The Best of Vietnam – 12 Days

Set foot on an S-shaped country – Vietnam in 12 days to explore the beauty of its nature, culture, and people. Our itinerary includes many highlights of this country from the South to the North like Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Hoi An, Hanoi, Sapa and Halong Bay where you can get diverse experiences from the eventful life of big cities, breathtaking mountainous area to the tranquil landscape of one of the most well-known heritage of the world. A Vietnam Tour in 12 days will be an interesting experience for you in the S – shape country.

Category: Vietnam Classic Tours

General Information

Duration: 12 days/11nights
Start/End: Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi
Tour Route: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta – Hoi An – Hanoi – Sapa – Halong Bay – Hanoi
Tour Type: Private tour
Tour Customizable: Absolutely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)
Guides: Local Guide (English Speaking Guide, Other Languages upon Request)
Transportation: Private first-class air-conditioned vehicles and plane
Accommodation: Listed below or equivalent. Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges
Active level: Walking, trekking, boating, sightseeing

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City tour
Day 3: Saigon – Mekong Delta (home-stay)
Day 4: Back to Ho Chi Minh City – Fly to Danang, transfer to Hoi An
Day 5: Hoi An walking tour
Day 6: Danang – Fly to Hanoi
Day 7: Hanoi tour – Night train to Sapa
Day 8: Sapa trekking & home-stay
Day 9: Night train to Hanoi
Day 10: Hanoi – Halong Bay (overnight on deluxe junk cruise)
Day 11: Halong Bay – Hanoi
Day 12: Departure Hanoi

Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (D)

Warmly greeted by our tour guide and driver when arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, we then transfer to the hotel and check in. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying welcome dinner at a cozy local restaurant. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City tour (B, L)

Morning sightseeing with a local tour guide introduces us to some famous attractions of Ho Chi Minh City including the Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Post Office. At lunchtime, enjoy tasty one of the most outstanding Vietnamese traditional dishes – Pho (rice noodle soup) at Pho 2000 Restaurant. Afterward, continue our city tour with Giac Lam Pagoda to get insights into a different religion – Buddhism, “Chợ Lớn” (Big Market), and Ben Thanh Market. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 3: Mekong Delta (home-stay) (B, L, D)

Leave Ho Chi Minh City this morning, we drive to Mekong Delta to visit Cai Be – one of the most hustling and bustling floating markets of this region where we can find a variety of products put in a hundred boats on the river. It is a pleasure to the eye when to see products are hung on a stick by sellers to show what kind of goods they want to sell to buyers. Take a boat and start our tour with local workshops or handicraft villages producing rice paste, coconut candy, pop-rice, pop-corn, rice net, fish sauce, soya sauce, salt, etc.

After lunch and taking a short rest, our boatman will take us to farther villages to visit traditional houses made of wood and palm tree leaves or watch farmers catching fish and picking fruits, etc. Get more insights into the daily life of local people and enjoy the beauty of the countryside by taking a bike tour to ride around the village. In the late afternoon, back to home-stay to make our dinner with a friendly host. Enjoy our meal then drink tea and rice wine while having a colloquial talk with them. Overnight at home-stay.

Day 4: Back to Ho Chi Minh City – Fly to Danang, transfer to Hoi An (B)

After breakfast, stroll around the village to enjoy the fresh air before saying goodbye to the host and embar on a boat to continue our trip. Row the boat to the pottery village to see local people creating fine products from clay. End the boat trip, we visit Vinh Long Market in town then return to Ho Chi Minh City to take a flight to Danang. Transfer to Hoi An after arriving in Danang. Check in at a hotel and spend the rest of the day relaxing. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 5: Hoi An Walking Tour (B)

Half of the day for a walking tour around the town to visit famous sites of Hoi An including the Japanese Covered Bridge, Pottery Museum, Tan Ky Old House, Cantonese Congregation, Silk Street, and several temples and pagodas built in Chinese style. Leisure time for us in the afternoon.

Day 6: Danang – Fly to Hanoi (B)

This morning, transfer to Danang International Airport from Hoi An for a flight to Hanoi. Welcomed by our tour guide, we then move to a hotel in the city center and check-in. In the evening, we have 1 hour to enjoy the Water Puppet Show – a kind of Vietnamese traditional performance. Back to the hotel and have a rest.

Day 7: Hanoi tour – Night train to Sapa (B)

The morning itinerary includes well-known attractions in Hanoi. Firstly, visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex consisting of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Stilt House, Presidental Palace, Ho Chi Minh Museum, and One Pillar Pagoda. Next, we set foot at the Temple of Literature to get insights into the first university of Vietnam which recognize many talented people from the Ly Dynasty (1009 – 1225). Nowadays, the Temple of Literature is a symbol of education and an attractive site for both Vietnamese people and foreigners to visit.

In the afternoon, continue our city tour with the Museum of Ethnology which exhibits many valuable documents and images of 54 ethnic minorities of Vietnam. In the evening, transfer to Sapa by train.

Day 8: Arrival in Sapa trekking & home-stay (B, L, D)

After arriving at Lao Cai railway station, we quickly move to Sapa Town to check in and have breakfast. Take a rest before trekking to Cat Cat Village, Ho, and Y Linh Ta Van Village which are habitations of Black H’mong. Next, trekking on a trail through rice paddy terraces and enjoy beautiful mountainous landscapes. Have lunch in a local restaurant near the river. Overnight in a home-stay of Giay people in Muong Hoa Valley.

Day 9: Sapa – Night Train to Hanoi (B, L)

A full day of trekking along with Giang Ta Chai and Su Pan – villages of Red Dao people to get more insights into the life of ethnic minorities. Tonight, back to Sapa and prepare for a night train to Hanoi.

Day 10: Hanoi arrival – Halong Bay (overnight on deluxe junk cruise) (B, L, D)

Welcomed by our tour guide and driver in Hanoi, we transfer to a small hotel for a short rest before visiting Halong Bay for a 2-day cruise trip. Cruise along Red River to Tuan Chau Port, then boatman takes us around Halong Bay. Enjoy delicious seafood (a vegetarian menu is available) while marveling at various unique shapes of islands like an old fisherman (La Vong Islet), an eagle looking for food (Dai Bang Islet), or a pair of a chicken standing together (Trong Mai Islet), etc.

Then, we discover the beauty of a diverse system of grottos and caves in Halong Bay such as Thien Cung Grotto (Heaven Palace) or Sung Sot Grotto (Amazing Grotto), and swim at Titov Beach. End of the day, enjoy the sunset glow from the cruise and have a cup of tea or coffee ordered from the bar. Dinner and overnight on the boat.

Day 11: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B, L)

Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast on the cruise, warm up our body with Tai Chi exercises then kayak around the bay to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of one of the World’s Heritages. Back to the cruise, watching a cooking demonstration from our chef to learn how to make a simple Vietnamese dish – spring rolls. Enjoy our lunch before disembarking and back to Hanoi.

Day 12: Hanoi Departure (B)

Our holiday ends with breakfast this morning then our driver will take us to the airport for the departure flight. See you again in another Vietnam tour package.

“Free inquiry this tour or create your trip upon your interest”

Inclusions

– Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing by private air conditioned vehicle with a driver
– English speaking tour guide will be provided in each city, who will remain with you throughout your time in that city. He or she will provide you with the best local knowledge available.
– Accommodation with daily breakfast as per detail itinerary
– Train tickets: Hanoi – Hue in sharing soft four-berth cabin in Reunification Train
– Domestic flight tickets: Danang – Ho Chi Minh City including domestic airport taxes
– Entrance fees & permits (if have)
– Meals as specified in the itinerary with authentic local food. Western food is available (up on request) (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
– Boat excursions
– The use of bikes as mentioned in the itinerary
– Bottle of drinking water

Exclusions

– International flights and airport taxes
– Early check in and Late check out at hotels
– Vietnam Visa
– Travel insurance
– Other meals which are not indicated above
– Surcharge and Compulsory dinners (if any)
– Beverages in the restaurants where meals are included
– Gratuities to guides and drivers
– Personal and other expenses such as porter, bar bills and laundry not stated in the itinerary