Vietnam Heritage tour 11 days

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide   

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Upon arrival at Noi Bai airport, our guide will greet and accompany you to your hotel. Free time until you?ll be picked up to watch water puppet performance, a traditional art form closely connected with the long-standing spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. You’ll then be driven to a good local restaurant and enjoy a welcome dinner with us. Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B, L, G)

The morning tour will begin with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the resting place of Uncle Ho. You will also see his house-on-stilts and learn about the simple life of the Vietnamese’s beloved leader. Your next visit will be Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas, which still maintains its unique architecture harmonious with nature and boasts many precious Buddhist statues. You will then driven to Temple of Literature, the oldest school in Vietnam, giving it the distinction of being the most significant temple in both Hanoi and Vietnam.

In the afternoon, you will call at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, an excellent instruction to the cultural heritages of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups. Later on, you will visit the beautiful Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake – a striking blue gem in the city centre. The tour ends with 1 hour walking tour around the Old Quarters to enjoy its warmth and cosiness, looking up to contemplate centuries-old and weather-beaten houses, both familiar and exotic, etc. Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D, G)

Picked up at around 8.30 a.m, you’ll then depart for Ha Long Bay. Enjoy a 3 hour drive with a brief stopover at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop for refreshment and see different kinds of handicrafts skillfully made by disable people.

Arriving Ha Long Bay, you will go aboard and check in. Lunch will be served afterwards with a selection of seafood specialities. The boat will take you first to the famous World Heritage area where you can visit Amazing Cave and take a swim on a tranquil beach in Ha Long Bay. Then you are free, possibly for retiring to your cabin or having romantic walks on the boat side to enjoy the marvellous sunset. You?ll spend a night on boat.

Day 4: Ha Long/Hanoi/Dong Hoi (B, L, G)

It would be nice if you wake up to see sunrise and daylight filtering through the early morning mist and the towering rock formations. After western breakfast, you will venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan. You?ll then continue a leisurely cruise along Ha Long Bay and have lunch before returning to the harbour. Our car will pick you up and drive back to Hanoi for your refreshment at the local standard hotel.You’ll then check out at around 18.00 and be driven to the station for your overnight train to Dong Hoi.

You’ll spend the night on the train.

Day 5: Dong Hoi/Phong Nha/Dong Hoi (B, L, G)

Arriving in Dong Hoi station early in the morning, you’ll be picked up to your hotel for refreshment and have breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant.  After breakfast, you’ll be driven to travel to visit Phong Nha cave, one of the world heritage sites in Vietnam and one of the most beautiful caves in the world. It is known for its outstanding cave system and limestone karst formations, many of the underground chambers remain a mystery, even to the most seasoned adventurers. You’ll then have a boat cruise along the river to take a chance to enjoy the beauty of Phong Nha caves called the water cave and dry cave. Visiting Phong Nha, tourists can hear strange sound of winds passing through mountain gorges, admiring stalactites falling down as tens of thousands of huge tooth.

Rest of the day, you’ll then be back to Dong Hoi for your free time to relax on the beach.

You’ll spend the night in Dong Hoi.

Day 6: Dong Hoi/Hue (B, G)

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up to travel to Hue. On arrival, you’ll do the check-in at your hotel in the city centre. Free time at leisure after check-in procedure.

In the afternoon, our guide will show you around Hue. You will first visit the Imperial Citadel, that served as the powerful seat of Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Enjoy your shopping at the famous Dong Ba Market before transfer back to hotel. You’ll spend the night in Hue.

Day 7: Hue (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you will take a cruise along Perfume River to visit Hue’s best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda. Our car will then take you to visit the imposing Minh Mang tomb, a striking example of classic Sino-Vietnamese architecture.

After lunch, a continuation to visit poetic Tu Duc Tomb. This tomb is idyllically set in a romantic scenary of mounts, lake and pine forest and considered as one of the most beautiful works of the Nguyen dynasty. Last but not least, you will visit elaborate Khai Dinh Tomb, which  is the result of the interminglement of many architectural trends: European and Asian, as well as ancient and modern. Your overnight stay will be in Hue.

Day 8: Hue/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G)

Morning transfer from Hue to Hoi An. Pass by Lang Co Beach and Hai Van pass. You will stop at Danang to visit Cham Museum, which holds the finest collection of Champa sculptures in different art styles from the 7th to the 15th centuries. Driver and guide also take you to visit Marble Mountains and Stone Carving village where famous stone products are skillfully made by local people. Afterwards, you?ll head to Hoi An? an enchanting World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

After checking in your hotel, you will take a tour of the ancient town where the mix of Japanese and Chinese architecture reflects Hoi An?s significance in the past as an important trading port.. Your overnight stay will be in Hoi An.

Day 9: Hoi An/My Son/Hoi An (B, G)

After breakfast, you will be driven to My Son Sanctuary, once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence. Set in a lush green valley, a series of impressive tower-temples dating from between the 7th and 13th centuries provide a breathtaking site. Our guide will show you the remains of remarkable brick towers, and explain their origins and purpose. You’ll then return to Hoi An with free afternoon to relax. Your overnight stay will be in Hoi An.

Day 10: Hoi An Free (B)

After breakfast, you will have free time to do any activities such as walking around the Old Town or relax on the beach as you wish.

Day 11: Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City (B, G)

Your time will be your own until our car comes and transfers to Danang airport where you will take the flight to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, you’ll transit to your international departure flight.