Impressive Vietnam Tour – 9 Nights from Ho Chi Minh

Around 08:00, our tour guide picks you up at your hotel lobby, then driving the first part with 90Km (2hrs) to Ben Tre of mighty Mekong Delta where boats, houses and market float upon the uncountable rivers and canals.. The boat will cruise along the Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces including a brick works, a coconut processing workshop and a mat weaving house. The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life and take a bicycle ride through dense coconut plantations.

12:00, Have lunch at a local village with many specialties! (by your own)

Return to HCMC. Arrive back at your hotel at around 5pm. Overnight in HCMC.

This morning, you’ll depart Ho Chi Minh City at 08:00 for a pleasant drive through the countryside to Cu Chi tunnels. It is just 60Km from the city center, however, the road condition for the futher parts are deep inside rural areas with slow speed.

Around 10:00, arrive in the tunnels where you will firstly see a short introductory video about their construction & stories. Spend the next hour exploring the tunnel maze. Only some parts of the tunnels were opened for tourists to experience but you can really see how locals used to live inside. Also on display are various mantraps, the remains of an American tank, and numerous bomb craters created by 500-pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers.

Afterwards, you’ll head back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving at around 14:00. It’s then your free time. Or our escorters can really drop you at a nice restaurant and you can walk back to your hotel later.

Enjoy a nice evening and overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Free at leisure until we pick you up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh (10Km – 30 Minutes) and transfer back to the airport for flight to Da Nang (operated by Vietnam Airlines).

Upon your arrival at Da Nang airport, welcomed by our tour guide & driver before transfering to your hotel in Hoi An for check-in (30Km – 50 Minutes).

Overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An Ancient Town -the highlight of any tour to Vietnam that no Vietnam Tours maker would skip, is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

Day free to cycle through rice paddies in the countryside of Hoi An ancient town, shop for souvenirs among the antique shops and art galleries, or just sit at sidewalk cafes and soak up the atmosphere of this quaint town. Or relax on the white sandy beach of the famous Cua Dai Beach.

OPTIONAL TOUR – TRA QUE WATERWHEEL TOUR

Tra Que is a small organic herb village located 2 km north-east of Hoi An Ancient Town. The village has existed for at least 300 years. It is located between Tra Que algae pond and the De Vong River, with special conditions producing rich soil, and ideal for growing fresh herbs.

Tra Que is not just a brand name for the village’s fragrant and high quality herbs, but it is also an attractive destination for tourists staying in Hoi An. The village is named after the sweet scented herbs that are used in the everyday meals of Hoi An people, such as mint, coriander and basil. A tour of the organic vegetable and herb gardens can include some time working in the fields if you like (wearing local farmer’s clothes!), watering and hoeing vegetable beds, or merely enjoying the peace and tranquility and marvelling at the glorious sunsets.

Located in the heart of the famous organic herb village, Tra Que Water Wheel is a rustic-designed, restored, traditional Vietnamese building. Here you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings while you watch the farmers at work tending their produce.

09:00 Pick up at your hotel and take a short transfer by taxi to Tra Que Village.

09:20 Welcomed by Tra Que Water Wheel Staff & enjoy welcome drink.

09:30 – 10:30 Enjoy a biking ride around Tra Que Village. Make some nice stop to try buffalo riding & basket boat.

10:30 – 11:00 Enjoy a demonstration as well as learning how to make rice paper – a family tradition

11:15 – 14:00 Preparing & cooking instructed by Tra Que Waterwheel Chef. Then, enjoy the dishes that you have cooked.

14:30 – 15:30 Preparing the soil and planting herbs with the farmers

16:00 Back to your hotel in Hoi An.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY – HOI AN MEMORIES SHOW

This evening, enjoy Hoi An Memories Show that is a new but really outstanding outdoor performance that is scale up to a capacity of 3,300 people. It is featured with Vietnam traditional Ao Dai, the graceful and prosperous Hoi An Ancient Trading Port since 400 years ago. Our tour guide will give you the tickets one day before and you will go on your own. The theatre is just around 2-3Km from your hotel that you can access easily.

Overnight in Hoi An.

After having breakfast, you will be transferred back to the airport (30Km – 50 Minutes) for flight Hanoi (operated by Vietnam Airlines), the capital of Vietnam with a long background of history and culture.

Upon your arrival at Noi Bai airport, pick up and transfer to your hotel for check-in (30Km – 35 Minutes) Besides historical destinations, Hanoi is well-known for its beautiful lakes with the image of local Tai Chi in the early morning, tree-line boulevards, funny street vendors & special street food cuisine.

If you have chance to stay in Hanoi at the weekend, it is worth to join the interesting night market near Hoan Kiem Lake, featured with walking streets, beautiful red lanterns, local street foods and Vietnamese style souvenirs.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Ranked among the world’s best destinations, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam with more than 1000 years of history and culture. Hanoi is also well-known for its beautiful lakes with the image of local Tai Chi in the early morning, tree-line boulevards, flowers on bicycles and delicious dishes.

OPTIONAL TOUR – EARLY MORNING TOUR AT 05:30 (Or you can just start the trip at 08:00 as usual)

05:30 Wake up early and be ready for an amazing morning trip around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter – the symbols of Hanoi city and Hanoian. You will be surprised by seeing local Hanoians doing morning exercises around Hoan Kiem Lake as they are so natural practicing such strange Tai Chi in their own ways. Let’s see the way they do and join with them! From Hoan Kiem Lake, take a look at the Old Quarter as it is the only time in day you can enjoy quiet atmosphere.

08:00 If it is hard for you to wake up earlier, we can start the trip later for a pleasure visit with first stop the Museum of Ethnology – an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups living in Vietnam.It is here you will learn about the cultural diversity of different ethnic groups from religious events to the symbolic rituals as well as display of a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas outside.

10:30 Continue to the Temple of Literature which is the first university in Vietnam. It was constructed in 1070, first to honor Confucius and nowadays to celebrate the doctorates and ranked scholars of Vietnam.

12:00 Have lunch at local restaurant.

13:30 Head to the amazing trip to the Train Street (best time to be there is around 2pm as there is a train leaving at 02:30pm and another arrival at 03:30pm) to take fantastic pictures of incoming train as well as see how locals live on both sides of the railway. A little bit far from the hustle, bustle and narrow old streets, Train street is where the trains just hurl through the residential area in mere feed away from local lives. Enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the trains pass.

15:00 Visit Ho Chi Minh complex with first stop at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside) –a large memorial pays homage to the national hero – President Ho Chi Minh who led the country to independence and reunification. The Mausoleum is located at Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh President read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945 establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Then take a short walk to the Presidential Palace and house on stilts.

Near from Ho Chi Minh complex, we visit to the One Pillar Pagoda (special with unique architecture of lotus flower) – a must-see place for tourists to Hanoi.

16:30 End the day with a fantastic water puppet show.

End the trip at your hotel at 17:45 or you can just say good bye to our escorters after the show for your free time discovering the city at night-time.

Overnight in Hanoi.

We start at 9.00 A.M for the 2.5 hours drive to Halong Bay (150 km) through highways connecting Hanoi – Hai Phong & Hai Phong – Ha Long Bay. Our destination is Halong bay – the most famous World Heritage Site in Vietnam, famous for its beautiful seascape, thousands of spectacular islands and islets jutting out from the sea, amazing caves with marvelous stalagmites and stalactites in different sizes and shapes.

11:30 – 12:00 Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed on board our luxury junk and treated with wine and fresh local seafood. As our junk gliding further into the tranquility of Ha Long Bay amid the towering mountain cliffs and on the emerald green water, you’ll have relaxing time combining the fine tastes of the wine and the freshness of Ha Long Bay. During the cruise, we’ll stop some times for visiting the amazing Sung Sot cave and the Ti Top white sand beach before anchoring for the night. Overnight on board the junk in the wild of Halong Bay.

It is said that your Vietnam Tours will not be complete without a tour to Halong Bay and spending one night on romantic Halong Cruise. People describe Halong Bay as majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious and words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is Halong Bay, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn from the hand of nature.

After breakfast, we’ll take a little sampan or kayak to visit a secret lagoon of Ha Long Bay while the surrounding mountains are just waking up. After that our cruise takes us further into the Bay of Bai Tu Long traveling past the Human Head Island, the Turtle Island, and the Duck Islet… to the studio site where the famous Indochine film was shot. Around noon, our junk travels back to the harbor, pick up and drive back to Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Free time at leisure for you to wrap up your memorable Vietnam Holiday until Vivutravel’s private guide will see you off at the airport with the sincere thanks for your travel to Vietnam and with Vivutravel. We hope that you have enjoyed your Vietnam trip and look forward to welcoming you back for your next Vietnam Tour, goodbye and see you again!!!