BEST OF VIETNAM FROM NORTH TO SOUTH 14 DAYS

Welcome to Hanoi, our driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel for check-in if time permits. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure time to explore Hanoi – The thousand year capital city.

Overnight at your hotel.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, hotel

We pick you up at 8:30 AM for a short transfer outside of Hanoi; we have this morning to learn about Hanoi villages’ life, its traditions, and customs.

We walk and cycle along the villages, visit local markets, some old houses, their worshipping temples and communal houses. Then, we have a small food demonstration before our lunch at one of the local family’s houses here.

In the afternoon, we catch your van for a short drive to Lien Mac, a beautiful area of immaculately tended vegetables and flowers. Here you hop on the bike again and get a close-up look at the colourful fields and have the chance to chat with some of the local people out caring for their crops.  Stop by a “tofu family” to explore how they make tofu and you can try their fresh products. Bid your farewells, and catch the van back to your hotel in Hanoi at around 4:30 PM.

Free to have dinner until 8:30 PM, our guide picks you up for night train to Lao Cai. Boarding is at around 9:40 PM.  You are in a shared AC soft sleeper cabin.

(Our tour guide shows you prearranged hotel near the train station which you have a shower and breakfast before going on Halong trip).

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, local bike, community development fund, train ticket.

The train arrives at about 6:30 AM. Look for the “Footprint Travel” sign when you exit the train station, as our guide is there to pick you up (about 1.5 hour drive to Sapa).

When you arrive in Sapa we make sure that you have a time for a short rest, hot shower and some breakfast before your inspiring trek. A short transfer and we’re off.

Chances to meet and talk with locals working in the fields are plentiful. Picnic lunch en route then continue trekking to Ta Phin village – home of the Red Dao people. Your Dao host family warmly welcomes you to their traditional home where we share in an ethnic style dinner and stay the night.

Trekking Distance: 14 km

Inclusion: Transfers, guide, train ticket, morning shower, entrance fee, all meals, permit, homestay.

At the first gleam of daylight, you see and hear the sounds of morning village life. You can join your host family in some of their morning activities like feeding the animals, cleaning the houses, gardening or preparing breakfast. After breakfast, we take a short wander around the village or spend more time enjoying the view and company at the homestay. Then, you are supported by our car / van back to Sapa (30 minutes).

Back in Sapa, check in to your hotel, shower, rest and lunch on your own. At 2:30 PM, we take an easy walk to Cat Cat village, home of Black H’mong. Take part in a traditional musical performance. Back in Sapa for dinner and the evening on your own. Overnight here.

Trekking Distance: about 5 km

Trail Difficulty: 2/5

Note: The music show in Cat Cat village is closed on Tuesday afternoon, an alternative is arranged.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, music show ticket, hotel.

[caption id="attachment_6216" align="alignleft" width="300"] ham rong mountain[/caption]

Wake up in Sapa town, breakfast at the hotel then enjoy the morning activities in the town markets. Today your guide is available to you for the whole day, although you do have the option to enjoy the day on your own. Suggestions for today: visit the orchid gardens at Dragon Mountain or complete another day trek to a hill tribe village.

At 5:30 PM, transfer to the Lao Cai train station. Departure is at 8:15 PM on an AC soft sleeper class cabin to Hanoi.

Trekking Distance: around 6 km (optional trek)

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, train ticket, breakfast, entrance fee.

Safely back in Hanoi at 5:00 AM please find your way on foot back to a prearranged hotel near the train station. Shower, short rest and basic breakfast.

Leave Hanoi after breakfast for a 2.5-hour transfer to Halong City with a 15-minutes stop on the way. Arrive at Tuan Chau towards noon then proceed with check-in formalities. Welcome aboard, followed by lunch while cruising towards the bay. Spend the afternoon enjoying some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or relaxing onboard with panoramic views of the karst limestone formation. Complete the evening with dinner served onboard.

Overnight on Lan Ha Bay.

*Notes: The itinerary may be different between the cruises.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide on boat, morning shower, entrance fee, kayak, boat / junk, all meals, permits.

Wake up to the fresh morning amidst the bay and have breakfast (brunch on some boats) while leisurely immersing in the serene setting of the spectacular rock formations. Proceed to checkout as the cruise arrives towards port.  Disembark and transfer back to Hanoi. Arrive at your hotel around 15:30 PM.

Hotel then pick up around 6:30 PM for the night train to Hue. Boarding is at 7:30 PM. You are in a shared AC soft sleeper cabin.

Please note: This tour may be subject to change depending on weather conditions.

Inclusion: Transfers, guide on boat, entrance fee, boat/junk, breakfast, lunch, train ticket.

Arrival in Hue at around 09:00 AM. Station pick up then transfer to a prearranged hotel. Shower, short rest and breakfast.

Departure from your hotel for our morning explorations to visit the Imperial city to learn all about the royal kingdom here in the past. We then visit Thien Mu pagoda.

Our afternoon start with biking to visit the flower village of Tien Non, it’s just lovely to be among different types of flowers, then cycle a bit more to visit Thanh Tien paper flower making village, you can try to make one by yourself. After that, we will visit village where they make traditional folk painting, more ride through the beautiful and peaceful countryside of Hue before hitting the road back to your hotel for about 5:00 PM.

Cycling Distance: 14 km

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, morning shower, breakfast, lunch, bike & helmet, hotel.

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Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, Vietnam cyclo, hotel.

At 8.00 AM, we meet at your hotel for a very short transfer to the boat docks, we boat to a fishing village where you see & experience the life of a fisherman here, activities from preparing the fishing tools to go fishing. Followed by a short basket boat row along the village of water coconut before our lunch.

We then cycle along the country road through the paddy fields of rice, coconut or corn heading to the main town of Hoian.

Our afternoon is continued with sightseeing to the famous cultural sites around Hoian, we end our trip at around 5:00 PM at your hotel.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, local bike, local boat & basket, breakfast, lunch, water & snack, hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel then transfer to the airport in Da Nang for an early morning flight to HCM City. Touchdown then transfer and check-in to your hotel before our city tour of bustling HCM City. Visit the Binh Tay Market in Cho Lon; stopover at Thien Hau, a 150-year-old Chinese Temple; then visit a Lacquer-wares workshop as well as the Jade Emperor Pagoda. In the afternoon visit the War Remnants Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the historic Central Post Office. We drop you off at your hotel around 5:30 PM.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, domestic flight ticket, hotel.

Depart Ho Chi Minh City at 08:00 in the morning for the drive to Tay Ninh. Observe the scenery as it changes from a city view to rice paddies, villagers drying noodles by the side of the road and other scenes typical of southern Vietnam. Visit the Cao Dai great temple at Tay Ninh, with its flamboyant architecture, where all the major faiths of the world blend together in a unique religious mosaic.

After lunch in a local restaurant visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels which consist of an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters (Viet Cong) during both the French and American wars. Start the visit with the Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc sections of the tunnel.

Here, imagine what it was like to be a guerrilla complete with Russian Carbine rifles and AK 47’s on display. In the late afternoon journey back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Driving distance: 100km ~ 2hrs

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fees, breakfast, hotel.

Getting started at 8:00 AM from your hotel, then a drive about 70 km out of HCM City to see Mekong Delta life around My Tho. Upon arrival Ben Tre, drift down the busy branches of the Mekong and into its peaceful canals. We visit a brick kiln and a coconut shell husking workshop. See the daily life of farmers and try the hard work taking shell of the coconut that is unique to the region.

More boat cruise inner the natural waterways, we visit a coconut-candy workshop, a main product that made Ben Tre famous then visit a local market and farmer workshop making sleeping mats, an old tradition hand weaving sedge mat or rush mat.

And now, the Mekong adventure is on, see what life is really like for locals by explore this quiet island by bicycle or more relaxing way by hop on a Lambretta triporteur an old 1960 traditional tricycle in south Vietnam which is winding around the coconut palms, bitter melon or cucumber farms to a farmer house that we break for lunch and relax.

In the afternoon, we walk a bit more of coconut farms and fruit orchards of this village then enjoy the local hand – rowing sampan slowly cruise under the canopy of water coconut palms along the canals. Our boat picks us again and cruises back to the boat landing in Ben Tre town. Head back to HCM City. Tour ends around 5:00 PM.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, local boat trip, breakfast, lunch, hotel.

Breakfast is at your hotel then depending on your flight you may have some more time for shopping. Then our driver will transfer you to the airport for your flight home. Goodbye, and hope to see you again soon!

Inclusion: Airport drop off and breakfast