Discover new symbols of Vietnam tourism in a budget way, not cheap, but at a reasonable price to travel in a smart way. Grab BBQ seafood dinner on Hong Van beach, the most beautiful of North Vietnam. Exploring DMZ in Central, and join a photo tour in Da Lat “a little Paris”. Learn the custom of White Thai people in Mai Chau valley. Touch true nature of Mekong wildlife in Tra Su forest.
Travel route: Hanoi – Duong Lam – Bai Tu Long – Cai Rong – Co To island – Hanoi – Mai Chau valley – Dong Hoi – Phong Nha national park – DMZ – Hue – Hoi An – My Son – Da Lat – Mui Ne – Ho Chi Minh city – Can Tho – Chau Doc – Ho Chi Minh city – Departure
Best experience
BBQ seafood dinner on Hong Van beach under the starlet sky of Co To island, Bai Tu Long bay.
Secret spot
Elephant waterfall, a masterpiece of true nature, 25km from Da Lat city center. Walking under the grandiose waterfall to enjoy the cool-down summer in Central Highlands of Vietnam, or set your tripod quite far from the foot of waterfall to take nice photos.
New activities
Walking in Duong Lam ancient village, Swimming in Hong Van beach, the most beautiful of Bai Tu Long bay, Motorbiking to Hoa Binh lake (w/out drivers), Evening food tasting in Hue imperial city, Day train to Dong Hoi for your clear view at rural areas and the east coast of Vietnam, Ziplining across Chay river in Phong Nha national park, Exploring DMZ recalling Vietnam War, Photo tour in Da Lat “city of eternal springs”, Boating in 2 hours among thousands of birds and cranes in Tra Su cajuput forest.
Day 1: Hanoi arrival (D)
Arrival at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi: chauffeured transfer to your hotel to refresh yourself. Enjoy welcome dinner at good restaurant in colonial building. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi city tour – Duong Lam ancient village (B)
Morning we enjoy a half day city tour of this charming capital city including the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh (close on Monday & Friday), the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature first university of Vietnam since 1070.
Afternoon you’re transferred out of Hanoi to Son Tay town in the West. Visit Duong Lam ancient village, which is very famous and typical for a North Vietnam rural village. This is also home to 2 famous kings of Vietnam, Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung. Visit Mong Phu communal house, Mia pagoda, Giang Van Minh temple, old well, the village church, the village gate, and the kings’ tomb. Return to Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi – Halong bay – Bai Tu Long bay – Overnight on cruise (B,L,D)
8:00 – 8:30 our tour guide picks you up at your Hanoi hotel. Morning transfer by cruise shuttle bus to Halong city passing through Bai Chay bridge, the symbol of Halong city. Arrive at Hon Gai harbour at around noon. Check in your cabin. Have lunch while cruising in the magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay, admiring the fascinating rock formations in the bay. Enjoy swimming in the crystal clear water. Explore the secluded Thien Canh Son Cave. Short cruise to Hon Co Island where you can relax on a white sandy beach, swim or kayaking. Back to the junk for relaxation. Dinner and overnight on the cruise.
Day 4: Bai Tu Long bay – Hon Gai harbour – Cai Rong (B,L)
Get up early to welcome sunrise on sundeck. Have breakfast in the open air. 08.30 Visit Vung Vieng fishing village in a rustic rowing-boat, meet the local people and pass through the floating school and fish farms. Then you have more leisure time for swimming in the middle of the bay. 10.00 Cruise back to the harbour while an a la carte lunch is served. 11.45 Disembark the cruise. Then you meet our tour guide from Hanoi again at Hon Gai harbour.
Private car transfer from Hon Gai harbour to Cai Rong port. After 1 hour drive, you check in hotel near from Cai Rong port. This afternoon is your relaxable time in Bai Dai beach, the most ideal place in Van Don district facing directly to Bai Tu Long bay. Walk to the end of this beach to visit Cai Bau pagoda, another place for your view from heights at Bai Tu Long bay. Overnight in Cai Rong town.
Day 5: Cai Rong – Co To island – BBQ Seafood Dinner (B,D)
Early breakfast and check out your hotel. Embark the speedboat from Cai Rong port at 7:30am to Co To island 9:00am. Private transfer from Co To wharf to Co To Eco Lodge, Hong Van beach. Check in your bungalow and enjoy your afternoon at beach leisure. Evening BBQ seafood dinner on Hong Van beach is included. Overnight in Co To Eco Lodge.
Day 6: Co To island – Cai Rong – Hanoi (B)
After breakfast, you’re transferred to Co To wharf. Speedboat departs at 9:30am from Co To to Cai Rong port. Upon arrival, you take the private car transfer with our tour guide back to your Hanoi hotel. Arrive in Hanoi at around 17:00. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 7: Hanoi – Mai Chau valley (B,L,D)
Our most popular trip – cycling, trekking through rice paddy fields, enjoy the BBQ Dinner party, drink traditional wine “ruou can”, overnight in Thai’s traditional stilt house or private air-condition bungalows.
Morning pick-up at your Hotel in the Old Quarter in our comfortable van sharing with other tourists. 10:00 : Short break en-route.
11:30 – 12:00 : Scenic photo stop of Mai Chau valley/arrive in Mai Chau, welcome Drinks.
12:15 : Traditional lunch in local village (vegetarian available)
14:00 – 16:30 : Bicycle ride with your tour guide, see farmers working in fields, locals weaving scarves and visit surrounding peaceful villages.
16:30 – 18:00 : Free time for bicycling, walking, shopping
18:00 : Enjoy the local food party in the garden and watch the Thai’s traditional dance and drink the traiditional wine “ruou can” Overnight in the bungalow.
Day 8: Mai Chau valley – Hoa Binh lake (B,L,D)
07:30 : Breakfast at the homestay and enjoy a 20 km motorbike ride to Hoa Binh lake (the largest hydroelectric dam in Southeast Asia ) stop to take photo at Go Lao waterfall.
09:00 : Arrive in Suoi Lon village catch a local fishing boat to explore the amazing lake. learn fishing and using fish net with local fishing man. Swimming and jumping off the boat is available.
12:30 : Having lunch with the fishing man family.
14:00 : Drive back to Mai Chau, keep your motorbike to explore more beautiful villages
18:00 : Dinner and overnight in the bungalow.
Day 9: Mai Chau valley – Hanoi (B,L)
7:30 – 8:00 : Wakeup and eat breakfast.
8:00 : Go with local tour guideto visit more remote rural villages Na Meo and Na Mo villages to understand more about their culturevand customs.
12:00 : Back to the homestay for lunch and check-out.
13:00 : 15:00 : Free time for shopping and relaxing.
15:00 – 15:30 : Say goodbye to the family to get on the bus to drive back to Hanoi.
18:30 – 19:00 : Arrive in Hanoi Old Quater. Drop you off at your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 10: Hanoi – Day train to Dong Hoi (B)
Private transfer from your hotel to Hanoi train station. Our tour guide will give you tickets and help you check in the train. Today you take Reunification train (SE5, from Hanoi 09:00 to Dong Hoi 19:22). This is a day-train through 17 provinces of Central Vietnam, sometimes running along the coastline so the scenery is beautiful. Soft-seat with air condition is arranged for you. Upon arrival in Dong Hoi, you meet our local guide then private transfer to your hotel to check in. Overnight in Dong Hoi.
Day 11: Paradise cave – Dark cave (B,L)
7:30 – 8:00am: Our shuttle bus and tour guide will pick up guests at hotel in Dong Hoi city, you will explore Dark cave (located in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, 20km about Phong Nha cave, 65 km about Dong Hoi and 1h10 minutes driving).
Dark cave was the true experience, kayaking and ziplining over the river to get there, walking through the dark with only the head touch on your mining helmet, having a mud fight in the mud baths deep in the cave and then washing clean with a swim in the lake inside the cave.
Activities as Muddy bath, ziplining, swimming, kayaking are inclusive. Remember to bing swimwear and towel for swimming.
11:45 Lunch at Dark cave restaurant.
13:00 Visit Paradise cave – the longest dry cave in Asia (located in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park’s core zone, 25km about Phong Nha cave, 75 km about Dong Hoi and 1h20 minutes driving) at the rest of the day.
17:00 – 17:30 Return to Phong Nha town and Dong Hoi city.
Day 12: Vinh Moc tunnel – DMZ – Hue city (B)
Vinh Moc is a tunnel complex in Quang Tri province. During the Vietnam War, it was strategically located on the frontier line of North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The tunnels were built to shelter people from the intense bombing in Vinh Linh county in the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone.
7h:00 AM Pick you up at your hotel in Dong Hoi, then private transfer to Hue city. On the way, you stop at Dong Ha Town, then continue to drive on national route No 9 to visit Dakrong Bridge, Rock Pile, Khe Sanh Combat Base, ethnic minority villages, the Ho Chi Minh Trails vestige, then return to Dong Ha town for lunch. In the afternoon, follow the Highway No.1 to visit Hien Luong bridge, Ben Hai river, the 17th parallel, Doc Mieu and Vinh Moc tunnels. You check in Hue hotel at about 18:30. Overnight in Hue.
Day 13: Hue city tour – Evening best food tour (B,D)
Morning boat trip on Perfume river to visit Thien Mu pagoda and King Ming Mang tomb. Afternoon visit Hue Imperial citadel UNESCO world heritage and King Khai Dinh tomb. Stop at Dong Ba market for your own shopping.
In the evening, you start the memorial culinary evening with at the restaurant “Hang Me” located on Vo Thi Sau street to enjoy 5 specical cakes of Hue (Banh beo, nam, loc, ram it, banh cuon…). Followed by a visit to “Hen island” Con Hen village to enjoy clam dishes such as clam rice, clam noodles.
Traditional cuisine is an indispensable experience when visiting Hue. With its original and distinctive taste, Hue food reflects the values of culture, history, traditional custom, and art and had become an attractive trade mark of Vietnamese culinary art.
20:00 Wander on Le Loi Street at line of poetric jouney, we take you to sweetsoup shop with a name to the ondinary people to enjoy sweet soup “che Hue”.
20:30 On the way you will visit Imperial Citadel and Truong Tien bridge on the night of sparkling night. At the end, our guide takes you around streets admire the romantic at night. You can also purchase special products souvenir such as: sesame candies, conical hats, sour shrimps, long dress (Ao Dai) even for men, Minh Mang wines.
22h00 Ending the tour at your hotel. Overnight in Hue.
Notes: All dishes mentioned above are included in the tour price.
Day 14: Hue – Hoi An (B)
Morning free at your leisure. Check out your hotel at 12:00 then private transfer to Hoi An another UNESCO town via Hai Van cloudy pass with splendid view: 1 side is Truong Son mountain, 1 side is Pacific ocean. Stop to visit Marble mountain whose peaks represent the five elements of the universe. Check in your hotel in Hoi An in the late afternoon. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 15: Hoi An – Group cooking class – City tour (B,L)
Morning joining cooking class in Red Bridge restaurant, a famous restaurant in the downtown. Enjoy welcome drinks at Hai Scout Café and you meet the cook chef. Visit the local colorful market to buy the necessary ingredients for your lunch. Walk back to the restaurant and start to learn the popular food menu as making fresh Rice paper, Fresh Rice Paper Rolls of Shrimp, crispy Hoi An Pancakes with Shrimp, Herbs & a Peanut Sauce, seafood salad with mixed Vietnamese Herbs served in Half a Pineapple, Vietnamese Eggplant in Clay Pot, Food Decoration – Tomato Rose & Vietnamese Cucumber Hand Fan. Enjoy your lunch with the class results.
Afternoon visit this ancient town on foot: the 200 year-old Tan Ky house, Phuc Kien Pagoda, the Assembly Hall, the former merchants’ houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful riverside market.
Day 16: Hoi An – My Son Champa towers (B)
Depart at 7:40AM by bus. We travel about 50km from Hoi An to My Son sanctuary. It comprises many Champa temples, in a valley roughly two kilometers wide, surrounded by two mountain ranges. It was the site of religious ceremony of kings of the Champa dynasty, and was also a burial place of Champa royals and national heroes. The My Son temple complex is one of the foremost temple complexes of Hinduism in South East Asia and is the foremost heritage site of this nature in Vietnam. Though the complex has been destroyed over time, we still see many majestic ancient ruins of temples in the area.
Arrive in My Son at 9:00AM. Walk around with your guide for 2 hours to see the historic and cultural ruins of the 16th century, you will be brought back to the glorious time of the Champa civilization. Then leave My Son for Cau Lau boat station. Take a motorized boat excursion to visit Kim Bong carpentry village, 3km west of Hoi An. Have a soft lunch and drink on boat. Tour finishes at Hoi An dock at 2:30 PM. You should come back hotel by your own. Free leisure in the afternoon. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 17: Hoi An – Da Nang – Da Lat (B)
Take the morning flight to Da Lat city on Central Highlands of Vietnam, “the city of eternal springs”. Private airport transfer is arranged upon arrival. In the afternoon, you take the Da Lat city tour with visits to Da Lat flower garden, Domain church, Old station and you take the short train journey from Trai Mat station to Linh Phuoc pagoda. Visit the Summer Palace of Bao Dai, the last King of Vietnam & Crazy House. Overnight in Da Lat.
Day 18: Da Lat photo tour (B)
In the morning, you can enjoy fresh air of Datanla waterfall is nestled under canopies of the primeval jungle with soft, white waters flowing over rock shelve and drop into death valley creating a beautiful natural picture. As possible, let’s experience the exciting adventure feeling on roller coaster from the hilltop down to waterfall. The most important place of the day is Pongour waterfall considered as the most beautiful and majestic waterfall in the Central Highland with about 40 m in height and over 100 m in width. Surrounded by unspoiled forest, the waterfall slips into numerous sandstone stepping from top to bottom. Its massive water powerfully falling down seven floors produces sonorous sounds that can be heard from miles around. Here you can create great-looking photos of the soft wispy effect by shooting flowing water at very slow shutter speeds.
In the afternoon, you can admire the transparent water flowing through granite mountain sides looks really spectacular making an area be obscured by the very white spray at Elephant waterfall. Next to the waterfall is Wind Cave having narrow entrance between two cliffs, but inside the cave there are many wide spaces and full of wind. Elephant Waterfall looks like a lively picture which has been carved by nature with the particularly interesting caves hide after craggy cliffs and many rocks now appear, now disappear look like as many elephants are jostling to bath.
Day 19: Da Lat – Mui Ne beach (B)
Free morning at leisure. Check out at 12:00 then private transfer to Mui Ne beach famous with giant sand dunes standing next to blue ocean. Check in the beach resort in the late afternoon then enjoy swimming. Overnight in Mui Ne.
Day 20: Mui Ne beach (B)
Free beach leisure in Mui Ne.
Day 21: Mui Ne – Dinner on Saigon river (B,D)
Morning private transfer to Ho Chi Minh city, the biggest city of South Vietnam, also the entertainment center of the country. In the afternoon, you visit Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, Reunification Palace witnessing the the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Evening enjoy the dinner on Saigon river cruise, and cast your views at splendid city at night. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.
Day 22: Ho Chi Minh city – My Tho – Can Tho (B,L)
After breakfast, you depart for My Tho. After 2 hour driving, you arrive at My Tho wharf, embarking a scenic boat-trip along Mekong river to 4 famous islands of Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle, Phoenix. Visit Thoi Son island with tropical fruit gardens, enjoy fresh fruits (included in tour price), then rowing the sampan boat among water-coconut trees. Visit the factory of coconut candy in Ben Tre, a honey farm and taste honey-tea. Enjoy lunch with “Don ca tai tu” traditional music performance. Visit Vinh Trang old pagoda by car, the biggest pagoda of Mekong delta. Continue the trip to Can Tho, the biggest city of the region. Check in your hotel and free leisure at night. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 23: Cai Rang floating market – Chau Doc (B)
After breakfast, you’re transferred to Ninh Kieu wharf to embark a short boat trip to Cai Rang, the biggest floating market of Mekong delta. Every early morning, thousand boats gather together where their owners start to sell agricultural products. To be recognized easily, they hang out product samples on a long bamboo (called Cay Beo) in front of the boats, so that they do not need to cry their wares as in mainland market. It’s an amazing picture of busy economy on Mekong river. Return to hotel to check out. Depart for Chau Doc border town to Cambodia. Visit Sam mountain and Lady Xu temple, the highest point of An Giang province. Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 24: Tra Su bird sanctuary – Ho Chi Minh city (B)
Morning private transfer to Tra Su Bird sanctuary, home to millions of birds, a typical image for Mekong delta wild life. It’s almost untouched natural beauty but also its sanctuary of flora and fauna. Taking a boat trip into the forest and harmonizing oneself with nature. The impressive pictures of cajuputs, the fragrance of flowers and the music-like noise of birds, insects and animals will definitely make travelers do not want to leave. From the observation post, the forest can be seen with an area of nearly 900 ha, home of many birds and animals, including some rare ones. Back to your hotel to check out. Afternoon return to Ho Chi Minh city (4 hour drive). Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.
Day 25: Ho Chi Minh city – Departure (B)
Breakfast & private transfer to the airport 3 hours before the flight departure time. Private airport transfer with driver only is provided. Goodbye & See you next time in Vietnam!
