Itinerary
- Day 1
Hanoi
You'll arrive at Noi Bai International Airport where your guide meets you in the lobby with a Your Vietnam Travel signboard. From there, it's a transfer to your hotel for check-in. Keep in mind that early check-in depends on what the hotel has available at that time.
- Start point
- Noi Bai Airport Hotel, Huyện Sóc Sơn, Hanoi 140700, Vietnam (Our driver will pick you up at airport. Then transfer to hotel for check in)
- Day 2
Hanoi to Ninh Binh
Your pickup happens at 8:00 AM from the Hanoi hotel. The drive to Ninh Binh covers roughly 110km and takes about 2.5 hours with a rest stop along the way. Once there, you'll explore the 10th-century Dinh and Le King Temples at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital before grabbing a traditional lunch. After that, you board a sampan through Trang An Grottoes to see caves and temples, then tackle around 500 steps up Mua Cave for views across rice fields and limestone mountains. By 7:30 PM you're heading back to Hanoi.
- Meals
- Lunch (Authentic Ninh Binh cuisine at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Guided visit to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital - Dinh & Le King Temples
- Traditional sampan boat ride through Trang An Grottoes (Lam Cave, Vang Cave, Thanh Truot Cave, Cao Son Temple)
- Climb Mua Cave to Ngoa Long Peak
Optional Activities
- Private tour option available with flexible pickup and return times
Landmarks Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Trang An Grottoes Mua Cave - Day 3
Hanoi to Halong Bay
Your guide and shuttle pick you up between 8:00 and 8:20 AM. You travel east through Red River Delta farming villages toward Halong Bay. Once there, you board a traditional junk and spend the full day and night cruising past roughly 3,000 limestone islets. Dinner is seafood served on the boat, and you can swim if you want. The night's spent aboard the cruise.
- Meals
- Dinner (Wonderful seafood meal aboard the boat)
Included Activities
- Full day and night cruise on traditional junk through Halong Bay
- Seafood meal aboard the boat
Optional Activities
- Evening swim from the boat
Landmarks Halong Bay - Day 4
Halong Bay to Hoi An
Start early with either a Tai Chi lesson or a hearty breakfast. The boat stops at Cave of Surprises where you'll see stalagmites and stalactites. From there it's back to the main harbor and then the drive to Hanoi for your flight to Da Nang. Once you land in Da Nang, you transfer to Hoi An for hotel check-in.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hearty breakfast aboard the boat)
Included Activities
- Optional Tai Chi lesson on the boat
- Visit Cave of Surprises
Landmarks Cave of Surprises - Day 5
Hoi An
After breakfast at your hotel, the day is yours to explore Hoi An's ancient town at your own pace. You can visit the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation. Walking the narrow Old Quarter streets, you'll find local galleries and markets to browse. Try local dishes like cao lau, mi quang, and banh mi whenever hunger strikes. The afternoon and evening stay flexible, so you might catch riverside restaurants, the Night Market, cultural performances, or a boat ride on the Thu Bon River.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at hotel)
Included Activities
- Breakfast at hotel
Optional Activities
- Visit Hoi An Ancient Town
- Visit Japanese Covered Bridge
- Visit Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation
- Explore local shops, galleries, and markets in Old Quarter
- Try local cuisine (cao lau, mi quang, banh mi)
- Dinner at riverside restaurants
- Visit Hoi An Night Market
- Attend traditional cultural performances
- Boat ride on Thu Bon River
Landmarks Hoi An Ancient Town Japanese Covered Bridge Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation Hoi An Night Market Thu Bon River - Day 6
Hoi An
Two main activities fill your day. First is a Lantern Making Class where you create your own colorful lantern with local artisans as a souvenir. Then head to Cam Thanh Coconut Village where you glide through coconut forests on a traditional bamboo basket boat, try fishing, and watch boat performances. Later you return to a local house for a cooking demonstration with fire performance and eat a set meal with 7 traditional dishes. Choose either the morning session (9:00 AM to 12:30 PM) or afternoon (3:00 PM to 6:30 PM).
- Meals
- Lunch (Set meal with 7 traditional dishes at a local house following cooking demonstration)
Included Activities
- Lantern Making Class with skilled local artisans
- Cam Thanh Coconut Village experience - traditional bamboo basket boat ride
- Fishing activities at Cam Thanh
- Boat performances at Cam Thanh
- Cooking demonstration with fire performance at local house
- Set meal with 7 traditional dishes
Landmarks Cam Thanh Coconut Village - Day 7
Hoi An to Hue
Check out at 8:00 AM and take the scenic route to Hue via Hai Van Pass. Your driver stops at Lang Co Beach and Marble Mountain along the way. In Hue, you board a Dragon Boat to cruise the Perfume River toward the countryside. Visit Thien Mu Pagoda for views of the river, then check out either King Minh Mang's Tomb or King Tu Duc's Tomb to explore ancient emperor burial sites. Lunch happens at a local restaurant, then you visit Hue Citadel and Dong Ba Market before settling in for the night in Hue.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Dragon Boat cruise on Perfume River
- Visit Thien Mu Pagoda (Lady Pagoda)
- Visit King Minh Mang's Tomb OR King Tu Duc's Tomb
- Visit Hue Citadel
- Visit Dong Ba Market
- Lunch at local restaurant
Landmarks Hai Van Pass Lang Co Beach Marble Mountain Thien Mu Pagoda King Minh Mang's Tomb King Tu Duc's Tomb Hue Citadel Dong Ba Market Perfume River 
- Day 8
Hue to Ho Chi Minh City
Morning flight takes you to Ho Chi Minh City. When you arrive, transfer to your hotel for check-in.
- Day 9
Ho Chi Minh City
Breakfast at your hotel comes first, then you meet your guide at 8:00 AM to see Ho Chi Minh City's main sites. Visit Reunification Palace, which showcases Vietnam's history and architecture, and the War Remnants Museum. You'll also see Notre Dame Cathedral and the French Old Post Office building. After lunch at a local spot, you travel to Cu Chi Tunnels, a roughly 250km man-made network that served as communication routes, storage, hospitals, and living quarters. You can choose to go into the tunnels yourself to experience how difficult life was for those who lived there.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at hotel), Lunch (Lunch at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Guided visit to Reunification Palace
- Visit War Remnants Museum
- Visit Notre Dame Cathedral
- Visit Old Post Office
- Visit Cu Chi Tunnels
- Lunch at local restaurant
Optional Activities
- Enter the tunnels at Cu Chi Tunnels to discover harsh living conditions
Landmarks Reunification Palace War Remnants Museum Notre Dame Cathedral Old Post Office Cu Chi Tunnels - Day 10
My Tho Mekong Delta
A bus ride of about 1.5 hours through rice field scenery on National Highway 1 gets you to the rural area of Trung Luong and My Tho. Start with Vinh Trang Pagoda, then take a motorboat through the natural Bao Dinh canal into My Tho city. You cruise the Tien River to see four islands named Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise. Lunch comes at a local restaurant, followed by a coconut candy mill visit and a hand-rowed sampan trip along small canals under water coconut trees. During the boat ride, you'll have seasonal fruit and honey tea while locals play Southern Vietnamese folk music. The return to Ho Chi Minh City is by bus.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda
- Motorboat cruise through Bao Dinh natural canal
- Cruise on Tien River viewing Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise islands
- Visit coconut candy mill
- Hand-rowed sampan trip along small canals
- Seasonal fruit and honey tea with Southern Vietnamese folk music performance
- Lunch at local restaurant
Landmarks Vinh Trang Pagoda My Tho Tien River Dragon Island Unicorn Island Phoenix Island Tortoise Island - Day 11
Departure
Your morning is free before boarding your flights home.
- End point
- Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Trường Sơn, Quận Tân Bình, Hồ Chí Minh 736900, Vietnam (Pick you up from your hotel and transfer to airport for flight to next destination)
