ESSENCE OF VIETNAM

Arrive in Hanoi, meet with your guide and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.
If you arrive early, some visits will be arranged so that you will have more time for the rest of program.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Early morning departure from your hotel for the 2-hour drive through the rural villages to Hoa Lu, Vietnam's first capital. Visit the temples dedicated to Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang of the Dinh Dynasty (968-80) and Emperor Le Dai Hanh of the Le Dynasty (980-1009). After this visit, Have lunch and optional tours :
- Tam Coc : board your private sampan , rowing through the river with stunning landscape where the enormous limestone karsts jutting out from the green rice fields
It's an option for you to climb up to Bich Dong Pagoda built in 1428 and comprised of three structures: Ha, Trung, and Thuong Pagodas, in ascending order. Return by sampan to Tam Coc town before returning to Hanoi.
Note: Please be noticed that there're some women on boats may try to sell local products to tourists. You should refer to your guide if you feel uncomfortable in this situation
- Thung Nang valley : Similar landscape of Tam Coc with the river passes through the green paddy fields where limestone karst jutting out. However , while Tam Coc is flanked by rice fields and has more activities, Thung Nang is a pristine and untouched area. There's not much human activities here, only a few people fishing in the wild area.
Then you drive back to Hanoi for the rest of the day at leisure . Overnight in Hanoi.

In the morning visit the fascinating Ethnology Museum (closed Mondays), a valuable centre for the exhibition and the preservation of cultural heritages of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam with 15,000 artefacts including clothing, jewellery, of agricultural tools, fishing instruments, weapons, household utensils and musical instruments which is both a research centre and a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Vietnam.As an alternative to the Ethnology Museum, visit the highly acclaimed Vietnam Women’s Museum (closed on Mondays). The museum is located near Hoan Kiem Lake and offers wonderful insight into the lives of Vietnamese women. Displays highlight Vietnam’s vast cultural diversity and educate on the significant role Vietnamese women play in Vietnamese society. Learn historic and modern-day traditions centered around births, weddings, motherhood, spirituality and more.
Afternoon visit to The temple of Literature , built in 1076 and considered as Vietnam's first university. It was establish to host Imperial Academy where mandarins and members of the elite educated. The various pavilions, halls, statues and steles of doctors are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the Dai Viet took place.
Continue to beautiful West Lake and the 6th century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda then transfer to the nearby Taoist temple of Quan Thanh dedicated to Tran Vu, one of the principal deities in Taoism.
At the end of the afternoon, explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquer ware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. It's a great place to experience with plenty of photo opportunities surrounding you.
Complete your day the Water Puppet show , a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history.
In the evening, transfer to Hanoi railways station for the overnight train to Lao Cai. Overnight on the train in a soft sleeper compartment.
(be awared that inside of the compartment ,there is NO TOILET - all the TOILETS are at the end of each carriage ).

Early arrives at Lao Cai station at approximately 6:00 am. The drive to Sapa is only 33 km but it takes around 1.5 hours. On they way to Sapa, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the terraced hills and mountains
Once at Sapa, we will check-in hotel (Early check-in subject to availability). Breakfast and refresh at the hotel or take a stroll around the town nearby your hotel. It is here you will see local people - hands stained by color from fabric dyes , jackets, waistcoats, pants, skirts, caps, purses and leggings are embroidered by red, blue and many other colourfull pattern. At 10 a.m. Take a morning walking tour of Sapa for a visit to the busy market where Red Dao, Black H’Mong, Tay and other ethnic minority people converge from the surrounding countryside to sell their silverware and handicrafts, and to buy provisions. Following take a light trek to discover Sapa's quaint hill tribe villages set against the stunning Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range and Indochina's highest peak, Mt. Fansipan. A picnic lunch will be served en-route. Rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure. Appropriate footwear must be worn on treks in Sapa. Note that if conditions are wet, programs may be changed accordingly. Overnight in Sapa.

Have breakfast before driving to visit a local market (Ban Cam on Tuesday/ Cao Son on Wednesday/ Lung Khau Nhin on Thursday / Can Cau on Saturday/ Bac Ha on Sunday. Note: The market visit may be on your arrival day depending on the market day). Here you’ll see mostly Flower Hmong, however Phu La, Black Dao, Tay, and Nung hill tribe groups also gather here. The market offers a variety of local products not be found in others areas such as an interesting animal market where pot-bellied pigs, cows and buffalos can be seen.
Continue your tour with a short walk to a hill-tribe village. Here you’ll have the opportunity to visit some local homes to understand more about the daily life of these tribes as well as their culture and traditions. In the late afternoon transfer back to Lao Cai before taking the night train back to Hanoi. In Lao Cai you’ll have use of a hotel room so you can freshen up before the overnight train trip.
Note: This tour may be subject to change depending on weather conditions.
Overnight on the train in a soft sleeper compartment.

Arrive early in Hanoi then check-in a boutique hotel to freshen up before driving to Halong Bay by road.After Breakfast , leave Hanoi for 3hr30mins drive to Halong Bay including a 20-minutes stop on the way. Arrive Halong Bay, check-in formalities then enjoy the Welcome drink and Lunch on board. Cruise through the emerald water between the limestone outcrops and long corridors, En route, you have chances to sightsee many beauty spots of the world natural heritage including Fighting Cock islet, Incense Urn islet, Finger island, Toad islet, dog islet, Dragon, Horse Neck, Buffalo Head islet and many other strange shape islands. Later in the afternoon, visit a fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Back on board, enjoy cocktails or a cooking class in the romantic sunset on the Bay. Have dinner on board. Evening, experience some evening activities such as squid fishing, board games, or spa .Overnight on the junk.

Early morning, take a Tai Chi class and watch the sunrise over the bay (if you choose to get up early and weather permitted ). Visit a beautiful limestone grotto, and then back to the junk , Brunch while cruising back to the dock. Disembarking at the Cruise Café Lounge then get on your car and drive back to the Hanoi international airport. On the way, stop to visit Thanh Chuong Viet Palace which has been seen as a private museum with the unique architectural style of Vietnamese folklore.
The Palace is a spiritual legacy of Vietnamese art and culture that display objects, exquisite antiques and remarkable structures.People who love and want to have an in-depth understanding of Vietnamese culture, fine arts and spiritual life will find here an impressive sites in their trip.
From here, have a quick transfer to the airport for the 1-hour flight to the central port city of Danang.
Upon arrival in Danang, drive 40-minutes to Hoi An ancient town, an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Asian trading port, is an outstanding material manifestation of the fusion of cultures over time in an international maritime commercial centre. Hoi An also homes the world class beach resorts with white sand and blue crystal water. Overnight in Hoi An

In the morning, Visit the My Son Sanctuary which is one of the most famous Champa architectural and sculptural monuments in Viet Nam. While the religious significance of My Son was important, its location in a small valley surrounded by high mountains gave it strategic significance as an easily defensible stronghold. Successive kings in the 6th to 8th centuries favoured My Son and endowed it with fine temples. In the later 10th century, most of the finest surviving architectural monuments were built there. After My son, drive to visit Tra Kieu, formerly known as Simhapura or the Lion Citadel, the capital of Champa between the 4th and 8th centuries. Some of the finest sculptures in Danang’s Cham Museum originated from here.
This afternoon return to Hoi An, 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 400 years old Japanese Bridge . The rest of the day is at leisure to relax on your beach resort or exploring the Hoi an's craft shops and artisans including some of Asia’s best tailors. Overnight in Hoi An.

After btreakfast, at leisure for exploring Hoi An on your own. After Lunch , leave HoiAn for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Drive through Danang, stop at Cham Sculpture Museum where you canfind the best collection in the world of Cham Sculpture .From Danang, drive up to the Pass of Ocean Clouds and descend to the photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. Arrive Hue in the late afternoon , check-in hotel and at leisure. Overnight in Hue.

After breakfast, visit the Imperial Museum where exhibit the antique collections of bronze, pottery, chinaware, Phap Lam enamel, court robes, head-gear and the personal belongings of former Vietnamese emperors. Continue by a tour to visit Hue Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. Hue's citadel is the only extant citadel in Indochina. It is certainly an impressive sight, if only for its 10km long, 7m high surrounding stone walls , which are punctuated by ten gates. Within these walls, stands the Imperial citadel with its administrative buildings and high-ranking civil servants' houses. The style of various buildings are distinctive, each being constructed according to its function. Have a nice lunch in the local restaurant with the Hue food . From here take a cyclo through dai noi ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake where the Emperors used to come to relax. It is full of lotus flowers in summer and there are many local style coffee shops around the lake where university students come to study.
In the afternoon, continue for Thien Mu Pagoda locates on the Perfume River bank . Built in 1601, the 21-meter tower is the centerpiece of the pagoda and represents seven reincarnations of Buddha. At the ground of Pagoda, you find the famous Austin carof a resident monk drove to Saigon in 1963 to protest against the southern regime. The photo of his self immortalization is one of the most well known images of the war.
Then visit Minh Mang Emperor 's Tomb which comprises 40 monuments all on an oval 44-acre lot surrounded by a high wall. The whole arrangement is surrounded with reflective ponds fringed with pine trees. the Minh Mang tomb nonetheless offers a balance of landscaping and architecture that is unmatched among the tombs in Hue.
Next visit is to Khai Dinh’s tom constructed in traditional Vietnamese with European influence making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.
Before return to your hotel take time to explore the local daily life with your tour guide around Dong Ba Market, a must see of Hue.
Overnight in Hue.
DAY 11 - HUE - HO CHI MINH CITY (B)
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BReakfast at hotel then transfer to Hue Airport for the short flight to vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, called Saigon by the locals. Arrive Ho Chi Minh city, airport pick up then start visits the major highlights of bustling Ho Chi Minh City,the largest economic center of Vietnam.
Leave your hotel for a visit to the History Museum, built in 1929 and home to an excellent collection of artifacts illustrating the evolution of the cultures of Vietnam, from bronze aged Dong Son civilization to Cham, Khmer and modern day Vietnam. Enjoy a short performance of traditional Water puppet show inside.
Afterwards, continue your tour with a pedicab ride from the bontanical garden to the Notre Dame Cathedral built by the French late in the 19th century. On the way, take a photo stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Then visit the French-styled central Post Office to see rare ancient maps decorated on the dome inside the building.
Next, take another photo stop at the former Presidential Palace, now renamed Reunification Hall where a Vietnamese liberation tank crashed through on April 30th, 1975, signaling the end of the Vietnam War.
Drive into the heart of Cholon, literally big market and more commonly known as Chinatown, providing you with a glimpse of the busy trading area. There are hundreds of hidden temples, shrines and pagodas.
Visit the Thien Hau Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Protector of Sailors, which dates to the late 18th century. The smell of incense hangs heavy in the air, with huge burning spirals suspended from the ceiling.
Afterwards, continue to visit FITO Museum, Vietnam's first traditional medicine museum where an amazing collection of 3,000 items relevant to the development of traditional Vietnamese medicine displayed. Implements for preparing indigenous herbs and objects commonly found in traditional pharmacies were showcased in the galleries. You can also find here the ancient books and documents on traditional Vietnamese medicine. Then visit a local Lacquerware workshop where skillful Vietnamese artisans are making lacquerware items, from the beginning stage to the finished product. Last stop is at Benthanh Market where you will be free to explore the shops and bargain with local sellers. The rest of the day is lat lesure.
Note: History Museum is closed on Mondays.

Today is a day for the river exploring in Mekong Delta. Early start to leave bustling Ho Chi Minh for the 2 hour drive to Cai Be. The colorful floating market with local traditional wooden boats , vast emerald rice fields and lush back waterways are the things that make Cai Be such a desired destination. Arrive Cai Be, get on thelocal boats then cruise on the floating market , where you can witness the unique way of advertising : product for sale is hung on a pole in front of boats to attract customers and make it easier for people to see from afar what is on offer. After visiting the floating market continue to a cottage factory where ‘pop-rice’, rice paper and coconut candies are made. Then cruise to Dong Hoa Hiep Island, admiring the scenery and the daily life of the local villagers along the way. Lunch is typical Mekong style serving specialties of the area. After lunch, drive back to Ho Chi Minh city.Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Departure day. At leisure until transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your onward flight.