14 DAYS – HIGHLIGHTS OF VIETNAM

Arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Transocean’s staff will pick you up and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

08:00 Pick up at your hotel and departing to the Mekong Delta is My Tho, 84 km from Ho Chi city.

On arrival at My Tho of Tien Giang Province, go for sightseeing Vinh Trang Pagoda, the largest Buddhist temples in Tien Giang Province, has a unique architectural construction and subtle as a mixed Asian architecture in Europe.

Then, you’ll board a boat cruising through beautiful river, you will see daily activities of local people along the river. Enjoy cruise to the orchard islets where tropical fruits can be found and tasted. Roaming to the village around and observing how people make the living from fruits trees such as: coconut, collect honey at local gardens, and you can taste it with lemon and tea while you enjoy the South’s traditional music performed by locals. Have a lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, enjoy your own time (biking, walking to the village or relaxing on the hammock). We will then return. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

08:00 Start the day with a visit to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels. Stretching over 250 km, Cu Chi is one of the most famous and historical aspects of war in Viet Nam. The tunnel system was created in 1948 to assist the Viet Minh as they fought the French for independence and became legendary during the 1960’s in playing a vital role in the Viet Nam War by allowing the Viet Cong (communist guerrillas) to control large rural areas, just 65 km away from Ho Chi Minh City. Then, have a lunch at restaurant. Free time in the afternoon.

After lunch, we will visit some of the other major attractions in HCMC: the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office…

Then, return your hotel. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Have breakfast.

Then, transfer to airport for a flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Da Nang.

The beautiful city of Da Nang offers some wonderful activities for us to embark on. From the hotel, we will visit Ho Chi Minh and Fifth Military Zone Museum. Besides a replica of President Ho’s home in Ha Noi, this museum also has a lot of large war equipment including aircraft and tanks. Da Nang Museum with rich local history and culture, is the next stop.

We will continue to the Cham Sculpture Museum which is dedicated to the period of the Champa existence, which began predominantly in the coastal areas of Vietnam. The museum displays almost 300 terracotta and stone works of art ranging from the seventh to the fifteenth century.

Continue to Thuan Phuoc Bridge at Tien Sa Port, a wonderful bridge in Da Nang City. The next stop is Dragon Bridge, a very unique and modern bridge.

After lunch, we will visit Marble Mountains (Vietnamese: Ngu Hanh Son; literally “five elements mountains”) where we will discover the stunning natural caves of the mountain and enjoy the beautiful view from the top. We will also visit mysterious pagodas and the sculpturing village. We will continue to Son Tra Peninsula visit the spectacular Son Tra Quan Yin, or Goddess of Mercy statue. See the sheer size and beauty of the Lady Buddha up close then learn the legend behind this patron saint of seamen.

Overnight in Da Nang.

After breakfast, a visit to the My Son Sanctuary is an experience that should not be missed while visiting the beautiful city of Hoi An. My Son has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. During a time spanning from the 4th to 8th centuries, when Tra Kieu (then known as Simhapura) served as the political capital of Champa, My Son was the site of the most important Cham intellectuals and a religious centre. It is also believed that this site could have been used as a place of burial for Cham monarchs. My Son is considered to be Cham’s counterpart to the grand cities of South-East Asia’s other Indian influenced civilizations: Angkor (Cambodia), Bagan (Myanmar), Ayuthaya (Thailand), and Borobudur (Java). Have lunch.

Then, exploring Hoi An on foot is one of the best ways to absorb the beauty of this city. Visits to Hoi An’s Museum, many of the town’s renowned Ancient Houses which boast remarkable architecture, Assembly Halls of Chinese influence, a handicraft workshop, and of course the Japanese Covered Bridge.

Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast, have a free time until the time transfer to the airport and take the flight to Ha Noi. Have a free time at your hotel.
20:00 pick up for a short transfer to Hanoi railways station for taking the overnight train (first class 4 beds cabin with air-condition) which arrive in Lao Cai city.

Overnight on the train (without guide).

Meet your guide and driver upon your arrival at Lao Cai station and an hour transfer uphill the Hoang Lien Son mountains to Sapa. Great views of valleys and terraced rice fields along the way.

After breakfast, you will fancy a walk for a brief introduction of this charming town. First start of 6km of walking down to the south east of Sapa along the side of Muong Hoa valley to Y Linh Ho village of the Black H’mong. Continue a 2km-trekking down to Lao Chai village, through terraced rice fields to Ta Van village of the Dzay minority people. Lunch at a local family, it gives you a worth chance for you to learn about the local house architecture which is full of their daily life styles and exclusive custom. Enjoy the landscape on the way. Last trek is about 2km to the bus stop in Tavan then get back to and relax. Have dinner. Overnight in Sapa.

After breakfast, walk down to the South-west of Sapa (around 4 km) to visit Cat Cat village of the Black H’mong. Relax at the food of the stunning waterfall and the vestige of a hydroelectric power station that was constructed by the French during the colonial time in Vietnam. Enjoy picnic lunch by the side of the river, and then next 3 km to Sin Chai, the village located at the foot of Fansipan Mountain, “the roof of Vietnam and Indochina”. From here you can enjoy huge stunning landscapes before climbing up on the way to return to Sapa. Arriving back to Sapa in the afternoon, take a shower and then transfer down hill to Lao Cai station for taking the night train to Hanoi which arrives in Hanoi early at 05:30 to 06:00 next morning.

Overnight on the train (without guide).

Early arrive in Hanoi. Pick you up at train station and transfer your hotel, have a freetime. Overnight in Ha Noi.

Have a breakfast and then, the shuttle bus will pick you up and depart for Ha Long Bay, go through the scenic countryside. The wondrous Ha Long Bay is truly one of Vietnam’s most impressive scenic sights. Heading out of the town, embark on a boat for an exploration of the legendary Ha Long Bay. This exciting cruise will provide a fantastic view of the picturesque scenery blending with the sky and some 3,000 limestone islands rising amazingly from the clear and emerald water. The limestone karsts formations are littered with beaches, grottoes and beautiful caves. Along the way, anchor for a leisurely swim in a secluded cove and an enjoyable visit to one of the many hidden grottoes beneath towering cliffs.

Stay overnight on the Cruise.

Early morning sun risers can enjoy Tai Chi lesson on sundeck. Morning view of bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee. Have breakfast.

Then, check-out and enjoy a fantastic cruise on the bay. Enjoy the lunch on cruise.

12:00 the cruise are landing Halong Bay harbor, tourist say goodbye to sailors and finish the cruise. Return to Hanoi by shuttle bus. Stopover in Hai Duong province to visit a ceramics workshop.

You will arrive in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Pick up at the hotel for a 2-hour car ride heading south of Ha Noi to Ninh Binh Province, known to travelers as Viet Nam’s “Inland Ha Long Bay”. This will be an exciting day highlighted by a two-hour boat ride in Tam Coc stream. You will enjoy spectacular scenery while gliding along the river among rice paddies and ranges of limestone mountain peaks towering above you. After enjoying a lunch of local food served at a riverside restaurant, we will take a short trip down a peaceful country road to Hoa Lu, Viet Nam’s ancient capital of the 10th and 11th century. Here stand two temples dedicated to King Dinh and King Le. Then, we will return to Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast and free time until time to go to the airport for departure flight. End services.