Vietnam Uncovered: 15 Days from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh

After having breakfast at the hotel. 8:00 the tour guide and shuttle bus will arrive to pick you up to join the Hanoi city tour. You will start the tour by visiting complex:

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh Museum. Enjoy the architectural and historical aspects of Uncle Ho’s final resting-place. Just next door is Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where he used to live in the past. Lying to one side of the Mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda, built by King Ly Thai To in 1049 the structure has become an important symbol for the people of Hanoi.

Continue to visit the Temple of Literature (Quoc Tu Giam) – Vietnam’s first University constructed in 1070. Its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past.

Have lunch at local restaurants. Proceed to visit the Ethnology Museum (Applied for Tue, Thus, Sat, Sun) or Bat Trang Ceramic Village (applied for Mon, Wed, Fri)

After that we will take you to Hoan Kiem Lake, see the peaceful water, and visit Ngoc Son Temple. Take an hour cyclo tour around the bustling old quarter to see ordinary life in Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi city

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and get ready for Ninh Binh.

 Around 8:00  : Tour guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter Center heading to Ninh Binh, the world heritage site.

The trip starts in the Tam Coc area. Taking a rowing Tam Coc Boat Tours from Tam Coc wharf. The boat tour is arranged by local people with both hands and legs.
Visit 3 Magical Grottos: Hang Ca (First Grotto), Hang Hai (Second Grotto), Hang Ba (Third Grotto) during Tam Coc River Tour
Relax with biking around Tam Coc in 30-45 minutes. If you travel during harvest season, you will see many rice fields in golden colors
Enjoy special food at a local restaurant in Tam Coc. Learn how to make Vietnamese cuisine
The tour guide will take you to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, founded in 968, it remained capital until the early 11th century when Emperor Ly Thai To moved it to today’s Hanoi . Arriving in this beautiful mountainous landscape, you’ll walk 300m to the temples of the Dinh and Le Dynasty
The last destination, Mua cave. The cave is compared with the “Great wall of China”. Here you walk 500 steps to reach the top of Mua cave then take a lookout of a splendid overview of Ninh Binh
16:00 Relax and get ready for returning to Ha Noi
 19:00 : You arrive in Hanoi and have dinner on your own before we send you to the train station.

 9:00 p.m: Our driver transfers you to the station to take the overnight train to Sapa.

 Overnight on train

6.00: Meet our driver at Lao Cai Train Station then wait to be whisked away to the enchanting town of Sapa

After breakfast, we will be ready to start the journey with 6km down to the south east of Sapa along the side of Muong Hoa valley to Y Linh Ho village of the Black H’mong. Continue on 2km of trekking down to Lao Chai village of the H’mong.

Enjoy a cooking class and lunch with a local family, and then walk through terraced rice fields to Ta Van village of the Dzay minority people. It gives you a chance for you to learn about the local house architecture which is full of their daily life styles and exclusive custom. Enjoy the stunning and breath-taking landscapes.

As the clock nears 15:00, embark on a shared bus journey back to Sapa, where you will check back into the hotel. With the remainder of the day at your leisure, you enjoy Sapa town to explore the vibrant with its bustling market brimming with an array of vibrant handicrafts.

Overnight in Sapa town (homestay available upon request).

After breakfast, our tour guide picked you up from the hotel to start the trekking down to the South-west of Sapa (around 4 km) to visit Cat Cat village , a charming enclave that serves as the ancestral home of the Black H'mong community. Immerse yourself in the local way of life as you observe villagers diligently tending to the fertile paddy rice fields. Relax at the foot of the stunning waterfall and the vestige of a hydroelectric power station that was constructed by the French during colonial time in Vietnam. Enjoy the surrounding area.

Afternoon: around 2pm back to your hotel and pack your things. Say goodbye and prepare to leave Sapa. Getting back Hanoi on a comfortable VIP sleeper cabin bus

Around 8:00 PM:  arriving in Hanoi in the evening, where you will spend the night in this vibrant city.

 Overnight in Hanoi

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and begin your journey to Halong Bay. Please check out the hotel before you leave.

Around 8:00 a.m: Our driver picks you up from the hotel and takes you through the Red River Delta where you can see the everyday life of the Vietnamese Villagers.

Upon arriving at Halong, board a traditional sailing junk and get greeted by the crew members.

Discover some of the treasures disseminated across the Bay of the Descending Dragon during the afternoon: fascinating caves, pristine beaches, picturesque floating villages, and fantastic rock formations rising up out of emerald water.

After having a delicious lunch on board, spend the rest of the time at leisure, wherein you can choose to attend our chef's cooking demonstration and try your skills in the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.

Spend the rest of the evening on the sundeck of your cruise and admire the colors of the sunset painting the sky.

Later, have your dinner accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages (additional cost for drinks) along with various entertainment options like - movie night, squid fishing, etc.

You can also choose to enjoy your drink by sitting relaxedly surrounded by limestone rocks majestically springing out from silent waters in the night.

Overnight stay on the cruise at Halong Bay.

Start your day early with sunrise and join a Tai Chi lesson on Sundeck.

Start the day enjoying some delights with a light breakfast followed by a colorful brunch.

Continue exploring Halong Bay by sailing across its 2000+ islets and visiting some of its major highlights.

Spend the rest of the time at leisure until you reach back on the coast of Hanoi.

Around 14:30- 15:00: You arrive in Hanoi, your private driver sending you to the airport to take the flight to Hue -  the Imperial capital, is now listed as a World Heritage Site.

 Overnight in Hue

8:00-8:20 AM: Pick up at hotel and start your journey to visit:

• Dragon boat trip to Thien Mu Pagoda - the oldest pagoda in Hue city. Enjoy the fresh atmosphere and peaceful beauty of Hue as you travel along the Huong River to Thien Mu Pagoda.
• Visit the Imperial Citadel by car - the former home of Vietnam's last royal dynasty, the Nguyen Family.
• Explore Dong Ba Market and experience the daily life of local people.
• Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and relax your feet in herbal water afterwards.
• Visit the Royal Tombs, including Khai Dinh King's Tomb - a blend of Western and Eastern architecture, and Minh Mang King's Tomb - known for its majestic and symmetrical architectural constructions.
• Stop at a conical hat making village and an incense stick making village. Take a few minutes to rest and take photos before returning to the hotel.

4:00-5:00 PM: Return to your hotel and be transferred to Hoi An by limousine sharing car.

Overnight in Hoi An

7:30-8:00 am: Our guide picks you up at your hotel and departs to My Son Sanctuary - The World Cultural Heritage.

9:30 am: Arrive at My Son and we have 2 hours to discover the site by walking through the landscape, learning histories with our local English-speaking guide, and enjoying the Champas traditional performances.

11:45 am: Get back to the minivan and move to a local house to learn how to make rice paper, you will enjoy your own hand-making product later on
12:30 pm: Back to the van and have lunch at another local house, relax with cold herbal tea, nice food, and fresh air.

1:00 pm: Take a boat trip to Hoi An with the nice and cool breeze onboard, and beautiful river scenery on the biggest river in Central Vietnam named Thu Bon River.

1:30 pm Arrive in Hoi An, we will drop you off at your hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An

7:30 – 8:00 am : We’ll pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to Da Nang city (around 30km).

8:30 am: Our van will transfer you to Monkey Mountain. A giant statue of Lady Buddha with a beautiful background such as mountains and a huge garden of bonsai would draw your attention. You will definitely get lost in the garden of heaven with gripping stories when gently walking and enjoying a fresh breeze.

Discover the Marble Mountains and stop for a walk along the site to see local factories of stone sculptures - the most impressive handicrafts village in Da Nang.

Check in the Marble Mountains by climbing up to the top (elevator is optional). Here we will see beautiful pagodas which were made in the 19th century by the last dynasty of the Vietnam monarchy, and visit Huyền Không or Tàng Chơn Caves.

Keep going to see the biggest fascinating cave named as Âm Phủ Cave. You will learn interesting philosophies of Buddhism and take photos with amazing natural creations.

11:45 am: Have lunch at a local restaurant with local and authentic Vietnamese cuisines.

1:00 pm: We will drop you at your hotel then you have free time to explore Hoi An

Overnight in Hoi An

Your private driver is sending you to the airport to take the flight to Hochiminh city - the cultural and financial capital of Vietnam located in the Southern part of the country.

Reach Ho Chi Minh city and board your transfer to the hotel.

Complete the check-in formalities at the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and get ready by around 8 to 8:30 am to begin an interesting day of this tour.

A smooth one-and-half-hour bus ride through rice field scenery along National Highway 1 brings you to the beautiful rural district of Trung Luong.

On arrival at My Tho, after visiting Vinh Trang pagoda-  the biggest pagoda in the Mekong delta.

Take a leisurely cruise on the Tien River to view the four beautiful islands: Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise. Boats pass by the fish rafts along the Tien River, overlooking the Rach Mieu Bridge. Stroll along the village road, visit the orchard and enjoy seasonal fruit & honey tea to the sound of "Southern Vietnamese folk music" - A folk art form from Southern Vietnam accredited by UNESCO in 2013 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Riding a hand-rowed sampan through the Tan Thach canal. Then visit the coconut candy mill and take an amazing rowing boat trip along the small canal on a hand-rowed sampan under the shadow of the water coconut trees along natural canals.

Enjoy lunch at the local restaurant; Then the motorboat will take you back to the cruise. Meet on the bus and return to Ho Chi Minh City. This trip provides a fascinating insight into daily life in the Mekong Delta, and you are guaranteed to take home your private collection of beautiful memories.

Return back to the hotel for an overnight stay.

 Overnight in Hochiminh city

The tunnels are a great destination located 70 km from the Ho Chi Minh City Center to the Northwest.  Cu Chi was known as the “area of steel” in the war time, and the tunnel systems were over 200km, which was considered the unbreakable underground village in the Vietnam-American war. It is legendary for its network of tunnels, and is a popular destination for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors.

Around 8:00 a.m: Pick up at your hotel and depart to Cu Chi will take approximately one and a half hours bus driving.

Upon arrival, before exploring the tunnels, you will have some short introduction followed by an introductory video about how the tunnels were constructed and how the people survived in the harsh conditions of the war time. Then, spend your time exploring the remaining area and tunnel systems which included the specially constructed living areas with kitchens, bedrooms side by side with other martial facilities like storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers helping whoever lives inside the tunnels meet their basic needs. Besides, there are also many hidden trap doors and dangerous traps within the maze-like tunnels for security purposes during the war. Afterward, special tea and cassava (guerilla’s food during the war) will be served.

Break time for relaxing or time for those who want to try the real shooting gun.

Return to Hochiminh city for relaxing

 Overnight in Hochiminh city

Having a free day to explore Hochiminh city on your own before transferring you to the airport for your following flight. Thank you so much for traveling with us and hope you come back home with a heart full of unforgettable memories and experiences from your amazing Vietnam Tour.