VIETNAM IN HONEYMOONERS’ EYES

Welcome to Hanoi - Vietnam!

Upon your arrival in Noi Bai Airport, picked up by our guide and transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day will be at your leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

Honeymoon set up will be prepared specially for your sweet honeymoon journey.

Please note: Standard check in time at hotel is 14:00. Early check in is subject to availability.

Breakfast at hotel. Morning, transfer to Ba Dinh Square – the biggest square in Hanoi where all the biggest cultural, political events of the cities, especially demonstrations, take place. Start our visit at the Complex of Ho Chi Minh including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside), Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts, his fish pond and the One-Pillar Pagoda. Then, visit Hoa Lo prison, also known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton".

Afternoon continue the trip to the Temple of Literature first which is considered as the first university of Vietnam. Later, we have an overall view of the capital by cyclo for 1 hour, which starts around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, stop to visit Ngoc Son Temple located on the Hoan Kiem Lake (the “Sword” Lake). From here wandering on the narrow streets of the Old Quarter to experience the daily life of the local people. Evening highlight will be the Water Puppet Show. Overnight in Hanoi.

Please note: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Mondays, Fridays and all the afternoons.

Breakfast at hotel. Early morning, picked up from your hotel and transferred to Tam Coc area. Upon arrival, start the journey by visiting a local family in Tam Coc. They are a traditional Vietnamese family with three generations living together. Here you will get the chance to see the house architecture and their daily life and their handicraft job of making traditional embroidery.

Option 1: You will take a bike and start riding to explore the rice fields and limestone mountains for about 1 hour with an 8 km unique route.

Option 2: Learn the traditional embroidery with the host family or joining a cooking demonstration.

11:30 Come back to the host family to enjoy a special lunch prepared by the home chef with the local cuisine featuring the yin-yang balance of the Asian culture. After lunch, a break with a cup of Vietnam green tea or coffee will be served before you continue the journey of discovery Tam Coc- the “Halong Bay on land”

13.30: Visit Tam Coc by a small boat rowed by a local for about 2 hours.  Known as “Halong Bay on land”, Tam Coc is the name of the limestone caves area stretching along Ngo Dong river. The boat trip is a nice journey along the river with the peaceful scenery of Limestone Mountains, rice paddy and the sight of some temples along the way. If traveling during harvest season, you may have chances to see the yellow rice carpet along the river banks.

15.30: Arrive at Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, visit the temple of King Dinh. Under the introduction of our local guide, you will get to know more about the Vietnamese history. Hoa Lu existed as the capital of Vietnam for 41 years (968 – 1009), of which 12 years was under the Dinh dynasty – King Dinh Tien Hoang, when country named Dai Co Viet.

16.30: Leave Tam Coc and drive straight back to Hanoi. Head to a mini hotel for a short rest before transferring to the station for your night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train (Private cabin).

Arrive at Lao Cai Station at 06.00, picked-up and transferred to Sapa by car (40km mountain road from Lao Cai). The mountain landscape of Sapa is magnificent and beautiful in both winter mist or green springtime. Stop at misty pinewoods, graceful terraced paddy fields and get lovely pictures of charming Hmong or Dzao girls we see on the mountainside. After arriving in Sapa, we will have breakfast at local restaurant, then leave your luggage at the hotel before hanging around with our guide to Sapa market, where we can meet the montagnards and admire their handicrafts made of wood, silver, or dyed and embroidered fabrics and clothes.

After that, start trekking to Lao Chai and Ta Van villages down in Muong Hoa valley. Enjoy the spectacular views of the beautiful valley towards Fansipan – the highest peak of Vietnam and Indochina. Trek through the villages of Black H’mong ethnic minority to learn the way people weaving and embroidering their clothes. Keep going down to enjoy colourful rice paddy fields and reach Ta Van village where the Dzay ethnic people inhabited. Late in the afternoon, picked up by private car to get back to Sapa for check-in. Rest of the day will be at your leisure to discover the town. Overnight in Sapa.

If today is Saturday, Sunday or Tuesday, nothing will be better than driving overland to a market of the hill tribal people, mainly from Flower Hmong ethnical group. Depending on the day, you can choose either Can Cau (Sat), Bac Ha (Sun) or Coc Ly (Tues).

Early morning we will drive toward Bac Ha, about 110km from Sapa. With a dozen of tribes living in the surroundings, including Flower Hmong, Chinese, Nhang, Dzao, Nung, Phu La, Thai and King (or Viet), the market is extremely exciting esp. in the early morning. The winding road to Bac Ha helps maintain the colours (in both literal and figurative sense) of the area.

The distance to Can Cau and Coc Ly from Bac Ha is 30 – 50km. In all these markets, we can meet hundreds of beautiful women from Flower Hmong tribe, who are famous for their wonderful craft and hand-made flowering clothes and textile fabrics, or intermingle with people from Black Hmong, Dzay, Dzao and other ethnic groups coming to the market not for purchasing stuffs, but for meeting and chatting – just once a week - like in a real cultural center. After lunchtime, we can hike around, following the mountain people to their villages for a visit, or take our car heading to further hamlets in Ban Pho, Trieu Cai, or Na Hoi. If we meet Coc Ly (the market on Tues) not in high water season, we can take a boat trip along Chay River, enjoying marvelous limestone range along the river and drop off to visit a big cave or a village of Hmong or Dzay people. Back to Lao Cai Station later afternoon for dinner and take the night train from Lao Cai to Hanoi. Overnight on train (Private cabin).

Upon arrival in Hanoi, picked up and transferred to a mini hotel for breakfast and a short rest.

At 08:00, we will drive to Halong - one of the earliest World Heritages Sited designated by UNESCO for Vietnam in 1994.

Check-in our boat and enjoy a lunch of fresh seafood while the boat goes about unusual seascape with thousands picturesque rocks and islets, beaches and hollow islands. We can stop to visit some karsts grottoes or just go swimming, or stop at a beach and enjoy the sunset on the sea. Lunch and dinner with local food on board. Overnight on the boat.

Honeymoon set up will be prepared specially for your sweet honeymoon journey.

Please note: Cruise program may vary depending on the cruise. You will have station English speaking guide on board!

You should wake up early to enjoy the dawn on the sea in the early morning. The Vietnamese call the “East Sea” by a point-oriented name “Eastern Sea”, so you may guess how miraculous seeing the sunrise over the islets of the Bay.

After breakfast our boat will continue to cruise in marvelous areas, where almost each islet has its own name, adopting its shape or reminiscent like Sail Island, Fisherman’s head rock, Butterfly rock or Turtle islet etc. Early lunch/brunch (local food) will be served on board. Disembark and transfer direct back to Hanoi, arrival Hanoi about 16:30. Rest of the day will be at your leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

Please note: Cruise program may vary depending on the cruise. You will have station English speaking guide on board!

Breakfast at hotel. We will go on to Noi Bai Airport for a short flight to Hue (airfare quoted separately).

Upon arrival, transfer and leave your luggage at your hotel.

Afternoon, visit the Hoian ancient town of Hoian including the tile-roofed Japanese Bridge, taciturn Chinese Assembly Halls and Trading Houses, Pagodas, and the market located by Thu Bon river. Go shopping in Hoian famous handicraft shops. Rest of the day will be at your leisure. Overnight in Hoian.

Breakfast at hotel. Our guide welcomes you at your hotel and starts to make a bicycle trip to the countryside of Hoi An Town. Riding on bike you can see the tranquil atmosphere of the countryside of Vietnam. Arrive at Tra Que Organic village, you have a walk through and visit the garden where local farmers work on their farm and use the traditional methods without having electrical machines support. Next, you are under the instruction of household; he will show you how to prepare and make the land, you fertilize green manure before growing vegetables. Watering the vegetables, which you have just grown, is the last activity in the procedure of planting them. After that, you pick fresh saw-tooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for your cooking lesson later.

You have about 20 minutes to relax by soaking your feet in Vietnamese herbs. This is one of the ways to refresh yourself after the hard time in garden. Then you can join with the family chef and learn the traditional ways in preparing and cooking local Vietnamese dishes. Have your lunch with the family after class. Afternoon back to your hotel and have rest of the day at your leisure. Overnight in Hoian.

Breakfast at hotel. Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Saigon (airfare quoted separately). Upon arrival, picked up and transferred to your hotel.

Afternoon, we start the city tour at the Reunification Palace, the witness of the fierce Vietnam War ended in 1975, the grand building today is a Museum and Hall of official receptions. Nearby the Palace is the colonial-styled Central Post Office - one of the city’s major landmarks.  Have a walking tour on Nguyen Hue street to take the photos of the Opera House (outside) and the Ho Chi Minh Committee (outside). From here, walking to Ben Thanh Market one of the most typical symbol of Saigon to experience the daily life of the locals and do shopping the hand-made goods there. Overnight in Saigon.

Breakfast at hotel. Morning, picked up at hotel and drive heading to My Tho the homeland of coconut and family factories with local products like coconut candy, rice paper,… Upon arrival, embark on the boat cruising on the mighty Mekong River viewing the life to the local people live along the banks. We stop at one of 4 island in the area for sightseeing. Enjoy the fresh tropical fruits served in the heart of the garden accompanied by traditional southern Vietnamese folk music at the plantation. After that you will embark on the small boats rowed the the local people thru the small cannels with water coconut tree to visit the local factories. There you will taste the honey tea and see the local people produce the coconut candy milk and of course you also can try it or stroll in the garden where the locals feed honeybee. After that enjoy the horse-cart trip through the tranquil road of the village. We continue getting on the big boat to visit the vast area.

Afternoon, drive back to Saigon with stop to visit Vinh Trang pagoda, a famous pogoda in the area that its architecture is a mix of Chinese, Cambodian, and French culture. Overnight in Saigon.

Breakfast at hotel. Morning, free at your leisure until transfer to the airport for your flight to Phu Quoc (airfare quoted separately). Upon arrival, picked up by the resort’s shuttle bus and transferred to your hotel to check in. Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Breakfast at hotel. Have the whole day today at your leisure. Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Breakfast at hotel. Have the whole day today at your leisure. Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Breakfast at hotel. Free until transfer to the airport by the resort’s shuttle bus for your departure flight to Saigon (airfare quoted separately), connecting your flight back home.

Please note: Standard check out time at hotel is 12:00. Late check out is not included.