DAY 1: HANOI – ARRIVAL(-/-/-)
Arrive in Hanoi, picked up and transferred to a hotel in Hanoi for check in. At your leisure. O/N in Hanoi.
DAY 2: HANOI – CITY TOUR – WATER PUPPET SHOW (B/L/-)
After breakfast, explore the capital city with Ho Chi Minh complex including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (opened every morning except Monday and Friday ones), Stilt House, It is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh president (The national hero, the father of the nation), and photo stop at the One-Pillar Pagoda Drive to visit of Tran Quoc Pagoda.
In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Literature, used to worship Confucius, it is also the first university in Vietnam’s history. Continue to visit Ngoc Son Temple, built in the 19th century and beautifully situated on a little island in the northern part of Hoan Kiem Lake. Stop at HANOI Shop to admire the famous old House of Hanoi where you will discover the traditional Lacquerware and Lacquer Silk (known as The Queen of all varieties of Silk). Followed by an orientation leisure walking tour through Hanoi Old Quarter to explore the local life of Hanoi people and shopping until late afternoon. Dinner and enjoy a uniquely traditional folk art of Water Puppet Show. O/N in Hanoi.
DAY 3: HANOI – HALONG BAY – HUE– JOIN 5* CRUISE (B/L/-)
8h00-8h30 : Our Tour guide will pick you up at the hotel in HaNoi Old Quarter then depart to Halong Bay by Expressway Transfer.
11h30: Upon arrival at Tuan Chau harbor, you will check-in and get on board the cruise then start a trip to discover the World Heritage site. Meet our cruise crew and enjoy welcome drink
After enjoying a welcome drink, the cruise departs from Tuan Chau harbor for a joyful journey to discover the beauty of the world heritage site of Ha Long Bay. Along the way, you will have a chance to pass through the grandeur of the legendary bay with thousands of limestone islands such as: Dog Rock, Duck Rock and especially Thumb Rock – a beautiful limestone islet rising from sea water in the shape of a giant thumb. Mother Nature has put Thumb Rock here to send a message of goodness to every passenger cruising in the ancient bay.
12h00: Have a huge buffet lunch with a variety of dishes including seafood and Vietnamese traditional food.
13h00: Stop at Bo Hon Island. Our tour guide will take you to Sung Sot Cave/Surprising Cave, the largest and the most beautiful cave in Halong Bay. After about 120 steps under the forest canopy, the entrance of the cave shows up. A paradise appears in front of you. You will discover the cave in about 1 hour before getting back to the cruise (For other tourists who can’t walk much, they can stay on cruise, chilling out on the sundeck).
14h00: Say goodbye to Sung Sot Cave, cruise heads to Luon Cave. In this area, it’s time for you to heat up with kayaking (about 30 minutes kayaking).
15h00: Stop at Titov Island. On this small island, you can climb halfway up the mountain to enjoy a panoramic view of Halong Bay. Looking down from high above gives you a wonderful sensation; at the same time offers you a spectacular view of every corner of the bay.
16h00: After that, you will get back to cruise and ready for our Sunset Party. Vietnamese tea, coffee, fresh fruits and snacks will be served when you’re relaxing on the sundeck. On the way back, cruise will pass by Hoa Cuong area, one of the most beautiful spot in the bay
17h30 – 18h00: Arrive in Tuan Chau port. Thank you for choosing daily 5-star cruise for your holiday in Vietnam. See you on the next journey.
18h30: Transfer to Hanoi airport for flight to Hue. Upon arrival in Hue, you are greeted by a driver and take you to your hotel to check in. Dinner by yourself. O/N in Hue
DAY 4: HUE – ROYAL CITADEL (B/L/-)
After breakfast, visit the colorful Imperial City, an ornate palace complex surrounded by towering fortress walls to explore the royal life. Continue with Thien Mu Pagoda, constructed during the 17th century to worship the legend of a celestial lady. It became well-known worldwide when, in 1963, Thich Quang Duc, a 66 year-old resident monk died after setting himself on fire to protest anti-Buddhist policies of the government of South Vietnam.
Lunch at a restaurant and back to the hotel for rest.
Afternoon, Your tour guide and driver will take you to Tu Duc king’s Tomb, located in a beautiful area made of rolling hills and pine trees. After that, you will be taken to Vong Canh hill for a little hike to the top to enjoy the panoramic view of Perfume river and layers of natural mountains. O/N in Hue. Dinner is on your own account.
DAY 5: HUE – BANA HILL – DANANG (B/L/-)
After breakfast, transfer to Ba Na Hills, we will arrive at the cable car station at the foot of Ba Na Mountain. Enjoy the first leg cable car, which achieved two Guinness World Records in 2009, longest non-stop cable car (5,042m) and highest non-stop cable car (1,292m). Sitting in the cabin in midair and looking upon the endless tree line of the forests you will have spectacular views of the lush jungle and fairly waterfalls along the way.
First, step on Golden Bridge which stands 1,400m above sea level in the Ba Na hills and extends over the treetops from the edge of a leafy cliff face offering uninterrupted views of the majestic landscape beneath. The Golden Bridge is the latest tourist attraction in Da Nang and has attracted a huge number of guests since it opened.
Visit the Le Jardin, old wine cellar, remains of French Villas and Linh Ung Pagoda with 27m high Buddha status. We then leave Le Jardin for the second cable car station to visit the top of the mountain and see the remains of old villas. Conquer the Peak of Chua Mountain at the height of 1,487m. View the whole Da Nang city under the cluster of white clouds. Leave the peak of Chua Mountain, visit the trail of Dreaming Stream, Rainbow Waterfall, Suspension Bridge, Golden Valley, and the ruined Opera House. Enjoy games and free rides at the relatively new built Fantasy Park. Play with wild monkeys and take photos, then return to the cable car station at the foot of the Ba Na Mountain before going to Danang. O/N Danang
Day 6: COCONUT FOREST – HOI AN TOWN – HCM CITY (B/L/-)
At 08h30: Our car and guide will pick you up at your hotel in Hoi An and you will start your trip with the first place, Cam Thanh Coconut village (5km from the southeast of the Hoi An Old Town)
After about 20 mins, we will arrive in the village. Here, you will experience a basket boat ride around the coconut forest, learn about the daily life of Vietnamese fishermen, their families and their community.
During the trip, the boatman will make extremely lovely natural ornaments such as hats, rings, and glasses by coconut leaves for you. You will surely experience the feeling of floating on the waves of water and join an equally fun basket boat race between the baskets together in the cheering and bustling music drum.
About 11 am-12 pm: After the village, you will enjoy seafood lunch at the village.
Afternoon, explore Hoi An, an ancient town. It was one of the major trading centers in Southeast Asia during the 16th century due to the early western trader occupation period. With the guide, you will walk to visit Chinese Communal House, Tan Ky Merchants’ Houses, Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoi an market.and learn about the daily life of Hoi an local people.
Back to Danang to take the flight to HCM city. O/N in HCM City.
DAY 7: HCM CITY – CU CHI – CITY TOURS (B/L/-)
08h00: Pick up at your hotel and visit all the highlights in Ho Chi Minh city such as the Reunification Palace, a palace of old President in South of Vietnam during the American war; Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, the two sites that we can’t ignore when we visit the city.
Then we travel to the district 5 to visit Cho Lon (China town).
12h00: Lunch at a local restaurant
13h30: Transfer to Cu Chi Tunnel where is located in the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh city. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters.
Before entering the tunnels, we will see a short introductory video showing how they were constructed; then we will have an exploration of the maze of tunnels.
We will visit the safe part of the tunnel system which may be made larger and lightning.
18h00: Arrive in Saigon. O/N in HCM City.
DAY 8: HCM – MEKONG DELTA (B/L/-)
08h00: Our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and take you to Mekong Delta, where you can enjoy a full-day activity tour in My Tho and Ben Tre provinces, and experience the immensity of the biggest rice bowl of Vietnam.
The first sightseeing spots of the Mekong Delta day tour are the floating fish farms and markets on the 4 legendary islets of Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise and Phoenix.
A rowboat will wind you down narrow water palm streams before you switch to a bicycle to cycle approximately 7 miles (12 km) through coconut gardens and along village paths to have a deeper view of the beautiful scenes.
We will then move to the local village, where you can experience the daily lives of locals, and stop to visit residents’ houses or workshops to learn how they make banana and coconut cakes and taste those local specialties.
You can try walking across the famous Monkey Bridge (a slender bamboo bridge used in rural Southern Vietnam to cross rivers and canals) to see locals making rice paper cakes and rice wine.
13h00: Lunch will be served with unique Mekong cuisine before coming back to My Tho City and transferring back to Saigon. Dinner by yourself. O/N in HCM City
DAY 9: HCM CITY – DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast. Transfer without guide to the airport for flight departure. End of services. Say goodbye.
