Wonderful Vietnam

Today, escaping from the high-rise hotels, shopping malls and chic restaurants of Ho Chi Minh City, we drive to My Tho – home of paddy fields, thick orchards and canals. Upon arriving, we embark on a private boat to explore the vast Mekong River. You will take a tour around the floating market, Fish Quay along the waterway to Turtle Island, a beautiful island full of orchards. Here we can enjoy a variety of fresh tropical fruits while listening to traditional South Vietnamese folk songs performed by local artists. We then visit a coconut candy workshop before taking a short horse cart ride to visit a Bee Farm where we try some honey tea, taste local confectionery. Moving on, we will have a short rowing sampan boat ride along the water coconut shady canal to our main boat to head to Phoenix Island – the lonely bastion of Coconut Monk. Here we enjoy lunch of local cuisines with scrumptious Elephant Ear fish before returning to the harbor. Driver to Can Tho for overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take a leisure boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong River (Bassac River) then visit to Cai Rang floating market which is the liveliest one in the whole of region.
Walking trip to visit the fruit plantation and local noodle factory.
Visit Binh Thuy communal house and Munir Ansay Pagoda – a Khmer pagoda, renowned for its unique structure.
Have lunch and return to Ho Chi Minh City.

In the morning, depart from Saigon and drive through peaceful countryside to get Cu Chi tunnel. We then spend the next hours discovering the fascinating underground tunnels where the Viet Cong stayed and mount surprise attacks. Our guide will introduce you various mantraps and the remains of an American tank as well as numerous bomb craters made by B52 bombers. Cu Chi was really a former battlefield. Afterwards, we head back to Ho Chi Minh city.

After lunch, take a half day city tour of Saigon highlights. This half day tour features the Notre Dame Cathedral church built between 1877 and 1883 and it is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture.Another example of French colonial architecture and also the country’s largest post office is the nearby Old Saigon Post Office. We then move on to visit the Reunification Palace one of the most important buildings in the city. Here on April 30th 1975 the ‘American War’ officially ended when tank number 843 of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of what was, at the time the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam. After that, we continue our trip at War Remnants Museum which is formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, a poignant display of the uselessness of war.

Transfer to internal flight to Danang. Upon arrival, meet our driver and transfer to Hoi An.

Afternoon, we have a half day discovering Hoi An town. Hoi An was a prosperous international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab merchants from the 16th to 18th centuries. These businessmen came primarily to trade in the high grade silk, which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics. Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, famous for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerous cafes.Many buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century. Enjoy a half-day tour on foot through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter and then visit Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200- year old Tan Ky ancestral house and the Japanese covered Bridge. Enjoy an overnight in Hoian.

Today brings you to a close-up and intimate exposure to both the local farming and fishing communities. Accompanied by your tour guide, you commence the day leisurely cycling along country roads witnessing local Vietnamese rural life first hand, discovering all manner of photo opportunities – coming and visiting a beautiful organic vegetable village, watering and planting vegetable, hoeing a soil with local farmer, riding a water buffalo in a rice paddy field; seeing ducks swimming along the rice farm or farmers tending their crops. The photo opportunities are endless. As well you will experience the friendliness of the local people greeting you along the way. Later you will board our boat for a river cruise to meet and engage with local fishermen and enjoy a hands-on experience of traditional net fishing. You will also experience paddling the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boat while the waterways of coconut palm paradise. This tour provides you with a cultural window into the ways of life of both our farming and fishing communities.

Breakfast is at the hotel, then transfer to internal flight to Hanoi. Upon arriving in Hanoi, our tour guide will meet you at the airport and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is time at leisure.

Breakfast is at the hotel,
08:30 Am: Our guide and driver pick you up at the hotel lobby for a full day exploring Hanoi. The first destination is the most highlights of Hanoi, which is Ho Chi Minh Complex including Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, His House-on-Stilts, One Pillar pagoda…

We continue our tour by visiting the Temple of Literature – a temple to Confucius, this is well-known as Vietnam’s first University built in the tenth century.

Lunch today is a special local dish called Pho bo Hanoi or Hanoi Noodle soup with beef at the most famous Pho eatery and another dish is Bun Cha Hanoi in English is Noodle with grilled pork. This delicious dish is served with Hanoi flavorful spring roll.

After lunch time you enjoy a drive out to the outskirt of Hanoi to visit Museum of Ethnology where you can not only study about the history of Vietnam’s ethnic groups but also South East Asia’s. It is well-known as one of the ten most interesting museums in Asia voted by viewers of Tripadvisor.com.

Next, we will head back to Hanoi’s centre to visit Ngoc Son Temple situated in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Then enjoy an hour Cyclo trip around Hoan Kiem lake and the Old Quarter which is known as the 36 streets and guilds with ancient buildings and narrow streets. From these streets, thousands of traditional things have been sold for hundreds years. Every street was named according to the specific thing the businesses living there sell, for example Silver Street, Rice Street, Shoes street, etc.

After breakfast, we start Vietnam Experience Tour today by transfer to Halong Bay – designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site since 1994. Traveling through the scenic fertile Red River Delta countryside, we get to Ha Long Bay by noon. The natural world heritage site Ha Long Bay is truly one of the most impressive scenery that should not be missed if someone ever comes to the north.

Upon arrival at Ha Long, we embark on cruise for an exploration of the legendary Ha Long Bay. This exciting hours cruise passing by the evocatively shaped islets will provide us a fantastic view of the picturesque scenery blending with the sky and some 3,000 limestone islands and islets rising amazingly from the clear and emerald water. Enjoy a Sea food lunch while you cruising through the bay.

Arrival in Van Gia floating fishing village, take rowing boat through the village or kayaking to visiting around the floating fishing village. Visiting Ha Long Pearl Farm Village, and Swimming in the bay.

Back the cruise and relax, free fresh fruits are served. You’ll join cooking class guided directly by Chef of the Cruise. You have chance to practice Vietnamese traditional dishes such as spring roll or famous cuisine of Vietnam.

After time for dinner enjoying special BBQ seafood on the cruise, you will be free for evening entertainments: play game on the cruise: cards game, chess, karaoke, squid fishing, and overnight on the Cruise.

Wake up in the morning to the calming sound of the waves crashing on the nearby islands, enjoy Tai Chi lesson on sundeck. Enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning and relax. Sitting on the upper deck, you can enjoy the breath – taking beauty of the rocky Islands rising from the crystal-clear waters of the Bay. The quiet is almost eerie; in summer you can hear birds singing, even that cicadas chirping ashore and the gentle lapping of the waves against our boat, the perfect soundtrack to accompany the fresh air and gentle breeze.

Arrive Sung Sot Cave (Amazing Cave) and joining with guide to visiting and explore the cave.

Our boat start cruising back and brunch buffet will be served on the way. Check out and arrive at the harbor by 11:30. You get back on our car and go back to Hanoi.

Today you are free at leisure until being transferred to Hanoi airport for boarding your flight back to home. Trip end!