VIETNAM NATURE AND CULTURE 15 DAYS

Xin chào! Welcome to Hanoi, we meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel for check-in. Today is free at your leisure to rest or explore, discovering your own first impressions of Vietnam (depending on what time you arrive).

At 06:00 PM, we meet you at your hotel then transfer to a local household to join a home-cook dinner. It is the best way to get first experience about Vietnamese Culture, you also can join the cooking if interested. Farewell the host and return to your hotel around 09:00 PM.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, home-hosted dinner and hotel

Start your day by departing from your hotel in Hanoi at 8:00 AM for an exciting journey to Mai Chau, which will take approximately 4 hours. Once we reach Poom Coom village in Mai Chau, we'll embark on a short walk to visit the ethnic Thai people. After the insightful visit, a delicious lunch will be served.

At 1:00 PM, we'll take a brief one-hour car ride before beginning our exhilarating hike through the breathtaking PuLuong nature reserve. The trek is of intermediate level and involves some uphill walking, but the effort is well rewarded as we encounter stunning views of villages and terraces along the way. In the late afternoon, we'll reach the eco-lodge, where you can enjoy some free time to rest, freshen up with a shower, and later savor a delightful dinner

Driving Distance: about 230 km

Trekking Distance: about 9 km (3 hours)

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, all meals and eco-lodge

Early riser will have a chance to enjoy the fresh-air and witness the village wake-up. People start walking to the field or going to the market.

We have breakfast at our ecolodge then be ready for our interesting trek today. Following the trails trekking from villages to villages, interacting with Thai local people to learn more about their life and culture. Lunch will be served at either local house or restaurant with home-grown foods.

Meet our driver at the point then transfer back to your ecolodge for dinner and overnight.

Trekking Distance: about 12 km (5 – 6 hours)

Inclusion: Guide, transfer, all meals, and eco-lodge

After enjoying your final day in this picturesque nature reserve and the warm hospitality of the villagers, we will embark on a brief transfer to the water wheel for a delightful photo opportunity. Following that, we will proceed with our journey to Ninh Binh. A local restaurant will be the venue for our lunch.

Post lunch, our itinerary takes us to the Primate Rescue Center for a visit. This afternoon, we will have the pleasure of exploring the park through a trek, with opportunities to spot insects and reptiles along the way. As the day draws to a close, we will move to our hotel for rest and overnight.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch and hotel

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel then we have a short transfer to Trang An. As soon as arrival the world heritage site, we take an enjoyable rowboat trip meandering through the towering limestone peaks and right into the limestone caves. Rest and lunch at a local restaurant nearby

In the afternoon, we get on a local boat again with our local expert to relax and watch the thousands of birds in Thung Nham, telescope will be provided. This Birds Garden houses more than 40 species of birds, some of them on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Return to your hotel for rest and overnight in Ninh Binh.

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

Breakfast at your hotel then get pick-up at around 07:45 AM and leave for Halong Bay trip. Upon arrival, you will check-in and get on board the cruise then starts a trip to discover the World Heritage. Along the way, you will have chance to pass through the grandeur of the legendary bay with thousands of limestone islands. Your first excursion is a visit to Luon Cave. This is considered as one of the most ideal places in Halong for kayaking or rowing boat. After that, you can visit Titov Island, where you can go swimming or hike to the top for another stunning, panoramic view of the Bay.

Return to the cruise and enjoy the Bay sunset then special dinner at cruise’s restaurant.

Inclusion: Transfer, breakfast, guide on boat, lunch, cruise, entrance fee, kayaking and dinner

At 6:30AM, you can join in the Tai-Chi Exercise on the sundeck in 30 minutes. Then having breakfast at the restaurant. The you have a chance to visit to the magnificent Sung Sot Cave. After that, you will come back to the cruise, relax and pack the luggage. Leave the luggage outside the door. Cruise team will collect and get them ready on the Pier. You may enjoy a brunch at the restaurant after check-out while cruising toward the port. Your Limousine Van will pick you up and transfer to Hanoi. Enjoy your leisure time for shopping and souvenirs and having dinner.

Then we will transfer you to Hanoi Railway station for an overnight train trip to Da Nang. You will have a shared soft sleeper cabin of 4 people. Taking a private cabin is available.

Inclusion: Transfers, entrance fee, breakfast, brunch and train ticket (4 bed sharing cabin)

Arrive Da Nang station at the noon time, get welcome by our local guide then transfer to Hoi An. Check-in your hotel, be free on the rest of the day.

Overnight in Hoi An

Inclusion: Transfer, guide and hotel

At 08.00AM, our tour guide will warmly welcome you at your hotel to commence the Hoi An Cycling Experience Tour. We will embark on a brief cycling journey, distancing ourselves from the bustling city and main roads, and find solace in the tranquil Tra Que vegetable village. Here, we will have the opportunity to meet the friendly locals who diligently tend to their herb and vegetable gardens.

Continuing with bikes, we will venture through the scenic rice fields, encountering local farmers along the way. As we witness their close bond with water buffaloes, we'll come to appreciate the vital role these gentle creatures play in the lives of our community. Our next stop will be the picturesque Cam Thanh Coconut Village, adorned with magnificent water palm trees. Here, we will have the pleasure of visiting a local fisherman and his family, indulging in delightful snacks, and engaging in insightful conversations about their daily lives. We will partake in a memorable ride aboard traditional bamboo basket boats, cruising through the iconic coconut palm groves that once served as hiding places for the Viet Cong during the war. Take a leisure cycling back to Hoi An center.

After noon is your free time in Hoi An.

Inclusion: Breakfast, bike, helmet, guide, entrance fee, boat trip and hotel

We start the day (8.15am) with a welcome drink at 98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An Ancient – our meeting point. Visit Hoi An’s colourful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of this busy market. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about all the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later.

We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School.  On arrival, we explore the cooking school’s herb garden, before learning about some of Hoi An’s and Vietnam’s well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – the Red Bridge chefs first demonstrate each dish before we prepare the same dish ourselves. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat what we have cooked.

*Notes: Tour is small group tour.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, breakfast, cooking class course, and hotel

Breakfast at your hotel then we say good bye Hoi An, our driver will transfer you to Da Nang airport for a short flight to Can Tho. Upon your arrival time, get welcomed by our local guide then transfer to your hotel for check-in.

In the afternoon, take a boat to visit Son islet where local people do the community-based tourism. You will learn more about culture and life, get immersed with tropical orchard and aquaculture pond.

Return to your hotel in Can Tho for rest and overnight.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, breakfast, lunch, flight ticket, boat trip, entrance fee and hotel

Start your day bright and early at 6:30 AM with a captivating boat trip to the renowned Cai Rang floating market, the largest wholesale market in the Mekong Delta. This bustling market begins at 5:00 AM and continues until midday.

Continue your journey to Chau Doc, with a refreshing lunch break in Long Xuyen. In the late afternoon, embark on a hike up the revered Sam Mountain, offering a panoramic view of the vast plains stretching into Cambodia. Your knowledgeable guide will share the fascinating history of the Vinh Te canal, which connects Ha Tien to Chau Doc. Serving as a vital border canal between Vietnam and Cambodia, it plays a significant role in providing fresh water to the expansive delta region. As you descend Sam Mountain, you will encounter the famous Lady Chua Xu Temple (1820) and the tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau. Thoai Ngoc Hau, a distinguished Vietnamese military administrator of the Nguyễn dynasty, was instrumental in the construction of Thoai Ha (1818) and Vinh Te canal (1819).

Conclude your day with an overnight stay in Chau Doc.

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

Up early for a cruise through the floating village with tons and tons of fish farmed underneath hundreds of shelters. Continue the boat cruise to Da Phuoc, a Muslim Cham village across the river on Con Tien island from Chau Doc’s center. Here, discover the village with its famous Mubarak Mosque and watch the locals go about their traditional weaving.

We keep moving to Cambodia border area, visit Tra Su mangrove forest, an ideal ecotourism site. The second boat trip through Tra Su nature reserve will show you a unique natural habitat conservation site of the wetland ecosystem in the Mekong delta. Tra Su is home of 140 species of plants and 70 of birds, cajeput trees are green all year round. We get back to Chau Doc for lunch break on your own.

In the afternoon, we drive through the immense rice fields area of Dong Thap and Long An province to HCM City, still a chance for you to stop, walk into the field and learn the rice cultivation. Head back HCM City around 6:00 PM.

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

Depart Ho Chi Minh City at 08:30 in the morning for the drive to Cu Chi. 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. 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.

You will have experience to crawl down into the tunnel for 50m. Return to the downtown around 14:00.

At 18:00, we will transfer you to the boat dock, you will have a huge dinner on a river cruise along the river. Enjoy the cuisine and city view in the night. Overnight at your hotel in HCM City

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, breakfast, dinner on cruise, entrance fee, and hotel

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

Inclusion: Transfer, breakfast.