VIETNAM TOUR FROM MOUNTAIN TO SEA – 18 DAYS FROM HANOI

Vietnam is deserved to be a top country to travel in your lifetime which is famous for its peaceful country-sides, green rice paddy fields, rugged mountain ranges, exotic ethnic minorities, amazing white sandy beaches, spectacular bays, mysterious pagodas and significant historical sites. Travel to Vietnam with us is a perfect idea and your Vietnam holiday packages will be memorable.

You will be welcomed upon your arrival at Noi Bai airport (Hanoi) by our experienced English speaking tour guide and driver before transferring to your hotel for check-in. Overnight in Hanoi.

If you have chance to stay in Hanoi at the weekend, it is worth to join the interesting night market near Hoan Kiem Lake, featured with walking streets, beautiful red lanterns, local street foods and Vietnamese styled souvenirs.

13:45, Pick up at your hotel by taxi and you will have an amazing trip to the Train Street (best time to be there is around 2pm as there is a train leaving at 02:30pm and another arrival at 03:30pm) to take fantastic pictures of incoming train as well as see how locals live on both sides of the railway. A little bit far from the hustle, bustle and narrow old streets, Train street is where the trains just hurl through the residential area in mere feed away from local lives. Enjoy a cup of coffee at Train Track Coffee Shop while watching the trains pass.

15:00, Take a cyclo ride around the Old Quarter to observe the daily life of Hanoian, as well as see how locals manage in the incredible traffic.

16:00, Start your interesting and fantastic street food & night walking tour (the walking tour will be much more fantastic at the weekend from Friday night to Sunday as many Old Streets will blocked for pedestrians).

At first, the street food tour starts at one of Hanoi’s largest market, Dong Xuan market. In every corner, you can easily find various types of products, from dried food to pork, beef, seafood, from fruits to cakes, candies & fashion stuff. Our tour guide will give you full introductions of Vietnamese food culture with prominent ingredients as well as famous local dishes.

Next, you will try one of the most delicious foods in Hanoi, Banh Cuon at a local restaurant. There, you can easily watch how our master chefs cook and prepare the dish. Banh Cuon is made from a first layer of steamed fermented rice batter and a second layer of minced wood ear mushroom, minced pork, minced shallots that are all rolled together. It is served with dipping sauce consisting of Cha Lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), sliced cucumber, carrot, bean sporuts and fish sauce.

From there, continue our walking tour to the heart of the Old Quarter, wandering around street stalls, passing ancient house & pagodas.

Our next stop is a Grilled Pork Street Stall where small pork pieces are are flame grilled over hot coals. You can also have grilled pork with bread & vegetable that is really a Vietnam specialty and even considered one of the world best hamburgers.

It’s then our time for dessert after some main dishes and fresh fruits should not be missed!!! However, it is not only fresh fruits but all of the stuff will be mixed with condensed milk and crushed ice.

One another try should be the egg coffee, served at a quiet and ancient café shop, hidden behind buildings and busy streets. Cold Beer may be a better choice if coffee is not your style.

Finally, end the trip with Hanoi most famous ice-cream where locals really enjoy. Back to your hotel by cyclo.

Ranked among the world’s best destinations, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam with more than 1000 years of history and culture. Hanoi is also well-known for its beautiful lakes with the image of local Tai Chi in the early morning, tree-line boulevards, flowers on bicycles and delicious dishes.

05:30 Wake up early and be ready for an amazing morning trip around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter – the symbols of Hanoi city and Hanoian. You will be surprised by seeing local Hanoians doing morning exercises around Hoan Kiem Lake as they are so natural practicing such strange Tai Chi in their own ways. Let’s see the way they do and join with them! From Hoan Kiem Lake, take a look at the Old Quarter as it is the only time in day you can enjoy quiet atmosphere.

07:00 Have breakfast with Pho (Noodle soup with beef) – the most famous and popular dish in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular.

08:00: Visit Ho Chi Minh complex with first stop at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – a large memorial pays homage to the national hero – President Ho Chi Minh who led the country to independence and reunification. The Mausoleum is located at Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh President read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945 establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Then take a short walk to the Presidential Palace and house on stilts.

Next to Ho Chi Minh complex, One Pillar Pagoda (special with unique architecture of lotus flower) is a must-see place for tourists to Hanoi.

Continue to the Temple of Literature which is the first university in Vietnam. It was constructed in 1070, first to honor Confucius and nowadays to celebrate the doctorates and ranked scholars of Vietnam.

After lunch, visit the Museum of Ethnology – an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups living in Vietnam.It is here you will learn about the cultural diversity of different ethnic groups from religious events to the symbolic rituals as well as display of a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas outside.

End the day with a fantastic water puppet show.

Overnight in Hanoi.

08:30 Pick up at your hotel and take a smooth drive on new national highway to Sapa, passing beautiful sceneries on both sides of the road including countryside areas, rice fields and mountains.

14:30 Arrive at your hotel in Sapa, check-in your hotel and take a short rest.

15:30 Take a walk to Cat Cat village of the Black H’Mong minority to enjoy cool air at the waterfall and experience their daily life.

Overnight in Sapa.

Sapa, in the terraced hills and mountains of this area, the monotony of the expansive green landscape is enlivened by the colours of its hill tribe population. It is here you will find hands stained with colour from fabric dyes and shades of blue, red and green intricately embroidered and stitched into jackets, waistcoats, pants, skirts, caps, purses and leggings.

After breakfast, we will do one of the most beautiful Sapa Trekking Tours with the drive to visit Lao Chai and Ta Van village of the Black H’mong and the Day people where you can enjoy fresh air, amazing scenery of the imposing mountain range, trek down world’s most beautiful terraced rice fields, visit some local family on the way and learn unique culture and life of these ethnic groups.

Back to Sapa by private car, free at leisure for the rest of the day. Overnight in Sapa.

09:00, We enjoy a beautiful trip to Fansipan Peak.

Arrive at the foot of the mountain, get on the cable car to nearly the top of Fansipan Peak and spend 20 minutes with cable car to enjoy the spectacular scenery.

After 20 minutes on cable car, you reach the altitude of 2800 meters. Then spend a good time to see the view and take photos, visit pagoda the spiritual destinations before getting on another walk up to the top of Fansipan Peak. Enjoy the wonderful panoramic view and take photos.

Have lunch in Sapa before driving to Bac Ha Town, around 120Km – 3 hours.

Upon your arrival in Bac Ha, check-in your hotel. Then, we take a short walk to visit Ban Pho Village – owned by Flower H’mong people. It’s where the beauty of the highlands is most captivating, and paired with the serene village backdrop makes a lasting impression.

Then, visit to H’Mong King Palace. The castle of the “king” was restored and painted in yellow. It was built in 1914 and completed in 1921.

Overnight in Bac Ha.

The markets in the Northern Vietnam are always the colorful meeting places for the hill tribes, spotlight for any Sapa Tours and of course, your unique Vietnam Tours experience. Minority people come down from the mountains to sell their products, or just for catching up on the latest news, gossip, drinking away troubles or seeking for lover. In the morning, drive to visit one of the areas weekly markets;

Market days:
Can Cau Market – Saturdays
Bac Ha Market or Muong Hum Market or Muong Khuong Market – Sundays
Cao Son Market – Wednesdays
Lung Khau Nhin Market – Thursdays
Coc Ly Market – Tuesdays

In the afternoon, drive back to Hanoi for overnight.

We start at 9.00 A.M for the 2.5 hours drive to Halong Bay (150 km) through highways connecting Hanoi – Hai Phong & Hai Phong – Ha Long Bay. Our destination is Halong bay – the most famous World Heritage Site in Vietnam, famous for its beautiful seascape, thousands of spectacular islands and islets jutting out from the sea, amazing caves with marvelous stalagmites and stalactites in different sizes and shapes.

11:30 – 12:00 Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed on board our luxury junk and treated with wine and fresh local seafood. As our junk gliding further into the tranquility of Ha Long Bay amid the towering mountain cliffs and on the emerald green water, you’ll have relaxing time combining the fine tastes of the wine and the freshness of Ha Long Bay. During the cruise, we’ll stop some times for visiting the amazing Sung Sot cave and the Ti Top white sand beach before anchoring for the night.

Overnight on board the junk in the wild of Halong Bay.

It is said that your Vietnam Tours will not be complete without a tour to Halong Bay and spending one night on romantic Halong Cruise. People describe Halong Bay as majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious and words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is Halong Bay, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn from the hand of nature.

After breakfast, we’ll take a little sampan to visit a secret lagoon of Ha Long Bay while the surrounding mountains are just waking up. After that our cruise takes us further into the Bay of Bai Tu Long traveling past the Human Head Island, the Turtle Island, and the Duck Islet… to the studio site where the famous Indochine film was shot. Around noon, our junk travels back to the harbor, pick up and drive back to Noi Bai airport for flight to Danang (operated by Vietnam Airlines). If we have time, stop on the way to visit Phu Lang pottery village.

Upon your arrival at Danang airport, pick up and transfer to your hotel in Hoi An for check-in.

Overnight  in Hoi An.

Hoi An Ancient Town -the highlight of any tour to Vietnam that no Vietnam Tours maker would skip, is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

Day free to cycle through rice paddies in the countryside of Hoi An ancient town, shop for souvenirs among the antique shops and art galleries, or just sit at sidewalk cafes and soak up the atmosphere of this quaint town. Or relax on the white sandy beach of the famous Cua Dai Beach.

In the evening, tour tour guide will give you tickets of Hoi An Memories Show, that is a new but really outstanding outdoor performance that is scale up to a capacity of 3,300 people. It is featured with Vietnam traditional Ao Dai, the graceful and prosperous Hoi An Ancient Trading Port since 400 years ago. You can go to the theatre on your own as it is close to your accommodatin.

Overnight in a Hoi An hotel.

Free at leisure until we pick you up and transfer to Danang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh city (operated by Vietnam Airlines) famous with modern office skyscrapers, Oriental style pagodas and food stalls along the street.

Upon your arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, pick up and transfer to your hotel for check-in. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Optional tour – Ho Chi Minh Vespa Tour: Experience as local people with a Vespa and escorted by a driver, visiting the city landmarks that give you a view of the city unlike anything on your Vietnam tour. Take a peek at the history, the streets and the sights that most visitors never even hear about or see. You will pass through the Chinese district of Saigon, stop to see a sweet smelling flower market and visit a breathtaking yet hidden Buddhist pagoda, Saigon Opera House & Post Office which were designed by Gustave Eiffel.

On this full-day program, you’ll depart Ho Chi Minh City at 08:00 for a pleasant drive through the countryside to Cu Chi tunnels.

Before entering the tunnels you’ll see a short introductory video about their construction. Spend the next hour exploring the tunnel maze. Also on display are various mantraps, the remains of an American tank, and numerous bomb craters created by 500-pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers.

Afterwards, you’ll head back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving at around 13:00.

In the afternoon your Ho Chi Minh City tour begins with a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office, fine examples of classical French colonial architecture.

See the Reunification Palace, one of the city’s most important buildings. Here on 30 April 1975 the American War officially ended when tank number 843 of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of what was at the time the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam.

Formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, the War Remnants Museum features poignant displays of the futility of war. The courtyard outside contains the spoils of war, namely rusting jets, tanks, and cannons captured from the American military machine.

Visit the bustling Ben Thanh Market, which is very popular with tourists, primarily due to its central location. It has a wide selection of goods ranging from fake Nike shoes to beautiful silk ao dais, the traditional costume for women.

The tour ends at approximately 18:00 and you’ll be transferred back to your hotel. Note that you have the option of staying on at Ben Thanh Market and making your own way back to the hotel.

Around 08:00, our tour guide picks you up at your hotel lobby, then driving 90Km (2hrs) to Ben Tre. The boat will cruise along the Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces including a brick works, a coconut processing workshop and a mat weaving house. The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life and take a bicycle ride through dense coconut plantations. Continue to Can Tho – the heart of Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

Check in on your arrival, free at leisure and overnight in a Can Tho hotel.

In the morning, we make the boat cruise to see the Cai Rang floating market (the nicest one with heaps of rowing boats), truly highlights of any Vietnam Tours where you will enjoy the beautiful scenery and see the daily activities of the locals who live along the Mekong canals and later, you will roam through the village to visit a rice husking mill, a rice noodles making shop which are nice chances to discover the daily life of Vietnamese people in Mekong Delta. Around noon, transfer to Can Tho airport for flight to Phu Quoc.

Upon your arrival at Phu Quoc airport, pick up and transfer to hotel for check-in. Overnight in Phu Quoc.

One of Vietnam’s star attractions, mountainous and forested Phu Quoc is a splendid tropical getaway set with soft secluded beaches, the water a thousand different shades of turquoise. Stunning sunsets, thunderclouds heaped on the horizon. Palm trees protruding perpendicular over the gentle waves. That’s Phu Quoc island and paradise for Vietnam beach lovers and great place to end your amazing Vietnam Holiday.

Days free at leisure.

17:00, Pick up at your hotel and transfer to Dinh Cau Pier where you will get in a boat for a sunset trip out the sea. Have dinner on board with squid soup and enjoy the sunset.

Then, it’s your time for squid fishing.

Back to the pier at around 21:00 and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Free day at leisure and overnight in Phu Quoc.

Free until we transfer you to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh and connect with your departure flight. We hope that you have enjoyed your time with us and look forward to welcoming your next Vietnam Tours. We will say goodbye and see you again!!!