Description
Description
Enjoy a tour of Vietnam from north to south.
Group size : Guaranteed departure from 2 adults
Duration : 8 days / 7 nights
Departure : Daily
Route: Hanoi – Ninh Binh – Ha Long – Saigon – Mekong Delta - Saigon
Extension : Easy connection to Bangkok, Phnompenh and Siemreap. Extension to other parts of Vietnam (Sapa, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Mui Ne, etc. are available upon request).
Day 1 - Arrival Hanoi
Upon arrival, a transfer will take you from Noi Bai Airport to the center of Hanoi. Afterwards check-in at the hotel. You can use your free time to relax and get rid of jet lag. Overnight stay in Hanoi.
Meal: None
Please note: Check-in time at the hotel is around 2 pm
Day 2 - Hanoi City Tour
Breakfast at the hotel
8:30 am: Tran Quoc Pagoda and West Lake
The bus and tour guide will pick you up from the hotel in the Old Quarter at around 8 am and drive you to Tran Quoc Pagoda, which is located on an island to the east of West Lake (Tay Ho district). It has a 1500-year history and is considered the oldest in Thang Long-Hanoi. It was the Buddhist center of the citadel of Thang Long during the Ly and Tran dynasties. With its historical and architectural values, Tran Quoc Pagoda is famous for its sacred Buddha land which attracts many Buddhists and visitors in Vietnam.
9:30 am: Ho Chi Minh Complex
Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, House on Stilts, the final resting place of Uncle Ho where he lived and worked from 1954 to 1969).
11 am: Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology
This is the newest, but probably also the largest and undoubtedly the most interesting museum in Ha Noi and Vietnam. There is both an indoor and an outdoor area. While the indoor exhibition is particularly informative, the museum's outdoor exhibitions and activities set it apart from others. There are a number of houses modeled after the traditional architecture of ethnic minorities, particularly those living in the northern and central highlands.
12:30 pm.: Lunch break
2pm: The Temple of Literature (the first university in Vietnam)
The Temple of Literature, an ancient school of Thang Long and the first university in Vietnam, is recognized as an ancient historical-cultural heritage that gives tourists a deeper understanding of Hanoi's long-standing culture and tradition.
3 pm: Hoa Lo Prison
It was built in 1899. The French mainly held political prisoners and those awaiting sentencing at the nearby court here, and also held downed American pilots as prisoners of war. The pilots sarcastically called it the "Hanoi Hilton". John McCain was imprisoned here several times during his five and a half years of captivity.
3 - 4 pm: Return to your hotel by car.
Overnight stay in Hanoi.
Meal: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at a local restaurant.
Remark:
- On Mondays and Fridays, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum are closed, visit the Museum of Vietnamese Women instead.
- You should not wear short revealing clothes to visit the mausoleum and temple.
Day 3 - Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hanoi
07:00 - 07:40 am: The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel and the 110 km drive in a shared deluxe van through the green countryside of the country starts. Short break on the way.
10:00 am - Arrive at the shimmering Bai Dinh pagoda complexes. They are picturesquely located at the foot of Dinh Mountain, offering breathtaking views of the river valley below and the surrounding limestone karst rocks that will take your breath away. These pagoda complexes offer a range of the most massive and magnificent architecture of Vietnamese tradition ever built, so it will take you a whole day to explore them all. Here's how to visit some of the highlights.
12:00 pm - Enjoy lunch at a restaurant with the great local dishes.
1:30 pm - Depart for the Trang An Grottoes, a majestic limestone massif rising dramatically from the rice fields over 20 square kilometers. Deep within the connected chains of towering mountains are pristine sites of mystical valleys, numerous freshwater ponds and jungle. Board a traditional sampan and be rowed down the magnificent river through numerous caves: Lam Cave, Vang Cave, Dai Cave, Thanh Truot Cave, ... and Cao Sơn Temple, Suoi Tien Temple, Vu Lam Temple ...
3:30 pm - Visit Mua Cave and hike to the top of Ngoa Long Mountain overlooking the spectacular Rice Valley and beautiful nature.
5:15 pm - Return to the bus and drive back to Hanoi.
7:30 pm - You will be transferred to hotel/stay in Hanoi.
Overnight stay in Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at a local restaurant.
Day 4 - Hanoi - Halong
At 8am, you will be picked up in Hanoi by a shuttle bus and head east to Halong Bay, the pride of the Gulf of Tonkin, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Upon arrival in Halong, you will take a large boat across the bay to discover the magnificent beauty of this "Dragon Bay", which is made up of thousands of bizarrely shaped limestone cliffs and karst caves. After a lunch of fresh seafood on board, you can visit the surprise grotto, stop for a swim or go kayaking past floating villages and islands to enjoy their beauty up close. Return to the boat for dinner in the late afternoon. In the evening you can join the activities on the boat or relax on your own. Overnight stay on the boat.
Please note: The program can be varied a little. Only Vietnamese and international food will be served on the boat.
Meals: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch and dinner on the boat.
Day 5 - Halong - Hanoi - Saigon
Proposed flight schedule: VN 259 HAN SGN 18:00 - 20:15
Wake up early to enjoy the dawn on the sea. Seeing the sunrise over the islands of the bay is fantastic. After breakfast, the boat continues through the beautiful area where almost every island has its own name that reminds its shape, such as Sail Island, Fisherman's Head Rock, Butterfly Rock or Turtle Islet etc.
Disembarkation at noon and land transfer to Hanoi airport to catch the flight to Saigon. Upon arrival, you will be met by a driver and transferred to your hotel for check-in. Overnight stay in Saigon.
Meals: Breakfast, brunch on the boat
Day 6 - Saigon City - Cu Chi Tunnel
In the morning, you will visit the Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace, built on the site of the former Norodom Palace. The Independence Palace is a widely known landmark of Ho Chi Minh City and was designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu. Continue to the beautiful buildings from the French colonial period, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the historic Main Post Office. Afterwards, you will visit the War Remnants Museum, which contains an extensive exhibition about the two Indochina wars. Afterwards, you will have lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, you will be picked up to go to the Cu Chi Tunnels, where you will arrive after a 1.5-hour drive. The tour guide will give you an overview of Cu Chi and its legendary history. A documentary film about the tunnels will explain the history of the tunnels and the hardship of the war in the area. You will be guided through the tunnel system, including the weapons factory, hospitals and kitchens, and you will crawl under the tunnels. Afterwards, you'll have the opportunity to taste delicious cassava, the staple food of the guerrilla warriors in Cu Chi during the war. Afterwards, you can try firing an AK47, MK16 or machine gun at the nearby shooting range (at your own expense). At the end of your trip, you will leave the Cu Chi tunnels and return to Saigon. Overnight stay in Saigon.
Note: Notre Dame Cathedral is under restoration, so you can only visit it from the outside.
Meals: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at a local restaurant
Day 7 - Saigon - Mekong Delta - Saigon
Leave the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City and make your way to My Tho, the city on the left side of the Mekong River. Upon arrival, visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, which dates back to the late 19th century. Then you will board the sampan and travel downstream around the four beautiful islands known as Dragon Island, Unicorn Island, Phoenix Island and Turtle Island.
On Unicorn Island you will stop, walk through the country road, see orchards, enjoy tropical fruits and folk music performed by the locals.
Visit an orchard.
Ride a hand-rowed sampan through the Thoi Son Canal. Enjoy the beauty of the countryside, visit the family business, visit the honey bee farm, enjoy honey tea and coconut candy workshop.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, you will have time for a bike tour of Tan Thach village, where you will meet villagers and learn about daily life in the Mekong Delta. Relax in the hammock and enjoy the cool breeze. It is for those who can't join the bike tour. Meet at the shared deluxe van for the return trip to Saigon. Overnight stay in Saigon.
Meals: Breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant.
Day 8 - Departure Saigon
After breakfast, you will have free time to relax or shop (on your own) before being transferred to the airport for your return flight.
Meal: Breakfast at the hotel
Please note: Check-out time at the hotel is around 12:00.
Included services
- English-speaking tour guides on touring date (Station guide).
- Accommodation on twin/double/triple sharing basic
- Meal plan:
- Daily breakfast at hotels.
- Lunch or dinner with local food as mention in the program
- Air-con transfer for airport transfer and touring
- Boat trip in Mekong delta
- Private cabin on Shared Overnight Junk in Halong Bay
- Entrance fee and Zone fee as per program
- Water during transfer.
Not included services
- International, domestic flights and airport departure tax.
- Meals not mentioned in Detailed Program.
- Vietnam Visa arrangement & stamp fee (USD 25/entry)
- Early check-in, late check-out surcharge.
- Surcharge for Christmas and New Year period (to be advised upon booking confirmation)
- Tipping for Guides (USD 3/pax/day) and Drivers (USD 1/pax/day)
- Banking fee for payment by bank transfer
- Other expense not mentioned in the program.
Notes
Prices vary depending on the type of hotel. Standard hotel is the cheapest, superior hotel is the middle price category and deluxe hotel is the most expensive price category.
Possible hotels can be provided upon request. Please send an e-mail to service@meinpep.de.
The flight from Hanoi to Saigon can be booked on request.
Please note:
- The airfare is inclusive of airline taxes.
- The airfare may change depending on the time of booking and issuance of the ticket.
For airport transfers: there is an extra charge for tour guide and vehicle for airport transfers between 10:00pm and 6:00am.
Guide and vehicle, if included, will follow the exact confirmed program. Otherwise over time will be charged.
If you need more time for sightseeing or dinner, please inform us in advance to include the cost from begining.
For lunch and dinner are not included in the program: transfer and meal cost will be on guests’s own arrangement.
Refunds or exchanges for accommodations, meals, sightseeing, transportation, or other services included in the tour price but not used by you are excluded.
Early check and late check out are subjected to availability with surcharge from the hotels.
