Morning, take a full day city tour beginning with Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Mondays, Fridays, afternoons and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars. Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History or the Museum of Ethnology. Go to Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Next, take a one-hour cycle tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

Morning, transfer about 50 km out of town to the ancient Duong Lam Village, a national relic site with a history dating back 1,000 years. Duong Lam is known as a living museum of the Vietnamese countryside as it still retains much of its purely ancient Vietnamese architecture and long-standing traditions. Its authenticity appearance is made up of antique houses, temples, pagodas, communal gates, guard posts and water wells amid a rural setting of paddy fields and bamboo groves. Walk along the narrow alleys walled by laterite rocks, see and touch ancient houses of which some are as old as 400 years. Observe villagers with their daily life activities and interact with them.Transfer 40 km from Duong Lam to Thanh Son public school for ethnic minority kids (school visit is confined between 02-10 pax). This school is partially sponsored by our company as part of our social responsibility effort. You can have a meaningful time conversing in with students, mostly aged 11-14, who love to practice English, reading stories for them, playing some football with them and helping them tend vegetables in the garden or clean their rooms. Before saying goodbye, make a charity donation of schooling necessities such as books, notebooks and pens which were locally purchased with our help or which you brought from your own country. Leave the school feeling fulfilled as a responsible traveler.Back to hotel in Hanoi. Free at leisure by your own. Overnight in Hanoi.

Morning, after breakfast at hotel, transfer in a private coach about 100 km South of Hanoi (2.5 hour drive) to Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province. Discover the first capital of Vietnam, which was founded in the 10th Century by the Dinh Dynasty as a stronghold against the Northern invaders and shortly later was inherited by the Le Dynasty. Visit the two old temples one dedicated to Dinh Tien Hoang, the only king of the Dinh Dynasty and also Vietnam’s first emperor and the other to the succeeding kings of the Le Dynasty. Enjoy an-hour cycling tour on quiet roads through the picturesque landscape of villages, paddy fields, rivers and rocky outcrops to Tam Coc about 12 km away. Check in a hotel. Afternoon, start a boating tour of Tam Coc, which is also referred to as “an inland Ha Long” for its strikingly similar terrain of rugged rocky mountains rising up from the lush wetland and constituting a magnificent maze. Cruise along the meandering river through paddy fields and past the karst formations before entering the half-submerged entrances of three caves for a visit. These are major representatives of a host of natural caves and grottoes present in local mountains. Stop for a short break near a small shrine before returning to the dock and proceed to Ninh Binh town for hotel check-in. Evening at leisure and night stay in town.

Morning after breakfast, depart for Van Long Nature Reserve, a 3,000 ha area of wetland and limestone mountains. Take a small bamboo boat to travel around and enjoy the scenic views of towering mountains, vast expanse of water and flocks of bird. Rich in wildlife; Van Long is home to a many species of migratory birds and a wide variety of animals including those rare and endangered like the Delacour’s langur. The reserve is an ideal bird-watching place where you may sight white storks, herons, spoonbills, pygmy geese and crakes.
Afternoon, move on to Kenh Ga floating village in Gia Vien District and take a motor boat down the Yellow Dragon River. Visit the Kenh Ga Hotspring, and if time allows, you can have a shower (paid by your own) or a swim in the hot water (paid by your own) from the local mountain spring or you can walk through the green paddy fields to visit the Van Trinh Cave, which is considered the biggest and most beautiful cave in Ninh Binh Province. Transfer to Ha Long for overnight stay. Ha Long means Descending Dragon in Vietnamese as legend has it that a holly dragon landed down here from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2.

Morning, breakfast at hotel between 6-7 AM, transfer to the dock for boarding a cruise boat to explore the legendary Ha Long Bay. Ha Long means Descending Dragon in Vietnamese as legend has it that a holly dragon landed down here from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2. The boat will stop at Dau Go Island for you to visit Thien Cung Cave (Heaven Palace). Return to the dock, disembark and travel back to International Airport for flight to Hue. Your flight should depart at 17:00 or a bit later.
Arrive in Hue after a one-hour flight, welcome by our guide and transfer to your hotel. Hue, the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam for the 1802-1945, is the last refuge of Vietnamese feudalism. It is known as a city of poetic beauty that blends a scenic landscape characterized by the Perfume River and surrounding mountains with an extremely rich historical legacy typified by numerous relics such as citadel, tombs and pagodas. Evening at leisure.

Morning, start a sightseeing tour of Hue City beginning with Hue Citadel, a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site which is a 520 ha fortress-like grand complex built in the early 1800s and featuring three enclosures separated by heavy ramparts namely Kinh Thanh Hue (Civic City) as the outer, Hoang Thanh (Royal City) as the middle and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden City) as the inner. Next, visit Khai Dinh Tomb, the burial site of Khai Dinh, Vietnam’s second-to-last king, and the most elaborate compared to other kings’ tombs representing a cross of European and Asian styles. Stop by Dong Ba market, the city’s traditional commercial center, for shopping.
Afternoon, transfer South to Hoi An via Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass). Enjoy a stunning headland-and-bay panoramic view from the pass, which for miles hugs the mountainside along the shoreline and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Arrive in Hoi An, welcome by our guide and check in your hotel.

Morning, start touring Hoi An to discover the ancient charm of a renowned World Heritage Site. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Highlights for sightseeing include the town’s iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the vibrant local market. Enjoy strolling the small streets of antique low tile-roofed houses, which reflect the town’s multi-cultural past.Afternoon at leisure for shopping in town.
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Morning, transfer to Da Nang Airport for domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City formerly named Saigon is the largest city and economic center of Vietnam always bustled with activities of modern life. It is where businesses converge and shoppers indulge themselves into unlimited choices. However the city also carries with it a rich historical legacy in contrast with its dazzling glamor.
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, welcome by our guide and start a city tour right away. Begin with visiting the War Remnants Museum, which features an extensive collection of exhibits including weaponry, photos and documentation on Vietnam’s wars with the French and Americans, the Reunification Palace which was formerly the South Vietnam President’s residence and symbol of the Southern Administration’s reign until end of April 1975. Stop at Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles, Saigon Central Post Office, former US Embassy, Ben Thanh market. Dinner aboard a boat while cruising Saigon River.

Morning, after breakfast, travel by road to the Mekong Delta, the world’s largest delta and Vietnam's largest rice bowl. On arrival in My Tho City, capital of Tieng Giang Provine, embark on a boat and navigate through intricate canals while observing the local daily life up close as well as the landscape of waterways and lush islands. Land on the Unicorn Island to enjoy wandering through verdant orchards, tasting fresh fruits and listening to some Southern style traditional music. Move on to the second delta province, Ben Tre, where you will watch local villagers make coconut candy in a rural workshop, walk around briefly and try riding a horse-pulled carriage. More cruising to some bee-keeping households to taste fresh homegrown honey and honey tea. Go back Ho Chi Minh City and spend time at leisure.

Morning, transfer to Mui Ne beach in Phan Thiet Province for beach extension

Full day at leisure or take our optional tour.

Full day at leisure or take our optional tour.

Meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for flight.