Vietnam tour 14 days

Hanoi – Ha Long – Hue – Danang – Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta

Highlights: Further visit Vietnam’s must see destinations with more insights. Still sightsee the cultural hub of Hanoi and admire the remarkable artwork made by the nature on Ha Long Bay. Continue your travel to Hue, uniquely a big and valuable museum reflecting the old image of Vietnam’s feudal society, imperial life and custom through a lot of originally historical vestiges. You will also marvel at Japanese and Chinese architecture as well as its restaurants and wide range of silk that tailors in the ancient trading port town of Hoi An. Absorbed into the bustle and active life with lots of fascinating nightlife activities in Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy a memorable boating experience along Mekong River.

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 armonious 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 coziness, 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 boatside to enjoy the marvelous sunset. You?ll spend a night on boat.

Day 4: Ha Long/Hanoi (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 habour. Our car will pick you up and drive back to Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi/Hue (B, G)

You will be free until our car arrive to transfer you to Noi Bai airport for the morning flight to Hue. On arrival, you’ll be picked up and driven to 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 6: 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 7: 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 8: 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 9: Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City (B, G)

Your time will be your own until our car comes and transfer to Danang airport where you will take the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. You will be picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel downtown. The rest of the day is free at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City tour (B, L, G)

A full day tour of the city begins with a visit to the History Museum, which has an excellent collection on the evolution and development of Vietnam?s history and culture, from the Bronze Age Dong Son civilization (13th century BC) till the last feudal dynasty ending in the mid-20th century. The following visit to the Museum of War Remnants will provide you a very partial, but riveting, perspective of the American War.

After lunch, you?ll visit the splendid old colonial buildings such as Centre Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. Furthermore, the next visit to Jade Emperor Pagoda, one of the best Taoist temples in Vietnam, will surely captivate you with its oriental architecture and artistic values. Tour ends after 2-hour shopping at the lively Ben Thanh market, which is so closely tied to the city’s life that the clock tower at its main gate has long been considered a symbol of the city. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City/Tay Ninh/Cu Chi (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you will be picked up to Tay Ninh to visit Cao Dai Holy See, the fulcrum of Cao Daism religion, which took root in southern Việt Nam during the 1920s. You are also welcome to attend the midday ceremony here.

Lunch at a good local restaurant.You will then be driven to visit Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible cobweb-like tunnel complex with underground dug-outs of over 200-kilometer length, which was  a shelter for the Viet Cong guerillas and their sympathizers during the American war. From this underground village, the revolutionary forces staged the 1968 general offensive and the Ho Chi Minh campaign in April 1975 to liberate South Vietnam. You’ll then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City for overnight stay.

Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long/Can Tho (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you will be transfered to Vinh Long, a peaceful province on Co Chien river, which branches out from the Mekong. Upon arrival, you?ll take a boat trip to enjoy ?a beautiful river painting? of Cai Be floating market which was formed in the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century and bearing all the characteristics of the locals? life in the western region. Proceed to visit some fruit orchards and local cottage industries. Lunch will await you at a local house. You will also have a chance to listen to the traditional folk music “Don Ca Tai Tu” which is is operated by the local people. You?ll then stroll on the village paths to visit the local markets and enjoy some kind of famous tropical fruit such as banana, pomelo, dragon fruit and so on. Return to Vinh Long by boat and then continue driving to Can Tho. Overnight stay in Can Tho.

Day 13: Can Tho/Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you will board an early morning cruise to visit the colourful Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets (the nicest one with heaps of rowing boats). Take in the picturesque scenery and enjoy the fascinating Mekong rural lifestyle. Return to Ho Chi Minh City and have a break at My Tho for lunch. You will spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 14: Ho Chi Minh City departure (B, G)

You’ll be free until you’ll be picked up to the airport for your international departure flight.