Vietnam at a Glance - 9 Days

Welcome upon arrival by local tour guide & driver, you will transfer to hotel in the center city. Relax for the rest of the day and enjoy welcome dinner at a fine local restaurant in town.

After breakfast, visit Ho Chi Minh Complex with Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and one pillar pagoda. Keep going to see the Temple of Literature originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam's first university dating back to 1070. The temple highlights the importance that Vietnamese society placed then and now on education. Then stop for lunch.

Afternoon, visit one of the most interesting museums in Vietnam - the Museum of Ethnology, which is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam's 54 Ethnic minority peoples. After that, take a one-hour cyclo around the Old Quarter, known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Originally, each of the 36 streets' names was related to the products being sold there.

Before going back to the hotel, enjoy the unique Water Puppet show. Hear the Vietnamese traditional instruments and singing from the live musicians who play throughout the show. The trip will be finished after the show at the hotel.

Note:

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is not opened on every Monday & Friday.
• The Museum of Ethnology is closed every Monday.

Today, depart for Halong Bay and take a private junk for a 4-hour boat journey around the majestic, secluded bay, now designated a World Heritage site. Pass Dog islet, Cockfighting islet, Turtle islet and many more, stopping en route to visit the Thien Cung cave. A delicious, fresh seafood lunch is served on board. Upon disembarking, return to our Hanoi hotel for overnight stay.

This morning, our driver and tour guide will pick you up at the hotel then transfer to Noi Bai Airport for our short domestic flight to Hue. Welcome upon arrival in Hue, we transfer to the hotel. Start your afternoon by a visit the Hue Imperial Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City - home of Vietnam’s last royal dynasty, and the bustling Dong Ba market to see it’s abundance of fresh produce. Overnight in Hue.

Take a dragon boat to cruise along the Perfume River. Stop to visit the Thien Mu pagoda, then continue to visit the majestic and scenic Emperor Tu Duc tomb.

In the afternoon, depart Hue for Hoi An by traveling through the high pass of Hai Van with its spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean en route to Da Nang. Visit Cham Museum, Marble Mountain, and then go to Hoi An for our night stay. Overnight in Hoi An.

This morning, we can choose bus or bike to cycle to a local farming village to join daily work life of local farmers – hoeing and a soil, watering veggie at an organic herb garden, riding water buffalo in the field and enjoy the freshest air of the countryside beauty. After that, board the Hoi An Eco-tour boat and cruise to the mouth of the river where it meets the Cua Dai Sea.

It is time for you to learn and try our hand at local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets, learn to paddle the strange and unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boats. Explore the now tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of a past war and hear of the extreme conditions endured by soldiers on both sides. Have a relaxed fun with catching beautiful purple crabs on bamboo basket boat. After visiting a local water coconut palm village, we take a walk around the village and have some tea and snack with local talks…Back on-board our Hoi An Eco-tour boat, enjoy our lunch and a cold beer or soft drink on the boat, then back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, join a walking tour in Hoi An town – one of the World Culture Heritages of Vietnam. This quaint riverside town still boasts a wealth of century's old traditional architecture. The influences of several Asian cultures can be seen in old houses and waterside buildings. It is also famous as a place to be instantly created inexpensive tailored outfits. Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast, we transfer to Danang and fly to Ho Chi Minh city where our local tour guide and driver welcome and transfer us to hotel.

In the afternoon, leave Ho Chi Minh City for the Cu Chi tunnels, otherwise known as the "Iron Triangle" or "Iron Land". On our way there we will drive through the pleasant countryside; rubber plantations and rice paddies. Before entering the tunnels, see a short introductory video showing how they were constructed, followed by an exploration of the maze of tunnels, some of which have been widened to allow tourist access. Also on display are various mantraps and the remains of an American tank, as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500lb bombs, dropped by B52 bombers. After that, we transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Your day will start with a visit to Cai Be town. Then, reach Tan Phong island for biking or walking on village paths to see the local daily life through orchards, schools, churches, pagodas, traditional houses and maybe the ancestral ways to pick up fruits in Mekong Delta... On the way, make some stops to see how they make rice net for spring-rolls, sew coconut leaves for cottage roofs and especially see how they wave the dried water hyacinth to make many products: baskets, bags, hats, wallets, shoes...

Then, the rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals to enjoy a peaceful time. Back to our boat to go across one of the longest rivers in the world, Mekong River, to come to An Binh Island. Travel on a handmade canal to a local house and have an optional lunch. After lunch, you can walk around this orchard and enjoy some cups of tea when listening to traditional music in the ancient house.

Later, walk in the local village to visit the local workshop to see how to make rice paper, coconut candy, pop-rice... Enjoy some sweets with a cup of hot tea.  Next, visit the brick kilns where you can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay. The cruise will end at Vinh Long City! Then transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City for overnight.

Free at leisure for last-minute shopping before transferring back to the airport for our flight home. Trip ends. See you again in the next Vietnam tour packages.