Day 1: Hanoi arrival
Arrival at Hanoi airport, welcome by Vietnam Evasion driver, then transfer to the hotel.
The rest of the day is free for rest and personal discovery at your own pace.
Our hotel is located in the heart of the old quarter in the center which allows us to stroll easily for a complete change of scenery by immersing us in the lively and populous streets.
Night at hotel
Day 2: Hanoi (B)
After breakfast, we visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum where the father of the nation is buried and the One Pillar Pagoda.
Let's continue by the Temple of Literature, the first national university, where we discover the Mandarin competition and Confucianism.
Then, the Ethnography Museum (closed every Monday) which presents the traditions, cultures and traditional dress of the 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam. This visit gives us a general overview of the peoples in Vietnam before seeing them in reality in the mountains
A walk in the streets of old Hanoi lined with small typical houses with lively activities that allows to see the daily life of the locals.
Attend the water puppet show, a typical art born in the 11th century in the Red River Delta.
Night at hotel
Day 3: Hanoi – Ninh Binh (B, L)
Morning transfer to Ninh Binh.
Visit of the Dinh and Le dynastic temples at the ancient capital of Hoa Lu.
Then, we embark on a small rowing boat (1h30 of boat) to discover the exceptional place Tam Coc. We pass under the successive tunnels carved by the passage of water. Fairy-like atmosphere in the middle of the peaks and limestone sugar loaf, a natural landscape made of karst mountains overhanging a sublime aquatic landscape.
Then, bike ride through the small local path through villages, between rice fields and a limestone forest around Tam Coc to Hai Nham and Thung Nham, stop to visit the Thai Vi temple.
Night at hotel
Day 4: Ninh Binh – Halong Bay cruise (B, L, D)
Departure in the morning for Halong Bay.
Arrival around 12:30 pm, boarding on a comfortable traditional junk for an extraodinary excursion to the splendid Halong Bay.
Lunch is served on board while the junk sails along the turquoise water in the paradisiacal setting with its 1969 islands and islets, "sugar loafs and peaks" of all shapes and sizes emerging from the emerald water surface in an area of 1553 km².
During the cruise, we make a stop to take a sampan ride around a floating fishing village.
In the late afternoon, the boat drops anchor to spend the night in the bay. It is then possible to take a bath in the middle of the sea or to rest on the upper deck.
Dinner is taken on the junk in the middle of the idyllic landscape.
Night on board
Day 5: Halong - Hanoi – Flight to Hue (B, L)
Continuation of the cruise in the middle of thousands of karst mountains in a paradisiacal setting.
Visit of a cave from where we have a magnificent view.
And then the junk starts to sail slowly towards the pier. The return cruise allows us to discover other corners of the bay.
Early lunch in the form of Brunch.
Around 11 am, disembarkation.
Transfer to Hanoi airport, flight to Hue, welcome by our driver on arrival, transfer to the hotel.
Night at hotel
Day 6: Hue (B, L)
Full day escape from Hue, former capital of Vietnam where the Nguyen dynasty ruled from 1802 to 1945.
Its monuments were recognized by Unesco as World Heritage in 1993.
Visit of the Imperial Citadel which was the witness of the great historical events of the country, the reflection of the imperial life. The architectural complex we visit: South Gate, Palace of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden Purple City, The Mieu Temple, 9 dynastic urns...
Visit of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts
Around noon, we propose you to taste Hue's specialties: banh it, banh bao, banh nam, chao tom, bot loc... in a family restaurant and frequented by the locals.
Then the Nam Giao mound where the sovereigns came to make sacrifice to the Heaven and the Earth
Visit of a small conical hat factory.
And then, visit the mausoleum of King Tu Duc, with traditional style in harmony with nature, the 2nd residence of the king and the mausoleum of King Minh Mang, one of the most surprising architectural constructions of the imperial tombs.
Night at hotel
Day 7: Hue - Hoi An (B, L)
Excursion by traditional boat on the Perfume River, stop at the Thien Mu pagoda (pagoda of the Celestial Lady), built in 1601 and symbol of the city of Hue, then continue to Thuy Bieu village, known by the grapefruit gardens.
A bicycle ride in the village will allow you to discover the life of the people.
Back to Thuy Bieu village for the water massage with medicinal plants.
And then, we follow a cooking class under chef's information.
Lunch with self-made dishes.
Then transfer to Hoi An.
Arrival at the end of the day.
Rest of the time at leisure
At nightfall, with the lanterns lit up, Hoi An offers a different face that should certainly not be missed.
So we have to go for dinner and then walk in the old town. The streets are illuminated by thousands of lanterns hanging on the windows and trees. The river that runs along the city is covered with floating candles and the Japanese bridge is also surrounded by bright colors. We are like in another world.
Night at hotel
Day 8: Hoi An (B)
Morning visit of the city:
Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, Hoi An, formerly called Faifo, was a very active port where Chinese and Japanese had their quarters. Portuguese, Dutch and French merchants came to trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its architecture remains unchanged and continues to defy time.
We visit the old houses, the Japanese covered bridge, the Chinese temples, the market.
Afternoon: we propose another authentic discovery in the back country:
Bike ride in the countryside between rice fields to Tra Que herbal village, a charming village which is less than 3 km from Hoi An city center, then continue by the local path to the surrounding villages. Let's continue to drive on a small dike road and towards the fresh water coconut reserve of Bay Mau.
We take a one hour boat ride between the coconut trees. We are now in the middle of a typical "Mekong Delta" atmosphere. Surprising.
And then we participate in crab fishing.
The rest of the time is free to relax on the beach at your own pace.
Night at hotel
Day 9: Hoi An – Da Nang - Flight to Sai Gon (B)
Free time until transfer to Da Nang airport, flight to Sai Gon, welcome by our driver on arrival, transfer to hotel.
Rest of the time free for your personal discoveries at your own pace.
Night at hotel
Day 10: Sai Gon – Cu Chi Tunnels – Sai Gon (B)
Transfer to the suburbs of Sai Gon, visit the Cu Chi tunnel network which played a great role in the Vietnam war. They are located northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, about 40 kilometers away. They were dug in the late 1940s by determined but under-equipped fighters against French and then American forces with artillery, bombers and chemical weapons.
Stretching over some 40 kilometers, these tunnels allowed Viet Cong-controlled areas to communicate with each other when they were isolated in American or South Vietnamese areas.
They also served as shelters for the population during air attacks.
Return to Sai Gon.
Visit of the Central Post Office built by Gustave Eiffel, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Fito Museum (of traditional medicine), and the War Remnants Museum.
Night at hotel
Day 11: Sai Gon – Cai Be - Can Tho (B, L)
Transfer to Cai Be in the Mekong River, Mother River, where we start the moving adventure in this amazing world half-terrestrial, half-aquatic.
Board a boat for a cruise on the Mekong River observing the river activities.
The boat then heads towards the workshops of local products (candies, coconut sweets, rice cakes and popcorn, rice alcohol, honey tea) and enter the small canals of the delta covered with green vegetation.
Visit a large orchard where we taste exotic fruits.
In the afternoon, board the boat and continue the cruise to Vinh Long where we meet our driver to drive us to Can Tho.
Visit of the ancient Binh Thuy house
Night at hotel
Day 12: Can Tho - Sai Gon (B)
Early in the morning, we take the boat to participate in the Cai Rang floating market, the largest and most lively floating market in the Mekong Delta. The setting is beautiful: hundreds of motorized sampans filled with rice, fruits, and handicrafts gather to trade and sell. We leave the market, then take a bike ride on the small local road to meet the people, discover their daily life and visit a large orchard where we taste exotic fruits.
Bike ride (1h30-2h) in the countryside through typical villages, outside the traditional circuits to discover the landscape, the local daily life and contacts with people.
Return to Sai Gon
Night at hotel
Day 13: Sai Gon – Return Flight (B)
Free time until our driver transfers you to the airport for your return flight.
