REAL VIETNAM

Day 1: Saigon arrival

Welcome to your holiday with Vietnam Travel and Cruise!

Upon your arrival at Saigon airport look for our driver and guide who will be waiting for you with a sign bearing your name. The journey from the airport to your hotel will take approximately half an hour and is an entertaining experience full of chaotic traffic and millions of motorbikes.

Day 2: Saigon city tour & Cu Chi tunnel (B/L)

You will be met at your hotel at 08.00am by guide for a morning walking tour through the heart of Saigon’s famous and historic city landmarks including Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), the Rex Hotel, Municipal Theatre, Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame Cathedral. You will then join your vehicle and drive to the site of the former US Embassy (now the US consulate) before visiting the impressive Re-Unification Palace and War Remnants Museum.

After lunch, you will take the journey west from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi. On arrival you will be guided through the famous tunnels used by the communist guerrillas during the Vietnam War. The tunnel network stretches over 250km and extends to three levels underground providing you with a remarkable insight into the hardships, courage, determination and terror of a guerrilla war. You will return to your hotel at approximately 18.00pm. Evening free as your leisure.

Day 3: Saigon freeday (B)

Have free and leisure day in Saigon, you can walk through street to feel the atmosphere here, meet friendly people, experience the life style of Saigon and taste some local dishes.

Day 4: Saigon – Can Tho by road – Ninh Kieu night market (B)

Breakfast at hotel then meet our guide for a 3 day trip to Mekong.

Drive to Can Tho. Have lunch at local restaurant then check in hotel in Can Tho.

Free at evening, you can try to explore Ninh Kieu night market by your own.

Located right opposite Ninh Kieu wharf park, Ninh Kieu Night Market is just next to Tay Do Night Market with one street away. The impressive point at the market is the stalls selling T-shirts which can instantly print photos on shirts. Sample pictures are either prepared or specified by the buyer on the existing covers.

Regarding food, the most special dish of Ninh Kieu Night Market is all kinds of sweet soup, such as sweet soup with black bean, red bean, white bean, green bean, Thai or mixed one… Besides tea, sugarcane juice here is also deliciously different that it is known as the typical drink of the West. With raw materials from big, sweet and fresh sugarcane, the juice is pressed together with passion fruit, pineapple, durian…to make a cup of sugarcane juice a unique flavor.

Day 5: Cai Rang floating market – Can Tho – Chau Doc by road (B/L)

Have early breakfast at hotel, our guide and car will drive you to explore Cai Rang floating market locating just 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the city of Can Tho.

You’ll pass vibrantly painted boats anchored along the shore, merchant vessels carrying loads down the river and houses built on stilts over the water. Once you finally reach the market, it’s an impressive site. A stretch of boats selling all variety of goods lines the river. Not really a place for souvenirs, people come here instead to buy large quantities of goods, mostly foodstuffs, and you will get an idea of what water commerce in the Delta looks like. You’ll also get the opportunity to interact with some of these floating merchants; most commonly this happens when a small boat selling drinks latches onto the tour boat’s side.After the market you’ll be ferried off to your breakfast break at a local orchard. You’ll be led around a fairly large garden growing a big variety of local fruits, which you’ll get to sample after your walk. Once your breakfast or fruits is eaten, you’ll go back to the boat and it’s time to explore some of the Mekong’s canals.

End trip at around 10am. Transfer straight to hotel in Chau Doc for checking in.

Day 6: Tram Tra Su forest – Can Tho – Danang by flight (B/L)

Early morning, our car and guide will take you to Tram Tra Su forest, where is about 30 kilometers southwest of Chau Doc. The boat departs for the forest. You will have the opportunity to sit on a typical rowing boat of the river region. The boat glides smoothly on the carpet of water hyacinth, passing through the lotus leaf, the water lily, then along the “water route” that takes you deep into the Melaleuca forest, the wonderful green water hyacinth covers the surface of the water, watching the species rare bird.

The boat will take you through the honey beekeeping area of Tra Su tourist area, with more than 150 beekeeping crates located in the forest, you can stop and see first-hand the bees making honey in the barrel, buying and selling about as a gift, which is very good for health.

You can choose to walk 130m to the Observation tower to admire the entire vast melaleuca forest with a telescope with a 25km view, near the observation tower there will be a restaurant for you to stop and eat (the meal is included).

Then, you will be taken by the boat to visit the whole Melaleuca forest, sometimes, you will encounter bold birds sitting right on the tree trunks, water lilies, lotus flowers or on the flaps of duckweed.

After that, you will be transferred to a rowing boat to go deep into the nooks and crannies of the Melaleuca forest. Without any engine noise or other noisy sounds, the rafters have just enough room for 4 people to gently drift along the water, weaving between small canals, through the canopy of melaleuca hanging overhead. Here, you can see under the water is a layer of green water hyacinth covering the surface of the water, you can touch it and see the bright yellow flowers and the green Melaleuca trees creating a picture of wonderful nature.

End of the trip. Our car will transfer you to Can Tho Airport then take the flight to Da Nang. Transfer straight to hotel in Hoi An for checking in.

Day 7: Hoian cooking class & walking tour (B/L)

This 3 hour session is a rich & comprehensive gourmet experience. You start with a 1 hour market tour to learn about Vietnamese ingredients & how to choose fresh food. Next is a short talk on the art of Vietnamese gastronomy, vegetables, herbs & spices & how to prepare & use them. The practical includes learning cooking & cutting techniques & how to use Vietnamese vegetable grater & knife. You will get hands-on experience of fresh summer rolls, grilled chicken with lime leaf, banana flower salad, soup with cabbage wrapped shrimp.

After lunch at class, meet our guide again for a walking tour of Hoian Ancient town.

Hoi An old quarter which known as Faifo to early Western traders, Hoi An was one of the major trading centre in South East Asia between the 16th & 17th centuries. A charming 16th century merchant town, with strong Japanese and Chinese influences, Hoi An is best explored on foot. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved architecture, it is also a thriving centre of traditional handicrafts. Wander through the cobbled streets, past low tile-roofed buildings, the bustling central market and the small harbor where colorfully painted boats are moored. Your walking tour will include visits to a private house where members of the same family have lived continuously for centuries in a traditional setting to one of the family chapels built by prominent merchant or official families as centers for ancestor worship. Continue to Sa Huynh Museum which contains exhibitions from the earliest period of Hoi An’s history. Finally, continue to the famous Japanese Covered Bridge Pagoda, first constructed in 1593 by the Japanese community of Hoi An to link the town with the Chinese quarters across the stream. Back to hotel.

Day 8: Bana Hills – Golden Birdge (B/L)

Our guide and driver pick you up at your hotel then depart to Ba Na Hills where will bring you the adventurous feeling as in the fairyland with four seasons within one day.

Upon arrival, sitting on the cable which is the longest cable in the world (5801m), you will have a look at Vong Nguyet Hills, Linh Ung Pagoda, Thich Ca Phat Dai, Old French horse stables, Meditation Garden,… Go for sightseeing Nghinh Phong Peak, Le Nim Villa, Ba Na Bridge, conquer Chua Mountain at an altitude of 1487 meters above sea level to watch the view of Danang city and Quang Nam from the layer of cloud. Having buffet lunch in Bana Hills

After lunch, continue to visit Golden Bridge, which is newly opened in Jun 2018 and considered the highlight of this area. At the height of 4600 feet (about 150m) above sea level, the Golden bridge combines eight sections and stretches 500 feet long. With a pair of giant, stone hands lifting a golden bridge from the verdant hills of Danang. Free to joining games in Fantasy Park – the third biggest indoor games zone in Vietnam with series of interesting games: 4- 5D films, skiver, The death race, Dinosaur Park…

Return to the cable car station then our car will transfer you to Hoian.

Day 9: Da Nang – Hanoi by flight – Hanoi local life by foot (B/D)

This morning we will flight to Hanoi city. Pick up on arrival and transfer to hotel for relax.

Late afternoon, meet our guide at your hotel lobby at appointed time. Your expert English-speaking local guide will give you an insight into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture including details on ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular northern dishes. We eat as we go, trying seasonal fruits and sampling some tasty snack from street carts.

Bánh xèo – also known as crispy Vietnamese pancake, crepe or sizzling cake – is a famous street food which is widely believed to originate from France during its occupation of Vietnam. The word xèo depicts the sizzling sound when pouring the rice batter into the hot skillet This “Vietnamese pancake” has a yellow outer layer and is filled with boiled pork strips, shrimp, bean sprouts and spring onion. The impressive taste of crunchy crust, savoury fillings, sweet and sour dipping sauce will definitely make you fall in love with this delicacy. Besides, the sauce is a perfect blend of spices (including fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chilli), while the herbs help eliminate the greasy taste.

Pho – or rice noodle soup- is omnipresent in Hanoi, appearing anywhere from street vendors to high end restaurant. This universally famous food is best enjoyed in Hanoi, where it was “invented” in the early 20th century. Some is served with chicken and some with beef. Each type of meat entails a variety of sub-dish, using from beef tenderloin to beef brisket, chicken wing to chicken thigh.

Bún chả – is a Vietnamese dish of grilled pork, noodles coming with a heap of pickles and fresh herbs. “Bún” means fresh white rice vermicelli, and “Chả” is pork belly and meatballs grilled on charcoal. Two amazing major ingredients are served with the unmissable dipping sauce including fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, hot chilly, black pepper, which surely determines the dish’s quality.

Fresh herbs are an essential part of Vietnamese food, and you’ll get large bowls served along every time for Bun Cha. Bean sprouts, mint and coriander are the most common, as well as pickled green papaya, carrot and cucumber.

We finish our food trip at “bia hoi corner” on Ta Hien street, one of the hot spots for beer to enjoy a cold beer glass while sitting at a street corner in Hanoi old quarter. Our tour guide will take you back to your hotel.

Day 10: Hanoi – Buoc Lom Wharf – Ba Be lake – Puong cave (B/L)

8.00am: Have breakfast at hotel, our car will drive you to Bac Kan and check in at homestay.

14h00: Arrival at Buoc Lom Wharf. Boat-trip along the Nang River to Ba Be Lake, one of 20 biggest fresh lakes on the mountain in the world.

15h00: Stop at Puong cave which is famous with thousand of bats

16h00: Visit to An Ma Temple to know more religions and beliefs in Vietnam. Time permits, swim in fresh water and enjoy the bamboo rafting near Ba Goa Islet

Overnight in Bac Kan.

Day 11: Ba Be lake – Ban Gioc waterfall (B/L)

07h00: Departure for Cao Bang.

12h30: Lunch in a local restaurant in Quang Uyen town

14h00: Visit to the Ban Gioc Waterfall, the 4th largest waterfall along a national border

15h00: Visit to the Nguom Ngao Cave (Tiger cave).

16h00: Return to Cao Bang city. Relax at hotel.

Overnight in Cao Bang

Day 12: Cao Bang – Pac Bo – Hanoi (B/L)

07h00: Check-out and start to visit Pac Bo Cave, where President Ho Chi Minh came back to Vietnam after 30 years abroad. Visit to Pac Bo Cave, Lenin river, Karl Marx mountain, stone table..

12h00: Have lunch in a local restaurant on the way to come back to Ha Noi (via Road 3)

19h00: Arrival in Hanoi.

Day 13: Hanoi – Halong Cruise (B/L/D)

08:30 – 09:00: Check out and our car will pick you up at your hotel.

12:00: The crew members of Cruise will welcome you at Tuan Chau port

12:30: You will be taken aboard our support vessel and travel from the wharf via the bay to board our luxurious craft, Peony Cruises. Welcome fresh drinks, cold towels and a special lunch of fresh food and an assortment of appetizing delicacies will be served. You will be enchanted when decadently dining on our luxury junk. Life just doesn’t get better than this! We then set sail for Lan Ha Bay – A member of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays.

15:30: We will visit the Dark and Bright Cave – famous for the pristine natural beauty and poetic, attractive seascape of Lan Ha Bay. Here you will take some photos of the romantic, lyrical local see-sights. This is also the best time for tourists to enjoy bamboo boat and swimming – which is an interesting activity to discover the truest beauty of the limestone mountains and the blue sky of LanHa Bay. Afterwards, visitors immerse in the emerald green water of LanHa Bay with exciting swimming activities or enjoy mini pool with jacuzzi on Peony Cruise.

17:30: Return to Cruise. Enjoy sunset party on Lan Ha Bay. It is an ideal time for photography enthusiasts to capture the stunning moment of sunset at Lan Ha Bay.

19:30: Enjoy a romantic dinner at the restaurant on Cruise.

21:00-00:00: Enjoy the nightlife of the bay from the top deck. Immerse yourself in music, enjoying a glass of cocktail from the bar, watching famous films and relaxing on the cruise. Otherwise, you can fish squid with the sailors or simply relax in the room and watch the bay from the balcony.

Overnight on the cruise

Day 14: Halong – Hanoi – Departure (B)

6:30-7:30: Breakfast is served at Peony Cruise restaurant.

8:00: Cruise will arrival Frog Pond area, in here you have kayaking and free to relax in the four- season mini pool on Lan Ha Bay – A silk ribbon made from green mountains, blue seas and diverse fauna and flora.

9:30: Checking out of the room. Then the lunch in the restaurant is ready for you.

11:15 – 11:30: Disembark and move back the port.

11:30 – 11:45: You are at Tuan Chau International Marina Station. Transfer back to Hanoi then going to Noi Bai airport for departure flight.