you will meet your guide and driver around 8:30am and you will visit the Forbidden Purple City, constructed under the Emperor Gia Long’s, in the early 19th century.
Hue was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 1993. Around noon, we will stop for lunch at a local restaurant.
Later, you will board a dragon boat for a pleasant boat trip on the Perfume River to visit the characteristic Thien Mu Pagoda. Then, you will visit the tombs of the emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh.
Next, if time allows, you will have a short cyclo drive to Dong Ba market (6:30am to 8:00pm) for shopping and experiencing the local culture at the market. Here you can buy souvenirs, especially the typical Hue palm-leaf conical hat.
Day 7 – Hue, Romance Hotel of La Residence Hotel & Spa.
Today you will tour around Hue’s countryside by bicycle.
Heading towards Vi Da, admire the beautiful landscape on the side, along Nhu Y Canal. Vi Da is a locality established 200 years ago. Even today, it’s possible for visitors to see those typical traditional Hue houses.
Lunch will take place at a local restaurant and after lunch you will start biking through the green rice paddy fields while heading towards Thanh Toan Bridge, with its unique architecture.
Located near the bridge you will find a small museum displaying Vietnamese farmer’s instruments to do fieldwork. Here you can learn more about the daily life of country people. Later, we will cycle back to Hue city center.
Day 8 – Hoi An, Vinh Hung Emerald Hotel of Palm Garden Hoi An Resort.
After breakfast, check out from your hotel and meet your guide and driver to depart to Hoi An. The trip passes through many spectacular scenarios along the National Highway 1 such as the breathtaking Hai Van Pass. `
Upon arrival to Da Nang, we will visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture, opened in 1915. Then, we will explore the villages around the Marble Mountains, where very skillful artisans work on their products made of marble / granite and visitors can choose a collection of excellent stone products to buy as souvenirs. Upon arrival at Hoi An, check in at the hotel and enjoy the rest of the day free at leisure.
Day 9 – Hoi An, Vinh Hung Emerald Hotel of Palm Garden Hoi An Resort.
After breakfast, you will be taken to the Lifestart foundation workshop in Hoi An. Enjoy a brief stroll and a magical boat trip with their local staff and learn about life in Hoi An. Later you will head to the Lighthouse, where you will participate in a Traditional Painting Class.
After the painting class, you will return to the Lifestart Foundation Workshop for your Lantern Making Class. Here you will have the opportunity to meet artists and learn how their products are made.
Day 10 – Ho Chi Minh, Lavender Hotel of Pullman Saigon Hotel.
Enjoy the morning free at your leisure until noon, when you will be transfered to Da Nang’s airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival to Ho Chi Minh City, your driver and guide will meet you and they will transfer you to your hotel. Check-in and enjoy the rest of the day free at leisure.
Day 11 – Ho Chi Minh Stad, Lavender Hotel of Pullman Saigon Hotel.
A trip to Sai Gon offers you a good experience of the country‘s most dynamic city – a vital economic hub with bustling life. Sai Gon is the reconciliation between American and Chinese influence, with many dots of modernity yet without losing Vietnamese traits.
At noon we will stop for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we will head towards the War Museum, one of Vietnam’s most popular museums which primarily exhibit the American phase of the Vietnam War. When the tour finishes, your driver and guide will drive you back to your hotel. The rest of the night will be free at your leisure.
Day 12 – Ho Chi Minh, Lavender Hotel of Pullman Saigon Hotel.
Spend a full day at leisure to discover Ho Chi Minh on your own.
Day 13 – Can Tho
This morning, we will start heading to Ben Tre. Upon arrival, enjoy a boat cruise along the river which is a branch of the Mekong.
The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience the village life, visit a mat weaving house, where straw mats are woven by hand – you can even have a go at weaving yourself.
Take xe loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) to a riverside local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, it’s time to board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. Pick up your bike and start cycling through the orchards.
Later, we will take a car to Can Tho. Upon arrival, we will check-in and enjoy the rest of the evening free at leisure.
Day 14 – Departure
After an early breakfast we will board our local boats to visit the Cai Rang Floating Market, the most famous floating market of the Mekong Delta. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and the bustling activity of the market. We will further venture through small canals visiting a rice husking mill and a shop where rice noodles are being produced.
Then, drive back to Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy the rest of the afternoon free at your leisure until transfer to airport for flight back home.
