Full Exploration of Vietnam

Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will meet your professional tour guide and driver at the exit of the airport and then be transferred to the well selected downtown hotel. After a short rest, your guide will take you to visit the castle-like Opera House, which was modeled after the Paris Opera House in the neo-Baroque style, the peaceful Ngoc Son Temple, which is situated on a little island in the middle of the Hoan Kiem Lake, as well as the busy Old Quarter, which is the soul of Hanoi's history and culture.

Meals: Dinner

After breakfast, you will be taken to the extensive Ba Dinh Square and visit the nearby Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House, and the Presidential Palace, after which you will know more about Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's founding father. Then we will visit the One Pillar Pagoda, which is unique for standing on a pillar in the center of the lotus pond.

In the afternoon, we will go northwards to the West Lake area, which is full of enchanting natural sights with many ancient buildings, such as the Quan Thanh Temple and the Tran Quoc Pagoda. After that, we will continue our journey to the Temple of Literature, a typical Chinese style architecture which enshrines Confucius and many Confucian sages. Here you can feel the influence of Confucian culture on the land and its people. Then visit the Ethnology Museum, where you can see clothes, musical instruments, and daily supplies of different nationalities in Vietnam. At last, we will enjoy a traditional Vietnamese folk performance - the Water Puppet Show. After today's trip, your guide will take you to board an overnight train to Laocai.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Overnight soft sleeper train

Your guide and driver will pick you up at Laocai Railway Station and take you to the hotel in Sapa, a city in Laocai. After settled in, you will be escorted to hike to Cat Cat cultural village, which is a wonderful scenic area suitable for hiking. En route, you will be amazed by the rural landscape with incessant terraced fields, green hills and blue waters. Then, we will continue our trek to a minority locality, Sin Chai Village, to experience their ethnic customs. Here, you will pay a visit to a local villager's home to watch the locals printing and dyeing by the ancient way and weaving cloth on an original handloom. They will use the woven cloth to make scarves, handkerchiefs, little bags and etc. They are good and cheap and you can buy some as souvenirs if you like. Afterwards, we will return to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your guide will accompany you on a private Sapa hiking tour to the hill tribe villages where you can see distinctive dwellings and experience the local minority people's lifestyle. Later, you will be transferred to the railway station for an overnight train back to Hanoi.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Overnight soft sleeper train

In the morning, your Hanoi local guide will pick you up at the railway station and take a scenic drive to Halong Bay. Cruising on the Halong Bay is one of the highlights of your Vietnam holiday package. Along the way, the steep rock mountains, the lucid water as well as the towering trees will provide a visual feast. Besides, you will also get off the cruise to appreciate the heavenly caves closely. For the rest time, you may participate in some entertainment activities onboard, such as kayaking, diving and swimming. Tonight, you will stay on the cruise.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, you will attend the Tai Chi class, enjoy morning tea or coffee, view the charming scenery of the glistening sea and explore the nearby isolated villages by rowboat. Then after a hearty brunch, we will disembark and return to Hanoi by car. The rest of the day is free for you to stroll around the city.

Meals: Brunch

This morning, you can explore Hanoi city at your own pace. Walking or riding are both good ways to get a nice glimpse of the old French-style buildings alongside the neat streets. 

In the afternoon, you will be taken to the airport to catch a flight to Dong Hoi. After landing, you will be picked up by your Dong Hoi local guide and then be escorted to the downtown hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, we will drive to the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which is a scenic region featuring complicated and diverse karst landforms as well as deep and miraculous limestone caves. While there, you will take a boat to explore the mysterious Phong Nha Caves. After that, visit the long and large Paradise Cave. After finishing the visit, we will drive back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, follow your guide to the Vinh Moc Tunnels to see this underground shelter from war. Then, visit the graceful Hien Luong Bridge, which stretches over the Ben Hai River, where you can take beautiful photos. After that, head to visit the Quang Tri Citadel, a historical city with over 200 years, and last the La Vang, a famous pilgrimage site. 

In the afternoon, we will drive for around 3 hours to Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam. After arrival, your guide will help you check in at the hotel and you can have a good rest.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today you will have a full day sightseeing in Hue city. After breakfast, we will head to visit the grandiose and well-preserved Royal Tomb of King Minh Mang. Afterwards, take a short boat trip to the riverside Thien Mu Pagoda, which has a history of over 400 years. Then visit the Imperial Citadel, which is one of the most famous historical landmarks and the largest and most complete group of ancient buildings in Vietnam. It is very spectacular and has been included in the World Cultural Heritage list. Then the next stop will be the Forbidden Purple City in central Hue and finally we will go to the bustling Dong Ba Market, where you may find many different kinds of local specialties.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast today, we will drive for around 3 hours to Hoi An. En route, we will stop to have a panoramic view of the sea and appreciate the surrounding rolling mountains at the Hai Van Pass and then enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery at the Non Nuoc Beach. Later, we will have a stop at the Museum of Cham Sculpture as well to admire the stone and earthen carvings. The last stop today will be the Marble Mountains, where you could enjoy brilliant views and visit some naturally formed caves, which is the sacred sites for Hindus and Buddhists. Upon arrival in Hoi An, check in at the local hotel and the rest day will be free for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

As Hoi An was once the seaport for foreign trade, many foreigners, especially Chinese and Japanese, settled here as early as the 17th century. As a result, the buildings here reflect an combination of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architectural styles. Today, we will tour the Hoi An Old City on foot and you will visit the Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the Tan Ky Old House, as well as the Japanese Bridge one by one under the company of your guide. 

After visiting Hoi An, we will take a short boat trip to explore an island village nearby to enjoy the island landscape and experience the local unique lifestyle.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your guide will take you to attend a join-in cooking class and you can learn about Vietnamese food culture in a hands-on way. After that, we will go to My Son Sanctuary, which is the largest Champa religious site in Vietnam, known as "Vietnam's Angkor Wat". It was once very magnificent, but with the decline and collapse of the Champa Kingdom (137 – 1697), this place was gradually abandoned and now is hidden in the tropical rainforests. Your guide will show you around and tell you about its history and culture. After the visit, you will be taken back to the hotel.

Recommended Vietnamese dishes in Hoi An:
Hoi An is a gourmet paradise and you can enjoy authentic Vietnam cuisine here. The must-try dishes include the Hoi An Rice Noodle (Cao Lầu), the Cantonese Rice Noodles (Mì Quảng), the Fried Wonton (Hoành thánh chiên), the Fish Cake noodles (Bún Chả Cá), and the Chicken Rice (Cơm Gà).

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, your guide will see you off at Da Nang Airport and you will take a flight to Nha Trang. Upon arrival, you will be warmly welcomed by your Nha Trang local guide and then be escorted to check into the hotel. After a short rest, you will be guided to visit two Hindu architectures - the Po Nagar Cham Towers, which is dedicated to Po Nagar who protects the fisherman, and the Long Son Pagoda, guarded by a large white Buddha which can be seen anywhere in downtown Nha Trang. Then we will head to the Dam Market, a good place to feel the local flavor. Afterwards, the rest of the day will be free for you to enjoy yourself on the beach.

Meals: Breakfast

Today you will have a full day to enjoy the 6-kilometer (4-mile) long golden beach freely. You can take sunbath, swim, dive, play beach volleyball and do many other entertainment activities here.

Meals: Breakfast

Today is still free for you. After breakfast, you can wander around the city, enjoy the beautiful environment and soothing music in a café, or cycle along the beautiful coastline. 

In the evening, you're recommended to have a hearty seafood dinner.

Meals: Breakfast

In the morning, you will be transferred to Da Lat, a summer resort. En route, we will stop in the idyllic countryside of Nha Trang to experience the local farmers' life. Upon arrival, check into the hotel and then your guide will take you to the refined Bao Dai Summer Palace, the summer residence of the last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, and the retro Old Da Lat Railway Station, which is known as the most beautiful railway station in Vietnam. Then after a relaxing stroll around the Xuan Huong Lake, we will head to visit the Central Market, where you could taste many delicious snacks, among which roast pork is a favorite of many tourists. Not far from the Central Market, we will come to the Lam Ty Ni Pagoda, where you could see many work of art created by the monks.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we will head to visit the Tanung Village. En route, you may admire the rural landscape of colorful flowers, lush pine trees and terraced vegetable plantations. Besides, we will make short stops at a coffee plantation and a rice wine factory. If in the right season, we will have a stop at a cricket farm and a silk processing factory as well. Upon arrival in the village, we will go to visit the Elephant Falls and watch the big white statue of the smiling Buddha at the Linh An Pagoda.

After finishing the visit in Tanung, you will be driven to the airport to catch the flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your guide will take you to the Cu Chi Tunnels - a large underground barrack in war times. After entering through a cleverly designed entrance, you will see a new world with bedroom, kitchen, meeting room, hospital, granary, military trap and etc. 

In the afternoon, we will tour the city and visit the War Remnants Museum, which mainly introduces and displays exhibits, including lots of photos and various armaments, during the Vietnam War. Then we will head to visit the symmetrical Reunification Palace, the French-style City Center Post Office and the bustling Dong Khoi Street.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we will drive for around 2 hours to My Tho, where you will board a cruise ship sailing down the Mekong River Delta. In addition to enjoying the breathtaking scenery, we will also go ashore halfway to visit a coconut candy factory and a rice paper factory.  Lunch will be specially arranged on an island. Afterwards, we will disembark and then continue to drive to Can Tho city and check in at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, you will take a boat to the famous Cai Rang Floating Market to watch how local people make deals on boats. The hard-working people, thriving trade, as well as coming and going ships will give you a real sense of the local life. Then we will visit a tropical fruit orchards, where you could taste the freshest fruit. After finishing the visit, we will drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Your 22 days private Vietnam tour package will end today. After checking out of the hotel, you will be escorted to the airport to take your flight home. Wish you a pleasant journey.

Meals: Breakfast