Vietnam In Depth

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Day 2: Hanoi city’s highlights – Lao Cai
Day 3: Lao Cai – Weekly ethnic market – Sa Pa
Day 4: Sa Pa
Day 5: Sa Pa – Hanoi 
Day 6: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Day 7: Ha Long Bay – Da Nang – Hoi An
Day 8: Hoi An
Day 9: Hoi An – Hue 
Day 10: Hue
Day 11: Hue – Ho Chi Minh City 
Day 12: Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City
Day 13: Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – Can Tho
Day 14: Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 15: Ho Chi Minh City Departure

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  DAY 1 |  2 h |300 km

  Hanoi arrival

  Welcome to Hanoi

  Take the evening to relax and feel out your new surroundings

  Overnight in Hanoi 

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  DAY 2

  Hanoi city’s highlights

  Wake up early, grab your cameras and head out to Hanoi’s biggest flower market in Quang Ba

  On your way back to the old centre, visit the banks of Truc Bach Lake filled with locals practicing Tai Chi or plaing badminton as a daily routine

  Continue to a local market to capture a lively buying and selling scene

  Skip breakfast at the hotel this morning and join the locals in the streets for a bowl of Pho

  Visit the Presidential Palace (formerly Palace of the Governor-General of French Indochina), Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilt and nearby One Pillar Pagoda.

  Afternoon visit to the Temple of Literature – dedicated to Confucius, was built in the 11th century. It was the first university in Vietnam and students still come here to burn incense

  Drive to Hanoi Center to explore the lively Old Quarter of Hanoi. This is a place you must see to experience Hanoi, where you will find shopping and cultural/historical sites all wrapped into one

  Transfer to the Hanoi Railway Station for the overnight train to Lao Cai 

  Overnight on train 

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  DAY 3

  Lao Cai – Weekly ethnic market – Sa Pa

  Arrive at Lao Cai Railway Station in the early morning.

  Take a drive along the winding mountainous road to visit a weekly ethnic market where Flower H’mong, Dzao, Tay and other ethnic people come surrounding regions in their colorful traditional costumes to sell their farming products and buy necessities.

  Continue on to Sa Pa town to overnight 

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  DAY 4

  Sa Pa

  Drive to Muong Hoa Valley and take a full day walk between villages of H’mong and Dzay ethnic minorities. Capture the beautiful mountainous landscape, terrace rice fields and local life

  Back to Sa Pa and climb up Ham Rong Mountain to have beautiful panoramic view of Sa Pa town

  Overnight in Sa Pa

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  DAY 5

  Sa Pa – Hanoi

  Today we’ll take the drive and walk to village of Red Dzao ethnic minority for more photos.

  After lunch take the drive back to Hanoi via Lao Cai Expressway.

  Overnight in Hanoi.

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  DAY 6 |  2 h |2 km

  Hanoi – Ha Long Bay

  Head out in the morning to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  Board a luxury Vietnamese sampan for an overnight boat cruise amongst the limestone islands rising majestically out of the turquoise bay. 

  End the day with a BBQ dinner aboard the boat

  Overnight on board

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  DAY 7

  Ha Long Bay – Da Nang – Hoi An

  Start your day with calming Tai Chi, often accompanied by an amazing sunrise and the quiet breath-taking beauty of Bay’s landscape

  Pass beautiful spots such as Trong, Trinh Nu and the Me Cung Caves, and get a chance to explore the Surprise Cave 

  Transfer back to Hanoi and on to the Noi Bai Airport for a short flight to Da Nang, a busy seaport in Central Vietnam. 

  Transfer to Hoi An, a World Heritage site designated by UNESCO in 1999

  Overnight in Hoi An

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  DAY 8

  Hoi An

  Start the day with a tour of a local farm and fishing community

  Jump on a bike to take in the local scenes 

  Head back to town to epxplore ancient streets of Hoi An, lined with Chinese traders’ homes and wooden houses reincarnated as restaurants, cafés, and outlets for local artists, craftsmen and tailors. Hoi An's unique fusion of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture is well displayed here, in what is arguably Vietnam's most tourist-friendly town

  Experience the old town as its streets come alive at night

  Overnight in Hoi An

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  DAY 9

  Hoi An – Hue

  Depart Hoi An for Hue in the morning

  En-route, stop at Cham Museum – houses a collection of stone scultures the Hindu-practing Cham Civilization

  Capture beautiful shots of Lang Co Lagoon and view of Da Nang the top of Hai Van Pass

  Continue to Tu Duc Tomb. Tu Duc began planning his tomb long before his death in 1883. The major portions of the tomb complex were completed 1864-67, along with future temple buildings that served as a palatial retreat for Tu Duc and his many wives during his lifetime

  Overnight in Hue

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  DAY 10

  Hue

  Take a tour of the Hue Imperial Citadel, recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. Explore the Imperial Citadel, closely modeled along the lines of the Forbidden City in Beijing 

  In the afternoon, head out to Thien Mu Pagoda, a nicely located pagoda overlooking the Perfume River and the beautiful landscape beyond. If you are lucky, you could observe the Pagoda’s praying ceremony and experience local religious life. Also, do not miss the stunning sunset on Perfume River

  Overnight in Hue

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  DAY 11

  Hue – Ho Chi Minh City

  Take the morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon – the most dynamic city of Vietnam where modern high-rise buildings sit next to ancient temples

  In the afternoon, follow in the footsteps of the novelists Graham Greene and see the sites in Saigon’s fabled District 1. 

  Start at the Reunification Palace, the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The Notre Dame Cathedral, built between 1877 and 1883, most materials for Saigon's Notre Dame Cathedral were imported France. Neo-Romanesque in form, it is a major centre of Catholicism in modern Vietnam, and one of the city’s major landmarks. Next to the cathedral stands the Saigon Post Office, a classic French colonial structure, is still a functioning post office today and features huge ceilings, a giant portrait of Uncle Ho, and many beautiful details. Continue along the former Rue Catinat to the Hotel Continental – famous the ‘Quiet American’ novel and film – and on to the Caravelle Hotel, home to many foreign reporters and secret agents during the Vietnam War

  Take in remarkable panoramic views of Ho Chi Minh City its highest building. At 68 floors, the Bitexco Building was opened in 2011and rises 262 meters into the sky. The eye-opening view the Skydeck gives you a sense of the vibrant city you will be exploring during your stay

  Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

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  DAY 12

  Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City

  Depart Ho Chi Minh City and head out to Cu Chi Tunnels. After an introductory video, viewing various mantraps, the remains of an American tank and numerous bomb craters, you will spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels to see how the Viet Cong survived in this underground network

  Back in Ho Chi Minh City, check out the Jade Emperor Temple. The Jade Emperor, heaven's gatekeeper, sits in the centre of this pagoda in an incense-filled room. Hidden chambers hold woodcarvings and altars depicting scenes Taoist and Buddhist myths. The pagoda is a photographer's paradise, with ribbons of aromatic incense smoke, robed monks, artfully carved figures, Buddha sculptures and a turtle pond. 

  Continue to the Chinatown of Cho Lon. Among the oldest and most interesting parts of Saigon, this is where the large Chinese community has been settled for centuries

  Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
   

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  DAY 13

  Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta

  Transfer to Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta. Set out on a boat trip on channels winding through coconut forest 

  Walk on village path and visit a farmer’s house and ride bicycles through village roads past rice fields, coconut groves and local houses. 

  Visit a tapioca cake workshop and a local Cao Dai temple, then cycle along riverside and back to your waiting vehicle for the drive to Can Tho.

  Overnight in Can Tho

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  DAY 14

  Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh City (B/L/D)

  Step onboard a boat to visit Cai Rang floating market. Take in the daily activities of the locals who live along the Mekong canals

  Visit the Binh Thuy Ancient House, a rare and well-preserved example in Can Tho City of a characteristic Mekong Delta house

  Return to Ho Chi Minh City for a night out on the town and overnight stay

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  DAY 15

  Ho Chi Minh City departure

  Spend the morning capturing the photos of the city in the early light

  End your trip here and on to your next adventure