Day 1: Wednesday  

Hanoi – Arrival                                                                                        -/-/-

Meet your tour guide on arrival at Hanoi international airport and join your fellow travellers in a coach transfer to the city centre for hotel check-in.

Located in the centre of the Northern Delta with a population of 6.2 million people and an area of 3,398 square km Hanoi is an ancient city which had been established and developed for over 1,000 years since 1010. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike. Historians liken the life-giving Red River with its banks crowded with green rice paddies and farms to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; a cradle of civilization.

Accommodation at hotel in Hanoi

Meals included

None

Day 2: Thursday  

Hanoi – Ha Long Bay                                                                            B/L/D

08:00 hours

09:00 hours

Enjoy breakfast at leisure and then check out.

Pick up at hotel lobby and transfer to Ha Long City. Upon arrival, embark on an overnight cruise and set sail on a cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, taking in the spectacular scenery of this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Lunch is served as you cruise by impressive rock formations with unusual names and shapes.

In the afternoon you will start to discover Ha Long Bay, listed as a World Heritage of outstanding natural beauty, known in Vietnamese as “Dragon descending to the sea”. Depending on each cruise’s itinerary of the day, you may visit a beautiful cave, have some swimming. When the sun sets, your boat will drop anchor for the night. You may attend a cooking demonstration before having dinner.

After dinner, you may choose to enjoy fresh air on the sundeck or playing board games or retiring to your cabin for a comfortable night in the bay

Accommodation on-board the overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay

Note: Our tour guide will not accompany you on-board

Meals included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Friday

Ha Long Bay – Hanoi/Hue                                                                     B/L/-

06:15 hours

14:30 hours

Early riser may join a Tai Chi session on the sundeck (depending on each cruise’s programme) and enjoy watching the sunrise in the Bay. Afterward your boat will weave its way back to the pier.

Disembarkation at around 10:45 hrs. Pick up at Tuan Chau pier and transfer back to Hanoi.

 Enjoy an orientation tour including a one-hour cyclo ride navigating Hanoi’s charming, colorful and lively Old Quarter, which is known as the city’s historical centre,

Option 1: Clients have time at leisure for more discovery of Hanoi on their own and overnight at hotel in Hanoi

Option 2: Clients who opt for more experience of Vietnam rail tracks will take the SE1 Reunification Express to Hue. Have dinner at restaurant before transferring to Hanoi railway station. Overnight in shared 4-berth compartment (02 upper and 02 lower berths) with air-conditioning.

Notes:

·         Distance Ha Long City – Hanoi:130 km           Driving time: approx. 2.5 hrs

·         Our tour guide will not accompany on the train.

·         Train schedule is subject to change (ETD: 22:20 hrs).

·         Private compartments on request at surcharge.

·         Train journeys are part of a great local experience. Cabins are shared with other passengers (unless private cabin is requested and all berths paid for - with supplement). Restrooms at either end of the carriages complete the local experience.

Meals included

Breakfast, Lunch at restaurant, Dinner at restaurant in Hanoi for clients taking Option 2

Day 4: Saturday  

Hue                                                                                                        B/L /-

09:50 hours

10:52 hours

11:30 hours

 13:00 hours

Option 1: Breakfast at the hotel, then check out and transfer to Hanoi airport for the morning flight to Hue. Upon arrival at Hue airport, pick up and have joint transfer to the hotel (Flight VN 1543 08:40 – 09:50)

Option 2: Arrive at Hue railway station at around 10:52 hrs. Pick up to join the group and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the morning is at leisure.

Have lunch at restaurant and then enjoy a half-day Hue city tour:

Located in Central Vietnam, Hue is the only place in the country where many historic, cultural, architectural as well as artistic values have been recognized internationally and listed by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritages. Hue is also the site where the northern and southern ecosystems meet.

You will visit the Imperial Citadel. Situated on the Northern bank of the Perfume River, the citadel covers an area of 500 ha and has a system of three circles of ramparts: Kinh Thanh Hue (Hue Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel). The Hue royal complex has been officially recognized by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Continue by car to visit Thien Mu Pagoda or Heavenly Lady pagoda, one of the oldest ancient architectural structures for religious worship in Hue. Situated 4 km upstream on the banks of the Perfume River, it is an active Buddhist monastery with its origins dating back to 1601. Afterward take a scenic boat trip on the Perfume River to the city pier.

Accommodation at hotel in Hue

Meals included

Option 1: Breakfast at hotel, Option 2: light snack on the train, Lunch

Day 5: Sunday

Hue – Danang – Hoi An                                                                          B/L/-

08:00 hours

13:00 hours

16:30 hours

In the morning, visit Tu Duc Royal Tomb. Each ruler of the Imperial City built his own tomb during his reign and today you will visit one of the most beautiful mausoleums. Construction of the tomb was meticulously carried out starting whilst the king was still alive in order to ensure his comfort in the next life.

Your journey continues with a 3-hour drive southbound to Danang over the famous Hai Van Pass. Enjoy a green view of the stretch of Truong Son mountain range on one side and a spectacular view of the East Sea on the other.

Have lunch at restaurant.

Visit Cham Museum and the Marble Mountains before driving the short distance south past the famous Non Nuoc Beach onto the enchanting town of listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage and was once a well-known trading centre in Southeast Asia from the 16th to 18th centuries. Its sizeable community of foreign merchants resulted in a unique architectural style with Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese influences.

Upon arrival in, check in the hotel and rest of the day will be at leisure

Accommodation at hotel in Hoi An

Meals included

Breakfast, Lunch

Day 6: Monday

 Hoi An                                                                                                     B/-/-

08:00 hours

Explore the Ancient Town of Hoi An and its surroundings. Known to early Western merchants, Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of Southeast Asia in the 16th century. Hoi An has a mixed Chinese-Vietnamese atmosphere with low, tiled-roof houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets is still virtually intact. Many of the houses are constructed of rare timbers and decorated with lacquer panels engraved with Chinese characters and pillars carved with ornamental designs.

Take a short boat ride across the river to a boat builder’s yard and woodcarvers. You will also visit a pottery and brick-making village. Return to the town for a discovery tour on foot through Hoi An Ancient Town which has been enlisted as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage since 1999. You will visit some of the historic merchant and community houses, places of worship and the famous Japanese covered bridge.

In the afternoon, have free time for relaxation or for further discovery of the ancient town on your own.

Accommodation at hotel in Hoi An

Meals included

Breakfast

Day 7: Tuesday

Hoi An – Danang – Ho Chi Minh City                                                     B/L/-

08:15 hours

11:25 hours

13:30 hours

Check out of the hotel and transfer to Danang airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Flight VN 117 10:00 hrs.– 11:25 hrs.)

Formerly known as Saigon, todays Ho Chi Minh City is the bustling and vibrating economic centre of the South. Over the past few centuries, Saigon was called the “Pearl of the Far East” and was an important trading centre for Chinese, Japanese and Western merchants who travelled along the Saigon River.

Upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh City airport, pick up and transfer the city centre for lunch at restaurant.

After lunch, take an orientation tour in the city centre. You will visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, both being the landmarks of the City’s colonial past. Continue with visit to the photo gallery Couleurs d’Asie by Rehahn – the famous French photographer. On the show are two different sides of the artist’s works: images of Vietnam and his works from other countries as well as fine art photography.

Meals included

Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8: Wednesday

 Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi Tunnels – Ho Chi Minh                                       B/L/-

08:00 hours

14:00 hours

Today morning you will drive 55 km out of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi District famous for the amazing complex of underground tunnels. There are more than 200 km of tunnels, comprising a main axis system with many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters and other tunnels. You have the chance to crawl through this amazing system of tunnels before returning to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch.

Back to the city. Have lunch at restaurant

After lunch, have some free time before transfer to Ho Chi Minh City airport for your flight to your next destination.

Meals included

Breakfast, Lunch  

Routing

Class

Price in USD

Option 1: Hanoi – Hue & Danang – Ho Chi Minh City

Economy

$264

Routing

Price in USD

Surcharge for Twin-sharing cabin on train Hanoi – Hue

$80

Routing

Class

Price in USD

Option 2: Danang – Ho Chi Minh City

Economy

$132