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DAY 1: ARRIVE HANOI – CITY TOUR (D)
You will be warmly welcomed upon arrival at Hanoi airport and transferred.
The post-colonial capital city of Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, numerous lakes, pagodas, and temples. This full-day tour takes you around Hanoi’s most interesting sights, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his Stilt House, the Presidential Palace, and the One Pillar Pagoda nearby. Also on the tour will be the Lake of the Restored Sword, Ngoc Son Temple, the Temple of Literature, peaceful West Lake “with “lovers’ street” Thanh Nien), the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda, Quan Thanh Temple and tenjoy a water puppet performance before a welcome dinner at a local restaurant and an overnight stay in Hanoi.
8.30 am: You will be greeted at the hotel and travel west of Hanoi to do a tour of Duong Lam village, a purely agricultural village of the Northern Red River delta that still preserves many hundred-year-old houses. We will start a walking tour around the village.
First, pay a visit to an ancient house and have a cup of green tea with a local family with three generations who have witnessed all the history of the village.
Secondly, visit Mia Pagoda, which was built in 15 15th century, and admire 287 statues of all sizes, along with famous sculptures such as the statue of Buddha in the Himalayas and the statues of the Eight Vajra Deities.
Next, have a teatime with an old man who takes care of Giang Van Minh worship house to learn about Vietnamese education in the old days. Then we walked around the village to learn more about the locals’ daily life.
It will be a unique experience as you walk along tiny ancient alleys where many hundred-year-old houses are still preserved. Next, I will get to the oldest house, which is over 300 years old, to take part in a mini cooking class to make a local speciality, Che Lam, and enjoy lunch with authentic local food on this UNESCO Site.
In the afternoon, you will have a bicycle ride of about 5 kilometres around this peaceful rural area to discover the daily life and farming works of Vietnamese peasants. We will continue riding to see the two King temples of Phung Hung and Ngo Quyen.
Note: If you can’t take a bike ride, we can take a car ride instead.
In the afternoon, we say goodbye to Duong Lam Village and drive back to Hanoi around 4.00 pm to finish an unforgettable tour in Vietnam.
Today, you leave Hanoi for Halong Bay (a World Natural Heritage site) via the Red River Delta. Upon arrival, you will set out on a junk cruise on the bay while lunch is served. You will pass through the magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons’ teeth. After lunch, you will take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay, swim on a quiet beach, or sunbathe on the sundeck. In the late afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village and have an opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. At sunset, you can kayak or simply take a bamboo rowboat to discover a water tunnel with many coral reefs in a scenic lagoon. Back on board, you can enjoy watching the peaceful sunset and later unwind at a restaurant. You will stay overnight onboard.
You’ll wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves and birds welcoming the new day. You will have an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay and, after breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto. You will have a walk back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Then, transfer to the airport for the flight to Hue
On arrival in Hue, have dinner at the royal meal. Check-in at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, we will take a boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, which is the oldest pagoda in Hue. We continue to visit the Imperial Citadel, the home of Vietnam’s last royal dynasty – the Nguyen Dynasty (including the Flag Tower, Noon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, and Forbidden Purple City). Lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we’ll visit the tomb of King Tu Duc (built from 1864-1867), which is considered one of the most beautiful, picturesque, and largest works of architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty’s royal palaces and tombs. Continue driving to the Conical Hat Village, we’ll spend about 20 minutes visiting and seeing local people make conical hats. Return to the hotel. In the evening, enjoy Hue’s traditional music on the boat. Overnight in Hue.
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart Hue for Danang across the Hai Van Pass (Pass of the Ocean Clouds), passing through many pretty, red-tiled villages with fruit orchards, enjoying spectacular views of sky and sea. Upon arrival in Danang, transfer to visit Cham Museum, continue to pass Marble Mountain and Non Nuoc beach, and then drive to Hoi An. Lunch at a local restaurant. Walking tour in Hoi An – Discover the historic town, which used to be a prosperous seaport city during the 16th to 18th centuries. Its sizeable community of foreign merchants resulted in a unique architectural style with Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese influences. We will visit the former merchants’ houses, the Chinese Temple & Pagoda, the Museum of History, the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, and the colorful market. Check into the hotel. Overnight in Hoi An.
Tra Que is a charming little village on the edge of Hoi An. The village is famous for its sweet scented and fresh vegetables that spice up the daily meals of Hoi An people: Cao Lau and Quang noodles. Come here, you will have a chance to discover the art of cultivating and watering plants, tasting and doing a cooking class with local dishes.
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer by bus to Tra Que village. You will be welcomed and introduced to the history of the village. Take a bicycle ride around the vegetable garden and join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing with seaweed from the local lake. Continue doing some next steps such as raking the ground, sowing, watering greens, picking greens, and many more gardening activities. Spend the rest of the morning working the land in an honored way before having a break to prepare lunch with Chef. Your lunch consists of many local delicacies including” tam huu” spring roll, ‘banh xeo’ or local pancake.
After lunch, we will return to Hoi An for a bit of free time. Overnight in Hoi An.
After breakfast, proceed to Cam Thanh Coconut Village. During the Vietnam War, Cam Thanh was the shelter of the locals and soldiers. Now, it is more like a cultural experience tour for travelers in which you can learn about the craft and art of coconuts. Peace is all you get right after your arrival here. Cam Thanh offers a tranquil atmosphere with green shades of coconut forest and beautiful rivers. While paddling on the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boat, you can enjoy the peaceful coconut-palm-flanked waterways of a past war. Lunch at a local restaurant.
You will then leave Hoi An for Danang Airport to take a one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
In the afternoon, you will embark on a city tour of HCMC (Saigon), including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, and bustling Ben Thanh Market. You will stay overnight in HCMC.
This morning, you will drive to Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh. Cao Dai Holy See Temple is the cathedral of the Cao Daism religion and home of the Divine Eye, the official symbol of this unique religion. Cao Dai followers worship Jesus Christ, Confucius, Taoism, and Buddha. You will also be able to observe the midday service.
Following lunch, you will drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which consist of more than 200km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers, and kitchens. Today, the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction, giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life was like during the U.S.-Vietnam War. You will stay overnight in HCMC.
The Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam and is often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam as it produces three crops of rice per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers.
You will leave HCMC to lush My Tho, where you will board a private boat to go through the green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where guests are treated to a delicious lunch in a local restaurant in the heart of the Mekong, complete with succulent tropical fruits. You also visit the snake farm, Dong Tam, that breeds snakes, among other things, for snake wine. Then, you will head back to HCMC for an overnight stay.
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll transfer to the airport for a flight to Siem Reap.
Chum Reap Sour! Welcome to Siem Reap, the center of Angkor!
Upon arrival, you will be met by an English Tour Guide at the Siem Reap airport.
Start your first visit to Royal Residence & Royal Garden & the Copper Statue of Angkorian Warriors and the nearby of the Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine for pray luck. Then, stop at Wat Bo, the oldest pagoda, which contains unique wall paintings of the Reamker (Ramayana).
Then proceed to the hotel for check-in. In the evening, enjoy dinner together with a 1-hour shopping trip in the Angkor Night Market & stroll along Pub Street.
Overnight in Siem Reap at your selected hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Start the temple excursion by entering the South Gate of Angkor Thom Temple and marvel at the wonders of the eerie Bayon, Baphoun, Phimeanakas, the Elephants terrace, and the terrace of Leper King. Before lunch, visit the Ta Prohm Temple. The photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the surroundings of the jungle have made it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with many visitors.
Lunch at a local restaurant. (by own)
In the afternoon, visit the famous Angkor Wat, built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. It is believed to have been built as a temple & mausoleum for the King at the peak of the Khmer empire. Enjoy visiting the temple till sundown.
In the evening, we proceed to have dinner together with an APSARA Dance Show at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Siem Reap at your selected hotel.
Visitor Code of Conduct for Temple Visit:
• Dress Code: Revealing clothes such as shorts and skirts above the knees and showing bare shoulders are prohibited in scary places. Respectful dress is strongly encouraged in Angkor.
• Smoking Cigarettes inside the temple is prohibited.
• The Bakan Tower (Central Tower) of Angkor Wat Temple always closes on Buddhist Sabath Days, the Buddhist religious days (four days a month). You cannot climb up the tower.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Spend your last day visiting Banteay Srey, meaning “citadel of the women” or “citadel of beauty”. People speculate that this is due to its miniature scale, the pink colour of the limestone, and the elaborate decorative carvings of many devatas (minor female deities) that grace its walls. Stop at Preah Dak Village to learn about how the sugar palm and palm juice are made in traditional style. Have lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, visit Roluos Group, the first major capital of the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire.
It has become known as the ‘Roluos Group’ due to its proximity to the modern town of Roluos. Roluos Group contains the brick temple of:
Return to the hotel for refresh then heading to dinner in local restaurant.
Overnight in Siem Reap at your selected hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Chum Reap Lear! Free at leisure till transfer to the airport for the departure flight with sweet memory.
