Real taste of Vietnam 13 days

• Arrive in the lovely city of Hanoi, you will be warmly greeted by our tour guide, then head to your booked hotel.
• 2.00 pm is the time hotels in Hanoi start their check-in service, so you can get there by that time, or pay an additional fee for early check-in.
• After such a long flight to Hanoi, you will have the rest of your day to relax.
• During that time, sleep to recharge your mind or you can walk along the streets near your hotel to enjoy the Hanoi atmosphere (highly recommended in Hanoi Autumn).

Note: Please be informed that both international and domestic terminals might be crowded at times during the day, so in case you cannot find our representatives, please be present at Pole No.10 (Outside the Terminal Gate) and contact us, so we could easily search for you.

Meals: NA

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Meet our guides at your hotel at 8:00am to start your trip around Hanoi. On your rental motorbike, you can visit parts of the capital that would be inaccessible by car and hard to find by walking. You will then immerse yourself in the fabulous tastes of Hanoi food, sights, and vibe of Hanoi streets.

Café Trứng (Egg Coffee) at Café Giảng on Yen Phu St.

It sounds a bit weird but the taste is amazing. Even if you are not a coffee-lover, it is still worth trying this creative mixing of coffee by Vietnamese people. While you enjoy your drink, we will talk about the day’s itinerary and destinations.

Long Bien Bridge/ Chuong Duong Bridge

Long Bien Bridge was the longest bridge in Asia when it was built from 1899 to 1902. Known as the oldest bridge in Hanoi that is still living and sharing daily life with Hanoians silently. At this stop, while you can take some time to enjoy the view and take pictures, our tour guide will also introduce the history of the bridge as well as details about the life of locals from 2 sides of it.

After that, we will pass through the famous Chuong Duong Bridge – the four-lane, steel span bridge’s claim to fame is that it was the first sizable bridge designed and built by Vietnamese workers, with no international assistance.

Nha Hat Lon (Hanoi Opera House)

Hanoi Opera House is a project built by the French government in the early years of the 20th century. While you’re enjoying the very famous Trang Tien’s Ice cream, we’ll tell you all about its unique structure with outstanding values in terms of history, culture, architecture, and art.

Ho Guom (Hoàn Kiếm Lake)

Located in the center of Hanoi‘s historic district, Hoan Kiem Lake is a lovely, peaceful place with a fascinating history. In 1428, legend has it that Emperor Le Loi obtained a magical sword from the Dragon King to fight against Chinese oppressors. At this stop, we will have a chance to see “Ly Thai To Monument”. This is a cultural and architectural work that aims to honor King Ly Thai To (974 – 1028). He is the first king who found the Capital Citadel of Thang Long (Hanoi today).

Nha Tho Lon (St. Joseph’s Cathedral)

The next stop, Saint Joseph Cathedral, located at 40 Nha Chung street, Hanoi, is a Roman Catholic cathedral with neo-gothic style, which was built about 120 years ago. Construction began in 1886, with the architectural style described as resembling Notre Dame de Paris. The church was one of the first structures built by the French colonial government in Indochina when it opened in December 1886.

Hoa Lo Prison

Hỏa Lò Prison was a prison used by the French colonists in French Indochina for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. The French called it Maison Central, a generic name for a colonial prison. Whatever its name, the notorious prison housed a century of torture within its walls.

Ho Tay (West Lake)

West Lake is known as Hanoi’s largest freshwater lake. It’s a huge body of water – it has a circumference of 17km – and there are plenty of historic places of interest, five-star hotels, stylish restaurants, cafes, and nightlife venues that are worth exploring along the shoreline. The West Lake is bordered by several significant pagodas. Vietnam’s oldest pagoda, the Tran Quoc pagoda, was built in the 6th century and is located on an island in the middle of West Lake.

Huu Tiep Lake and The B52

We will then have a quick visit to the B52 plane crash site. This is a remarkable victory of Vietnam soldiers during the Vietnam war. You will also get to visit a local market nearby to see the daily activities of the Hanoians.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, the most iconic and popular leader of Vietnam, known to his people as ‘Uncle Ho’. His body is preserved here in a glass case at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in central Hanoi. While you can take some time to see the attraction from outside and take pictures, our tour guide will fill you in with more stories about our Uncle Ho & the historical information.

Lunch at The Old Quarter

The last stop to enjoy some delicious local Vietnamese food after a whole trip. After that, our driver will drop you off at your hotel in the old quarter.

Note: The above itinerary is subject to change, based on the day’s weather and traffic conditions.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

• Get picked up at your hotel in Hanoi after breakfast and driven to the World Heritage.
• On your arrival, you will be welcomed on board, check-in, and enjoy the Halong Bay overnight cruise. Admire the outstanding beauty of the bay with thousands of karst islands, caves, and beaches.
• Lunch then will be served onboard with different kinds of fresh seafood.
• After having a break for lunch, you will take part in some activities such as sightseeing, kayaking or swimming.
• An elaborate dinner will be ready to serve you, along with the relaxed vibe of Halong Bay at night. Enjoy your dinner and your night onboard.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Overnight on board

• Start your 2nd day in Halong with an early Tai-chi class during the sunrise, suitable to refresh your mind. After breakfast, the cruise will take you to explore the most stunning caves in Halong for the last time.
• On the way back to the main dock, lunch will be served.
• After transferring to Hanoi, you will have free time to visit The Old Quarter, try Vietnamese street foods.
• We will take you to go inside the small lane and alleys inside the Hanoi Old Quarter and show you how real Hanoians live, work, and eat. By far our most popular tour, this tour is great fun and a perfect way to discover some of the lesser-known dishes that the locals love to eat.
• From Bun Bo (Sauteed Beef Rice Vermicelli), Banh Cuon (Steamed rice rolls), “Banh Mi” and end with unique Ca Phe Trung (Egg Coffee) which will round off our four courses perfectly. Local life, local stories; local food, and local drink tasting. It’s the little things that make all the difference in your travel experience!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

• Have your breakfast at the hotel then relax until flight time. Our driver will come to pick you up, then drive you to the airport for the Hanoi to Hue flight.
• The tour guide welcomes you at the airport then transfers you to a hotel in City Centre to check-in.
• Late afternoon, a cyclo driver will pick you up from your hotel. You’ll have a chance to taste a range of delicious Hue cuisines and feel the romance of Hue at night. Have dinner in royal style and enjoy “royal dishes” which used to be served only to the King in the past.
• Stay overnight at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

• In Hue, Thien Mu Pagoda will be awaiting you to visit. The pagoda is a famous Buddhist attraction, located on the Perfume River’s bank. Fascinating for its ancient design and good location at which you could enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the Perfume River, Thien Mu Pagoda is suitable to get your mind refreshed.
• Continue our journey with a visit to the Imperial Citadel. Here, visit the front gate, the Flag Tower, The King’s Palace, and the Museums of Royal Antiquities.
• Finally, a short visit to Dong Da Market will end your Hue tour in the morning. It is the largest traditional trading place in not only Hue City, but also other provinces.
• Walk through kiosks, you will have a chance to understand the daily business of local sellers, their way of doing business, as well as purchase some interesting souvenirs before having lunch at the local restaurant.
• Visit Khai Dinh Tomb (built from 1920 1931) which is the smallest tomb of the Nguyen Emperors, but took the longest time and cost a lot of money to build. This is a perfect combination of Oriental & Western Styles.
• Our trip continues with a visit to the most majestic Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, which is famous for landscape and oriental architecture. This tomb was planned and started by Minh Mang but built by his successor King Thieu Tri, from the beginning of 1841 to1843.
• Travel to a conical hat village to see how craftsmen make this beautiful product and get a chance to interact with locals before transferring back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

Get transferred to your booked hotel in Hoi An, Danang shuttle bus, or private car. During the journey, you can stop by some spots for sightseeing and photoshoot (admission fee is not included).

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

• In the morning, meet your local guide in the hotel lobby, then at 8:00am, start to a local farm in Tra Que Village.
• Trip around the vegetable garden and join with the farmers in preparing the land, fertilizing with seaweed from the local lake, raking the ground, sowing, watering greens, picking greens, and many more gardening activities.
• Spend the rest of the morning working on the farm, you will have a break to prepare lunch with your host family.
• The lunch includes of many local delicacies including spring roll, local pancakes,..
• Relax with a foot massage, then say goodbye to your host family and ride back to Hoi An.
• In the late afternoon, you can ride to the home of the craftsman who will show you a brief introduction about the history, shape, and color of the lantern as well as steps of making them. You will have a chance to make your own lantern and keep it as a souvenir.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

• Start around sunset and will walk you through local cafes, food stalls, markets, and restaurants, giving you a filling food adventure for the memory books.
• Continue to go to local areas and wander around the food stalls to discover Hoi An traditional dishes, including:
• Banh Mi: You will have a chance to taste the signature Vietnamese sandwich hand-made by royalty, the Banh Mi Queen.
• Cao Lau: Perhaps the difference between Cao Lau and other noodle dishes is the texture. Cao Lau noodles are firmer and chewier. The best way for enjoying Cao Lau’s taste is eating from street vendors who only serve Cao Lau or a small handful of local dishes.
• Banh Beo: We go through small alleys and stop at local business houses and see how real Vietnamese life looks like. Here, we will discover a Vietnamese traditional cake: Banh Beo – a popular snack of the Hoi An people.
• Banh Khot popular Vietnamese street food, a round pancake made with rice flour, turmeric, coconut milk, quail egg, and vegetables at a famous street vendor near Hoai square.
• Balut: One of the Top 10 weird foods in the world. Egg no more, duck not yet It is not because of the taste but because of its appearance.
• Local Coffee: Enjoy a cup of authentic Vietnamese coffee, famous for its mix of strong drip coffee and sweet condensed milk, that’s sure to re-energize you for the rest of the day before finishing your journey to make it more memorable.
• Free at the Ancient Town or go back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

• Enjoy your free time before transferring to the airport in Da Nang for the Danang to Ho Chi Minh City flight.
• On arrival, transfer from airport to hotel. Check-in and relax.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Morning:

• 8:00am: Visit Cu Chi Tunnels – a collection of underground tunnels and constructions, used by the Saigon Liberation Army during the Vietnam War. You will have a chance to crawl along the tunnels to see how life and war happened at that time and admire the creativity of the Vietnamese for creating such a place.
• Lunch will be served at a local restaurant on your way back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Afternoon

• Get to some historical sites such as the Independence Palace or the War Remnants Museum, and some of the French architectural symbols in Saigon such as Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral or the Old Post Office.
• Finally, your tour will end at a local market where you can practice your bargaining skills while shopping for souvenirs. Discover local life and culture. You’ll find some of the friendliest, liveliest, most convivial people in the city here.
• Return to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, you will have free time to relax.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

At 8:00, get picked up at your hotel in Saigon and head to Ben Tre Province to discover Mekong Delta.

• Head to Ham Luong River (a branch of the Mekong) by boat
• Stop by local workplaces to give you a picture of how the local economy works, including brickwork, a coconut processing workshop – where you can sample fresh coconut and see how every single part of this versatile nut is turned into food and other products.
• Be taken to a quiet village to have a short walk and experience real Delta village life, before boarding your ‘xe loi’ (a kind of motorized rickshaw) and traveling into the forest where you can visit fruit orchards.
• A delicious and filling lunch will be served at a riverside restaurant, featuring such local specialties as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp, washed down with some cold drinks or beers.
• Board a sampan boat for a relaxing trip along narrow canals.
• Around 17:00, back to your hotel in Saigon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

• Enjoy your lazy last morning in Ho Chi Minh City, and have breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.
• Free until our transfer comes, and you are transported to airport for your flight back home.

Note: Hotel check-out time is 12:00 noon. However subjected to room’s availability, late check-out can be settled with a surcharge.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: NA

Important Notes:

PROGRAMS & SCHEDULES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE

If you have any specific food requirements (vegetarian, vegan, food allergies) please inform us in advance so that we can provide notice to restaurants, tour guide or our partners so that they can serve you better.