Vietnam Discovery

Welcome to Vietnam!
Upon arrival to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, your driver and guide will meet you and they will transfer you to your hotel in the downtown. Check-in and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
- Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is characterised by a fascinating blend of old and new, East and West. The huge number of people rushing about their daily lives in Vietnam's largest city gives it a dynamic atmosphere and the French influence is evident in the excellent baguettes and coffee on offer.

After the first night relaxing, today you will be ready for your Vietnam Tour with a full day to visit the featured sites of Saigon and the famous underground tunnel network in Cu Chi.
In the morning, 8:00 a.m. Start with 1.5 hour drive to Cu Chi tunnels. Get the overview of Cu Chi by watching a documentary. Your guide walks you around to witness the traps, bunkers, trenches and experience crawling a piece of the underground tunnels. Drive back to the city for a set menu lunch at a restaurant.
In the afternoon, Continue on visiting the War Remnants Museum; Ngoc Hoang Pagoda; The former Presidential Palace; The Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Old Post Office. Spend the second night in Saigon.

Today you'll travel south by private bus (approximately 2.5 hours) to explore the Mekong Delta. When you arrive, you’ll board a boat and explore the intricate waterways of the Mekong Delta. Often referred to as ‘the rice bowl’ of Vietnam, the fertile delta is where rice, tropical fruit, and flowers are grown for the whole country.
Upon arrival in Ben Tre, embark on a motorized boat trip along the scenic Ben Tre River, viewing various local industries along the way. Have some stops to visit local workshops: making bricks by the kilns; Making coconut candy; Sleeping straw mats. Take a motor cart passing fruit and vegetable fields. Ride a short sampan boat on a small creek of water coconut trees. Lunch at a garden restaurant.
In the afternoon, drive to Can Tho City which is considered as the capital of the Delta. Check-in your hotel for staying overnight.​

The watery world of the Mekong Delta is home to many bustling floating markets. This day, we take a boat trip and exploring the vibrant floating market of Cai Rang, where the trading way is unique; each boat usually sells one particular item, whether it be pumpkins, pineapples, sugar canes.
After an impressive boat trip, disembark at Ninh Kieu quay then visit an ancient house in Binh Thuy 10 km from Can Tho city.
Lunch at a local restaurant on the way back to HCMC then onward to the airport for taking a domestic flight to Danang Airport in the center of Vietnam. Get picked up and transferred to Hoi An for the night.

This morning take part in a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School. Meet at the Hai Scout Cafe in Hoian’s Old Town. From there we will head to Hoian's colorful market. Explore the market and interact with local vendors to purchase some fresh ingredients for today’s cooking class. Next, board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely 25 minutes cruise along the Thu Bon River to the Cooking School. Explore the school's herb and vegetable garden. Learn to cook and help prepare five traditional dishes for lunch. You'll also be entertained and taught some special techniques at the fruit and vegetable carving demonstrations.
In the afternoon, together with your tour guide, embark on a walking tour through the narrow, winding streets of the ancient quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year old Tan Ky ancestral house and the famous Japanese Covered Bridge.
The evening is on your own discovery!

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then check-out for the drive over Hai Van pass to Hue. Have a short stop on the pass for taking photographs.
Hue city - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Vietnam’s former capital. Hue is the hub of Vietnam’s historic past. This former imperial capital is an eclectic mix of busy streets and peaceful beauty.
In the afternoon, take a walking tour through the ancient citadel. The walk through the complex is very interesting and informative. After that, you are transferred to visit Thien Mu Pagoda and King Minh Mang's tomb.
Late in the afternoon, drive to the hotel for check-in and stay overnight.

Leave Hue for Dong Hoi a bit early in the morning (Around 7.30 AM).
First stop to visit the Rockpile, Dakrong Bridge and then along Ho Chi Minh trails to Khe Sanh combat base – one of the violent battles in Quang Tri, the US base fell under attack in early 1968. You’ll also see the remaining of an old airfield. Visit the museum of Ta Con airport to see the things in nature of the fierce war, and how hard Quang Tri people fight against the enemy.
After lunch, continue your trip and you will learn about the history of old citadel of Quang Tri, stop at Hien Luong Bridge, Ben Hai River – which marked the former border between North and South Vietnam from 1954 to 1972. Next stop to visit Vinh Moc tunnels – a network of tunnels built by villagers seeking shelter from bombings during the American War, this is the place where an entire village lived and fought for two and a half years. Transfer to your hotel in Phong Nha. Arrival in the late afternoon, check-in and free at your leisure.

(Led by Oxalis and this is a join tour)
- Hang  En  Cave is probably the world’s 3rd largest cave and is quickly becoming one of the must-see natural wonders in  Vietnam.
Get picked up between 8:00 am and 8:30 am and a short transfer to Oxalis Headquarters. Learn all about safety collect your gear and sign the Release Form before driving 45 mins through the National Park to reach the trailhead. At 10:00 am, leave the road behind for the jungle. A steep jungle hill starts the journey, with a refreshing river at the bottom. Hike through rich primary forest to reach the Ban Doong minority village. Feast on a picnic lunch which takes place shortly afterward at about 12:30  –  1:00 pm. Then it’s back into the jungle, through rivers and streams, and along the river valley until  Hang En lays on the horizon. Enter Hang En around 3  pm, and take a quick rest as the porter team sets up camp on the beach within the cave.  For the next couple of hours, complete the adventure by preceding the rest of the way through the cave to the breathtaking exit,  a scene made famous in the film Pan.  Return to camp through the dry passage to the viewpoint high above camp,  where 300 million years old fossils can be seen. Enjoy your downtime relaxing or swimming in the natural pool before a sizzling grilled dinner is served, complete with rice wine and the sounds of swifts overhead.

Awake at 8:00 am for breakfast and pack up your belongings. Depart camp at 9:00 am to leave Hang En. Take one last look at the entrance, almost hidden amongst the jungle. Have lunch with your group from 12:00 – 1:00 pm, and then it’s time to start the journey home. Trek for the next hour along a shady path through the river valley. And then from 2:00 – 4:00 pm, make your way up the hill to the pickup point, where our driver will be waiting to take you back to civilization.
Return to Phong Nha between 4:30 – 5:30 pm. Transfer to Dong Hoi Airport to take a direct flight to Hanoi. On arrival, get picked up and transfer to hotel for check-in.

The city tour of the capital city occupies the whole day.
In the morning, take a bicycling tour from the old quarter to Long Bien Bridge, the oldest bridge in Hanoi, which was designed by Eiffel in 1902. Then getting down on a fertile island (alluvial ground) in the middle of the Red River. Pay a visit to a family where you can learn about their daily agricultural life with gardens of the vegetable and banana, longan fruit... This island is like another world compares to a busy city of Hanoi, people here are working hard and farming by the old technology, everything is done by hand.
Your lunch is at a farm cottage, served with fresh vegetable and local dishes from the garden you visited.
In the afternoon, riding back to the base and get picked up to spend the remainder of the day visiting the featured sites of Hanoi by car. The city tour includes The Temple of Literature, Women Museum, Ngoc Son Temple in Hoan Kiem Lake. The last one is a traditional water puppet show.

Depart from Hanoi at 8:00 a.m. The drive to Ha Giang occupies most of the day. (7 hours)
- Ha Giang is a province, located in the far north of Vietnam. It shares a 270-km-long border with China. The province has many high rocky mountains, limestone formations, and springs. It is one of the least populated provinces in the northern midlands and mountain areas of Vietnam. Ha Giang is well-known for its Geopark: Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark is home to 17 ethnic groups which creates the unique and rich cultural heritage of this area.
Late in the afternoon, before arriving at your hotel in Ha Giang City, your driver will take you to a peaceful stilt-house village of the ethnic Tay people for an easy walk around and merge yourselves into the local life of the villagers.
Check-in and rest for the remainder of the day. ​
(The alternative accommodation tonight can be arranged in a local house at a Tay ethnic village nearby for a home-stay experience. Let our travel specialist know your preference before the trip.)

After having breakfast, we set out for the morning drive up to the highland region of Ha Giang. The scenery is getting more stunning with high passes and august mountains. The typical photo opportunities are at Quan Ba pass and Quan Ba Heaven Gate with some steps to a viewpoint atop a hill.
Have a lunch break at Yen Minh town. The afternoon drive is amazing with rocky mountains and winding roads. Have some short stops for photoi opportunities and  admire the scenery as you are traveling through' the Karst Geo-park.
- Dong Van Karst Plateau is a unique combination of Geoheritages and cultural heritages. Up to 80% of the karst formations of Dong Van Plateau are limestone formed by environment conditions and different development stages of nature. The scenery is amazing and the local life and the culture of the hill tribes such as the H'mong is something that will be very memorable for your trip. Arrive at Pho Bang ancient town. Check-in your hotel and have a short break. Late in the afternoon, set off with your tour guide for a leisure walk around this sleeping town and learn about the life of the Han ethnic minority who are the major local residents.

After having breakfast, start your day with a half-an-hour transfer to visit H'mong Royal Palace located in Sa Phin Valley - the palace was the seat of the H’mong kings who ruled over the region during the French colonial era up until Vietnam regained independence in 1945. Afterward, the car takes you to a trekking point for a 2-hour trek on a back road. On this morning trek, you are able to view the beautiful landscape of the Karst Geopark with hill tribe villages and valleys. End the morning trek when you reach the Old Quarter of Dong Van.
Lunch is at a local restaurant in Dong Van Town.
In the afternoon, get back on your private vehicle and make your way to Ma Pi Leng Pass which is the famous Pass connects Dong Van and Meo Vac. Get off at the Youth Monument to start the afternoon scenic trek on the "Sky Walk". The trek is on a small path along the sheer cliffs of limestone mountains. On this trek, you are able to view over the Nho Que River and Ma Pi Leng Pass of the "Happiness Road". At the end of the trek, get transferred to your hotel in Meo Vac. Check-in and stay for the night.

This morning, leaving the highland of Ha Giang, you are heading downhill to Ba Be National Park. The drive takes almost 8 hours (whole day) to the home-stay at a small village of the Tay ethnic minority located inside the park. The scenery that you can view along the way today gives you a difference from what you have seen through Ha Giang. The lower you are traveling the greener and denser the mountains and forests become.
Lunch is at a local roadside restaurant somewhere on the way.
Arrive at the National Park late in the afternoon, check-in and relax for the remainder of the day. Dinner and stay overnight.

After breakfast at the home-stay, you will embark on a boat ride on Ba Be Lake this morning.
- The lake is surrounded by the high limestone mountains and primeval jungle and retaining its beauty year-round. Ba Be Lake is very different in comparison with other Karst lakes in the world. At the International Conference of Freshwater Lakes held in March 1995 Ba Be Lake was ranked as one of 20 most beautiful natural freshwater lakes of the world that should be protected. In 2012, Ba Be Lake was recognized as a special National landscape monument.
The cruise is through the flat green surface before turning into a river, then meandering upstream to Puong Cave. Around noon, get back on your private vehicle to transfer to Cho Ra town for the lunch.
The afternoon drive will get you back to Hanoi, check-in your hotel and relax.

The morning catch a shuttle bus for Cat Ba Island. The transfer includes a speed boat ride between the mainland and the island. Arrive at Beo dock, Cat Ba Island around noontime. After enjoying welcome drink, embark on your private junk to begin the cruise.

- Lying south and east of Cat Ba Town, the 300 or so karst islands and limestone outcrops of Lan Ha are just as beautiful as those of Halong Bay and have the additional attraction of numerous white-sand beaches.
Due to it being a fair way from Halong City, not so many tourist boats venture here, meaning Lan Ha Bay has a more isolated appeal. Kayaking and swimming are more fun and nice here.

The activities, beside lying on the top deck enjoy the scenery, include swimming, visiting a fish farm and kayaking. Lunch and dinner are served on boat.

Wake up early in the morning for sunrise and a view of Bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee.
After the soft breakfast, the crews pull up the anchor for further cruise to other parts of the bay and discover a peaceful area by kayaks. Have more swimming while kayking if you wish.  After that, get back on the junk and gently meandering between the rocks towards the dock. An early lunch is served on the way. Bid farewell to the crew team and disembark at noontime. The afternoon shuttle bus drive takes you back to Hanoi.
Arrive at your hotel in Hanoi, check-in the same hotel for the last night.

Today is your last day. It depends on your departure flight time, you may have to rush in the morning or just free at leisure or do some last shopping until get transferred to the airport for your flight home.
Goodbye Vietnam. End of your Vietnam adventures.

• Private air-conditioned vehicle transfers during the tour, including airport transfers
• Accommodation at hotels and cruise as indicated in sharing room
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary each day
• Private English speaking tour guides in each city of visit
• Entrance tickets at indicated sites
• Two-day tour to Hang En Cave with Oxalis (Join tour, max. 16 pax)
• Boat trip as indicated
• Bottled water on the vehicle
• Complimentary visa approval letter to entry Vietnam (excluding visa stamping fee)

• Any international flights
• Travel insurance
• Drinks and other meals
• Tips and gratuities
• In-tour flight tickets (quoted separately)
• Cooking class in Hoi An (regular class)
• Banking fee/ credit card charge (if any)
• Visa stamping fee at the airports
• Personal expenses and others not mentioned clearly in the inclusion part