Essential Vietnam

8 days 7 nights

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi

Day 2: Full day Hanoi city tour (B/L)

Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay (overnight on board) (B/L/D)

Day 4: Halong – Hanoi – Flight to Danang – Hoi An (B)

Day 5: Hoi An – Rural herbal village of Tra Que (B/L)

Day 6: Hoi An – Da Nang – Flight to Ho Chi Minh city (B)

Day 7: Full day Mekong Delta (B/L)

Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City – Departure transfer. (B)

Day 1. Arrival in Hanoi

Welcome to Vietnam! On your arrival at Hanoi airport, you will meet your tour guide/driver and travel to your hotel in the city center. Relax and explore Hanoi on your own.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2. Ha Noi city tour (breakfast/lunch)

Today you will explore the charming capital city of Hanoi visiting significant sites including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s traditional stilt house, Temple of Literature – the first university of Vietnam.

In the afternoon, you will visit Ethnology Museum (close on Monday) which offers an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam. After that, continue your day with a walk to the Old Quarter, named after the original 36 artisan guilds that date back to the 13th century, then stroll around the Hoan Kiem Lake area.

Finish the day with a traditional Water Puppet show, an art form which was invented a thousand years ago by the farmers of the Red River Delta area , that depicts scenes from the country’s history.

Head back to the hotel and enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 3. Ha Noi – Ha Long Bay (breakfast/lunch/dinner)

After breakfast, get into your private car for a three and a half hour drive to Halong Bay, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site dotted with 1,600 limestone islands and islets towering from emerald water. Around noon, you will arrive to the jetty and board a beautiful boat for an overnight cruise on Halong Bay.

In the afternoon enjoy various activities planned by the boat’s staff, or sit leisurely on the deck and enjoy the natural surroundings of limestone and sparkling water.

Lunch and dinner will be served on board with an excellent menu of fresh seafood.

Overnight on the bay amongst the karst formations.

Day 4. Ha Long Bay – Ha Noi airport – Flight to Da Nang – Hoi An (breakfast)

Wake up early to catch a stunning sunrise across the bay. Enjoy breakfast on board while the boat makes its way back to the pier. Arrive at the pier and meet your local guide to travel ahead to Noi Bai airport for a short flight to Da Nang.

Once you land a local guide will be there to pick you up and take you to the hotel in Hoi An, where you can spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 5. Hoi An – Rural herbal village of Tra Que (breakfast/lunch)

Spend the morning traveling to Hoi An’s countryside village of Tra Que, where you can join local farmers in picking herbs and other daily routines. Learn about their everyday lives while preparing traditional dishes together for lunch. At lunch, enjoy the village specialties: Tam Huu (small skewers of pork and prawns), various kinds of shrimps, pork and herbs, as well as other dishes of the region.

In the afternoon, free time to discover the old town or relax at sandy beaches. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 6. Hoi An – Da Nang – Flight to Ho Chi Minh city (breakfast)

In the morning you will fly to Ho Chi Minh City and settle into the hotel.

After lunch by own arrangement, leave the city behind with a ride to Cu Chi where  you have the chance to explore the tunnels of Cu Chi that were constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the French and American wars.

Return back to Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy the evening on your own. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 7. Ho Chi Minh city – Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh city (breakfast/lunch)

Leave the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City for a 2-hour journey to the Mekong Delta, known as the “Rice Bowl” of the country. Arrive at  Ben Tre Province and take a boat to see how locals live and work along the rivers’ edge. Pay a visit to local handicraft centres specialising sleep mats, bricks, rice paper and coconut candies.

Enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the city. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 8. Ho Chi Minh city – Departure (breakfast)

Discover Ho Chi Minh city with a half-day city tour of iconic colonial sights. Start with a visit to the Reunification Hall, one of the most recognizable icons of the city. Then wander your way through Ho Chi Minh’s colonial quarter where you can admire the colonial architecture of the stunning Opera house, Saigon Post Office, City Hall and more.

Free time until transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for your onward departure.

Inclusions services: 

• Hotel accommodation with daily breakfast
• Land transportation by private air-conditioned vehicles
• Experienced and skilled English-Speaking Guide
• All admission fee at attractions as mentioned in the itinerary.
• All meals as mentioned in the itinerary.
• Sharing cabins in Halong tour as mentioned in the itinerary.

Exclusions services: 

• Visa handling fee,visa stamping fee.
• Internal airfares in the tour (please refer to the airfare supplement)
• International airfare from/to Vietnam
• Any other meals not mentioned above.
• Any kind of drinks in meals
• All other services which are not mentioned in INCLUSIONS
• Early check-in and late check-out at all hotels
• Travel insurance in all kinds
• Personal expenses such as Bar, telephone, Laundry bills …
• Tipping/ Gratuities Guideline
• Any additional expenses caused by reasons beyond our control such as natural calamities (Typhoon, floods), flight delays, rescheduling or cancellations, any accidents, medical evacuations, riots, strikes etc.
• Surcharge for peak season/public holidays if any.