GENERAL INFORMATION
Tour Route: Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh Long – Cu Chi Tunnels – Hue – Hoi An – Siem Reap – Halong Bay – Hanoi
Duration: 14 Days/ 13 Nights
Date: No fixed departure dates. You may go whenever you wish.
Start/ End: Ho Chi Minh City / Hanoi
Tour Customizable: Definitely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)
Accommodation: Listed below or equivalent
BRIEF ITINERARY
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City Arrival – Welcome Dinner (D)
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh Long – Can Tho (B, L)
Day 3: Can Tho – Cai Rang Floating Market – Ho Chi Minh City (B, L)
Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels – Fly to Hue (B, L)
Day 5: Hue – Heritage Tour – Hoi An (B, L)
Day 6: Hoi An – Farming & Fishing Eco GROUP TOUR – Walking Tour (B, L)
Day 7: Hoi An – ½ Day Cooking Class GROUP TOUR – Fly to Siem Reap (B, L)
Day 8: Siem Reap – Angkor Temple Tour (B, L)
Day 9: Siem Reap – Banteay Srey – Grand Circuit (B, L)
Day 10: Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake – Fly to Hanoi (B)
Day 11: Hanoi – City Tour (B, L)
Day 12: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise (B, L, D)
Day 13: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B, Br)
Day 14: Hanoi – Departure (B)
FULL ITINERARY
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City Arrival – Welcome Dinner (D)
Welcome up on arrival by local tour guide and driver then we transfer to hotel. Relax for the rest of the day and enjoy a welcome dinner at a fine local restaurant in town.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh Long – Can Tho (B, L)
We pick you up at the hotel after breakfast and transfer you to Cai Be. The program will start with a visit to Tan Phong Island for biking/walking on village paths to see the local daily life: orchard, school, church, pagoda, traditional houses… On the way, we can have some stops to see how they wave the dried water hyacinth to make many products: baskets, bags, hats, wallets, and shoes…
Then, the rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals to enjoy a peaceful time. Next, we back to our boat to go across one of the longest rivers in the world, the Mekong River, to come to An Bình Island. While we travel on a handmade canal to homestay, we can walk around this orchard & enjoy some cups of tea while listening to the traditional music in the ancient house.
After that, we walk into the local village to visit the local workshop to see how to make rice paper, coconut candy, pop-rice and enjoy some sweets with a cup of hot tea. It’ll give you an unforgettable experience. One more thing to do on this trip is visiting the brick kilns where you can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay. The cruise transfers us back to Vinh Long city where we take our own vehicle to Can Tho and spend our night here.
Overnight in Can Tho
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3: Can Tho – Cai Rang Floating Market – Ho Chi Minh City (B, L)
Early morning today, we will take the boat trip to visit the famous Cai Rang Floating Market with the busy sense right at the time. This is a biggest floating market in Mekong Delta where we can see the daily life and local people selling their products on boats. If the time permits, we can visit Binh Thuy Ancient House here.
After that, you will be back to the hotel and have free time until check out. At noon, we will head back to Ho Chi Minh City and have lunch en-route. Arrive at our hotel in the afternoon and have free time at leisure. We will spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels – Fly to Hue (B, L)
Ho Chi Minh city, formerly named Ho Chi Minh City is a largest city of Vietnam. One day tour around today covers almost the major attractions. Understanding more about history in the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace, admire French-colonial architecture at the General Post Office, Opera House and Notre Dame Cathedral, and explore the longest tunnels made of Vietnamese people during the war…. Depends the weather and season, we can visit Cu Chi tunnel in the morning or afternoon.
Morning, we head to the Cu Chi tunnels, otherwise known as the “Iron Triangle” or “Iron Land”. Before entering the tunnels, we will see a short introductory video showing how they were constructed, followed by an exploration of the maze of tunnels, some of which have been widened to allow tourist access. Also on display are various mantraps and the remains of an American tank as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500lb bombs dropped by B52 bombers. After that we transfer back to Ho Chi Minh city for lunch.
After lunch, we visit the Reunification Palace, the former Presidential Palace for the president of the South of Vietnam. After that, we will visit War Remnant Museum, where we can see countless artifacts, photographs and pictures documenting about the second Indochina war. We also stop at Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post office to get good shots for our memory of the big, modern city of Vietnam. In the rest of the day, we will visit: Ben Thanh market. After the tour, we transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport and take the flight to Hue. On your arrival, our car will pick you up at the airport and transfer to hotel in Hue for accommodation.
Overnight in Hue
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5: Hue – Heritage Tour – Hoi An (B, L)
Pick up at hotel at 8:30 AM, we will board the Dragon Boat on the romantic Perfume River heading out for the countryside. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to the most beautiful tombs will be on the itinerary for today. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day. We will enjoy a great view on the Perfume River and surrounding area. Thien Mu Pagoda is considered the symbol of Hue, and of Buddhism in Vietnam. From here, we rejoin our van and go visit King Khai Dinh’s Tomb or King Tu Duc’s Tomb.
In the afternoon, we visit the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945, after exploring the ruins of this wonderful monument. We will then depart to the Hue Royal Fine Art Museum, which is housed within the former Dien Long An Royal Palace. We will finish our day with the local Dong Ba Market to see the daily life of local people. After the tour, we travel by vehicle to Hoi An along scenic highway 1A. Along the way, we will stop to contemplate the stunning views North, of Lang Co Beach and South to Danang City. We will arrive in Hoi An in the late of day, check-in and free.
These are the famous Hue Street Food that you should know and try in Hue city
- Banh Uot – Grilled Pork Wrapped with Hue Wet Rice Paper
- Coffee Viet – black or with condensed milk
- Che – Sweet Soup
- Bun Bo Hue – Hue Beef Vermicelli Soup
- Banh Khoai – Hue Fried Pancake
- Cha Hue– Hue Sausage
- Banh Loc – Filtered Tapioca Dumplings
- Banh Ram It – Fried dumpling topped with Sticky Rice Dumpling
- Nem Lui – Grilled Ground Pork on Stick.
- Me Xung – Sesame candy
- Bun Thit Nuong – Grilled Pork Vermicelli
- Banh Beo – Steamed Rice Discs Topped with Shrimp
Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6: Hoi An – Farming & Fishing Eco GROUP TOUR – Walking Tour (B, L)
We have an early start this morning as we head off to our Farming & Fishing Life Eco Tour. Starting at Tra Que Village, we will get a personal insight into the local farming communities. We set about joining the farmers in preparing their land for sowing, helping to fertilize the garden using seaweed from the local river and watering it in using huge tin cans strapped to our backs. Following this, we will begin our leisurely cycling tour through the countryside witnessing local Vietnamese rural life first hand. Late morning we will board our Hoi An Eco-tour boat for a river cruise. Here we will meet and witness local fishermen working their craft, before enjoying a hands-on experience of traditional net fishing. We then transfer to a Vietnamese bamboo basket boat for a quick race and ride down a coconut palm lined waterway. Lunch today, is on board our boat, which is prepared using vegetables picked earlier at Tra Que Village.
After lunch, we have some free time to wander around Hoi An town centre before heading back to the hotel. We will start our walking tour around the ancient town to visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, the temples and pagodas of Chinese appearance. Then we are back to our hotel.
These are the famous Hoi An Street Food that you should know and try:
- Bánh Mì Thập Cẩm | Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich
- Cao Lầu | Pork Rice Noodle |
- Bánh Bao Bánh Vạc | White Rose Dumpling
- Cơm Gà Hoi An | Hoi An Chicken Rice
- Mì Quảng | Quang Seafood Noodle
- Bánh Xèo | Vietnamese Pancake
- Bún Thịt Nướng | Grilled Pork over Vermicelli
- Thịt Xiên Nướng | Grilled Pork in Rice Paper
- Vietnamese Spring Rolls
- Xí mà phủ | Black sesame sweet soup
Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 7: Hoi An – ½ Day Cooking Class GROUP TOUR – Fly to Siem Reap (B, L)
This morning, we start the cooking class tour by a welcome drink at Hai Café. Then, we visit Hoi An’s colourful main market, and experience its amazing sights, sounds and aromas. We will have an opportunity to interact with the local sellers, to see and taste the wonderful variety of foods on display.
After that, we arrive at Cooking School and have a chance to freshen up before beginning our class. Working together with our Chef we learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food from scratch. On arrival, we explore the cooking school’s herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some
of Hoi An’s and Vietnam’s best-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – each dish is first demonstrated by our chef, before we prepare the same dish ourselves. The class will include a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat exactly what we have cooked. We will finish at approximately 12.30pm – transfer back to central Hoi An arriving approximately 1.00pm
Recipes (our food contains no MSG):
*Vegetarians are provided with replacement ingredients.
- Making fresh Rice paper
- Fresh Rice Paper Rolls of Shrimp
- Crispy Hoi An Pancakes with Shrimp, Herbs & a Peanut Sauce
- Seafood Salad with Tra Que Herbs
- Mi Quang Chicken Noodles
- Food Decoration – Tomato Rose & Vietnamese Cucumber Hand Fan
* Lunch includes the above meals as well as:
BBQ Lemongrass Beef (not included in the demonstration)
After the tour, we transferred to the hotel, took the luggage before the airport transfer, and departed the late flight to Siem Reap. On your arrival in Siem Reap, we transfer to the hotel and relax.
Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8: Siem Reap – Angkor Temple Tour (B, L)
After the breakfast at hotel, we will visit the antique capital of Angkor Thom (12 century): the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
In the afternoon, we start to visit Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery, and the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Enjoy a wonderful sunset from the top of Phnom Ba Kheng Temple.
Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9: Siem Reap – Banteay Srey – Grand Circuit (B, L)
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, we then visit Banteay Srey, known as the Citadel of Women or a Pink Temple, and Banteay Samre Temples. Then, Visit the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (“The Royal Baths” was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake) and Preah Khan temple, Built by the King Jayavarman VII. Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation.
Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10: Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake – Fly to Hanoi Walking Tour with Street Foods (B, D)
In the morning, we will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap lake at KAMPONG PHLUK VILLAGE. This is the largest permanent freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and flows into the Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen’s “floating village” with floating schools, a floating police station, etc. It is the same as a big village floating on the lake, and the “village” moves from place to place following water levels and currents. After the tour, we transfer to the airport for the flight to Hanoi.
Welcome up on arrival by local tour guide and driver then we transfer to hotel. Relax for the rest of the day. After a short rest, we will start walking around the Old Quarter along different streets, try to taste many kinds of local food such as beef/chicken noodle soup, oil-fried pastry, tofu, rice pancake, pillow cake, sweet soup, stuff pancake with pork, draught beer… and one of our best surprised is a stop at Dong Xuan whole sales market where we know many kinds of ingredients being sold.
Last but not least is our happy ending at a hidden coffee in the Old Quarters enjoy its famous ‘egg coffee’ in a pleasant surrounding overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake. It would be a great chance to immerse in the local life of the local at weekend here. After the tour, we return back to hotel in old quarter Hanoi.
These are the famous street foods that you can try in Hanoi:
- Bánh Cuốn – Steamed rice paper rolls
- Bún Ốc – Vietnamese freshwater Snails Noodle
- Bún Riêu Cua – The Hearty Crab Soup Noodle (Not suitable for people allergic to crustacean shells)
- Bún Cá – Noodle soup with fish
- Bánh Xèo & Nem Lụi – Crispy pancakes and lemongrass pork skewers
- Miến Xào Lươn – Glass noodles with eel
- Bánh Đa Trộn – Mixed flat rice noodles
- Bánh Tôm – Hanoi shrimp cakes
- Chả Rươi – Fried Worm (Based on season)
- Bánh Gối – Crispy ’empanadas’
- Mỳ Gà Tần – Chicken noodles in herbal broth
Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11: Hanoi – City Tour (B, L)
Today we will venture out to explore Hanoi. First up we will drive to the Ho Chi Minh complex where we will spend time at Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, his former stilt-house, the Presidential Palace and One Pillar Pagoda. Followings we visit the Temple of Literature, which originally built as a temple to Confucius.
After lunch, we visit the Museum of Ethnology, which is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic minority peoples and the infamous Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Hoa Lo is also known as the ‘’Hanoi Hilton’’ and was where former US presidential candidate John McCain was incarcerated for over 5 years.
Later this afternoon, we enjoy 1-hour cyclo tour of the French-inspired “Old Quarter”. We will be free to shop in the old Quarter ranges from markets through to designer boutique stores to amazing contemporary art galleries. After the tour, we sit down to enjoy a performance of the city’s famous Water Puppets.
Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 12: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we pick you up at the hotel in Hanoi by shuttle bus to start our journey. When we arrive at Tuan Chau Marina, you will get checked in at Paradise Suites Hotel and transferred to the Paradise Cruise via Electric Cart. Once arrived, you will be given a short briefing about your cruise itinerary and safety regulations while you enjoy some complimentary welcoming drinks. Shortly after, enjoy your lunch at the Restaurant while viewing the beautiful islets of Ha Long Bay.
In the afternoon, you will visit the Tung Sau Pearl farm where you will have the chance to learn about the process of pearl cultivation or you go kayaking instead. Afterward, your next stop will be at Titop Island, an island named after the Russian Cosmonaut “Gherman Stepanovich Titov”. You can choose to either hike the island’s mountain to get a majestic view of Ha Long Bay or swim at the beach.
After that, we return to the cruise and enjoy the Bay sunset while enjoying the “Happy Hour” special. You may also join our chef in the kitchen to learn how to make a Vietnamese Dish. After a Western Set Dinner, enjoy some night activities on the boat like: squid fishing, drinks, or movies. The rest of night will be relaxing on the cruise.
Overnight on board
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B, Br)
Start your day with a Tai Chi Session at the Sundeck. Then, we enjoy a light meal with some fresh pastries, coffee, and tea at the restaurant. Next destination will be the Sung Sot Cave, the largest and most magnificent cave in the bay. Afterward come to enjoy breakfast while the cruise passes by Thien Cung, Dau Go Cave, and the Fighting Cock Islet. After breakfast, you will check out and are free to enjoy the rest of your trip at the Lounge or on the sundeck looking at the astonishing view of Halong Bay. At 10:15 AM, Paradise Cruise returns to Tuan Chau Marina. Finally, we disembark and farewell the crew then get back to Hanoi by our shuttle bus/D-car in 2.5 to 3 hours driving.
Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Brunch
Day 14: Hanoi – Departure (B)
After breakfast, we will be free until your driver arrives to take you to Noi Bai airport for your departure flight. Tour ends! See you again on the next trips with Indochina Tours!
Inclusions
- 13-night accommodation with daily breakfast as per detailed itinerary
- Transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle with experienced driver
- Meals as specified in the itinerary with authentic local food. Western food is available (upon request) (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
- Local-stationed English-speaking tour guide
- Entrance fees & permits
- 2 Days 1 Night in Halong Bay Cruise
- Farming & Fishing Eco Group Tour in Hoi An
- Cooking Class in Hoi An ½ Day
- Boat in Perfume River & Tonle Sap Lake
- 2 Days Angkor Ticket
- Bottle of drinking water
Exclusions
- International flights and airport taxes
- Domestic flights and airport taxes
- Vietnam E-Visa Multi-Entry
- Travel insurance
- Other meals which are not indicated above
- Surcharge and Compulsory dinners (if any)
- Beverages in the restaurants where meals are included
- Gratuities to guides and drivers
- Personal and other expenses such as porter, bar bills and laundry not stated in the itinerary.
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