Being a Local - Vietnam Holiday 18 days

hanoi

Day 1: Welcome to Hanoi

Your first stop is Hanoi – Vietnam’s cultural heart that still bears traces of centuries of changes and known for its peaceful lakes, French styled buildings, old quarter streets, tree-lined boulevards, and brightly painted temples and pagodas.

Upon arrival, our driver and private luxury car will greet you and take you to the hotel in Hanoi. The remainder of the day will be all yours to stroll around the Old Quarter of Hanoi and its raucous streets full of traditional vendors and artisans.

hanoi

Day 2: A Breathtaking Tour of Hanoi

Today is an unforgettable day for Hanoi. You will start with a nice buffet breakfast at your hotel, where you can enjoy some Vietnamese coffee if you are a coffee lover.

The first stop is Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, where Uncle Ho, Father of the Vietnamese, is laid out in the state. Here we also visit the Presidential Palace where Ho refused to live, choosing instead a small stilt house beside a lake. Close by is the One Pillar Pagoda. A tour around the beautiful West Lake then takes us to the venerable Temple of Literature.

After lunch, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, with its art and artifacts from the 54 different ethnic groups that inhabit the country, is a must for all visitors. 

The sightseeing today ends with an interesting discovery of Hanoi's Old Quarter by Xich Lo, a local transport similar to the Tuk Tuk.

Last but not least, in the evening you can enjoy a traditional water puppet show.

hanoi - Halong

Day 3: The Magical Halong Bay

Our limousine bus will pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi and start our trip to explore the most amazing bay in the North of Vietnam. Have a glance at Hai Duong Province and taste their traditional “Green bean cake”.

Arrive in our office at Hon Gai Pier, you will have a bit of time to relax and enjoy a cup of tea/coffee. Wait for our captain to finish the registration and transfer by tender to our boat.

Enjoy a welcome drink and spend a couple of minutes to briefing about safety on boat and activities included then we check in our cabin.

Delicious Vietnamese set menu will be served while leisurely cruising further into Bai Tu Long Bay.

Arrive in kayaking area – that is Cap La Island. Enjoy kayaking through the karst and breathtaking nature, swimming and relaxing.

Get back to the boat and enjoy our Sunset party while our cruise sailing to the overnight anchorage.

Halong - hanoi - Hue

Day 4: Cruise Down Halong Bay

Start your day with a Tai Chi routine on the sundeck or catch a morning view of the stunning bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee.

Breakfast will be served in Western style, familiar to you to fulfill your strength and ready for another exploring day.

Explore the well-hidden Thien Canh Son Cave. Upon return to the boat, you will have about 30 minutes to freshen up and finish packing.

Attend a Vietnamese cooking demonstration. You can quickly learn a simple but delicious Vietnamese dish that Gordon Ramsey (a 2 Michelin Star Chef) used to guide – Nem Cuon or challenge yourself in fruit and vegetables carving.

Enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch on the boat, then head back to the harbor and disembark in Hon Gai pier.

Farewell Halong Bay then we take you back to Hanoi. Then we take you to the airport for a flight to Hue. 

Hue

Day 5: All The Beauty of Hue

In Vietnam, there is no place like Hue where still remains a lot of originally historical vestiges of the Royal period. Hue city is located in a narrow landing strip in central Vietnam. The city is also famous for the magnificent architecture of its citadels, palaces, royal tombs, pagodas, and temples. Various structures are laid out in harmony with nature and in accordance with the principles of geomancy. Besides, the city has plenty of monuments reminding of its past glory. 

Morning, you enjoy a cycle tour around Hue to visit Tinh Tam lake and Imperial Citadel, including Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam Thanh). Then enjoy a Perfume river cruise with stops at Hon Chen temple, Thien Mu Pagoda and Kind Minh Mang's tomb.

Hue - Hoian

Day 6: A Charming Trip To Hoi An

This morning you will depart Hue and drive to Hoi An. You'll have some time to relax and freshen up before setting out to explore!

Spend some time walking around Hoi An, taking in the new and exciting scenes. 

The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore. Your expert guide will be happy to recommend things to do and places to eat.

Hoian - Bana - Hoian

Day 7: Bana Hills and Its Wonders

Our tour guide will pick you from your hotel and depart to Ba Na hills.

Arrive in the Suoi Mo cable car station. Sitting in the cabin, in mid-air, looking upon the endless tree lone of the forest. Experiencing the pristine ecological system of the Ba Na mountain will leave you a sense of unforeseeable discovery.

Visit the Le Jardin; beautiful flower garden and see the tramway and old wineries.

Visit and play a game at the Fantasy Park - Ba Na Hills Fantasy Park- the third largest indoor amusement park in the world.

Conquer the Peak of Chua Mountain at the height of 1,487m. Leave Peak of Chua mountain, passing the Suspension Bridge.

Return to cable car station and back to Da Nang.

Hoian

Day 8: Relax in Hoi An

A full day at leisure on your own. You can either bath in the sun on the beach, read under the palm shade, enjoy a massage at your beach resort or at one of many lovely spas in town, or get more tailor dresses which can be done super fast (24h), or just lazily sit at a riverside cafe and chat. There is great street food to taste, and unique decor restaurants to enjoy too. Overnight in Hoian.

Hoian - Danang - Saigon

Day 9: The Majestic Saigon

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) which is the largest of Vietnam's cities, the hustle and bustle of life co-exist with 300 years of timeless traditions and the beauty of mixed colonial-orient culture.

Upon arrival, our driver will take you to the hotel for check-in & relax. Overnight in Saigon.

Saigon - cu chi

Day 10: Exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels

This morning, we head to Cu Chi, the tunnel system stretched over 250km from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers, and kitchens.

Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.- Vietnam American must have been like. Do not miss trying to crawl along the narrow tunnel yourself. Back to Saigon around the afternoon and free on your own.

Saigon - Mekong Delta

Day 11: Mekong Delta Cruise

In the morning we pick you up at your hotel in Saigon and take you to Can Tho or Cai Be. You board your wooden river cruise vessel around noon. After a refreshing welcome drink, we show you our on-board facilities and your cozy cabin. As lunch is served, the boat starts cruising. Sit back and watch the fantastic scenery and the daily life of the Mekong people.

In the afternoon you can disembark for a guided leisurely stroll through a village and the surrounding fruit orchards or rice fields. Meet the friendly locals and taste the local produce and fruits. Get back on board and enjoy a drink at the bar or relax on deck as the sun sets over the magnificent water landscape of the Mekong River. The boat will anchor for the night. The day ends with a delicious on-board dinner. You stay overnight on board your floating hotel in the Mekong Delta.

Mekong Delta

Day 12: A Sampan Boat Ride

Wake up well rested to the sound of the Mekong river and get ready for another exciting day of sightseeing in the Mekong Delta.

At 6.30h the cruise vessel sets off for a sunrise cruise. Watch the locals go about their daily work drying exotic fruits and building ships on the wooden yards while enjoying an early breakfast. After breakfast, we will board a sampan boat at Cai Rang floating market, the region’s busiest and most lively markets.

On even dates, you will explore the small channels of the Mekong Delta around Cai Be with a small sampan or on foot. Marvel at the sheer abundance of exotic fruits and vegetables. We will pull up to the boats for talking and bargaining with the merchants. We will also visit some of the local candy and cake making factories or boat through the green water landscape to see local houses, verdant orchards, and ship-building yards.

Mekong Delta

Day 13: The Amazing Nature of Mekong Delta

In the morning you are picked up at the hotel and we drive to the nearby Tra Su forest preserve. This area is located about 20 kilometers away from Chau Doc and covers an area of approximately 850 hectares. Here you can find a wide variety of colorful birds and other animals: storks, bats, snakes, turtles.

Particularly interesting are the birds who can walk on water, due to their low body weight they don’t sink through the densely grown floating habitats. The tour through the floating habitats is by motorboat, rowing boat and on foot. From a high viewing platform, you have a beautiful view over the surrounding mountains, the width of the mangrove forests and the numerous birds.

Mekong Delta - Phu Quoc Island

Day 14: Journey to Phu Quoc

You continue by car with a guide to Ha Tien on the Gulf of Thailand, near the border to Cambodia. Ha Tien only recently opened for tourism and geographically it doesn’t belong to the Mekong delta anymore.

Transfer to the ferry to Phu Quoc, your holiday paradise with forest-fringed sandy beaches and endless recreation opportunities. Arrival in the afternoon at Bai Vong Pier on Phu Quoc. Transfer to your hotel by shuttle bus.

Phu Quoc

Day 15: Enjoy Yourself in Phu Quoc

Today you'll have free time enjoying Phu Quoc. you can spend your time simply relaxing under the sun. 

Alternatively, take a motorboat cruise through the bay to see what the area has to offer. Your guide will show you around and make sure you visit all the secret spots.

Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Phu Quoc

Day 16: Welcome to Paradise

In Phu Quoc, you can do many kinds of water sports like scuba diving and snorkeling. Today, why don't you try one of them out?

You can rent some snorkel gear from your hotel and set out to explore the magnificent underwater world in Phu Quoc. You'll see brightly colored fish, amazing corals, and even some other bigger sea life. 

If you are a scuba diver, you can also go out on some fun dives to explore the underwater world even more closely.

In the evening, enjoy a relaxed night at your hotel. 

Phu Quoc

Day 17: Enjoy the Sun and Sand

Today is your family time enjoying the lovely beach. Since it is your last full day in paradise, simply relax on the beach, read under the palm trees, and swim in the crystal clear waters of the beautiful ocean. 

In the evening, enjoy your final dinner in Vietnam with a recommendation from your expert guide.

Phu Quoc - Saigon

Day 18: Goodbye Vietnam

Catch a flight back from Phu Quoc to Saigon. Any fantastic trip will come to an end, but the memories will remain in your heart forever.

Therefore though you will bid farewell to Vietnam today and board the flight home, your sweet trip will fly home with you. See you next time!