Vietnam Inside Out

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, your guide will welcome you and escort you to the hotel. You will have the rest of the day to unwind and explore your surroundings at your leisure.

Hanoi is packed with interesting sights and sounds. Visit the legendary Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his house on stilts. Through the alleyways, you wind your way to the Ngoc Ha village and see the remarkable sight of the Huu Tiep Lake where the wreckage of a B-52 bomber downed in 1972 still remains in the water. Continue to the Temple of Literature, an example of Vietnamese architecture where the first national university of Vietnam was established.

Drive to the Hoa Lo Prison museum, also ironically referred to as: ‘The Hanoi Hilton’. It was built by the French in 1896 to house Vietnamese revolutionaries, then later used to hold captured American POWs during the 1960s.

Catch a cyclo through the bustling alleys of Hanoi’s Old Quarter – the heart and soul of the original city – now famous for small artisan shops, craftsmanship and eclectic architecture.

This evening, you will be driven to Hanoi Railway Station where you will board an overnight train to Lao Cai.

Upon arrival into Lao Cai, you are transferred to Sapa. Enjoy views of the terraced hillsides before arriving at the former French hill station. Start your exploration of Sapa with your private guide by trek past the peaceful Y Linh Ho village, to the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai. Follow the local paths across the rice terraces to the Day village of Ta Van.

Begin your trek along local paths through beautiful gardens and lush pine forests to the Black Hmong village of Ma Tra. Explore the village before continuing through rice paddy fields before taking a midday rest for lunch at a suitable spot. Head to Ta Phin village where the Black Hmong and Red Dao live together harmoniously whilst preserving their individual customs and traditions.

The morning is at your leisure to enjoy Sapa surroundings. Afterwards, transfer to Lao Cai railway station for the overnight train back to Hanoi.

Please note: If you are being in Sapa during the weekend, it is recommended to visit the beautiful ethnic minority market of Bac Ha.

Arrive Hanoi Train Station in early morning. You wil be driven to your hotel. Enjoy your day in Hanoi by exploring your beautiful surrounds at your leisure.

Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1994 for its thousands of islands, Halong Bay (Descending Dragon Bay) is one of the most magnificent scenic destinations in Vietnam.

Transfer to Halong City, embark on an overnight cruise to explore its natural beauty and the magnificent views of limestone karsts in turquoise waters, deserted beaches, spectacular caves, lively floating fishing villages, and hidden lagoons. Spend one night in an air-conditioned en-suite cabin on the boat.

Wake up to the sun illuminating the spectacular rock formations. Continue the Halong Bay wonder, cruising across its 2,000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. A breakfast/brunch is served before cruising back to Halong’s port. In the late morning, arrive at the pier for disembarkation and transfer back to Hanoi airport. Upon arrival at Noi Bai airport, board on your flight to Hue. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel.

Visit Thanh Toan Bridge and exhibition house where presents agricultural tools and fishery’s tools, listen the folk-song of the hue’s agriculturist.

To continue, get on your bike to visit An Bang Ghost City. Covering an area of 250 hectares, the cemetery behind the fishing village of An Bang holds an incredible collection of incredibly ornate tombs and memorials, some costing hundreds of thousands of US dollars to construct. The buildings incorporate both Buddhist and Christian iconography, some of which are modelled after the royal tombs of the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. Notice the detailed mosaics made from broken pottery that adorn many of the facades.

A stayed in Hue will would not be complete without a visit to the stunning Thieu Tri Tomb of Hue. The tomb was built in 11th February, 1848 and it was finished in only 10 months. This tomb is one of several relics of Hue Citadel Complex which was recognized as a world heritage by UNESCO in 11th December, 1993. Compared to other kings’ tombs, Thieu Tri’s tomb is the only one that faces Northwest – a direction that rarely any palace and tomb architectures faced in Nguyen Dynasty.

Enjoy a vegetarian lunch with Nuns in a monastery.

You will have a chance to watch Vietnamese traditional martial arts. Traditional martial art have beautiful attack, fighting techniques and skilled in using swords, symbolizing for the lasting, the indomitable spirit, the prosperity of the country, and then, you will visit a well-known Thien Mu Pagoda. The 7-story Thien Mu Pagoda towers over the banks of the Perfume River (Song Huong River). The pagoda, which sits among the buildings of a Buddhist monastery, became known as a site for anticommunist protests after Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist clergy member, self-immolated and brought attention to the plight of his people.

The last activity of the day is you will have a chance to make a paper flower. The art of paper flower making is very well-known in Thanh Tien Village in Phu Vang District. For over 300 years, they have built and maintained this reputation and supplied directly to the royalty in the Imperial Capital of Hue.

Set off on the three-hour drive to Hoi An. Drive on the road along the East Sea, which offers breath-taking coastal views, and enjoy the mountain scenery on the Hai Van Pass, the Road of the Ocean Clouds. Hoi An was a major Asian trading port in the 16th and 17th centuries, but the architecture and relaxed lifestyle has scarcely changed over the years. Today’s trade is based around fine arts, crafts and tailor-made clothing.

Enjoy an afternoon stroll through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter to visit Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Halls, Tan Ky ancestral house, the 400 years old Japanese Covered Bridge and the lively market of Hoi An.

Today you are free to explore the city at your own pace.

Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight to Dalat which dotted with elegant French-colonial villas rather than stark socialist architecture, and the surrounding farms cultivate strawberries, coffee and flowers in place of rice.

Today enjoy airy space at RoBin Hill, Dalat Cable Car Station to get the panorama view of the Dalat City and the marvellous sight of the pine forested valley stretched down to the South. Take the cable car descending 300 meters with the nice view of flower, vegetable fields dotted in the pine forested valley below to visit to Tuyen Lam Lake. Surrounding by pine forest, Tuyen Lam Lake looks like a paradise with the Truc Lam Zen Monastery, at present is the biggest Zen University in Viet Nam. Keep driving southward, you will visit to Datanla waterfall with magnificent view and can be approached by the roller coaster. On the way back to Dalat City center, visit Lam Dong Museum which keeps and displays many collections of stone gongs which have been found in Lam Dong province.

Continue your trip to XQ Embroidery village (XQ Historical Village) is a worthy place to see many miraculous hand- made embroidery works and find out how they make those fantastic artworks. Round of your day with a visit to Linh Phuoc Pagoda, a beautiful Buddhist shrine in Da Lat, every surface of which is covered in stunning mosaics.

Today is at your leisure to explore the city on your own space.

Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City – or Saigon, as it is more affectionately known by the locals.

Visit Cholon (“The Great Market”), founded in the 18th century by the Chinese and located 7 kilometres from the city centre, is and has always been a Chinese enclave set on Vietnamese soil. After many years of tumultuous cohabitation, the Chinese community (the Hoa people) has been revitalized and now lives without fear. As a result, Cholon has slowly become an essential part of the city’s economic scene. Your discovery of Cholon will take you to one of the traditional pharmacies, Thien Hau pagoda – sitting majestically in the city and Binh Tay market. This market is located in a vast ochre-coloured building, designed by a French architect and financed by a Chinese merchant. It is famous for the thousands of stalls and a great variety of goods, making it a true temple of commerce in Ho Chi Minh City.

Leave Ho Chi Minh City for Ben Tre city. Upon arrival, begin your boat cruise to Ham Luong river and get over Long Thanh island visiting coconut shell charcoal workshop. Continue your cruise to Mo Cay. Stop to explore the area and visit the coconut processing workshop. Continue your excursion by driving on” xe Lam” (motor cart) – a traditional local transportation. Stop to visit a local workshop, riding on the sampan along the canal to Mr Ba Van ‘s house with fruit tasting and have a short walk in the village before cruise to local house for a delicious lunch full of the local specialties. After meal, take your time walking to surrounding area for more local life exploration before heading to the hotel.

Board on a cruise to explore along the Mo Cay river to visit Thom coconut Floating Market. The trip gives you a chance to observe lively activities of coconut processing and trading. Every day, hundreds of boats filled with coconut anchor along the banks of the river, waiting for trader & customers. Leave for to Tra Vinh, choose between Tuk-tuk or bicycle to have sight-seeing around the Khmer village, enjoy painted-walls along the village streets – the paintings describe the assertive characters about the Khmer culture and daily – life in South Viet Nam.

Visit Son Huong family, admire artworks such as hat and crowns while enjoy Khmer performances. Have look at the Khmer musical instruments and join the traditional dances with the family members.

Visit Ms. Thone family where bamboo baskets are knitted. Continue to visit Mr Sang family, to see how they make Com Dẹp (Roasted glutinous rice) – a kind of Khmer traditional food during the worship on the full moon (10th- lunar October). Enjoy lunch at local house in the Khmer village, then visit Ba Om pond and Khmer Museum before transfer to Can Tho.

Take a boat to explore the colourful floating market of Cai Rang – one of the last authentic floating markets in Asia. The main produces sold here are fruit and vegetables and every boat have a long-standing post at its bow with samples of the things for sale are hung. The waterway turns out to be a maze of hundreds of boats filled with bananas, mangos, pineapples, papayas and even floating noodle soup vendors. Continue cruising the nearby arroyos to visit a noodle workshop and fruit garden before returning to the Ninh Kieu pier. Transfer from Can Tho to Chau Doc.

The afternoon begins with the 230-meter high Sam Mountain which is an ideal place for pilgrimage with famous national monuments like architectural Tay An Pagoda, historic Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, particularly the Shrine of Lady Chua Xu.

Another highlight of this journey is to climb up to the peak of mountain enjoying the breath-taking view, seeing over the Vietnam-Cambodia border, then enjoying a spectacular sunset.

This journey will take you through the rice paddies to the ethnic Khmer village and its cloister to explore the significance of Buddhism in public, learn more local lifestyle and its culture. The first stop is Van Rau Pagoda, where you will take time to learn about the importance of Khmer Buddhism in the local community. Visiting Khmer Village you feel free to chat with local people to know more about their lifestyle as well as get chance to see traditional crafts such as brocade, Khmer silk. The afternoon travel will take you back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Depending on the time of your flight, a private car will transfer you to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your onward flight.