AMAZING VIETNAM - 14 Day 13 Night

Amazing Vietnam 
(14 Day 13 Night)

(HANOI - CULTURAL VILLAGE - SAPA-HALONG BAY-HUE-DANANG/HOIAN- SAIGON-CUCHI TUNNELS-CANTHO/MEKONG DELTA)

Upon your arrival, you will be greeted at the airport by a tour guide of Indochina Travelland and being transferred to your hotel for check in.
 
Free until enjoy the famous traditional Water Puppets Show in the evening and welcome dinner at the local restaurant with the traditional flavors of Vietnamese cuisine 
 
Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi.
 
Day 2: Dong Ngac Cultural Village with country bike - Full day tour – Lao Cai by TRAIN (B)
This morning, you will arrive in the village where you will embark on an interesting market tour.
At the local market you will have the chance to experience the bustling market and local life, your tour guide will show you and help you to purchase the some offering for families we visit.
 
Take a short walk from Dong Ngac market to the hosting family’s house for a welcome drink and get ready for the biking around the Village
 
Start biking and venture deeper into the village: Visit Dong Ngac Communal House, the grounds and architecture of which are built in the shape of a dragon, the oldest house in the village belongs to the Do family and is more than 300 years old or the Nguyen family with a house given by the King 
 
Passing by the oldest school in the Village built in 1921
 
Back to the hosting family, it is time for your private cooking demonstration. After watching your host then practice yourself and then the best part of all, try your dishes! After all your efforts you can reward yourself and rest back into some reclining chairs in the fragrant retreat of your host’s village garden. All too soon it is mid-afternoon and time to say good bye to your new friends
 
Continue your cycle to Lien Mac village, a beautiful vegetables and flower growing area. We have chance to join the farming activities and interact with local
 
Cycle back to Dong Ngac for catching your Van back to Hanoi
 
Arrive back to Hanoi in late afternoon
 
We return to the center Hanoi for some time at leisure before our exciting overnight train journey to Lao Cai.
 
Overnight on train
 
Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa (B)
We arrive in Lao Cai around 5am, where we are met by our guide and transport for a spectacular hour’s journey up the impressive mountains to Sapa.
 
Seeing is believing! The imagination could not visualize, nor appreciate the beauty of the stunning vistas and breathtaking mountainous rice terraces until you observe in true form.
 
Upon arrival at our hotel, we have some breakfast, freshen up and some free time of leisure before our exciting exploration.
 
We start our trek visiting Ta Van villages, continuing down the valley, along local trails and across rice paddies to visit Dzay ethnic minorities and Black H’mong communities, experiencing the contrasts of culture and daily life between the groups.
 
The interaction and closeness we experience with the local minority groups is an absolutely incredible experience.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Sapa.
 
Day 4: Sapa Villages – Lao Cai train station – Hanoi Overnight Train (B)
We trek downhill from Sapa town to Cat Cat Village. Our 2 hour trek takes us through rice paddies passing by different ethnic minority villages hard at work and flower and vegetable gardens until we reach a magnificent waterfall set within the lush mountains.
We take a rest and continue to Cat Cat village where the village is eagerly awaiting our arrival. With the children’s glee and excitement and a village full of big smiling faces, we are welcomed by a local Black Hmong people.
 
After a welcoming and a rest, we stroll around the village, learning about the traditional way of life of the Black Hmong. We observe the fascinating demonstration of traditional fiber processing including; Weaving, Dying hemp cloth, Peeling bark from the dried hemp stalks, Tying stripped bark ribbons to form bundles and with the locals strongly encouraging  us to try our hand in perfect their art….they certainly get a lot of laughs watching us!!
 
We say goodbye to the village and continue our trek returning to Sapa.
 
We return to Sapa for some free time to enjoy what the town has to offer or bargaining for some traditional local wares, before our transfer to Lao Cai for our overnight train to Hanoi.
 
Overnight on train

Day 5: Hanoi – Ha Long (B/L/D)
We return to Hanoi around 6am and head to town for breakfast. After freshening up we meet our vehicle for our journey to Ha Long Bay.
 
Leaving the city behind we drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long Bay, taking around 3.5 hours. 
 
The beautiful countryside that awaits your imagination, takes us through local farming life and villages, providing us plenty of opportunities to stop and capture some spectacular photographs. 
 
Be sure to keep an eye out for the amazing things the locals load onto their motorbikes!! 
On-route, we make a stop at one of our favorite organizations in Vietnam. Hong Ngoc Humanities centre in Sao Do Town. This wonderful establishment has been set up to provide skill and employment to people from small villages throughout the north of Vietnam, creating jobs and providing accommodation to disadvantaged people.  
 
You have the opportunity to purchase some exquisite local handicrafts and wares or just watch and admire the amazing and intricate workmanship involved in the production.
 
Arriving in Ha Long Bay, we board our boat, check into our cabins before enjoying a spectacular seafood lunch sailing off into Dragon Bay.
 
After lunch have some free time to relax and admire the beauty of the bay as we cruise through hundreds of karst formations.
 
Throughout our cruise today, you will have the opportunity to disembark the boat and explore Sung Sot cave, where you will learn how karsts were formed in this area millions of years ago. For beach lovers and swimmers, we make a stop at one of the sandy beaches for swimming or just relaxing.
 
We continue cruising the bay until the late afternoon, before setting anchor for the night.
Once anchored, there’s plenty of time for swimming or just relaxing to admire the scenery before settling into another scrumptious meal.
 
After dinner, why not head to the top deck and enjoy a relaxing drink whilst admiring the peaceful ambience and gazing at the millions of stars.
 
Overnight onboard
 
Day 6: Ha Long – Hanoi – Hue by FLIGHT (BRUNCH)
After breakfast we take a small bamboo boat to visit Luon, a beautiful tunnel cave set within a lagoon. We reboard our boat and continue cruising the bay, through the old part of Ha Long City, known as the fishing town and the new built harbor bridge.
 
We have lunch onboard before heading back to the pier for our return to Hanoi.
 
Return to Hanoi, with time to relax or grab a last minute bargain before our late afternoon flight to Hue.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Hue
 
Day 7: Hue city tour (B)
We commence our exploration and head to one of the most serene and tranquil tombs in Hue, Minh Mang’s Tomb. Set back from the river bank and hidden within the luscious forest area, surrounded by a beautiful lake, this tomb has a peaceful ambience like no other.
 
A 20 minute drive takes us to the beautiful construction of Khai Dinh’s Tomb, where we see the intricate workmanship of the mosaic architecture within and gaze at the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
 
On route we make a stop at a small workshop to see the interesting process of making traditional Hue Conical hats and incense sticks. 
We return to town and visit Hues oldest 19th Century Pagoda, ‘Thien Mu (Heavenly Lady) Pagoda, which is famous for its Buddhist Centre teachings.
 
Boarding our dragon boat from the base of the Pagoda, we cruise down the Perfume River, watching local fisherman, whilst passing through the banks of Hue’s town.
 
After disembarking our boat we enjoy a delicious lunch at a nearby Garden Restaurant
 
After lunch we visit the Citadel (Forbidden Purple City), located in Hues town. The Citadel is the former living place of the Royal family during the Nguyen dynasty, from 19th century to mid 20th century.
 
Here you will discover the history of Vietnam during this period of time, as well as the daily life of the Royal family and the typical architecture of this Imperial construction.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Hue

Day 8: Hue – Hoi An (B)
After a relaxing morning we set out on our spectacular drive to Hoi An.
 
We pass through Lang Co fishing village, set within beautiful blue lagoons, before heading up and over the spectacular Hai Van Pass, where we stop at the highest point to immerse ourselves and gaze at the spectacular scenery at 980 meters above sea level.
 
20 minutes from the base of the pass we arrive in Danang where we visit Cham Museum, built in 1915, which contains intricate ancient Champa sculptures.
 
We continue driving to the stunning Marble Mountains, where we climb the marble stairs to reach the peak of the largest mountains of the 5 elements, Thuy Son or more commonly known as ‘Water Mountain’.
 
We admire the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, countryside and China Beach and continue on to ‘Huyen Khong’, an underground cave, which was a former hospital through the War.
 
After stopping for lunch at China Beach, where you have the opportunity to take a refreshing dip in the ocean we head to Hoi An.
 
Upon arrival in Hoi An we stroll through the quaint streets of Hoi An, visiting an Ancient Chinese Temple, The Chinese Assembly Hall and the Japanese covered bridge.
 
The rest of the afternoon is free at leisure for you to enjoy the peaceful ambience of this quaint ancient town or spend some time with the skillful tailors, treating yourself to tailor made clothes, which Hoi An is renowned for.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Hoian
 
Day 9: My Son Holy Land and Hoi An tour / Tra Que & Cooking Class (B/L)
Following breakfast, we drive to My Son, a World Heritage, and 50 km southwest of Hoi An.
 
Located in a lush valley, My Son was a capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries. My Son, considered being in the same league as some of Southeast Asia's greatest archaeological sites, including Angkor in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, Ayutthaya in Thailand and Borobudur in Indonesia. These towers and sanctuaries were built from the 7 to 13 centuries.
 
We return to the outskirts of Hoi An town to have the great privilege of a spectacular lunch prepared by a local family home within a small farming village.  
 
Upon arrival we are welcomed by the family and enjoy a traditional herbal drink, before setting out on our guided walk through the local farmland. We learn about the history of the village, observe the processes of harvesting, and discover the many traditional uses, in both cooking and Vietnamese medicines, with the herbs and vegetables grown.
 
The family love to show off their skills in whipping up your lunch, giving you a very creative cooking demonstration.
 
After lunch, we bid farewell to the family and head back to town where we meet our Xic Lo’s for a leisurely  ride through the local areas, tourists do not venture, passing through tiny lanes of the Hoi An town and countryside, discovering local homes, fields of corn, sweet potatoes and beautiful fruit-gardens, just to name a few.
 
We make a stop at a local fishing village, where we board a boat for a magical cruise down the Cua Dai estuary to Hoi An town.
 
We return in the mid afternoon for you to have some free time to enjoy the peaceful ambience of this quaint ancient town or spend some time with the skillful tailors, treating yourself to tailor made clothes, which Hoi An is renowned for.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Hoian
 
Day 10: Hoi An/Danang – Saigon by FLIGHT (B)
Enjoy a leisurely morning before our flight to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon.
 
Upon arrival in Saigon, we transfer to our hotel.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Saigon
 
Day 11: Saigon city tour – Cu Chi Tunnels (B/L)
We set out this morning to explore Saigon City, from Central Saigon to Chinatown, providing a general overview of this fascinating city with its history and culture. We explore the historical sights of the Reunification Palace, the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, The War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral (built in 1877) and the City’s Post Office.
 
Before our drive to Cu Chi, we stop for bite and a ‘slurp’, to experience eating Vietnam’s most traditional noodle soup dish ‘pho’.
 
Our journey to Cu Chi Tunnels is around 70km. The famous Cu Chi Tunnel system was created to assist the Vietnamese Revolutionists against the French in 1948. It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers etc and in certain areas, housed up to 10,000 people, who virtually lived underground for years.
 
After a video introduction and a guided tour through the grounds, you will have the opportunity to take part in the unique experience of guerillas living underground during the war, with a crawl through 20/30/50 meters of the tunnel system.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Saigon
 
Day 12: Saigon – Cai Be – Tan Phong Island (B/L/D)
Today we head to Cai Be floating market, to explore the typical Vietnamese life of the Mekong Delta
 
Upon arrival we board a local boat and cruise along the Mekong River to discover the beautiful landscapers and immerse in the local people’s life market with the real trading going on, such as selling, buying, exchanging the fruits, vegetables and other wares from their boats.
 
Then, continuing we have an experience how the local people make their living from fruit trees. A local family will serve us local seasonal fruits and honey tea whilst performing traditional southern Vietnamese folk music, called Tai Tu music.
 
We continue our exploration with a pleasant rowing trip down small canals and dense palm trees, experiencing the local villages between the islands to a small islet. Arrive in Tan Phong Island, you will check-in your homestay and tantalize our taste buds with a magnificent seafood lunch prepared by the family with a unique experience of tasting local delicacies. It is really the unforgettable day menu, set of typical Mekong delta’s food.
 
After relaxing, we could walk around the village, visit the rice paddy, talk to the local farmers. Especially, you will have a great experience to directly join with the local farmers in their daily activities, such as how to catch the fish, crab for your own dinner.
 
Late afternoon participating in cooking class and diner with what you’ve cooked
 
In the late afternoon, the family would love showing off their skills in whipping up your dinner, giving you a very creative cooking demonstration. Enjoy the dinner what you have just cooked.
 
Overnight at Tan Phong homstay.
 
Day 13: Tan Phong Island – Saigon (B/./D)
After breakfast, we take a cycling walking through the traditional villages with many ancient traditional houses, set amongst a peaceful atmosphere and fruit trees, bonsai garden and witness the unusual yet fascinating process of coconut candy, the bang conical hat and rice paper in the making.
 It is the typical and cultural lifestyle of South – Western region.
 
Cycle back to the homestay for check-out and freshen up before our return journey back to Saigon.
 
We return to Saigon by the mid afternoon and enjoy your free time.
 
This evening we say ‘Cam On, Tam biet!’ and would like to invite you to join your guide in a farewell celebration dinner, courtesy of Indochina Travelland.
 
Overnight at your hotel in Saigon.
 
Day 14: Saigon Departure (B)
Breakfast at hotel and free until transfer to the Airport for departure 
Trip ends.