VIETNAM ESSENTIAL MIT SAPA

Welcome to Hanoi – Vietnam!
Upon your arrival, the tour guide and driver will be welcoming you at Noi Bai airport; it takes us 35 minutes driving to the centre of Hanoi to checkin. 
Afternoon, have an orientation tour  by a “cyclo” visit, which starts at the Old Quarter, stopping at Ngoc Son Temple located on Hoan Kiem Lake (the “Sword” Lake). Overnight in Hanoi.
 

Breakfast at hotel. Let’s start our city tour at Ho Chi Minh Complex, visit his house-on-stilts, One Pillar Pagoda, and Ba Dinh square - the biggest square in Hanoi where all biggest cultural, political events of the cities take palce. Then visit Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton Museum) - one of the prisons where American pilots who had been shot down and captured were kept as prisoners of war. Continue to Temple of Literature, the 1st university in Vietnam and Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the most oldest temple in Hanoi nestled on the bank of West lake. Have a stop at the Ethology Museum - one of the largest Museums in Vietnam with 2 exhibition areas - inside and outside. Visiting this Museum will bring you the knowledge about the Ethnic groups in Vietnam and their cultures. Lastly, enjoy a unique fascinating show of Water Puppetry, a traditional stage art of Northern Vietnam that no one should miss while visiting Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi. 
Please note Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum closes on Monday and Friday; Ethology Museum closes on Monday.

Have breakfast at hotel and check out. From Hanoi, at 8AM, head East for more than 3 hours to Halong Bay, the pride of the Gulf of Tonkin, a Natural World Heritage as designated by UNESCO in 1994. The road will pass by the Red River delta with green paddyfields and rural villages, where hard-work farmers are busy with their farming jobs, ploughing buffaloes or planting seedling. Upon arrival in Halong, we’ll take a big boat to cruise the Bay to discover the magnificent beauty of this “Descending-dragon” bay, created by thousands odd-shaped limestone rocks and karst grottoes. After a lunch of fresh seafood on board, we can visit the Surprising Grotto, stop for swimming or kayaking, passing floating villages and approach islets to enjoy their beauty in close distance. Back to the boat for dinner late afternoon. Evening attend activities on the boat or relax at your own leisure. Overnight on the boat near Titov Beach. 
Please note: The program may be little varied upon the cruise you choose. Only Vietnamese & International food available on the boat. Depending on the cruise, kayak will be included or not.

The day starts early onboard with Tai Chi session on the sundeck. Tai Chi combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow and gentle movements. Catch morning view of seascape while having breakfast. Then visit by boat to Luon Cave, a ring-shaped pool inside an island in Halong with absolutely tranquil landscape and emerald water. Enjoy your brunch while crusing back to the pier. Relaxing on the sundeck enjoying the bay scenery while approaching the pier. Say goodbye to the cruise and transfer back to Hanoi, drop off at Hanoi airport for departure flight to Hue. Upon arrival in Hue, pick up and transfer to check in hotel. Overnight in Hue.

Breakfast at hotel. This morning, we will explore the old capital city of Hue before Hanoi took its role as the Capital nowadays. Being recognized by UNESCO as the 1st Cultural World Heritage for Vietnam, Hue is highlighted by the old royal architectural works and the most traditional Vietnamese lifestyle. We will discover the charm of the city from the Royal Citadel, Forbidden City, Hue Royal Museum. Go on having a boat trip on Perfume River to visit Thien Mu pagoda, the iconic of Hue city. 
In the afternoon, visit the Tombs of King Minh Mang and Khai Dinh – two important monuments of the Nguyen Emperors since early 19th and early 20th centuries with its unique beauty. Overnight in Hue. 

After breakfast and check-out hotel, depart from Hue to Hoian via Danang seaport and stop to visit the Cham Museum, built in early 20th century in Danang, to prepare to our next day visit to the holly land of Cham Nation. Being one of the  most valuable museums in Vietnam for the great collections of statues, antics and history, Cham Museum tells the relations between Cham and Viet nations, as well as a big part of history of Vietnam before the Kings in Thanglong-Hanoi and the Lords of Nguyen family separated.
Upon arrival in Hoian ancient town, we will take an enjoyable walk over the tile-roofed Japanese Bridge, which is very different from the simple charming one in Hue, then visit taciturn Chinese Assembly Halls, enjoy the attractiveness of ancient houses in Hoian, or listen to folk music of Central Vietnam at an old club-house. This is also a wonderful town to shop for lanterns, soft silk, raw silk, or get your clothes tailored within a day. Rest of day will be free on your own to discover the town. Overnight in Hoian.

Optional: Upon early booking, you can join the Show of "Palao", a great variety show that help launch traditions and values of Cham nation in the world for the 1st time. Show started after 07 November 2018. 

Today, we will visit the religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom. Knowledge gained during the visit at Cham Museum previously will help us discover My Son, 60km southwest of Hoi An, located in a lush green valley with dozens of red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from the seventh through the thirteenth centuries. Our guide will take us to thoroughly discover the towers, casted in misterious way, and together we can discuss with our own knowledge to guess how the towers can be made and survived. Contemplate a Cham dance show in My Son. Back to Hoian in the afternoon and at leisure to discover Hoian. Overnight in Hoi An.

Please note!
After returning from My Son, we can request the tourguide and driver to drop-off at An Bang beach for own beach relax. Back to the hotel by your own taxi, hotel shuttle bus, or other public transportation means. 

After breakfast, checkout hotel. The Tourguide and driver will transfer us to Danang Airport (35 minutes from Hoian) to take our short flight to Saigon, aka Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, we will be welcomed at Tan Son Nhat airport and transferred to the hotel. 
Afternoon we'll have an interesting tour, starting at the colonial-styled Central Post Office (built by the company of Gustave Eiffel), and the Notre Dame Cathedral, built between 1877 - 1883 and one of the city’s major landmarks.  Visit Ngoc Hoang (the Jade Emperor pagoda) with very unique styled statues in the center of District 1, and end our trip with a walking tour on Nguyen Hue Street to visit (from outside) the Opera House, and from here walk over Ben Thanh market - one of the most typical symbols of Saigon, to experience the daily life of the locals and have some shopping for Vietnam handicrafts. Back to our hotel late afternoon. Overnight in Saigon.

After breakfast at hotel, we will be picked up and drive to My Tho, the homeland of coconut and family factories with local products like coconut candy, rice paper, etc. Upon arrival, embark on a boat cruising on the mighty Mekong to  enjoy ife of the local people who live along the banks. Stop at one of the four island in the area for sightseeing. Enjoy fresh tropical fruits served in the orchards in the sound of traditional Southern folk music. Embark on the boats again to go thru small canals lined by water coconut trees to visit some local factories. Here we can taste the honey tea, see the locals produce the milk candy, or stroll around with the tourguide on foot or by horse-carts thru village's tranquil roads. Go on to Vinh Trang, a famous pagoda in the region, whose architecture is a charming mixture of the Chinese, Cambodian and Vietnamese cultures. Intermingle with the locals to discuss about their real exciting life in the Mekong before returning to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

Morning we'll Cu Chi Tunnels, one of the few remaining monuments of the Vietnam War. Beneath the ground lies appx. 200 km of tunnels, dugged by hand and inhabited by the forces of the Vietnamese guerillas during the war. At its peak, prior to the Tet Offensive in 1968, the tunnel complex was the base to almost 10,000 troops. To this day, it is reserved as one of the examples of how fierce the war used to be.  We even can try to crawl some dozens of meters in the tunnel to have the real experience. Return to Saigon downtown and have free time to relax. Overnight in Saigon.

Breakfast at the hotel. At leisure until you are transferred to the airport for your departure flight.
End of services. 

Notes: Usual checkin time - 12.00 or 14.00 depending on hotels; usual checkout time 12.00 noon. Longer stay can be subject to surcharge.