Country Roads of Vietnam – 19 days

You’ll get to experience first-hand the beauty and diversity of Vietnam in this highlight tour from North to South. Start your trip with the classic northern loop of Hanoi, Sapa then go on an overnight cruise in Halong Bay, a UNESCO protected World Heritage Site, before heading south to the charming Hue & Hoi An. Compare the traditional capital of Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City; its bustling new-world counterpart in the South. Finish your trip at beautiful beaches of Phu Quoc islands.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Spend a day venturing through the city, taking in museums, markets and other colorful sights in Hanoi.
• Trekking around ethnic minority villages in Sapa
• A luxury cruise in Ha Long Bay
• A romantic escape in quaint Hoi An Town
• Enjoy the idyllic beach paradise of Phu Quoc Island
• Private boat trip on Mekong River to explore the surrounding floating markets and islands.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Day 2: Full Day Hanoi City Tour
Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay
Day 4: Halong Bay – Hanoi/Night train to Sapa
Day 5: Lao Cai – Can Cau Market – Bac Ha
Day 6: Bac Ha – Sapa
Day 7:  Y Linh Ho – Sapa/Night train to Hanoi
Day 8: Arrival Hanoi/Fly to Hue – Hue City Tour
Day 9: DMZ Tour
Day 10: Hue – Hoi An Ciy Tour
Day 11: Hoi An – Kim Bong Village – Tra Que Farm – Hoi An
Day 12: Hoi An – My Son – Hoi An
Day 13: Hoi An – Danang/Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 14: Cao Dai Temple – Cu Chi Tunnel
Day 15: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta – Can Tho
Day 16: Can Tho/Fly to Phu Quoc
Day 17: Phu Quoc
Day 18: Phu Quoc
Day 19: Fly to Ho Chi Minh City/Departure

DAY 1:        HANOI ARRIVAL (D)

Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to a hotel in Hanoi for relaxing and your welcome dinner.

Overnight in Hanoi.

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DAY 2:        FULL DAY HANOI CITY TOUR (B, L)

Depart your hotel to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum and One pillar pagoda) and the Tran Quoc Pagoda. Continue to the Temple of Literature, the first University in Vietnam dating back to the 16th century.

In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour through the Old Quarter will provide another fascinating insight into the character and history of the city, before moving on to Dong Xuan Market with its bustling stalls and brisk trading of day-to-day local goods. Finish the day with a traditional water puppet show.

Overnight in Hanoi.

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DAY 3:        HANOI – HALONG BAY (B, L, D)

After breakfast, transferred to Halong Bay. Arrive at Halong City at noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After your welcome onboard, a lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. A truly memorable experience awaits you as you cruise the delightful Bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities depending on each boat’s itinerary or just spend some time relaxing on board.

Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.

Overnight onboard Halong Bay.

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DAY 4:        HALONG BAY – HANOI/NIGHT TRAIN TO SAPA (BRUNCH)

Start your day with calming Tai Chi, enjoy the sunrise over the Bay and continue cruising. Enjoy the brunch on the way back to port, transfer to Hanoi. En route visit Thanh Chuong Palace, the home and studio of Thanh Chuong, of the most celebrated painters in Vietnam. More a living space than a museum, the Palace is an architectural gem showcasing Vietnamese traditional cultural objects, exquisite antiques and remarkable structures.

Continue driving to Hanoi, free time at leisure until transfer to the Railway Station for a night train to Sapa.

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DAY 5:        SAPA – CAN CAU MARKET – BAC HA (B, L, D)

Arrive in Lao Cai early morning. Our local team meets the group at the station before the transfer to a local restaurant in Lao Cai for a breakfast. Depart for Can Cau to explore its atmospheric market. The market has been in existence for many years and always a riot of colours, many different ethnic groups gather to buy and sell their livestock, fresh produce and traditional handicrafts.

Continue on to Bac Ha Town, approximately 2.5 hours’ drive east of Sapa and close to the Chinese border. The journey is an extremely interesting one as you drive through some stunning scenery and pass numerous minority hill tribe villages en route.

After checking in at your hotel the remainder of your day is at leisure to explore the town or walk to nearby hamlets.

Overnight in Bac Ha.

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DAY 6:        BAC HA – SAPA (B, L)

After breakfast, we explore Bac Ha town and colourful market which takes place every Sunday. This is an important weekly gathering of hill tribe and ethnic minority people and the most famous of all the markets in the region.

After lunch and refreshments, travel by road to Sapa town, taking time to stop at Thai Rang Pho to visit a school at the Hmong Village. Arriving in Sapa in the afternoon and check in to your hotel. The remainder of your day is at leisure.

Overnight in Sapa.

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DAY 7:        SAPA – Y LINH HO – SAPA/NIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI (B, L, D)

Morning drive to Y Linh Ho from where you will start your days trek with a walk into the Muong Hoa Valley below, passing through some of the stunning rice paddy terraces that the region is so well known for.

The total trekking time is likely to be three to four hours and throughout the morning the backdrop is breathtaking. You will stop at several spots that offer panoramic views of the valleys below and you are also likely to pass many H’mong people. Thanks to the linguistic skills of your guide, you will have the opportunity to interact with them and learn more about their way of life.

Having returned to Sapa for lunch, in the afternoon take a trail heading out of town. Passing through beautiful gardens and lush pine forests you will soon arrive at the Black H’mong ethnic minority village of Matra.

The late afternoon is at leisure in Sapa, with a late check-out arranged at your hotel, before your transfer to Lao Cai for the overnight train back to Hanoi.

Overnight on train.

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DAY 8:        ARRIVAL HANOI/FLY TO HUE – FULL DAY HUE CITY TOUR (B, L)

Continue driving to Hanoi Airport, then take a short flight to Hue. Arrival Hue, check in Hotel. After short refreshing time, we visit the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. From here take a cyclo through Dai Noi ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake where the Emperors used to come to relax. Continue to visit Thien Mu (Celestial Lady) Pagoda overlooking the Perfume River.

In the afternoon see the tomb of the former emperor Minh Mang which is located in a tranquil setting of gardens and ponds. Journey on to Khai Dinh’s Tomb which is traditional Vietnamese in design with a European touch making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.

Before heading back to your hotel take time to stroll around Dong Ba Market, a great place to catch a glimpse of everyday life.

Overnight in Hue.

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DAY 9:        DMZ TOUR (B, L)

After breakfast, drive north and stop at La Vang Cathedral (which despite its years of turmoil remains an important pilgrimage site for Vietnam’s Catholics). Carry on to what is left of Quang Tri Citadel, where in 1972 a fierce battle raged for 81 days, visit the museum where photographs, war remnants and artillery can be seen.

Continue up Highway 1 across the Hien Luong Bridge, and over the Ben Hai River which demarcated North and South Vietnam, this area saw some of the heaviest fighting during the war. Doc Mieu Firebase, which lies just north of here, played a pivotal role in the South’s defence and for a while, this was the command post for calling in airstrikes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The journey from here to Vinh Moc Tunnels is scenic after you leave the main highway, pass through quaint villages and skirt along Cua Tung Beach. The village of Vinh Moc found itself tragically positioned in one of the most heavily bombed areas of Vietnam.  In order to escape this bombardment, the villagers constructed approximately 2.8 km of underground tunnels which they used as a refuge to survive the bombings.  Three hundred people lived intermittently in the tunnels from 1966 to 1971.

From Vinh Moc drive to Truong Son National Cemetery where the remains of some 15,000 Vietnamese soldiers and civilians have been laid to rest, sadly many tombstones bear no name.

Overnight in Hue.

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DAY 10:    HUE – HOI AN (B, L)

Transfer to Hue via the Hai Van Pass and through the picturesque fishing village of Lang Co. Drive through Danang and visit the Cham museum which contains the finest collection of Cham sculptures in the world. Arrive Hoi An, check in hotel.

In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour around Hoi An ancient town and explore its treasures: the Japanese Bridge, Phuc Kien Pagoda, Phung Hung Old Merchant House, and Quang Dong Assembly Hall.

Overnight in Hoi An.

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DAY 11:    HOI AN – KIM BONG VILLAGE – TRA QUE FARM – HOI AN (B, L)

Take a morning boat journey along the Hoi An River to the village of Kim Bong. The village residents have long been famed for their carpentry skills. Disembark and enjoy a walk through the village, stopping to visit old Colonial houses, temples, several workshops and shops.

Crossing back to the mainland by boat, drive to the village of Tra Que to visit a farm where you can learn about the traditional gardening methods deployed by the residents of the region. Transfer back to Hoi An in the early afternoon where the remainder of your day is at leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An.

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DAY 12:    HOI AN – MY SON – HOI AN (B)

This morning we will visit the temple complex at My Son. Granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999 the tower-temples were the seat of the Champa Kingdom for the majority of its existence between the 4th and 13th centuries. In the late morning return to Hoi An Town. Your afternoon is at leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An.

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DAY 13:    HOI AN – DANANG/FLY TO HO CHI MINH CITY (B, L)

After breakfast, drive to Danang to take the morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to hotel, check in. 

In the afternoon, visit the Former Presidential Palace, the town’s center with the Notre Dame Cathedral, the City Hall, the Municipal Theater, Quan Am Pagoda, Cho Lon and China town. 

Finish the tour in fine style by heading up the Bitexco Tower, which is the city’s tallest building. Your guide will be happy to wait for a short while whilst you enjoy a stylish sundowner with breath-taking skyline views.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

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DAY 14:    CAO DAI TEMPLE – CU CHI TUNNEL (B, L)

Depart Ho Chi Minh City in the morning for the drive to Tay Ninh visit the Cao Dai Temple, a syncretistic, home-grown Vietnamese religion which incorporates aspects of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Catholicism. Construction of the Cao Dai Holy See began in 1933. It has a unique architectural style which reflect the roots of its blended traditions.

After lunch in a local restaurant visit the famous Cu Chi, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. The tunnels, over 250km in length and up to three levels deep in places, played a huge part in the Viet Cong’s victory over the Americans, allowing them to control a large rural area surrounding Ho Chi Minh City.

In the late afternoon journey back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

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DAY 15:    SAIGON – MEKONG DELTA – CAN THO (B, L)

This morning, leave bustling Ho Chi Minh City for the 2 hour drive to the delta town of Ben Tre. Board your local boat through small canals with beautiful tropical scenery. En-route visit the brick making factory, where the locals still use centuries-old traditional methods to make the bricks by hand then visit a small factory producing handicrafts made of coconut. Afterwards, take a ride on a horse driven cart along country roads, through the fruit plantation before enjoying lunch at riverside restaurant.

In the afternoon, enjoy a ride in a rowing boat along the palm creek before heading to Can Tho. Free evening at leisure.

Overnight in Can Tho

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DAY 16:    CAN THO/FLY TO PHU QUOC (B, L)

Wake up early for a boat cruise to the colorful Cai Rang floating market which bustles with wholesalers on big boats. Here, during the early morning market hours, larger sized boats anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The main items sold here are fruit and vegetables and every boat has a long upright pole at its bow from which samples of the goods for sale are hung. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even floating pho vendors.

After lunch, depart to Can Tho airport for a short flight to Phu Quoc. Upon arrival Phu Quoc, check in hotel. Free evening at leisure.

Overnight in Phu Quoc

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DAY 17:    PHU QUOC (B)

Your day is at leisure.

Overnight in Phu Quoc

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DAY 18:    PHU QUOC (B)

Your day is at leisure.

Overnight in Phu Quoc

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DAY 19:    PHU QUOC/FLY TO HO CHI MINH CITY – DEPARTURE (B)

Free day at leisure until transfer to Phu Quoc airport. Take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City airport for your departure flight.

SERVICE INCLUDED

• Shared accommodation in twin/double room with daily breakfast
• Tours as per itinerary with local speaking guide (NO guide on board Halong Bay)
• All transfers and transportation with air-con vehicles
• All entrance fees as program
• Train ticket: Hanoi-Laocai-Hanoi (soft sleeper bed, share cabin)
• Private boat trips in Mekong Delta
• Meals (B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner) as indicated in the program
• A bottle of mineral water per day tour

 
SERVICE EXCLUDED

• Drinks
• Mineral water beyond that supplied
• Tips
• Personal expenses and tips
• Visa to Vietnam
• Airfares (international and domestic)
• Meals (other than mentioned in the program)
• Airport taxes  
• Early check in or late check out
• Insurances
• Optional excursions and activities
• Additional transfer required due to any emergency situation
• Items of a personal nature (Phone calls, laundry, beverages…)
• Peak season surcharges if any
• All not mentioned above