Vietnam Discovery - 12 days

Welcome to Saigon - today’s Ho Chi Minh city - the country’s commercial centre. The city never sleeps with over nine million inhabitants and five million motorbikes. The drive and tour guide will pick you up and then transfer to city centre. You have free time after flight and then enjoy welcome dinner at the local restaurant.

Depart the hotel for a full day Saigon city tour. Head to Chinatown district and discover Cho Lon or “Big Market”, shops, and the Cantonese Thien Hau Pagoda - one of the oldest pagodas of the Chinese in the area. Visit Vietnam's first traditional medicine museum, the FITO Museum, with an amazing collection of 3,000 items relevant to the development of traditional Vietnamese medicine. Implements used to prepare indigenous herbs, and objects commonly found in traditional pharmacies can be seen in the galleries as well as ancient books and documents on traditional Vietnamese medicine.

In the afternoon, visit War Remnants Museum, featuring collections of weapons and photographs during Vietnam Wars and the Reunification Palace, the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975. Close to the Palace are the major sights of colonial Saigon: the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall (a vehicle will be waiting at all times).

At the end of the afternoon head back to the hotel.

Today, you will discover Mekong delta and visit the colorful floating market - Cai Be. Leave bustling Ho Chi Minh city for the 3 hour drive to the delta town of Cai Be. On arrival, board your boat for cruise in the Delta’s waterways.

Start your journey by passing by Cai Be’s floating market, cruising among local barges with full of fruits and vegetables… The cruise will then bring you to some local home factories to discover traditional rice paste making, rice pop corn, coco candies…

After a delicious lunch at the local ancient house, you will have chance admire the scenery and the daily life of the local villagers by rowboat passing through small sampan. Stops on the way can be made upon request for particular visits or photos marking. The excursion will end at around 3.00 pm.

You will return to Ho Chi Minh city in the later afternoon.

This morning, you will catch flight to Hue - the former imperial capital of Vietnam. The tour guide and driver will pick you up at the airport.

After a short break, you will visit the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City and Dong Ba market. You also to visit one garden house - the unique feature of Hue.

The houses are traditional, privately owned, and set in attractive formal gardens. You can feel the Hue traditional architecture associated with the natural environment.

Your overnight will be in Hue.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and then board a private boat for a cruise on Perfume river. You will visit Thien Mu pagoda and then take a drive to visit Minh Mang tomb as well as Khai Dinh tomb. The different style of the tomes will help you to understand the character of each king.

After lunch at the local restaurant, you will leave Hue for Hoi An. On the way, you will have chance to visit Cham museum and Marble mountain. Arriving in Hoi An, check in hotel and free time to explore your ancient town.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Today, you will have the experience of working and living with the local farmer in Tra Que village - one of famous vegetable village in Hoi An. You will cycle to the village with your guide.

A short stroll will take you around the vegetable garden and then you can join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seaweed from the local lake. Following steps are raking the ground, sowing, watering, picking vegetables and many other gardening activities.

After all these activities, you will take a short rest and enjoy foot bath before getting to preparing lunch with a local family. Your lunch will consist of many local delicacies including ‘Tam Huu” spring roll, Banh xeo or local pancake of people in Vietnam middle region. You can join the cooking with the chef on these meals.

After your morning excursions and your lunch, you will take a Vietnamese traditional post-prandial nap before learning how to harvest and wrap the vegetables.

Around 14.00: bid farewell to your host family before riding back to your hotel.

Today, you drive to My Son, a World Heritage, 50 km southwest of Hoi An. Located in a lush valley; My Son was a capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries.

My Son, once the spiritual capital of Champa Kingdom that dominated South East Asia for nearly a thousand years and occupied most of the central parts of Vietnam from 2nd century to 16th century with very rich in history and culture. Contemplate its remarkable red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from between the 7th and 13th centuries.

Come back Hoi An in the afternoon. Free time for shopping or making tailor.

This morning, you will catch flight to Hanoi - the capital of Vietnam. Upon arrival, you will visit the Temple of Literature, the first University of Veitnam, for an overview about Hanoian culture and ancient Vietnamese architecture. Continue to the Vietnamese Women’s Museum that offers a broad insight to 54 ethnic groups through a lens of women’s topics.

In the afternoon, you will walk to visit Hoan Kiem lake, local markets and Hanoi's Old Quarter, known for its 36 streets and former craft guilds. Enjoy a water puppet performance before coming to your hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi.

At around 8 am, your driver will pick you up for the journey to Halong Bay and arrive at around midday to board a traditional junk for an overnight cruise.

Halong Bay is widely considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world. Thousands of towering pillars of sea and wind-carved limestone karst make the bay an unforgettable sight.

After lunch, explore some of the huge limestone caves dotted around the bay and visit a floating fishing village. Then the captain will find a secluded spot where you can swim, soak up the sun on the top deck, or try your hand at kayaking.

In the evening enjoy a seafood feast for dinner.

Enjoy an early morning swim (during the summer), followed by breakfast as you cruise through more spectacular scenery. The cruise arrives at the harbor by noon.

The driver will pick you up and then transfer directly Ninh Binh.

You will arrive in Ninh Binh in the late afternoon, check in hotel. After that, you will have chance to trek with buffalo cart ride to visit the countryside landscape, rice cultivation and lifestyle.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

You start a day by the local way, have breakfast then row the sampans in the rice field to visit 3 caves in Tam Coc (Hang Ca, Hang Giua and Hang Con).

Biking to Bich Dong and visit the pagoda on the mountain and take another route biking all the way through the villages to Hoa Lu - was the capital city of Vietnam under the Dinh Dynasty between 968 and 1009 AD. Some of the sanctuaries and tombs have survived the years and can still be seen today.

Later in the afternoon, you return to Hanoi. Check in hotel and free time.

You have free time for shopping or relaxation before your departure flight. End of the trip. Cảm ơn và chào tạm biệt.