Vietnam – Unique Experience

Welcome to Hanoi – The Capital City of Vietnam!
Upon arrival, welcomed by the local tour guide and transferred to downtown to check in the hotel.
Have a short break to freshen up before gearing up the exploration.
Late afternoon, have an overall view of the capital by a “cyclo” visit, which will go through the fascinating network of narrow alleys and shop houses also known as ‘The 36 Streets’ – each street being named after the merchandise traditionally sold there, ranging from fabrics to crafts and from medicines to tombstones. Drop by at Ngoc Son Temple located on the Hoan Kiem Lake. 
Welcome dinner will be followed at the fine dining restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.

Note: check-in at the hotel is at 2pm. Early check in is subject to hotel availability.
Optional: Enjoy Water Puppet Show at Thang Long Theatre.
 

Have early breakfast or breakfast box prepared and check out.
At 06:30am, meet your tour guide and driver at hotel lobby to depart for Moc Chau. We make a stop at Thung Khe Pass to stretch the legs and take photos of spectacular landscape. Continue the journey, contemplate the beautiful scenery of mountains, valleys, and villages on the way. Moc Chau is also a favorite destination for the vast fields of white flowering choy during September or cherry blossom during December/January or plum blossom during March.
Upon arrival, have lunch at the local restaurant before starting the visit at Bach Long Glass Bridge (White Dragon). The glass-bottom bridge is with a total length of 633m, considered as the longest one in the world. It has 2 parts, one is spanned over two mountain peaks with a distance of 285m and the rest is the Glass Skywalk, a long running bridge on the cliffs. The bridge is applied 9D effect technology with 60 simulated visual and sound effects to increase visitors sense and feeling. From the bridge, you will appreciate the panoramic views, feeling completely immersed in the surrounding nature. 
After that, visit the heart-shape tea plantation, taking photos before driving to Hua Tat Village. Check in Homestay. Have an easy walk around the village. Hua Tat is a small and charm village blessed with cool weather, stunning scenery, lush gardens and forest. This place is home to H’mong community who are very hospitable and still trying to maintain their authentic traditional culture. During the walk, you will have chance to meet and chat with the local people, admire the beautiful landscape. Dinner and stay overnight at Homestay.
 

Get up early and enjoy the fresh air of the mountain area. Have breakfast then check out. Transfer to Mai Chau and start biking tour through narrow village path, see terraced rice paddies and small villages, discovering the natural beauty of the valley and encountering the culture of the ethnic minority Thai people on our visits to the Pom Coong village. Have lunch at the local restaurant or local family before driving to Pu Luong Nature Reserve.
Upon arrival, check in Pu Luong Retreat, tucked away on a hillside with the most stunning panoramic views in the area: magnificent mountain ranges, stunning rice terrae fields, scenic rivers… After that free time to explore the beautiful retreat, with its captivating panoramic views and tranquil setting. Your dinner will be served at the restaurant at your own cost. Enjoy the quiet night at the nature reserve.
 

Have a breakfast at the retreat before starting an active day exploring the reserve.
This is a great experience combining trek and cycling. We start to descend into the beautiful valley facing the Retreat, where you can walk around tumbling rice terraces. Then we will go along small paths shrouded in vegetation to slowly reveal a picturesque Uoi village at the base of a towering mountain. It is the only place offering the bird eyes view from the top of the pass.
Continue walking downhill to a local home, where you can take a bike to cycle around Lan village. Lặn is tranquil and famous for its embroidery craft-job. A small stream with water from far most mountains winds the houses creating a bunch of outdoor nature bathing places for villagers after long farming days and cycling through the rice paddies and village to village, hanging bridge to explore more the scenic landscapes surrounding. Stop for lunch at a local house or at the river banks with stunning views of bunches of water Wheel. You will end up at Hieu Village, and enjoy the Hieu waterfall, the only one in the reserve. Return to the bike parking place, where you will return to the Puluong retreat. Overnight in Pu Luong Retreat.
 

For leisure travelers we offer an interesting outdoor activity: bamboo rafting. Travel as a fisherman, cruise down a calm river on traditional bamboo rafts and watch local farming life on either side. This peaceful 30-minute way of floating through the Cham River is very unique and far from the previous experience of beautiful sceneries. You might join in with your own paddle and experiment with the daily jobs of the local fishermen. Do not forget to stop at Water Wheel area for the best photos. 
Check out the retreat and proceed to Ninh Binh. Upon arrival, check in Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh, a 5-star resort situated in Van Long Nature Reserve offering a tranquil and fresh atmosphere. It is as a green village with the Northern traditional architecture imbued with pure Vietnamese cultural space. Overnight in the resort.
 

Get up early to enjoy the fresh air of the green garden shrouded your lodging. After breakfast, take a short walk from your hotel to Van Long wharf to board traditional reed boats that will take us to the edge of the towering cliffs that rise up out of the water. From our vantage point among the reeds and lotus we hope to view the endangered Delacour’s Langur. This monkey clad in black and white is endemic to this region and we hope to observe them as they scamper up and down the limestone pinnacles and cliff faces. Numerous species of waterbirds are also protected at Van Long and we will look for several species of herons, bitterns and perhaps even an eagle or stork. 
After that transfer to Van Lam Village where we will board a rowing boat trip along Ngo Dong River through the paddy fields to visit Tam Coc (Three Grottos). Enjoy the scenic beauty of spectacular limestone karsts jut out from the green paddy fields reminding about Guilin (China) and Halong Bay of Vietnam, which gives this scenery the name “Halong-bay-on-land”. 
Afternoon, have a short drive to Bich Dong Pagoda which was built on mountain side featured by its unique architecture of perfect combination of ancient pagodas with cross-covered roofs, natural caves and majestic mountains. The Pagoda has three temples – Ha Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Thuong Pagoda named as their positions from the foot hill to the top of the mountain. Once you reach to Thuong Pagoda, you will be treated with a beautiful scenic view of the surrounding countryside. Return to Emeralda Ninh Binh for relax and overnight.
 

Breakfast at hotel. At 9am, head East for about 3 hours to Halong Bay, the pride of the Gulf of Tonkin, a Natural World Heritage as designated by UNESCO in 1994 and 2006. Upon arrival in Halong, check in the overnight cruise to discover the magnificent beauty of this “Descending-dragon” bay, created by thousands odd-shaped limestone rocks and karst grottoes. After a lunch on board, we can visit the Grottos, stop for swimming or kayaking, passing floating houses and approach islets to enjoy their beauty in close distance. Back to the cruise, enjoy cooking demonstration before having dinner. Evening attend activities on the boat or relax at your own leisure. Overnight on the cruise. 
Please note the program may be little varied upon the cruise you choose. 

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. Check out your room and have brunch on board while the cruise coming back the pier. Disembark from the cruise, transfer back to Hanoi. 
Upon arrival, visit Hoa Lo Prison, also known as Maison Centrale, well-known as one of the most inhuman prisons with terrified punishment. In this prison, you’ll see the horrified iron shackles and many artifacts and photographs of prisoners who are wearing leg chains. Prisoners often starved, tortured, are always beaten and isolated. Thereby, visitors can understand the spirit of the revolutionary soldiers and their sacrifice for their communist ideals. 
Continue visiting Ba Dinh Square where the most solemn ceremonies of Hanoi take place. We first visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (from outside) where is the last rest place of Ho Chi Minh President, we then visit One-Pillar pagoda nearby with unique architecture first built on 1049 by King Ly Thai Tong. Check in a day-use hotel to take a shower and have a short break. After that picked up and transferred to Hanoi Railway Station to embark on a night train to Hue. Overnight on the 4-berth compartment with AC. (SE19 @19:50-09:40)
 

Upon arrival in Hue, welcomed by the local tour guide and start the city tour.
Being recognized by UNESCO as the 1st Cultural World Heritage for Vietnam, Hue is highlighted by the old royal architectural works and the most traditional Vietnamese lifestyle. We will discover the charm of the city from the Royal Citadel, Forbidden City, Hue Royal Museum. Go on to visit Thien Mu pagoda, the iconic of Hue city.  Transfer to have lunch at the local restaurant then check in hotel after that.
After noon, continue the sightseeing to Mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang located on the west bank of Perfume River. Minh Mang tomb was built from 1840 and completed in 1843 with the effort of ten thousand workers and artisians. The Tomb offers a balance of nature and structures that is unmatched among tombs in Hue. The solemn and quiet architecture set in a poetic landscape demonstrates both the Emperor's strictness and deep beliefs. Visit Dong Ba Market where is considered as a paradise for snapshots of daily activities as well as for shopping with everything from souvenir items to Hue’s specilities. End of the day with a Royal Dinner served by the typical dishes of Hue. Overnight in Hue.

Early breakfast and check out. Transfer to Danang through Hai Van Pass (the “Ocean Cloudy Mountain Pass”), enjoy viewing the beauty of Lang Co Beach en route.
Visit Ba Na Hills for discovering this beautiful attraction in Da Nang city. You will take a cable car to the summit of mountain (at 1487m of sea level). Start visiting Ba Na Hill with many different attractions: Funicular, Debay ancient wine cellar & Le Jardin D’Amour, Linh Ung pagoda, Thich Ca Buddist statue, etc. 
This afternoon you continue to join activities and games in Fantasy Park. Later walk to the summit of the mountain at the height 1487m – the highest one of Ba Na Mountain, visit Bell Tower, Nghinh Phong tower and Golden Bridge, to take beautiful photos of the mountain and Da Nang city. Late afternoon, taking the cable car back to foothill. Drive to check in hotel by the beach in Danang. Overnight in Danang.
 

Breakfast at hotel then time at leisure until check out. Transfer to Hoian Ancient Town.
Afternoon, you take interesting walk over the tile-roofed Japanese Bridge, visit taciturn Chinese Assembly Halls, enjoy the attractiveness of ancient houses or listen to folk music of Central Vietnam at old club-houses. Later we can stop at shrines or stroll into the market located by Thu Bon river, where you may find the same feelings of the artists, who see the rooftops of Hoian a magical old world of Oriental feel and source of inspiration. This is also a wonderful town to shop for lanterns, soft silk, raw silk, or get your clothes tailored within a day. Evening, amaze the town lighten up with thousands of colorful lanterns and night market by the River. Dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight in Hoian.
 

After breakfast, 08:00Am picked up at your hotel then go to the market with the chef. You will be introduced the necessary ingredients for cooking class. 
Our guides will introduce to you the necessary ingredients for cooking classes. After buying the materials to prepare for lunch, move to Cam Thanh village by boat. You have a chance to contemplate the countryside beauty along the banks. Let's explore Cam Thanh coconut village. Rowing basket boat through these small and beautiful channels then experience the round net (traditional net) with the fisherman to catch the fish and the shrimp … After that, cook your lunch with the guidance of chef for 4 dishes. Enjoy your lunch prepared by you. 
Afternoon, participate in the lantern making class at a local family workshop.  With the guidance of the instructor, you can make your own complete lantern from crafting a bamboo frame to create your lantern, choosing between a range of different colored silks and designs. You of course will bring home your own product as a souvenir which can be folded up neatly in your suitcase. Transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Hoian.
 

Have breakfast at hotel. Check out then transfer to the airport to take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, picked up and transferred to visit Cu Chi Tunnels.
Cu Chi tunnels - the network of over 200km of tunnels became legendary when they played a vital role in the War. In their heyday, the tunnels were functioning underground cities including numerous trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers & kitchens. After a short introduction video showing how the tunnels were constructed, you will have a chance to crawl into a short section of the tunnels to feel the oppressive narrowness and heat inside. Return to downtown. Check in hotel. Dinner on the cruise on Saigon River, enjoy traditional folk music on board. Overnight in HCMC.
 

Morning, start the sightseeing to visit 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 are the Notre Dame Cathedral (view from outside only), built between 1877 and 1883 and colonial-styled Central Post Office, one of the city’s major landmarks. Coming to the War Remnants Museum, you can learn a part of how Vietnamese had struggled and fought for their independence, freedom, and peace of the nation and the locals' perspective of the Vietnam War. The exhibits, such as weapons, documents, and photographs, display in the museum are firm evidence of war crimes in Vietnam and speak for the heroic actions of the former Vietnamese generation. Then visit Ben Thanh market, a symbol of the City.
Afternoon, Afternoon is time to visit China town. You will have chance to see many famous places which have more than 100 years old. Thien Hau pagoda was built 200 years ago which is one of the most attractive Chinese pagoda in Saigon. We then enjoy the chaotic atmosphere by browsing the stalls at Binh Tay Market. 
Walking on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian and experience many interesting and entertaining activities shown by the local people, especially the young people. This is also the biggest street and one of the most luxurious and attractive street of the city. Overnight in HCMC. 
 

After breakfast, drive more than 2 hours to Tien Giang province where is famous with Cai Be Floating market. On arrival, embark on the  motor boats on Mekong River to visit Cai Be Floating market. Nowadays, Cai Be floating market is getting smaller every year since trade is shifting more and more into modern central markets. Yet the trip offers you the chance to view the daily life of the local people whose entire family live together in a small boat where is also the place to stuff their goods for trade. We will stop to visit a small family business to see how coconut candy and crispy rice popcorn are made. Then wander in small villages, visit fruit plantations, accompanied by traditional southern Vietnamese folk music. Afterwards, paddling through a series of small canals to experience the charm of the Upper Mekong Delta. Arrive in Tan Phong Island, the green pearl where you can enjoy yourself with the nature. Lunch time is a good chance to get closer with the local and you will learn how to prepare special Vietnamese dishes. Food is cooked by yourself, and fresh river food is served in the heart of the garden. Cycle in the village path through orchards. Meet the local islanders to learn more about the local daily life in the Mekong Delta. Afternoon, take the boat back to Cai Be then continue heading south to Can Tho City. Upon arrival, check in hotel. Time at leisure. Overnight in Can Tho.

Early in the morning, we will visit Cai Rang floating market to enjoy how the Mekong “boat people” come to markets on the river everyday for their daily trading, especially of tropical fruits and local specialties. Then come back to your hotel for the breakfast. 
Continue visit the tropical fruit plantation and local noodle factory. Visit Binh Thuy communal house and Munir Ansay Pagoda - a Khmer pagoda, renowned for its unique structure. Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City afternoon. Upon arrival, check in hotel. Time at leisure. Overnight in HCMC.
 

Breakfast at hotel. Your time at leisure until check out. Transfer to the airport to take the departure flight home.
Please note: Normal check-out time at hotel is 11:00/12:00. Late check-in is not included.