COMPREHENSIVE DISCOVER OF VIETNAM 18 DAYS

Day 1 : Ho Chi Minh - Arrival (D)
Welcome at Tan Son Nhat international airport. Check in hotel. Free at own leisure.

Day 2 : Ho Chi Minh city tour (L/D)
Starting our trip by taking a short orientation tour of Ho Chi Minh to visit the highlights War Remnants Museum, the Renufication Palace, The Notre Dame, the General Post Office and Vinh Nghiem pagoda, the final stop will be Ben Thanh Market where you can “shop until you drop” with variety of goods and souvenirs. Dinner shall be a feast on boat with traditional Vietnamese cuisine while cruising along Saigon river to enjoy the magnificent scenery of Ho Chi Minh City by night. Free at own leisure

Day 3 : Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi Tunnels - Tay Ninh (L/D)
After breakfast at hotel, depart for Tay Ninh province (around 100 km away from Saigon) to visit Ba Den Mountain, a famous complex of cultural and historical sites and beauty spots. One other famous attraction that can be missed when traveling to Tay Ninh is Cao Dai Temple, a complex of Great Temple, Chanh Mon Gate, four towers and Mother-of-Buddha Temple. The province also is base of revolution of South Vietnam during resistance against the Americans. Have lunch. on the way back to Ho Chi Minh city, we will visit Cu Chi tunnels. Start exploring the underground tunnel system of over 200 km long, all were dug by Communist soldiers during Vietnam War. Transfer back to Ho Chi Minh city. Have dinner. It’s your free time to explore this bustling city by night.

Day 4 : Ho Chi Minh – My Tho – Ho Chi Minh (L/D)
After breakfast at hotel, we will proceed ahead to My Tho, the heat of the Mekong delta, famous for its vast rice fields and beautiful landscapes.. We then embark for a lovely boat trip on Mekong river to Thoi Son Island where local handicrafts and sweets from coconut are being produced. Enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and traditional live music of Mekong Delta. Visit a typical local house to taste home-made honey tea. Take a cruise along the canals by small sampan boats. Also visit famous Vinh Trang pagoda which structure is a mixture of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Angkor (Cambodian) architectural styles. The pagoda consists of 5 buildings, 2 ornamental yards, and 178 pillars. Have lunch at a local restaurant with specialities of Mekong Delta. Return to Sai Gon, visit ancient Chinatown, Thien Hau pagoda. Have dinner.

Day 5 : Ho Chi Minh – Da Lat (L/D)
Transfer to Da Lat from Saigon (about 6 hours). Stop at Tam Chau restaurant (Bao Loc) for lunch. Upon arrival, check in hotel. Dinner. Overnight in Da Lat.

Day 6 : Da Lat Hiking (B/L/D)
Breakfast at hotel. Visit Buddhist meditation Monastery, Bao Dai’s summer palace. Afterwards we will start our hiking up to the top of Lang Biang mountain, you can take the jeep (extra paying). Then we will visit Lat minority village with their handicrafts and Long House. This will be a very good chance to understand more about the Space of Gong culture in the central Highlands of Vietnam which was recognized by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage . You can dance out around the camping fire with minority people, share their specialities such as barbecue, Can wine.Overnight in Da Lat.

Day 7 : Da Lat - Nha Trang (B/L/D)
Ealry breakfast at hotel. Visit famous traditional Embroidery X.Q. Transfer to Nha Trang (about 5 hours). Sightseeing stopover: Cham Tower (excl of entrance fees). Hotel check in upon arrival. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 8: Nha Trang diving (B/L/D)
Breakfast at hotel. Star our amazing tour with Mun Island where you can have scuba diving or snorkeling to explore the world of coral and underwater plants. Come back to Con Se Tre restaurant for having seafood lunch on Bamboo island. Relax & swim on your own time. On the way back to the shore, make a short visit to fishing village to see the fresh shrimp, zoo groupers, sea crab raised in floating cages. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 9 : Nha Trang - Danang - Hoi An (B/L/D)
Take early morning flight to Da Nang. Meet up you guide at Da Nang Airport. Drive to Holly Lland My Son – The Lost City - Wolrd Cultural Heritage. Afterwards proceed to Hoi An, take a cyclo tour around Hoi An ancient city – another World Cultural Heritage recognized by UNESCO in 1999, visit famous Japanese Bridge which was built by Japanese in the early 15th century. Have dinner with Hoi An specialities. Overnight in ancient Hoi An will be a very interesting experience as you can wander around and enjoy as much as you can in antique coffee shops and popular food stands.

Day 10 : Hoi An – Tra Que Organic Village - Cooking Class (B/L)
Early breakfast at hotel, we start our one day cooking tour. We will visit Tra Que Organic Village and walk through the market gardens where local farmers working on their fields using traditional methods of hundreds of years ago. We pick some fresh vegetables to prepare for our lunch today. After shopping for ingredients at local village market, we will drive to Red Bridge restaurant to learn cooking Vietnamese food with the Chef. After class we sit down and enjoy the dishes we have prepared. Come back to hotel. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 11 : Hoi An - Hue (B/L/D)
Breakfast at hotel, driving to Hue through magnificent Hai Van mountain pass. Have lunch at a local restaurant in Hue. Start exploring historic Hue with Imperial Citadel, an ancient citadel recognized by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage. The citadel was the imperial capital from 1802-1945 for the Nguyen Dynasty. We will also tour the Forbidden Purple City inside the Citadel. Keep on visiting ancient Tomb of famous King Minh Mang. Have dinner with Hue special cuisine while enjoying Hue traditional music – also World Cultural Heritage. Overnight in Hue.

Day 12 : Hue – Ha Noi – Water Puppet Show (B/L/D)
Breakfast at hotel, transfering to airport for the flight to Hanoi. Meet up with your guide at Noi Bai Airport . Start our half – day city tour with Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, and traditional stilt house in Ho Chi Minh Museum. One - Pillar Pagoda, a typical Vietnamese place of worship. Transfer to hotel, check in and take a rest. In the evening we will have dinner at a local restaurant and then enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Show . Overnight in the Ha Noi.

Ben duoc, Cu Chi

Day 13 : Hanoi – Perfume Pagoda – Sapa ( B/L/D)
The Perfume Pagoda is one of the highlights of the Hanoi area and one of the most important religious sites in Buddhist Vietnam. Every spring, after the Vietnamese New Year, thousands of Vietnamese pilgrims come here to pray for all the health and prosperity they need to get them through the year.
After breakfast, we will depart Hanoi at early morning, drive through the picturesque countryside and back roads to the village of Duc for some refreshments before boarding our boat along the scenic Yen River. After this we will walk to the Thien Tru Pagoda (Heavens Kitchen) and the Perfume Cave and Pagoda - an hours walk in total. On our way back we visit Giai Oan and Tuyet Son Pagodas. Lunch will be at one of the little food stalls near Thien Tru Pagoda. After lunch the boat will take us back to our bus for the drive back to Hanoi. Tonight we board the night train to Sapa. Overnight on train with soft bed sleeper.

Day 14 : Sapa – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van homestay with Zay minority: (B/L/D)
Upon arrival Sapa, we will have breakfast and start our adventure by trekking down to the south east of Sapa alongside Muong hoa valley to Y Linh Ho village of the Black H’Mong, then keep walking down to Lao Chai village and have lunch. After lunch, we will continue our trekking to Ta Van of the Zay People where we spend our night at. Dinner with a local family, it’s a worthy chance for you to get to know the local houses full up their daily life styles and specific custom.

Day 15 : Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai Village (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we will continue to trek in Ta Van and down hill to Giang Ta Chai village where Red Dao ethnic people live. Finish trekking at the main road where our coach will pick you up and drive you back to Sapa. Have lunch, free at own leisure until time for driving to Lao Cai station for the night train back to Ha Noi

Day 16 : Hanoi – Halong with kayaking ( B, L, D)
Early breakfast at hotel and start our journey with four-hour drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long City. After arriving Halong City we will get on board to have one day cruise around magnificent Ha Long Bay which will give us the chance to take in the stunning scenery of this World Heritage Site. While on board we will be served a sumptuous fresh, local seafood lunch followed by a swim and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. When the sun comes down we drop anchor for the night nearby a remote island.

Day 17 : Halong – Hanoi (B/L)
Rising to the sound of ocean coming to life for another lovely day. We will enjoy breakfast over sunrise. Then get off board for transfering back to Ha Noi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 18 : Hanoi - Departure (B)
Breakfast, free & easy till transfer to airport for the flight home.