Hours Before Start
Warmly welcome in Saigon – Vietnam’s largest city has an exciting buzz as millions of people rush around on their daily business. The tour guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight in hotel.
The morning, you will visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens.
Come back to Sai Gon, you will have a half day tour Saigon including The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, Remnant War Museum and Ben Thanh market – to discover the fruitful ingredients and fresh fruit in Saigon. Discover Vietnam southern cuisine with the street food here with special dish likes Saigon sandwich, kinds of noodle (Hu Tieu, Bun Thit Nuong, Com Tam Sai Gon…). Overnight in hotel.
Depart Saigon for Ben Tre, the gateway to the Mekong delta. Upon arrival, get a boat trip round Ben Tre River, explore the waterways and stop off at some home factories to see how the local make brick, salt, coconut, mat. Take to motor cart (xe loi) passing through rice fields, fruit and vegetable farms. Stop at one of local family to enjoy the lunch with Mekong specialties. In the afternoon, take a rowing boat a long water palm creek. Continue to Vinh Long for homestay – a unique opportunity to experience the local culture and cuisine. Prepare the dinner with the host to understand more about the traditional southern cuisine. Overnight in Vinh Long.
Start your morning with Cai Be floating market, cruising among local barges with full of fruits and vegetables… After that, come back Saigon for your flight to Danang. Upon arrival in Danang, the tour guide will pick you up and transfer to Hoi An. Check in hotel and overnight in hotel.
Today, you will have the experience of working and living with the local farmer in Tra Que village – one of famous vegetable village in Hoi An. You will cycle to the village with your guide.
A short stroll will take you around the vegetable garden and then you can join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seaweed from the local lake. Following steps are raking the ground, sowing, watering, picking vegetables and many other gardening activities. After all these activities, you will take a short rest and enjoy foot bath before getting to preparing lunch with a local family. Your lunch will consist of many local delicacies including ‘Tam Huu” spring roll, Banh xeo or local pancake of people in Vietnam middle region. You can join the cooking with the chef on these meals. After your morning excursions and your lunch, you will take a Vietnamese traditional post-prandial nap before learning how to harvest and wrap the vegetables.
Afternoon, visit Hoi An Old Quarter with ancient households, and touches of Japanese, Chinese and Thai styles in the building designs. Historic sites of Phuc Kien Communal House, Tan Ky ancient commercial house, the iconic Japanese Bridge (featured on the 20,000 Vietnam Dong note) or Phung Hung Ancient Trading House. Overnight in hotel.
This morning, you leave Hoi An for Hue. On the way, you will have chance to the fascinating Cham Museum and Marble Mountain en route to charming Hoi An. On road, crossing Hai Van Pass where you will have magnificent view of the sea. Stop at Lang Co to have break. Arrive Hue, check in hotel and overnight in hotel.
Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of the past emperors, and with Orient style – those tombs almost located near the bank of Hue’s river – Perfume River. In the morning, take boat trip along the scenic Perfume River for sightseeing and next stop will be the famous Thien Mu pagoda and Ming Mang Emperor’s mausoleum.
Afternoon, continue to visit the Citadel, containing the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Emperor’s private residence. The Imperial City, created in the 19th century and modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing. You also to visit one garden house – the unique feature of Hue. The houses are traditional, privately owned, and set in attractive formal gardens. You can feel the Hue traditional architecture associated with the natural environment. Special dinner with Hue Royal meal. Your overnight will be in Hue.
Free time. Transfer to airport for the flight to Ha Noi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, pick up and transfer to your hotel. The afternoon, start discovery the food or North of Vietnam with cooking class. After 30 minutes of purchasing ingredients and exploring local culture at the market, we will come to our class kitchen and get ready for the cooking class. Our Chef, who has a strong passion for Vietnamese traditional food and rich cooking experience, will introduce you to the basic principles of each course and how to make Vietnamese food. You will have an opportunity to learn and make your own Vietnamese dishes like Vietnamese Salad, Fried Spring rolls, Cha Ca La Vong, and stir-fried vegetables. After you finish the meal, you will have a chance to learn how to make a cup of Vietnamese traditional green tea, a very special, tasty, and delicate drink of the Hanoians. Transfer to hotel and overnight in hotel.
Having breakfast at hotel then start a full day city tour in Hanoi. Visit the Mausoleum and the stilt house garden, the final resting place of the Vietnam national hero, President Ho Chi Minh, where he lived off and on from 1958 to 1969. Leave the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and then come to visit the Temple of Literature, which was concerned as the very first university in Vietnam where worship was offered to Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, the main platform of social morals and culture throughout many feudal dynasties in Vietnam.
After lunch, continue the trip to explore the Ethnology Museum to learn more about the diversity in ethnic communities of Vietnam. Leave the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnology; a bus will take you to the Hoa Lo Prison Relic, one of the five scariest places in Southeast Asia. You will see how the French tortured political prisoners and the efforts of Vietnamese political prisoners during their stay here, as well as American pilots who had been shot down from 1964 to 1973, who called this prison “Hanoi Hilton Hotel”. McCain, a U.S. senator, was also detained here until 1973. Visit such as Hoan Kiem Lake and join-in Water Puppet Show. Overnight in hotel.
Enjoy your breakfast at your hotel. Our driver will pick you up for the journey to Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. The name Hạ Long means “descending dragon”. Arrive Ha Long, you board a cruise for discovery the natural wonders with the bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. After lunch, check -in your cabin. Then the captain will find a secluded spot where you can swim, soak up the sun on the top deck, or try your hand at kayaking. Come back to cruise, join the exciting cooking on the sundeck (or in the restaurant, depending on the weather). Don’t miss out on the stunning view of the sunset over the enchanting Halong Bay from the sundeck of the boat. Savor the delicious dinner in the restaurant. Overnight on cruise.
Rejuvenate the body and the mind with a refreshing Tai Chi lesson during sunrise on the deck. Light breakfast is served in the restaurant while the boat cruises towards to visit famous Caves that is millions of years. Back to the boat and check out. The vessel cruises leisurely back to harbor. Brunch being served in the restaurant. Disembark from boat. Transfer to Ha Noi. Check in and overnight in hotel.
You have free time for shopping or relaxation before your departure flight. End of the trip.
