Essential Vietnam Tour – 11 Nights from Ho Chi Minh

On this full-day program, you’ll depart Ho Chi Minh City at 08:00 for a pleasant drive through the countryside to Cu Chi Tunnels.

Before entering the tunnels you’ll see a short introductory video about their construction. Spend the next hour exploring the tunnel maze. Also on display are various mantraps, the remains of an American tank, and numerous bomb craters created by 500-pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers.

Afterwards, you’ll head back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving at around 13:00.

Afternoon: Private Vespa tour with dinner.

Around 13:00-13:30: Our tour guide will take you to every corner of the city on the back of the Vespa, from bustling streets to hidden alleyways, from market to market, from huge ancient apartment to local houses, places that you could never want to wander into on your own because of its complex formation and see the contrast of 6 different districts (Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10) in your astonishment. Enjoy an incredible cup of true Saigonese Filter Coffee (learn how to make it in our own way) or Fresh Coconut Water Fruit, then come back home and tell the tales about your incredible experiences to your friends and family. Saigon Unseen will focus on providing a variety of what Ho Chi Minh City has to offer in different local areas. From the beautiful Saigon River to local alleyways where Vietnamese families work, live and play; then from the famous Chinatown – the biggest and oldest in the world – where you will find out more about the traditional value of mixed cultures lifestyle in Saigon to the temples of hundred years to learn so much more about the beliefs and religions of this magical land. We will finish off our tour with a traditional Vietnamese dish, which is a great choice and promises to end your great tour in a fabulous way.

Back to hotel at around 17:30. Overnight in HCM city.

Around 08:00 Tour guide pick you up in your hotel lobby, then driving 90Km (2hrs) to Ben Tre. The boat will cruise along the Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces including a brick works, a coconut processing workshop and a mat weaving house.

The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life, boarding your Xe Loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) and stopping at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch, featuring such local specialties as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp.

After lunch it’s time to board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. You will back to the river to board your boat. Then, we will head back to Ho Chi Minh.

After breakfast, free time till we pick you at hotel then transfer you to the airport for the morning flight to Da Nang with Vietnam airlines. Upon arrival Danang airport, we will welcome then transfer to your hotel in Hoi An, one of the major trading centers of South East Asia in the 16th century, now a World Cultural Heritage Site, well-known for its ancient and remarkable architecture of mixed Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese styles from the 16th century.

Check in and free at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An Ancient Town – highlight of any tour to Vietnam that no Vietnam Tours maker would skip, is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

Day free to cycle through rice paddies in the countryside of Hoi An ancient town, shop for souvenirs among the antique shops and art galleries, or just sit at sidewalk cafes and soak up the atmosphere of this quaint town. Or relax on the white sandy beach of the famous Danang Beach.

Optional tour: Hoi An Memories Show that is a new but really outstanding outdoor performance that is scale up to a capacity of 3,300 people. It is featured with Vietnam traditional Ao Dai, the graceful and prosperous Hoi An Ancient Trading Port since 400 years ago. Our tour guide will give you the tickets one day before and you will go on your own. The theatre is just around 2-3Km from your hotel that you can access easily.

Overnight in a Hoi An hotel.

Day free at leisure and discover Hoian ancient town by your own.

Overnight in Hoian

After breakfast, leave Hoi An for Hue, the last imperial capital of Vietnam, well-known for magnific architecture, pagodas and royal tombs laid in small villages and surrounding hills and one of the most popular cities for all the Vietnam Tours. En route have a look at the famous Danang Beach and visit Cham Museum which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. Upon arrival in Hue, visit the Imperial Citadel, the Purple Forbidden City, Hue’s oldest and most revered site, Thien Mu Pagoda then boat trip on the romantic Perfume River to the hotel .

Overnight in a Hue hotel.

After breakfast, we visit the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang and Khai Dinh in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes.

Afternoon take the flight to Hanoi with Vietnam airlines. Upon arrival, our private Vietnam Tours guide and driver will welcome your Vietnam Holiday, pick up and transfer to the hotel for check in. Hanoi, a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of new Asia. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. A city with a blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace, an architectural museum piece evolving in harmony with its history, rather than bulldozing through like many of the region’s capitals. Hanoi is where imagination becomes reality.

Free at leisure.  Overnight in a Hanoi hotel

Ranked among the world’s best destinations, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam with more than 1000 years of history and culture. Hanoi is also well-known for its beautiful lakes with the image of local Tai Chi in the early morning, tree-line boulevards, flowers on bicycles and delicious dishes.

08:00: Pick up and transfer to visit the Museum of Ethnology – an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups living in Vietnam.It is here you will learn about the cultural diversity of different ethnic groups from religious events to the symbolic rituals as well as display of a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas outside.

Continue to the Temple of Literature which is the first university in Vietnam. It was constructed in 1070, first to honor Confucius and nowadays to celebrate the doctorates and ranked scholars of Vietnam.

Have lunch at local restaurant.

Then, you will have an amazing trip to the Train Street (best time to be there is around 2pm as there is a train leaving at 02:30pm and another arrival at 03:30pm) to take fantastic pictures of incoming train as well as see how locals live on both sides of the railway. A little bit far from the hustle, bustle and narrow old streets, Train street is where the trains just hurl through the residential area in mere feed away from local lives. Enjoy a cup of coffee at Train Track Coffee Shop while watching the trains pass.

Next, visit Ho Chi Minh complex with first stop at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside) –a large memorial pays homage to the national hero – President Ho Chi Minh who led the country to independence and reunification. The Mausoleum is located at Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh President read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945 establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Then take a short walk to the Presidential Palace and house on stilts.

Near from Ho Chi Minh complex, we visit to the One Pillar Pagoda (special with unique architecture of lotus flower) – a must-see place for tourists to Hanoi.

Finally, take a cyclo ride around the Old Quarter to observe the daily life of Hanoian, as well as see how locals manage in the incredible traffic.

Overnight in Hanoi.

We start at 9.00 A.M for the 2.5 hours drive to Halong Bay (150 km) through highways connecting Hanoi – Hai Phong & Hai Phong – Ha Long Bay. Our destination is Halong bay – the most famous World Heritage Site in Vietnam, famous for its beautiful seascape, thousands of spectacular islands and islets jutting out from the sea, amazing caves with marvelous stalagmites and stalactites in different sizes and shapes.

11:30 – 12:00 Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed on board our luxury junk and treated with wine and fresh local seafood. As our junk gliding further into the tranquility of Ha Long Bay amid the towering mountain cliffs and on the emerald green water, you’ll have relaxing time combining the fine tastes of the wine and the freshness of Ha Long Bay. During the cruise, we’ll stop some times for visiting the amazing Sung Sot cave and the Ti Top white sand beach before anchoring for the night. Overnight on board the junk in the wild of Halong Bay.

It is said that your Vietnam Tours will not be complete without a tour to Halong Bay and spending one night on romantic Halong Cruise. People describe Halong Bay as majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious and words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is Halong Bay, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn from the hand of nature.

After breakfast, we’ll take a little sampan or kayak to visit a secret lagoon of Ha Long Bay while the surrounding mountains are just waking up. After that our cruise takes us further into the Bay of Bai Tu Long traveling past the Human Head Island, the Turtle Island, and the Duck Islet… to the studio site where the famous Indochine film was shot. Around noon, our junk travels back to the harbor, pick up and drive back to Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Free time at leisure for you to wrap up your memorable Vietnam Holiday until Vivutravel’s private guide will see you off at the airport with the sincere thanks for traveling with Vivutravel. We hope that you have enjoyed your Vietnam Tours with us and look forward to welcoming you back for your next Vietnam Tours, goodbye and see you again!!!