Hanoi, Halong Bay, Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta
7 Days / 6 Nights Departures: September 2023 - August 2024
Day 1: Hanoi, Vietnam
On arrival, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel where you'll check-in.
Day 2: Hanoi - Halong Bay, Vietnam
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. We leave Hanoi for Halong Bay around 8.00 am. Upon arrival in Halong, embark and have a delicious lunch onboard. We begin our cruise through thousands of amazing islands and islets during lunch. After lunch, take a refresher in your room before visiting Surprising Cave, and go kayaking and swimming. Afterwards, go back to the boat, get a drink and enjoy the sunset scenery in the bay. Overnight on board in Halong Bay.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 3: Halong Bay - Hanoi, VietnamEnjoy breakfast on board as your cruise continues with a stop at a Pearl Farm village. Continue cruising through many islands and islands to explore the hidden charm of the bay. Have lunch on board while we journey back to Hanoi. On arrival around 3:30 pm, transfer to the hotel for check-in. At 6:00 pm the foodie walking tour starts. On a 3-hour walking tour, you’ll explore Hanoi's culture and history, and step into a world full of street food vendors. Unlike big cities all around the world, street food in Hanoi is not just hot dog carts and pretzel stands. You'll be able to try many different dishes at the local food stands and family restaurants. The menu from day to day includes a variety of delicious options, and tastings might consist of – but are subject to change: rice noodle soup with beef, rice noodle with chicken, rice noodles with grilled pork, snail, or dry noodle, sticky rice, along with various kinds of donut, steamed pancake or Vietnamese sandwiches. Sample menu: Pho (beef/chicken noodle), Bun Cha (Grilled Pork With Noodle), Banh Mi (Vietnamese Bread), Banh Cuon (Steamed Rice Pancake), Banh Xeo (Fried Rice Pancake), Nom Bo Kho (Green Papaya Salad With Dried Beef), Thit Xien Nuong (Street Pork Barbeque), Banh Ran Ngot (Sweet Rice Donut), Che (Vietnamese Dessert), Ca Phe Trung (Egg Coffee).
Meals: B, L, D
Day 4: Fly to Ho Chi Minh, VietnamEnjoy breakfast at the hotel, and free time until our driver transfers you to the airport to take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh (formerly named Saigon) and check in at the hotel. The rest of the day is spent at your leisure, discovering the most active city in Vietnam At 7.15 pm, your driver will pick you up for a dinner cruise. Enjoy the city lights and panoramic views of Ho Chi Minh as well as sumptuous Vietnamese cuisine on this magical dinner cruise aboard the Indochinese river vessel "Saigon Princess cruise". On disembarking your driver will get you back to your hotel.
Meals: B, D
Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City tour & Cu Chi Tunnels, VietnamAfter breakfast, the day starts with the Reunification Palace, which used to be the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam - Stop at War Remnants Museum, a place with many photographs from both Vietnam and US sources; US military vehicles like tanks, jets, and booms display outside - Visit Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, 2 of the most famous and oldest classical French colonial architecture construction that was built more than 100 years ago - Have lunch and a short rest After lunch, we depart for Cu Chi which located 60km from HCM city, Cu Chi is now considered a heroic district for its role in the anti-American war in Vietnam. It is legendary for its Original tunnel system of over 220km and is a popular spot for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors. The peacefully rural rice paddy scenery contains ducks and water buffalos swimming in the rivers alongside the road. Visitors will find it hard to imagine the destruction, damage and defoliation all over the area, caused by bombing and mines when Cu Chi was "A Free Target Zone". However, the remnants visitors will see show Cu Chi still has her evidence to prove the fierce battleground that took place there.
Meals: B, L
Day 6: Ho Chi Minh – Excursion to Mekong Delta, VietnamFrom 7:30 to 7:50 am, your tour guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel for today's tour. Enjoy the scenic journey along the National Highway bordered by green rice fields. On arriving at My Tho, visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, take a leisurely boat ride along the river, and view the stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages along the river bank. Then proceed to Tortoise Islet, and have lunch in the orchard garden. Afterwards, enjoy a boat ride to An Khanh – a less touristy attraction in Ben Tre, enjoy cruising on a hand-rowed sampan under the shadow of the water coconut trees along natural canals, then enjoy seasonal fruit and honey tea to the sound of “Southern Vietnamese folk music”, performed by locals. Visit a family business that epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle, taste the delicious coconut candy and observe the pastoral life as you roam through the fruit plantation and village. Meet the bus and return to the hotel.
Meals: B, L
Day 7: Depart Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamAfter breakfast at the hotel, say goodbye to Vietnam. You will be picked up at the hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight home or your next destination.
Meals: B