17 DAYS, AMAZING VIETNAM TRIP

Itinerary

ITINERARY IN DETAILS:

DAY 01 THU: ARRIVE HANOI

Arrive at Hanoi international airport. Transfer to Hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 02 FRI: HANOI- SAPA (B)

Hanoi City tour – Night train to Sapa
Visit to Ho Chi Mausoleum, presidential palace, one pillar pagoda and  Temple of literature – Vietnam’s first national university and  wonderful Museum of Ethnology. Visit Ngocson temple and lake of returned sword. Tonight we board overnight train to to Laocai.

DAY 03 SAT: LAOCAI - SAPA, SAPA MARKET, TRIBE VILLAGES, TREKKING. (B,L)
Visit the colorful Sapa Saturday market where Black H’mong, Red Dzao, Giay , Phula, Tay minority people come in droves to buy and sell their local produces.  We then embark  on a lovely trek that will take us along buffalo paths and trails and through several hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Tavan, home to H'mong, and Dzay people. This is a absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people you can meet.  Once on the valley floor you can really appreciate the wonderful scenery that surrounds you. The walls of the valley are covered with multi-layered rice terraces and scattered villages.

DAY 04 SUN: SAPA - BAC HA (MARKET) - TRIBAL VILLAGES – SAPA (B,L)
Rising to the sounds of morning coming to life for another lovely day, we  breakfast and head out for a stunning spectacular of bobbling bazzar. Bac ha 's considered  one of the most wonderful and colorful markets in extreme north Vietnam where thousands of local people in their traditional attires busily buy and sell the local produces. Dog, cat, pig, horse... are all on sales. This is golden opportunity to take best shots! Afternoon we have a pleasant walk to Flower H’mong village of Banpho we then transfer back to Sapa. Overnight at Victoria Sapa.
 

DAY 05 MON: SAPA - HANOI (B)
Free leisure day till our transfer to station for your night train back to Hanoi.

DAY 06 TUE: HANOI - HALONG BAY. (B,L,D)

Pick up from train staion, drive to Halong bay. Boat trip amongst the stunning limestone backdrops to visit caves, floating villages and beaches. While cruising we are treated to fresh seafood lunch. Opportunity to have  swim off boat or take photo is available. Tonight we overnight on the boat on the bay (2 people cabins) 
 

DAY 07 WED: HALONG BAY CRUISE – HANOI (B,L)
Breakfast over sunset and ready to  explore  Halong bay by row boat to the lagoons, coves...Visit caves, floating villages. We sail to Bai Tu Long bay and have  fresh seafood lunch  on board before our drive back to Hanoi.  Overnight in Hanoi.
 

DAY 08 THU: DAY TRIP TO PERFUME PAGODA.  (B,L)
The Perfume Pagoda is one of the highlights of the Hanoi area and one of the most important religious sites in Buddhist Vietnam. Every spring, after the Vietnamese New Year, thousands of Vietnamese pilgrims come here to pray for all the health and prosperity they need to get them through the year.  The pagoda itself is built into limestone cliffs and can only be reached by boat or on foot as there are no roads into this area. You will have the chance to glide along scenic waterways and walk up steep mountain paths visiting the pagodas and temples that were built in this area over the centuries.  Departing Hanoi at 07.30 we have a two hour drive through
the picturesque countryside and back roads to the village of Duc for some refreshments before boarding our boats for a 1.5 hour ride along the scenic Yen river. After this we will walk to the Thien Tru Pagoda (Heavens Kitchen) and the Perfume Cave and Pagoda - an hours walk in total. On our way back we visit Giai Oan and Tuyet Son Pagodas. Lunch will be at one of the little food stalls near Thien Tru Pagoda. After lunch the boat will take us back to our bus for the drive back to Hanoi. We arrive in Hanoi around 18.00.
 

DAY 09 FRI: HANOI – HUE (B)
Transfer to airport for the early morning flight Hanoi - Hue. Tour of Hue. Visit  Citadel and  Imperial purple city. Visit Tuduc royal tomb  and imposing Thien Mu pagoda. Overnight at hotel in Hue

DAY 10 SAT: HUE - DANANG - HOI AN (B)

Transfer to Hoian via Cloudy Pass and  Danang. Visit Cham museum in Danang where display fine artifacts of Cham people. Visit China beach and crafting village. Explore the charming little township of Hoian with old houses, temples.

Overnight at hotel in Hoian
 

DAY 11 SUN: DANANG – NHATRANG  (B)
Morning flight to Nha Trang. Tour  of Nha Trang to visit Oceanography Institute, Ponagar Cham tower and Yersin Museum. Visit Thanh Long studio ( famous black &  white photographer) in Nhatrang. Overnight at hotel in Nha Trang.
 

DAY 12 MON: NHA TRANG. – DALAT BY CAR. (B)
Drive to Dalat. Visit Cham tower in Ninhthuan. Tour of Dalat to Baodai palace, Dalat flower market and famous temple. Overnight at hotel in Dalat
 

DAY 13 TUE: DALAT – HO CHI MINH CITY (B)
Visit Crazy house  and Prenn waterfall before we take flight Dalat - Ho Chi Minh city. Arrive HCM city, city tour to visit Benthanh market. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.
 

DAY 14 WED: HO CHI MINH CITY - MEKONG DELTA. (B,L)
Drive through the lush of vegetation to Mytho to Caibe  where we board our private boat for a cruise of Caibe floating market, explore endless waterway of Mighty Mekong river,  see the art of  bonsai and enjoy delicious tropical fruits. We are treated to a Delta lunch in orchard  garden and then  have more boat  excursion to by the Mekong river. Overnight at local house in lush vegetation in Mekong Delta.
 

DAY 15 THU: MEKONG DELTA - HO CHI MINH CITY (B,L)
Breakfast and enjoy boat trip to visit lush orchard farms and Caibe floating market. We visit old pagoda of VinhTrang and  have lunch in Mytho before our drive back to Ho Chi Minh city. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
 

DAY16 FRI: HO CHI MINH CITY - CU CHI – CAODAI TEMPLES (B,L)
Drive to visit the Cuchi Tunnels. At the height of the Vietnam war, the tunnel system stretched from the outskirts of Saigon  all the way to the Cambodian border of over 250 kilometers of tunnels. The tunnel system, built over 25 years starting in the 1940s,  let the Viet Minh  and, later, the Viet Cong, control a huge rural area.  It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers.  In places, it was several  stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people who virtually lived underground for years.... getting married, giving birth, going to school. The ground here is hard clay, which made this whole thing possible.  But even so, the planning and construction was incredible.  People dug all this with hand tools, filling reed baskets and dumping the dirt into bomb craters.  They installed large vents so they could hear approaching helicopters, smaller vents for air and baffled vents to dissipate cooking smoke.  There were also hidden trap doors and gruesomely effective bamboo-stake booby traps. Today the trees and bushes have grown back.   And since 1988, two sections of tunnels have been open for visitors. We continue our way to Tayninh where we witness the noontime messes at Caodai temples.  Drive back to HCM city.Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
 

DAY 17 SAT: TOUR HO CHI MINH CITY. TRANSFER TO AIRPORT. (B)
City tour to visit Independent Palace, War Crime Museum, History Museum, China town and  Thien Hau pagoda,   Transfer to airport for your flight back home.