Highlights Of Vietnam

Explore the bustling streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, with its small shops and charming cafés, in traditional cycle established themselves in this area as far as the 13^th century. For example, Pho Hang Gai translates to “ Silk Street” and silk products are still sold here. In addition to loyalty made handicrafts, you will also find all manners of goods, herbal medicines, plumbing supplies, wooden carvings and boxes, textiles, rice papers, greetings cards and much more. Visit Dong Xuan market , a spice and produce market where you will see locals shoppings as well as many of the city’s chefs picking over the best of what is available and forming their daily menus on the spot. In the late afternoon, you will experience a traditional water puppet show in Hanoi before being transferred to the station to take the night train to Lao Cai.

Today, you will commence your full day walk by a transfer to a trekking point near Thanh Kim. From here you start the walk on a small trail running downhill towards Thanh Phu suspension bridge set over the beautiful Muong Hoa River. The walk is through the rice paddy terraces, hill sides and you have many opportunities to enjoy magnificent view of the valley and encounter with some animals like water buffalos, goats or mountain pigs, which belong to the nearby Tay and Red Dao minorities, but are living their wide life. You will then have lunch on a top of a hill with magnificent view over Ban Ho valley or in a local house near Thanh Phu Bridge. After lunch you will walk along Muong Hoa River to Ban Ho village, inhabited by Tay minority people. Ban Ho is situated in the large picturesque valley on both banks of Muong Hoa River. Here you will experience the daily activities of the villagers before having a transfer back to Sapa. Enjoy some free time to relax at the hotel or independently explore the town and local.

Meet your local guide in the lobby for your afternoon touring. Another of Sapa’s most beautiful must-see sites is Heaven’s Gate, Vietnam’s Highest stretch of road, located on the provincial border. From this vantage point you’ll enjoy spectacular valley and mountain views. Visit Ta Phin village, thirty minutes from Sapa. Taphin is inhabited by ethnic Red Dzao, and here you can experience rich cultural exchange through home visits, guided village tours, mountain walks, observing field work and interacting with locals. Taphin has a whealth of traditional craftspeople and here you can pick up intricately embroidered clothing or locally-made silver jewelry. Head to the train station for the overnight return trip to Hanoi.

Arrive Hanoi early in the morning, you will be met by your local guide for your private over-land transfer to Halong Bay. Board your junk and commence cruising through the picturesque landscape of Halong Bay. Cruise through the islands and explore their secrets. Some of the island are hollow caves and grottoes, and floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 spicies of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. You may choose to jump into the bay and swim, relax on the sundeck, or head for happy hours at the bar. For a thrill, jump off the boat’s sprow into the cool, clear waters of Halong Bay. Cruise to a secluded bay, where your junk will dock for the night.

Enjoy the early morning sun as your junk cruises through extraordinary shaped islands with evocative names such as Poem Mountain, Teapot island and Man’ s head islet. At around 10:30, disembark and meet your guide at the dock for your private transfer to the airport for taking a flight to Hue. Upon arrival, independently collect your luggage then head to the arrivals hall where your guide will be holding a signboard with your name on it. Private transfer to the city center. Check in to your hotel and enjoy your evening at leisure. Overnight in Hue.

Though Hue’s glory days were extinguished as the imperial capital of Vietnam in 1945, many architectural and cultural relics of the imperial era have been assiduously preserved. The city’s regal past can still be seen inside the walls of the Citadel and the Imperial City. Spend the day exploring the Citadel, now a UNESCO World Heritage site before enjoying a sunset cruise on the Perfume River to visit royal tombs of Minh Mang, and Khai Dinh. The first stop will be the Imperial Citadel. Construction began in 1804 and it took more than 30 years to build. Built in the same mold as the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, the Imperial City was Hue’s administrative center and served as the center of the country’s administration until the capital was moved. Enjoy your private cruise along the Perfume River. The opulently named Perfumed River (known locally as Song Huong or Huong Giang) flows through the city. In the autumn, flowers from orchards upriver from Hue fall into the water, giving the river a perfume-like aroma. Visit the Thien Mu pagoda. This is one of the most famous religious spot in Hue for the local people. Enjoy the scenery as wel as quiet atmosphere of this hidden corner of Hue. The leisurely boat ride will reveals many of the most ornate mausoleums of the Nguyen Dynasty such as the tombs of Minh Mang and Khai Dinh. Although different in design, all of the tombs contain three unifying elements which include a temple, a high stone tower with details of the emperor’s reign and a compound that enclosed the tomb. Many of these mausoleums resemble palaces because they also served as the temporary residences of the emperor during their reign. Continue your private overland transfer on the Hai Van pass to Hoian. The pass offers the stunning views of bowl-shaped Danang Bay. The Pass forms the obvious boundary between North and South Vietnam. Stop over to see the fortifications built by the French and then later used by the South Vietnamese and the Americans. Check in to your hotel in Hoian and enjoy your evening at leisure. Overnight in Hoian.

Drive into the countryside to a local farming community, enjoying scene of verdan rice paddies and grazing water buffalos. Arrive at Tra Que village and take a walk through the herb garden with your guide to learn about the culture, history, cooking and herbal remedies of the herbs grown here. The local fertilization method famously involves algae from a nearby lake, and the town’s many farms are among Hoian ‘s most important sources of food. Explore the remarkable confluence of cultures that make Hoian such a unique city. The entire Ancient Town area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese aesthetic blend together in area’s architecture, reflecting hundreds of years of town’s cultural and economic history. Visit the Japanese Covered Bridge. The best known structure in the city was constructed by the Japanese merchants living in Hoian in the mid-sixteenth century. Visit Old House of Phung Hung, a mixture of Chinese and Japanese styles. Support by 80 columns, it is a good example of the distinctive Hoian-style yin-and-yang roof tiles. Visit the Sa Huynh culture Museum. Located on Tran Phu street, the museum, houses crucial and revealing relics of the Sa Huynh culture, a pre-historic Bronze Age civilization centered in Vietnam, and more particularly in the central region of the country near the cost. End up your day with your leisurely cruise on the Thu Bon river. One of your stop will be Thanh Ha, a pottery village. Mainly made of clay, the majority of pottery produced is used for the village’s daily needs. These include flower vases, tea pots, wine bottles, water jars, kettles, cooking pots and ornamental home decorations. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Hoian.

Hoian is a dreamy old Southeast Asian trading port, renowned for its timeworn merchant’s homes, grid of riverfront streets, and Chinese Assembly halls. The town consequently ossified and now ranks as the best preserved port of a bygone era in Southeast Asia, prompting UNESCO in 1999 to inscribe the site on its World Heritage List. As a suggestion head down to Hoi An’s Cua Dai Beach with its stunning stretch of long white sands, crystal clear waters and island views or visit the local tailors in Hoian Old Town. Visitors come from all over the world to have clothing custom tailored in Hoian. Some shops offer a wide variety of high quality fabrics and the tailors are masters at this detailed craft. Visit these shops to see the exquisite fabrics and if you wish, have a garment custom made. In the evening, stroll through the colorful night market bustling with family-run food stalls, cafés, boutiques, and lantern shops. Once the sun goes down, colorful lanterns are lit and lively festivities such as local performances and street food vendors can be found in town. Overnight in Hoian

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up for a drive ( about 2.5 hours) to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an interconnecting network of subterranean passageway used by Communists during the Vietnam war to evade American Force. The complex system of underground tunnels contained innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. You will have the opportunity to climb into the tunnels your selfe, entering through a secret hatch in the ground and crawling through enlarge tunnels, experiencing first-hand what life was like for their habitants. Return back to Ho Chi Minh city. Enjoy a guided touring to Cholon or Saigon’ China town which is also the largest China Town in Vietnam. While in Cho Lon, visit some China Town’s religious sites, which include places to worship ChinCrossing the Mekong on the way to Cai Rang Floating Market, you'll take in traditional sights such as rice barges, wooden ship building yards and even fruit drying along the Mekong's banks. After paying a visit to the colourful floating market check-out and disembark before the return to Ho Chi Minh City. You might want to make a visit to some other sites such as Cha Tam, one small Catholic Cathedral; Thien Hau temple which pays homage to a special psychic lady who was said to be able to predict the weather and protect sailors; Cholon Mosque, built by Tamil Muslims in 1932. The mosque has served the Malaysian and Indonesian communities of Saigon since 1975. End up your day in Ben Thanh market where you can find everything that the Saigon eat, wear, and use; vegetables, dried fruit, meats, spices, clothing, tobacco, suits, jewelry, handicrafts, souvenirs and much more. Return to your hotel. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Depart in the morning from bustling Ho Chi Minh City for the 2-hour drive to the Delta town of Cai Be. Upon arrival, board a small wooden boat for the day’s cruise along the Delta. Start the journey by passing by Cai Be’s floating market, once a busy place to trade fruits and vegetables and nowadays a quieter market. Continue our cruise to a cottage factory where ‘pop-rice’, rice paper and coconut candies are made. Return to the boat for the cruise to Tan Phong Island, admiring the scenery and daily life along the way. Lunch will be served in the local Mekong style offering specialties of the area. Return to Ho Chi Minh City later in the afternoon and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.