Taste Of Vietnam Tour 16 Days

Day 01: Hanoi Arrival

Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport. You will be warmly welcomed by our guide and driver. Transfer to the hotel in about 35 minute drive. Check in and have a restful overnight stay at the hotel. If check-in is earlier in day time, then the rest of the day is at your own leisure.

Meal: None
Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 02: Free in the morning – Walking Tour in the afternoon – Foodie Tour

Free in the morning. In the afternoon you will take a private walking city tour to visit local markets and Hanoi’s Old Quarter, known for its 36 streets and former craft guilds. Then you will take Foodies Tour in the evening, you will have a great chance to enjoy special food on street of Hanoi old quarter, you have time to drink local Hanoi beer and wine. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meal: Breakfast, Dinner

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 03: Hanoi City Tour

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 Temple of Literature, peaceful West Lake “with “lovers’ street” Thanh Nien), the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda  and one of the city’s museums, either the History Museum or the Ethnology Museum. You will stay overnight in Hanoi.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 04: Hanoi – Pu Luong Retreat

Following breakfast you then will be transfer to Pu Luong Nature Reserve. AM: You enter Pu Luong Nature Reserve by road via a breathtaking mountain pass giving you a panoramic view of the whole valley. You arrive at your accommodation in time for a delicious lunch, followed by free time to explore the beautiful retreat, with its captivating panoramic views and tranquil setting.

PM: You will be transffed to a place, it about 12 km from the Retreat, where you will start your walk to suspension bridge over the Cham River, afterward you will walk follow the river, the landscape of the river, rice field and the village were widen in your eyes, walk from village to village in search of stunning water wheels. Get up close to each wheel and discover how water is moved from river to handmade bamboo aqueducts via simple constructions of all sizes.

Arriving at a local fisherman’s house, you have a short rest to gear up for the bamboo river rafting with Dinh and his team. Float along the calm river and enjoy the views, in between learning how to paddle and steer your handcrafted rafts. Arriving at scenic Tan Lap bridge, you disembark to be transferred back to Pu Luong Tree House for dinner.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 05: Pu Luong Nature Reserve Trekking

AM: Start early to descend into the beautiful valley facing the Retreat where you walk around tumbling rice terraces. Trek through small paths shrouded in vegetation to slowly reveal a picturesque village sitting at the base of a towering mountain. Your camera will not be able to sit still!

Continuing to the base of the valley, you weave between roads and farmland, villages and wild fields, ponds and rivers, mountains and open land. Savor the ever-changing scenery as you trek to a beautiful spot to enjoy a simple picnic lunch.

PM: After enjoying delicious food, you have take half day biking to Tom Village ( 15km – 3hrs).  Overnight in Pu Luong Tree House.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 06: Pu Luong – Ninh Binh

After breakfast at Pu Luong Retreat, you will leave Pu Luong for Ninh Binh to continue on your journey to visit the ancient capital of Hoa Lu – the capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, admire the architecture of the two temples dedicated to the kings of the Dinh and Le dynasties. Then, hop aboard a sampan boat to explore Trang An Complex (Halong Bay on land), enjoy the spectacular scenery whilst gliding along the river amongst rice paddies and ranges of the limestone mountains that tower above (2 hrs). You can cycle aroundpaddy field. Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 07: Ninh Binh – Halong Bay

After breakfast. You will be transferred to Halong and arrive the jetty around 12:15 p.m.

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, swimming on a quiet beach or sunbathing on the sundeck.

In the late afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with 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 row boat 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.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tour guide: English speaking guide on board

Day 08: Halong Bay – Danang – Hoi An

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 you will drive to Hanoi airport for flight to Danang. Upon arrival, pick up then transfer to hotel. Overnight in Hoian.

Meal: Brunch

Tour guide: English speaking guide on board

Day 09: Cooking Class – Hoi An Ancient Town

Have breakfast at your hotel,   you will have the chance to discover Hoi An Cuisine and practice to cook. Start the tour at 8:00 a.m, you first go to the market to choose fresh ingredients. You are guided by chef to cook. You enjoy a delicious feast of the dishes you created, and get to take a copy of the recipes home with you. The tour will ends at 3:30 P.M. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200-year-old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. And overnight in Hoi An.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 10: Hoi An – Danang – Hue

You will leave Hoi An for another World Heritage site, Hue, via the Hai Van pass. You will stop to visit the Marble Mountains and a handicraft village before arriving in Hue, where you will tour sites including the Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City,you will board a private traditional boat for a cruise on the romantic Perfume River. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded by ancient tombs of past emperors, some of which will be on the itinerary for the day. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day and is located at the convergence of rivers, which makes it an ideal place for a great view of the Perfume River and surrounding area. Overnight in Hue.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 11: Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park

At 7:00 am you will take a drive to Dong Hoi and then to Phong Nha- Ke Bang, one of the newest UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites in Vietnam. The park has some beautiful limestone formations, grottoes, caves, forests, rivers, and streams. The limestone mountain range contains the longest underground river on the planet (17km), as well as a wide array of flora and fauna.

Upon arrival, you will embark on a private boat on the Son River to discover it all. Then you will return to your hotel in Hue in the late afternoon.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 12: Hue – Ho Chi Minh – Saigon After Dark Tour

After breakfast at hotel, you will be transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival HCMC, you will be transferred to hotel for checkin.

After lunch. you will embark on a city tour of Saigon, including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, the War Remnants Museum and bustling Ben Thanh Market.

SAIGON AFTER DARK:

A foodie night out on the town.

This Saigon night tour is part night excursion, part street food adventure. Experience Saigon nightlife the way locals do, all from the back of a vintage Vespa scooter.

To start off this Saigon night tour, enjoy drinks at our Vespa-themed café, Café Zoom, to watch “as the world goes by” (as said in the Lonely Planet guide book). Throughout the night, try a variety of food and drinks at 2 local restaurants and samplings of Saigon’s best authentic local food. Zoom past the famous must-see sights of Ho Chi Minh City while in the bustling traffic. We’ll also go to a Vietnamese-style coffee shop with special live music, and then wrap up the evening at an exciting music bar where the new generation of Vietnamese unwind and flaunt their unique styles.

Guests ride pillion behind our drivers to enjoy and experience the Vietnamese nightlife with friends. This tour includes free flowing drinks and all you can eat, so come with an appetite!

Meal: Breakfast, Dinner

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 13: Mekong at a Glimpse on Cai Be Princess

Spend the day on the beautiful Cai Be Princess exploring the fascinating life on the Mekong River. Visit a floating market, a beautiful island and lunch at a superb Indochine restaurant, this trip is the ideal way to spend the day on the delta in style.

Our one day cruise excursion starts at 8:00 from the lobby of your hotel in Saigon with a drive to Cai Be – Phu An where we will board the Cai Be Princess at around 11.00 am. The tour will start with the visit of Cai Be colorful floating market. We will proceed by the visit of some local home factories such as rice paste making, rice pop corn, coco candies, and longans drying processing. The trip continues along the Mekong canals to Dong Hoa Hiep Island located between Vinh Long and Cai Be. During this 40 minutes cruise you will discover beautiful landscapes along the river and observe the typical Mekong delta rural life. Stops on the way can be made upon request for particular visits or photos making. These evergreen islands among the Mekong River still remain unknown to many people.

Lunch awaits you at Le Longanier restaurant at La Residence de Phu An resort, a superb Indochine style resort. After a short walk along a narrow canal, the excursion will end at around 3.30pm where the vehicle will await you for your transfer back to Saigon.

Meal: Breakfast, Dinner

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 14: Cu Chi Tunnel – Flight to Phu Quoc

After breakfast at hotel, you will drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which consist of more than 200 km 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.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport for flight to Phu Quoc. Upon arrival Phu Quoc, you will be greeted and transfer to hotel for check in and you are free at leisure. Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English speaking guide

Day 15: Phu Quoc Island – Free at leisure

Breakfast at hotel Free at leisure. And Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: None

Day 16: Phu Quoc – Ho Chi Minh – Departure

There is no activity planned for today so you are free until transfer to the airport for your flight back to Ho Chi Minh then connect your departure flight.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: None