VIETNAM IN DEEP

Day 1: Hanoi arrival

Arrival in Hanoi. Welcome to your Vietnam in Deep tour with Vietnam Travel and Cruise!

Upon your arrival at Hanoi airport, meet up with our airport representative and driver holding a welcome sign with your name on. The transfer time will roughly take one hour and our tour guide will briefly introduce about our country on the way.

Check in your hotel and take your time free in Hanoi at your own terms.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B/L)

Vietnam Travel and Cruise’s car and guide will meet you at 08.00. Our tour will start by visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum. The mausoleum is the last resting place of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam’s great revolutionist. It is a symbol of gratitude and respect of Vietnamese people for president Ho Chi Minh. The Ho Chi Minh Museum is the preserver of everything memorable related to Ho Chi Minh. Close by, the famous One Pillar Pagoda is worth a passing look. Built by King Ly Thai To in 1049, the structure has become an important symbol for the Hanoian. After that, we will continue to visit the Literature Temple and Quoc Tu Giam – Vietnam’s first University, constructed in 1070. Its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past.

When you finish your lunch at a local restaurant, we will proceed to Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. This is the most recent yet probable the largest and undoubtedly the most interesting museums in Hanoi and Vietnam. This is worth a thorough visit, for those who are keen to learn about the multi culturally of Vietnam and for those who would appreciate some green space. Then a late afternoon electric car tour of Hanoi’s fascinating Old Quarter is followed by free time for shopping. We finish our relaxing but informative day by attending a Water Puppet Show, a favorite experience for all visitors to Vietnam. Our trip will end right after.

Day 3: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay (B/L/D)

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel then check out. You can leave the heavy luggage stored at the hotel and only bring some necessary items along.

08.00 – 08.30: Halong Cruise’s bus and guide will pick you up at your hotel. On the way to Halong city, enjoy the journey through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the scenery of rice fields, water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life.

12.15: Embark on Halong Cruise. Welcome drinks would be served before receiving cabin and cruising route briefing. Enjoy a delicious seafood lunch while our boat slowly cruise through amazing limestone seascape.

15.15: Visiting Sung Sot cave, one of the most amazing caves in Halong Bay. The two chambers that form this amazing grotto are decorated with thousands of spectacular stalactite and stalagmite forms.

16.25 Enjoy easy kayaking around the fishing village, then return to the vessel for your own leisure. Fresh fruit platter will be served on the sundeck.

17.45: Keep cruising to the overnight anchorage area.

19.00: Seafood set-dinner on board.

21.00: Enjoy evening activities – Movies (Night), Board Games, Fishing or karaoke.

Overnight on Halong Cruise.

Day 4: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B/L)

A new day has come with beautiful sunrise view from your cabin

05.30: Optional to wake up for sunrise or swimming.

07.30: Breakfast with complimentary tea & coffee.

08.00: Be transferred to nearby Ti Top Island for swimming or climb up to the top to see the outstanding scenery of the bay.

09.00: Return to Cruise. Check out and settle the bill

09.30: Discover the mystic recipes of the Vietnamese cuisine by joining cooking class on the sundeck. The vessel cruises leisurely back to harbor.

11.00: Set menu lunch is served on board.

12.00: Disembark and back to Hanoi.

16.00: Arrive in Hanoi and transfer back to your hotel

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi – Mai Chau (homestay) (B/L/D)

Departing Hanoi, you will embark on a scenic 3.5 hour journey to Mai Chau, travelling over the Cun Pass with its glorious panorama of lush valleys and mountains.  The region is home to White Thai, H’mong, Zao, Muong, Tay and Hoa ethnic minorities who live in charming stilt homes.  On arrival at the village, you will be free to explore Mai Chau and its surrounds. In the evening you can enjoy the warm hospitality of the locals with an extensive home cooked meal preceded by the traditional welcome tasting of a local rice wine.

Day 6: Mai Chau – Hanoi – Hue (B/L)

After breakfast at our homestay, we take an easy trek for 3 hrs around the beautiful Mai Chau valley to visit more Muong and Thai minority villages. After a relaxing picnic lunch and an opportunity to shop for local ethnic handicrafts then back to your hotel in Hanoi. Collect your luggage and transfer directly to the airport for your flight to Hue.

Overnight in Hue.

Day 7: Hue City Tour (B/L)

08.00: Today we start the tour to Hue Monument Complex, which is recognized as UNESCO World Heritage. Our driver will pick you up at your hotel and transfer to the boat station in Hue. We board a boat for a trip on the Perfume River to visit the towering Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the most famous Vietnamese landmarks. Differing legends explain how the pagoda came to be – one tells of an old woman who instructed Lord Hoang Nguyen in 1601 to walk contemplatively along the river with a lit incense stick and to build a city at the spot where the incense stopped burning.

From Thien Mu Pagoda, we then take a short drive into a lush valley of the river where seven tombs were built for seven Nguyen emperors. Each is an expression of the unique personality of the man whose remains it holds and each is comprised of three elements: a temple dedicated to the worship of the deceased emperor and his queen, a stone stele that records the biographical and historical high points of his life, and the royal tomb itself.  We will visit two most famous tombs: Minh Mang and Khai Dinh Tomb. Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we return to the center of Hué city. The massive Hue Royal Citadel is the most well known and iconic site in Hué. Begun in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long, it is actually a sprawling complex comprised of the Imperial City, several museums, lakes, and lovely gardens, all laid out in a series of concentric circles. We also visit the Forbidden Purple City, originally built in the early 1800s for the personal use of the emperor and staffed by eunuchs who posed no threat to the royal concubines. Nearly destroyed in the Tet Offensive, the ruins today house the Royal Library and the grounds flourish with mimosa plants and vegetable gardens.

After that our car will take you to Dong Ba Market: Dong Ba market is the biggest and most significant central market of Thua Thien – Hue province and the adjacent regions. In Dong Ba market, you can go shopping and see the daily life of local people.

The tour finishes at about 16.30 and our car will drive you back to your hotel in Hue.

Day 8: Hue – Hoi An (B/L)

08.30: After breakfast this morning, your private car and guide will pick you up for a 160km journey from Hue over scenic mountainous roads with spectacular views over the coastline. Halfway between Danang and Hue lays the dramatic Hai Van Pass, the high dividing line between the climate zones of north and South Vietnam. Continue southwards passing Lang Co.

After arriving in Danang, tour the Cham Museum, an elegant colonial building which now houses the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world and briefly pass My Khe Beach, a famous spot for American soldiers during the Vietnam-American War.

Continue south to Hoi An, stopping enroute to visit the Marble Moutains, five stone hillocks, once islands, that now rise sharply from the surrounding ricefields. Riddled with caves and shrines, they are said to each represent one of the five elements of the universe.

Arrival Hoi An, check in your hotel and enjoy your relaxing time in this ancient town.

Day 9: Hoi An Biking to Tra Que Village (B/L)

08.00: Local guide will see you at your hotel with your bicycle. You will cycle to a local farm in Tra Que village.

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 Hoi An, on the way back we will stop at Japanese tomb.

Day 10: Red Bridge cooking class (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 cooking class, you will participate in a walking tour around Hoi An.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 11: Eco Tour – Farming & Fishing (B/L)

Our Vietnam Travel and Cruise provides you with a close-up and intimate exposure to both the local farming and fishing communities. Accompanied by your tour guide, you commence the day leisurely cycling along country roads witnessing local Vietnamese rural life first hand, discovering all manner of photo opportunities – coming and visiting a beautiful organic vegetable village, watering and planting vegetable, hoeing a soil with local farmer, riding a water buffalo in a rice paddy field; seeing ducks swimming along the rice farm or farmers tending their crops. The photo opportunities are endless. As well you will experience the friendliness of the local people greeting you along the way. Later you will board our Vietnam Travel and Cruise’s boat for a river cruise to meet and engage with local fishermen and enjoy a hands-on experience of traditional net fishing. You will also experience paddling the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boat while the waterways of coconut palm paradise. This tour provides you with a cultural window into the ways of life of both our farming and fishing communities.

Tour program includes :

• Tour guide meets you at your hotel
• Cycle to a local farming village traveling along picturesque country roads ( Bus or bike are option to choose to go )
• Share in the daily work life of local farmers – hoeing and a soil, watering veggie at an organic herb garden, riding water buffalo in the field and enjoy the freshest air of the countryside beauty.
• Board Vietnam Travel and Cruise’s boat and cruise to the mouth of the river where it meets the Cua Dai Sea
• Learn and try your hand at local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets
• Learn to paddle the strange and unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boats
• Enjoy basket boat dancing of Gangnam Style on the round boat (Thung Chai) shown by Vietnam Travel and Cruise’s crews
• Explore the now tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of a past war and hear of the extreme conditions endured by soldiers on both sides.
• Have a relaxed fun with catching beautiful purple crabs on bamboo basket boat.
• Learn how to make an origami creations from reeds of palm leaves such as grasshopper , birds, ring, sunglass ,bracelets….etc
• Visit a local water coconut palm village, take a walk around the village and have some tea and snack with local talks……………
• Back on-board our Vietnam Travel and Cruise’s boat, enjoy lunch and cold beer or soft drink.

Return to hotel by coach.

Day 12: Hoi An – Nha Trang (B)

After having breakfast, transfer to the train station and catch the day train to Nha Trang. Pickup upon arrival and then transfer to your hotel for checking in. Enjoy this beautiful seaside city as at your will.

Day 13:  “Cai” River Trip in the Countryside (B/L)

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel before being met up by our guide and car for a cruising trip in Cai River. Apart from the beautiful beach and ocean, there is a River name “Cai” that is endowed to Nha Trang. Come aboard the scenic river tour. Before boarding the boat, you will be taken to Cham Po Nagar Towers which is one of the best architectures of Cham People. After viewing the Cham Po Nagar Towers, start the boat trip up to the river. Enjoy the beautiful scenery that unfolds along the banks.

See the very old and ancient house with more than 200 years old & try different fruits in seasons, the handicraft workshops, village markets, the Vietnamese people in their natural scenery & daily life. Lunch time & relaxing are on the Riverside Restaurant. How is different between swimming in the river and in the sea, why not try? Customary Vietnamese lunch provided in a local restaurant. Relax whilst cruising around Nha Trang Bay, swim in the Eastern Sea and enjoy a seafood lunch.

Day 14: Nha Trang Free day (B)

Indulge in the sun-sea-sand Nha Trang at your own terms.

Day 15: Nha Trang – Dalat (B)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel in Nha Trang and our car will pick you up to the romantic city of Da Lat. Check in your hotel and spend your time here as your leisure.

Day 16: Dalat City Tour (B/L)

Be picked up by our car and guide for the city tour around Dalat today.

In the morning, You can enjoy airy space at RoBin Hill, Dalat Cable Car Station to get the panorama view of the Dalat City and enjoy the marvelous sight of the pine forested valley stretched down to the South. After taking some photos of this, an option to take the cable car descending down 300 meters with the nice view of flower, vegetable fields dotted in the pine forested valley below to visit to Tuyen Lam Lake. Surrounding by pine forest, Tuyen Lam Lake looks like a paradise with the Truc Lam Zen Monastery, at present is the biggest Zen University in Viet Nam. Please dress decently, a very quiet scenery beside it’s beautiful flower garden, which is built on the top of Phoenix Hill. Keep driving southward, you can choose to visit Prenn waterfall where to try elephant riding or Datanla waterfall with magnificent view and can be approached by the roller coaster. On the way back to Dalat City center, we visit the Bao Dai King’s Summer Palace, the last Emperor and unique cultural lifestyle of Vietnamese through Royal decoration, the meaningful place of your Dalat trip.

 Have your lunch at local restaurant on the way (tour guide will recommend the prestigious restaurant if require)

In the afternoon, we continue our trip to Valley of Love is the most romantic place for lovers with many beautiful love-signs, flowers, and pine hills scenery beside the Da Thien lake, well known for its Cowboys, a good place for horse riding. If you love art work, XQ Embroidery village (XQ Historical Village) is a worthy place to see many miraculous hand made embroidery works and find out how they make those fantastic artwork, this is the head and original hand embroidered works of XQ in Vietnam, you will be surprised and admired the charming ladies working here. Keeping on visiting a giant golden statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. Continuously, The Cock Church (The Cathedral of Dalat city), known with a bronze rooster was placed on the top of the tower and the European Gothic architectural style since 1931 and it is the biggest church in Dalat city which was designed and built by Frenchman. Free to enjoy the artichoke tea, jams at Dalat’s Specialities Showroom.

Day 17: Dalat – Sai Gon (B)

Take the morning flight to Sai Gon. Pickup upon arrival and transfer to your hotel for checking in. Enjoy your time in this mobile city as your leisure.

Day 18: Sai Gon City tour – Cu Chi Tunnel (B/L)

You will be met at your hotel at 8.00am 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 6.00pm.

Day 19: Saigon – Mekong – Cai Be homestay (B/L/D)

The program will start with a visit of Cai Be colourful floating market cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables by the luxury boat of Mekong Travel. Then, an optional stop can be made at local workshops where you can see how rice paste, coconut candy and pop-rice, pop-corn are made.

It is so interesting to visit the handicraft village where you can see how they make some special products: making rice-net for spring-rolls, fish sauce & soya sauce, cooking salt, sewing coconut-leaves for cottage proof…

The best lunch will be served at local house (ancient house, orchard or bonsai garden…)

The rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals and to enjoy the peaceful time. It is so interesting to see traditional houses made of wood and palm tree leaves and see some activities of the local farmers with an apportunity to make contacts with them and see how they catch fish or pick up fruits by ancestral ways in Mekong Delta.

One more thing to do in this trip is biking! It will be so amazing to bike on village paths to see the local farms, houses, « monkey » bridge, real life…

Day 20: Cai Be – Vinh Long – Saigon (B/L)

Have a breakfast and walk along the village to enjoy the fresh air in the morning

Boat trip to visit the brick kilns where you can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay. We can visit Vinh Long market in the town. This is the best choice for you to take pictures of fish, shrimps, prawns, crabs, snakes, rice-field rats, tropical fruits, vegetable…

The cruise will end at around 10:30 in Vinh Long town. Transfer to your hotel in Saigon.

Day 21: Departure (B)

Enjoy your last moments in Sai Gon before heading to the airport to catch the flight back home. End of your Vietnam in Deep tour with us!