ROUTE & CIRCUIT MAP
Day 1: Hanoi – Arrival
Day 2: Hanoi – Sightseeing
Day 3: Hanoi – Sightseeing
Day 4: Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Mai Chau
Day 5: May Chau
Day 6: Mai Chau – Ninh Binh
Day 7: Ninh Binh
Day 8: Ninh Binh – Halong Bay – Cruise
Day 9: Halong Bay – Cruise – Hanoi
Day 10: Hanoi – Flight to Hue
Day 11: Hue – Sightseeing
Day 12: Hue – Sightseeing
Day 13: Hue – Danang – Hoi An
Day 14: Hoi An
Day 15: Hoi An – Da Nang – Ho Chi Minh – City
Day 16: Ho Chi Minh City – Sightseeing
Day 17: Ho Chi Minh – City – Cai Be
Day 18: Cai Be – Vinh Long – Can Tho
Day 19: Can Tho – Floating Market – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 20: Ho Chi Minh City – Departure
DETAILED PROGRAM
DAY 1: HANOI – ARRIVAL (-/-/-)
Upon your arrival at Hanoi airport, you will be met and transferred by private car to your hotel in the city center.
Check-in at the hotel (from 2:00 PM).
Free time for your rest or personal exploration.
Meals not included (at your own expense). Overnight stay in a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 2: HANOI – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Cyclo-rickshaw ride in the old quarter of the 36 streets and guilds, with evocative street names: Silk Street, Hemp Street, Rattan Street, Sail Street, Goldsmiths Street… Walking tour to visit the Grand Market of Hanoi (Dong Xuan), the old traditional house on Ma May Street, the medicinal plant street Lan Ong, Ly Quoc Su Street, the Hanoi Cathedral, Hoan Kiem Lake with the Ngoc Son Temple.
Lunch at a restaurant.
In the afternoon, visit the magnificent Temple of Literature in Hanoi, Vietnam's first university, dedicated to Confucius. Enjoy a water puppet show and traditional music.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 3: HANOI – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Discovery of Hanoi: the former French Concession district and its colonial-style villas, occupied by embassies and chic restaurants; the presidential district around Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh's stilt house, the One Pillar Pagoda; near West Lake, the Tran Quoc Pagoda and the Quan Thanh Temple;
After lunch, visit the Ethnographic Museum, a little out of the way, which will show you the customs, clothes, and even traditional houses, scattered throughout the park, of the many Vietnamese ethnic groups.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 4: HANOI – HOA BINH – MAI CHAU (B.F./LUN/DIN)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Mai Chau via Hoa Binh. En route, visit the Thay Pagoda in the ancient village of Sai Son. After Hoa Binh, leave the lowlands of the delta for the mountainous region. The landscape and the architecture change: terraced rice paddies, banana groves, and the land of the Muong and then the Thai people, whose houses are built on stilts. 60 km past Hoa Binh, after crossing the Tong Dau Pass, reach the Mai Chau Valley, covered in rice paddies cultivated by the White Thai. Stretch your legs with a stroll through a Thai village with its beautiful traditional stilt houses and welcoming women.
Lunch at a local's home followed by a walk in the rice paddies near villages dominated by the jagged limestone peaks of the Tonkin mountain range.
After dinner, a performance of traditional dances from the Muong, Thai, Hmong, Dzao minorities…
Overnight stay with a local family in a stilt house in Mai Chau.
DAY 5: MAY CHAU (B.L/L/D)
Breakfast at a local's home. Walk and bike ride along the paths of Thai villages with beautiful traditional houses on stilts through rice paddies.
Lunch at a local's home.
In the afternoon, continue the bike ride further into the rice paddies near villages dominated by the jagged limestone peaks of the Tonkinese mountain range.
Dinner and overnight stay with a local family in a Thai stilt house in Mai Chau.
DAY 6: MAI CHAU – NINH BINH (B/L/L)
Breakfast at a local's home. Return to the Red River Delta to reach Ninh Binh, the "Halong Bay on land." The road descends into the delta through stunning scenery, offering picturesque scenes of rural life.
After lunch at the restaurant, head to the Tam Coc pier where you'll board a flat-bottomed boat for an unforgettable ride along the site's winding waterways, bordered by rice paddies, limestone karsts, and caves. The Tam Coc (Three Caves) site offers a breathtaking landscape of contrasting lines and colors, in the tranquility of nature, barely disturbed by the sound of oars and birdsong. Then, transfer to your hotel and check-in.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Ninh Binh.
DAY 7: NINH BINH – BIKE RIDE (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Bike ride to visit the Thai Vi temple and then along village paths to discover the beautiful landscapes and the daily life of the local inhabitants.
After lunch at the restaurant, a bike ride on the Tam Coc dikes between villages, rice paddies and limestone peaks to visit the Bich Dong pagodas.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Ninh Binh.
DAY 8: NINH BINH – HALONG BAY – CRUISE – OVERNIGHT ON BOARD (B/L/D)
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, departure for Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994 and one of the wonders of the world. Upon arrival, board a boat built in the style of traditional junks and embark on an unforgettable cruise through countless islets with fantastical shapes. Cones, pinnacles, needles, and hills dot the largest marine karst landscape in the world. Stops to visit a beautiful cave or a stunning beach…
Lunch and dinner on board the junk. Overnight stay in a comfortable private cabin.
Please note: This is a shared boat tour with an English-speaking guide on board. It is possible to book this tour with a private boat and/or a French-speaking guide on board (additional charge applies, please contact us for details).
DAY 9: HALONG BAY – CRUISE – HANOI (B/L/-)
Breakfast on the junk. The cruise continues in the morning, passing more limestone karsts, more hills, basket boats, and floating villages. The scenery of Halong Bay remains as enchanting as ever.
Brunch (or lunch) on board. Disembarkation, then return journey to Hanoi and your hotel.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 10: HANOI – FLIGHT TO HUE (B/-/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time for your personal exploration and to better soak up the atmosphere of the place, until the transfer to Hanoi airport and flight to Hue.
Upon your arrival in Hue, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in the city center.
Lunch and dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hue.
DAY 11: HUE – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. The entire morning is dedicated to visiting the Imperial City. Discovering the temples and pavilions with their evocative names, in the tranquility of the site, is a truly magical experience: the Pavilion of the Five Phoenixes, the Palace of Supreme Harmony, the Esplanade of the Great Salutations…
After lunch at the restaurant, transfer by road and visit to the royal mausoleum of Minh Mang, whose architecture unfolds in an admirable setting.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hue.
DAY 12: HUE – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer and boarding for a boat trip on the Perfume River. Discover the lives of the fishermen who live on this river. Arrival at Dong Ba Market and disembarkation to purchase ingredients for the cooking class (e.g., meat, vegetables). Return to the boat and continue our excursion to the Thien Mu Pagoda (Pagoda of the Celestial Lady) for a visit. Continue the cruise to Thuy Bieu Village where we will learn about the lives of the people of Hue. You will participate in a cooking class and enjoy lunch with the dishes you prepared during the class.
Rest time: soaking your feet in hot water infused with medicinal plants is an additional therapeutic practice. In the afternoon, enjoy a bike ride through the village and visit the old house of worship, learn about incense making, observe and participate in the daily activities of the villagers, and meet the very hospitable and sociable locals.
Transfer back to your hotel.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hue.
DAY 13: HUE – DA NANG – HOIAN – VISIT (B/L/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. The route follows National Highway No. 1, offering panoramic views of the East Sea. After a stop to admire Lang Co Beach, the road crosses the Hai Van Pass (Pass of Clouds) and arrives in Da Nang, famous for its magnificent Cham Museum.
After lunch, explore Hoi An, a former trading post active in silk, spices, tea, and more, which was the largest commercial port in southern Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries. From this prosperous era date the temples and pagodas, the houses of wealthy Chinese and Japanese merchants, the artisans' workshops, the covered Japanese bridge, and more, which you will visit on foot along pedestrian streets. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, Hoi An has become a veritable open-air museum, with an old-world charm, thanks to a restoration program, unique in Vietnam, that has transformed the city. A true gem.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hoi An.
DAY 14: HOI AN – SIGHTSEEING – BIKE RIDE (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Bike ride through villages and the surrounding countryside of Hoi An. You will visit the vegetable-growing village of Tra Que, the fishing village of Van Lang, and the water coconut forest of Bay Mau.
Lunch in the village.
Relax with a medicinal herbal foot massage, a traditional therapeutic practice, and unwind in the shade of water coconut palms. Return to your hotel in Hoi An.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense) and overnight stay at the hotel in Hoi An.
DAY 15: HOIAN – DA NANG – FLIGHT TO HO CHI MINH – CITY (B.LUNCH/-/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time for your personal exploration or shopping and to better soak up the atmosphere of the place until the transfer to Da Nang airport and flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh City airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in the city center. Check-in at the hotel (from 2:00 PM).
Free time for your rest or personal exploration.
Lunch and dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 16: HOCHIMINH CITY – VISIT (B/L/L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for a tour of Ho Chi Minh City. You will be captivated by the frenetic activity of the country's economic capital. The tour will take you from the colonial city with its Cathedral, Central Post Office, Catinat Street (now Dong Khoi Street), and the pedestrianized Nguen Hue Street to the vibrant and colorful Cholon district, Chinatown, with its large Binh Tay Market and Thien Hau Pagoda (the Celestial Lady). Inevitably, you will think of Marguerite Duras.
Lunch at a restaurant in town.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 17: HOCHIMINH CITY – CAI BE – MEKONG DELTA (B.F./LUN/DIN)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Cai Be in the heart of the Mekong Delta. Upon arrival in Cai Be, board your boat to travel up the Mekong River, passing through the Cai Be floating market, a hub for local trade. Here, wholesalers advertise their products to retailers with colorful samples hung from poles. Stops will be made to visit factories producing regional specialties (puffed rice cakes, coconut milk caramels, rice cakes, etc.), to sip honey tea, visit a tropical fruit orchard, enjoy a performance of traditional amateur music, and sample seasonal fruits. At Tan Phong Island, take a rowboat ride on the canals. After crossing the Mekong, disembark on An Binh Island for lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we settled into our home. Time to rest, then a walk along the village paths and a visit to a local's house to learn more about the real life and customs of the region.
At sunset, dinner preparation with the host family.
Dinner and overnight stay with a local family.
DAY 18: CAI BE – CAN THO – MEKONG DELTA (B/L/-)
After breakfast, depart for a bike and walk on Binh Hoa Phuoc Island, through the village and verdant orchards. Visit the local market and bonsai garden. Return to your host family for lunch and a farewell. Reboard your boat to visit a brick and pottery factory before disembarking in Vinh Long. Visit the Vinh Long market, featuring regional specialties such as snakes, fish, and turtles. Continue your journey to Can Tho and check into your hotel.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Can Tho.
DAY 19: CAN THO – CAI RANG FLOATING MARKET – HO CHI MINH CITY – CITY (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Early in the morning, transfer to Ninh Kieu port and departure by boat to visit the Cai Rang floating market. You will find yourself on one of the wide branches of the Mekong River, in the heart of the bustling Cai Rang floating market, where wholesale and retail businesses navigate the water, never stopping, creating an improbable ballet. Here, wholesalers signal their production to retailers with colorful samples hung from poles.
Back on land, heading to Binh Thuy and visiting the communal house and a traditional house dating from the 19th century, the beautiful house where JJ Annaud filmed The Lover.
Lunch at the restaurant, then, drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 20: HO CHI MINH CITY – DEPARTURE (B/-/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time for your personal exploration and to better soak up the atmosphere of the place until the transfer to Ho Chi Minh City airport for your return flight.
Lunch and dinner are at your own expense.
***End of our services***
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