Best of Vietnam Hanoi Ho Chi Minh Traveling to Asia

Meal provided: No

Welcome to Vietnam.

Upon arrival at Hanoi Airport, obtain your visa and clear Immigration and Customs.

After collecting your baggage, exit the airport to meet outside a local tour guide and driver.

Transfer to the centre. Take a cyclo in Hanoi Old Quarter – 36 streets and guilds to discover the ancient feature of Hanoi and daily life. Drop you off at the Water Puppet Theatre for the show.

Later walk back to your hotel (located in walking distance).

Settle in and enjoy the rest of day at leisure. Stay overnight in Hanoi

Meal provided: Breakfast

Start a new day by visiting Ho Chi Minh Complex, an important place of pilgrimage. A traffic-free area of botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas, it’s usually crowded with groups of all ages, from all over the nation, who has come to pay their respects. Within the complex you can visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum (Monday & Friday: Outside visiting as it’s closed for annual maintenance), Ba Dinh Square, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, Ho Chi Minh Museum

Closed by, the famous One Pillar Pagoda which is built of wood on a single stone pillar 1.25 m in diameter. It is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, which is a Buddhist symbol of purity, since a lotus blossoms in a muddy pond.

After that, continue to visit the Temple of Literature (Vietnamese name is Quoc Tu Giam) – The Vietnam’s first University, which was built in 1070 in honor of Confucius, his followers and Chu Van An, a moral figure in Vietnamese education.

In the afternoon, visit Museum of Ethnology, a valuable center for the exhibition and the preservation of cultural heritages of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam.

Continue to visit the Hilton Jail or Hoa Lo prison, a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War when it was sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton".

Stop to visit Ngoc Son Temple which is located at the northern end of Sword Lake (aka Hoan Kiem Lake). From the shore, walking on the Welcoming Morning Sunlight Bridge leads to the island. Stay overnight in Hanoi

Meal provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

08.00 – 8:30: Our guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby in Ha Noi, being on a modern shuttle bus heading to Bai Tu Long bay, Ha Long city (without guide on the bus)

12.00: Arrive at Swan office, you have a short time to relax in the office before embark Swan cruise

12.45: Warmest welcome drinks from our staffs. Listen to a brief of safety on board then check in your cabin

13.30: Enjoying delicious Vietnamese for lunch while leisurely cruising to the core of Bai Tu Long Bay.

15.00: Leave the cruise to discover Cap La Island- the beautiful area in Bai Tu Long bay. Enjoy kayaking through the karst and breathtaking nature, swimming and relaxing

17.30: Get back to the boat and enjoy Sunset Time (enjoy tea and fresh fruits). This time is regarded as “Happy Hour” – “buy two get one free” while our cruise is sailing to the overnight anchorage.

19.00: Sumptuous set-dinner on board.

20.30: Free time for relaxing on the sundeck, listening to music, you may also try your luck with squid fishing.

If you want to join in karaoke activity, please our tour guide to be supported

Stay overnight on board on Bai Tu Long bay

Attention: The cruising itinerary might be different depends on the chosen cruise option & subject to change due to the weather, tide level and operating conditions without prior notice.

Meal provided: Breakfast, brunch

06.30: Freshen up your new day with doing Tai Chi

07.00: Breakfast will be served in Western style and furthermore with Vietnamese traditional food. Tea and coffee is available

08.00: Explore Thien Canh Son cave. Your guide will explain the history of Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and this Cave, made by Mother Nature

09.30: Back to your boat by tender then finish packing.

Please remove all of your belongings from your cabin, you may leave heavy luggage outside of the cabin (staff will transfer directly to the pier).

10.30: Cooking demonstration is organized by our guide at this time. You have a chance to make Vietnamese cuisine- "Banh Cuon"  by yourself.

11.00: Enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch.

12.00: Disembark in Hon Gai pier

12.30: Say goodbye Halong Bay then returns to Hanoi (without guide on the bus)

Continue picked up by our private car and transfer to Hanoi airport for your flight to Hue  (without guide)

On arrival in Hue, welcome by our local driver (without guide). Transfer to your hotel. Check in and stay overnight in Hue.

Attention: The cruising itinerary might be different depends on the chosen cruise option & subject to change due to the weather, tide level and operating conditions without prior notice.

Meal provided: Breakfast

Start the city tour by a visit to the Royal Palace which has three perimeters of rampart, namely from outside to inside: Kinh Thanh (Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel)

Capital Citadel: This construction started in 1805 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long and completed in 1832 under the reign of Emperor Ming Mang

Royal Citadel: The Imperial City is located in the centre of the Citadel where established highest offices of Viet Nam's feudalism and sanctums honoring the cult of decreased Emperors.

Forbidden Citadel: Located inside the Imperial City, behind the Throne Palace, the Forbidden Purple City is reserved for Emperor and his family.

Then continue to The tomb of King Khai Dinh is located in Chau Chu mountain near Hue in Vietnam. It was built from 1920 to 1931 taking 11 years to complete. In comparison with those of the preceding emperors, Khai Dinh’s tomb is much smaller in surface but it is very elaborate. It is the result of the interminglement of many architectural trends: European and Asian, as well as ancient and modern.

Later enjoy a private boat trip along Hue city in Perfume River, you'll deeply immerse in Hue's pure nature & famous cultural places. The boat will take you to Thien Mu pagoda, an ancient pagoda in Hue city, can’t be missed while being in Hue. Its pagoda has seven storeys and is the tallest one in Vietnam. The temple is often the subject of folk rhymes about Hue, such is its iconic status and association with the city.

Dropped off at your hotel. Stay overnight in Hue.

Meal provided: Breakfast

Transfered to Ba Na Hills, a hill station and resort located in the Truong Son Mountain west of the city of Danang. The station, advertised as "the Dalat of Danang province" by local tourism authorities, was founded in 1919 by French colonists. A trip on cable car will offer you a chance to admire the panorama of Ba Na Hills, spring stream, Danang city and Danang coast from your cabin at the height of 1,487 meters above sea level.

During your time on the mountain, enjoy a visit to:

+ The Le Jardin with the relics of the French, such as the force of the French horse, nearly 100-year-old grapefruit trees and traces of ancient villas. Especially Debay cellar, wine cellar was built by the French in 1923, spent nearly a century, they still retain cellar wild, mysterious, is the work of the French single remaining fairly intact Ba Na.

+ Linh Ung Pagoda, located on the peak of Ba Na Mountain at the height of 1.400 meters, was officially inaugurated on the 5th of March, 2004. You can also feel your interests with a lot of pretty villas, newly built hotels, and bungalows here. Each one has its own flower garden with many types of aristocratic flower that Frenchmen left during the 50 past years.

+ Fantasy Park whichmeet the needs of entertainment of all ages, from the fun game for children to the game, thrilling challenges for youth and adults.

Keep taking nice walk to Golden Bridge. Winding its way around a 150-meter course lined with flowers, a golden bridge shimmers against the Ba Na Hills, supported by a pair of giant hands. The bridge sits 1,400 meters above sea level, an altitude which creates the illusion of a silk strip hiding in the clouds above Da Nang.

Take cable down. Dropped off at your hotel. Stay overnight in Hoi An.

Meal provided: Breakfast, lunch in cooking class 

8:30: You will meet your local guide at the hotel, then drive to Hoi An Market (around half an hour), you can feel the bustle of the morning market, have an opportunity to have a direct contact with sellers. You might also learn some tips of “bargaining” when going shopping

Our guide will introduce to you the necessary ingredients for cooking classes. Then you will have a sightseeing tour along the Thu Bon River and Cua Dai beach by boat. On the river, you have a chance to enjoy the river beauty in the countryside of Vietnam.

Next, you will join a basket boat tour and get some loveable handmade souvenirs made from nipa palm leaves.

We will welcome you in our restaurant, for welcome drink, here you will join and paint on bamboo class by yourself.

At the end, we will start the cooking class with our chefs. Within two hours, the chef will teach you how to cook Vietnamese cultural cuisine. Then you can enjoy Vietnamese food make by yourself. After lunch, back to the hotel by car.

Transfer back to hotel, enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Stay overnight in Hoi An.

Meal provided: Breakfast

2 hours before your flight time, picked up by our driver (without guide) to the airport.

Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh, welcome by our tour guide and driver. Transferred to your hotel for a short rest (check-in time: 14:00).

Visit Reunification Palace formerly known as Independence Palace, built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, a landmark in Hochiminh City. Our next stop is the War Remnants Museum. Operated by the Vietnamese government, an incipient form of museum opened on September 4, 1975, as the "Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes, located in the premises of the former United States Information Agency building. Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Meal provided: Breakfast, Dinner in homestay

7:30AM: Picked up from your hotle lobby by our tour guide and driver. Leave for Cai Be.

On arrival, the program will start with the visit of Cai Be floating market. Then, we’ll come to Tân Phong island for a biking / walking on village paths will be so amazing to see the local farms, houses, real life and have an             nopportunity to see farmers picking up their fruits on the ancestral ways in Mekong Delta..  where we can also see how they make rice-net for spring-rolls,  sew coconut-leaves for cottage roof and specially see how they wave the dried water-hyacynth to make many products: baskets, bags, hats, wallets, shoes...

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 or palm leaves and see some activities of the local farmers with an opportunity to make contacts with them and see how they catch fish or pick up fruits by ancestral ways in Mekong Delta…

Have a cup tea when enjoying the traditional music before check-in Ut Trinh homestay (or other homestays on An Binh Island).

Cooking some dishes with the owners. We enjoy diner & stay overnight at homestay.

Meal provided: Breakfast

Have a breakfast and check-out for a walk along the village to enjoy the fresh air in the morning & make an optional stop at local workshops where you can see how to make rice paper, coconut candy and pop-rice, pop-corn...

Boat trip to visit the brick kilns where you can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay. Our boat will go along the floating village. We will learn how to farm catfish on Mekong river.

Also, we can visit Vinhlong 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, vegetables... The cruise will end at Vinh Long city

Return to Ho Chi Minh. Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Meal provided: Breakfast

This morning head out to visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. The Cu Chi Tunnel system had been created long time back, from 1948 to assist Viet Minh in the combat with French. And it was continuing built over 25 years later. It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers. In places, it was housed up to 10,000 people who virtually lived underground for years.... getting married, giving birth. During the American War the entire area of Cu Chi was designated a free fire zone and was heavily bombarded. From 1988, two sections of tunnels have been open for visitors.

Return to Ho Chi Minh. Free day at your leisure.

Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Meal provided: Breakfast

You are let free to stroll around till being transferred with driver (no guide) to the airport by our private car for flight back to home.

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