Best of Vietnam 12 Days Tour Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An & Mekong Delta Complete Vietnam Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Hanoi (D)

Upon arrival at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, you will be greeted by your guide and transferred to your hotel. This is Vietnam's capital and we celebrated its anniversary of 1,000 years in 2010. Historical emphasis on the arts and learning stipulates that buildings in Hanoi remain small, simple and in harmony with nature. You will have the afternoon at your leisure before an evening welcome dinner at a local restaurant and an overnight stay in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour Full Day (B/L)

Today, You will visit Ho Chi Minh's complex, including the mausoleum of the nation's founder and leader. Here, large crowds gather to pay their respects to the man they simply call “Uncle Ho” as he spent his whole life fighting for our freedom. The Presidential Palace and Uncle Ho's wooden stilt house can also be seen here. One of the must-see places in the complex is the One Pillar pagoda dating back to the 11th century.

The next stop is the Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam's oldest university and dedicated to one of the world's most famous scholars, Confucius. Inside the temple grounds, huge steles rest on the backs of even larger stone turtles (in Vietnam's culture, the turtle represents longevity). The stele recorded the names of the successful candidates who later became mandarins in the Emperor's court.

You also will  visit the  Museum of Ethnology  where you will learn more about our people, culture and custom and our history.

Then you will be taken in a 45 minutes cyclo tour to see Hanoi ‘s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake.

You will then enjoy a water pupet show that one should not miss while visiting Hanoi. Overnight  in Hanoi.

Note:  Ho Chi Minh mausoleum is closed on Monday and Friday. Most of musuems are closed on Monday so there will be alternative options if you depart on Monday or Friday.

Day 3: Hanoi-Halong (B/L/D)

Travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay to cruise amongst the Bay’s spectacular scenery aboard. Get on board and cruise around the stunning mystical landscape of Halong Bay, one of the world's most famous UNESCO World Heritage sites where thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various sizes and shapes rise from the clear, emerald water of the Gulf of Tonkin, most of which are uninhabited and unaffected by humans. The wind, rain and sea have carved out dramatic caves and grottoes in some of the islands, several of which you will visit. Participate in different activities like hiking, swimming...

Day 4: Halong - Hanoi (B/ Brunch)

Greet the day with a morning tai chi session, with an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay. After breakfast, you will visit a beautiful limestone grotto and then go back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock for brunch. Checkout is at about 11:45 am and the boat arrives at the harbor by noon for the drive back to Hanoi. You will then have free time before an overnight stay in Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi - Hue World Heritage site by plane (B)

Following breakfast, you will be free until transfer to the airport for a flight to the ancient imperial capital of Hue. In Hue, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay in Hue. Free for leisure at your own way.

Day 6: Hue Ancient Capital (B/L)

Rising up in this ancient land, you will have breakfast in the hotel before setting off for a romantic cruise on the Perfume River. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to some of these tombs will be on the itinerary on that day. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day. Thien Mu Pagoda is considered the unofficial symbol of Hue, and the center of Buddhism in Central Vietnam. You will rejoin your car and drive to King Khai Dinh’s tombs.

In the afternoon you will embark on a tour of Hue, including the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and the Phu Cam conical hat village.

Day 7: Hue-Ancient town Hoi An (B/L)

You will leave Hue for Hoi An, World Heritage recognized city. You will stop in Danang for a visit to the Cham Museum and the handicraft villages at the foot of Marble Mountain. Once in Hoi An, you will check into your hotel and have some free time to explore before embark the half- day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200-year-old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Following the tour, there will be free time for shopping, including visits to local tailors who can-do custom-made clothing very quickly. Then, you’ll take a break and have a peaceful evening stay.

Day 8: Farmer and Fishing Tour (B/L)

Duration: 6 hours

08:30AM/14:30PM: You will be picked up at your hotel lobby and transferred to Vong Nhi village by E-car, you receive the bikes and we start cycling through the village (around 6 km). On the way we may see lots of stunning landscapes from peaceful countryside such as green water coconut forest and prawn & red snapper farms or immerse ourselves in rustic beauty of rice fields.

Arrival at Thanh dong organic farm- a 10,000sqm organic garden supporting 10 local families. We will take a short stroll around the vegetable garden while listening to the life-changing story of the farmers since they have been approached organic method of cultivating herbs.

Afterwards we join the farmers to do some gardening activities like preparing and applying organic manure to the land, raking the ground, sowing herb seed, watering or picking vegetables.

Then, we leave the farm for taking the basket boat ride along the Do River to The Field Restaurant. You may enjoy the beautiful scenery or fishing life of local villagers on the way there.

Before getting back to the hotel, we will enjoy short cooking class and have Vietnamese family style lunch/dinner.

Day 9: Hoi An - Danang - Saigon (B/L)

After leaving Hoi An, you will drive to Danang Airport. From Danang, you will take the one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), where you will be transferred directly to your centrally located hotel. You will embark on a city tour of Saigon, including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, the War Remnants Museum and bustling Ben Thanh Market. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

Day 10: Mekong Delta Excursion (B/L)

The program will start with a quick visit of Cai Be floating market. Then, visit of the local workshop to see how to make rice paper, coconut, pop-rice... Enjoy some sweets with a cup of hot tea. Then, the rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals to enjoy the peaceful time.

An optional lunch can be served at local house or on boat

After lunch, we’ll come to Tân Phong - island for biking / walking on village paths to see the local daily life: orchard, school, church, pagoda, traditional houses... On the way, we can make some stops to see how they wave the dried water-hyacinth to make many products: baskets, bags, hats, wallets, shoes...

Come to visit the local garden, we will enjoy some cups of tea when listening to the traditional music. The cruise will back & end at Cai Be pier.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh - Cu Chi tunnels (B)

Enjoy the breakfast at hotel then you will be picked up for the tour to the Cu Chi tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250 kilometers, from Saigon to the Cambodian border, and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitors a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam War must have been like. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

Day 12: Ho Chi Minh – Departure (B)

Free at leisure until transfer to Hochiminh International Airport for your departure.

Services Included

• Eleven nights of hotel and cruise accommodation.
• Premium 4-star or luxury 5-star hotels according to the selected package.
• Double or twin sharing, with one single room allowed for the fifth traveller.
• One overnight Ha Long Bay cruise in a twin or double balcony cabin.
• Two scheduled domestic economy-class flights.
• Standard checked baggage on the included domestic flights.
• Daily breakfast at hotels and aboard the cruise.
• Lunches, brunches and dinners stated in the confirmed itinerary.
• Private airport, hotel and cruise-marina transfers.
• Private air-conditioned transportation during scheduled touring.
• Professional drivers, fuel, tolls, parking fees and driver expenses.
• Experienced English-speaking guides during scheduled sightseeing.
• Hanoi cyclo experience.
• Traditional water puppet performance in Hanoi.
• Scheduled Ha Long Bay cruise activities.
• Private Perfume River boat service.
• Hue Imperial Citadel and royal-tomb entrance tickets.
• Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture entrance ticket.
• Hoi An Ancient Town entrance ticket.
• Thanh Dong Organic Farm experience.
• Basket-boat and countryside-cycling activities.
• Hoi An cooking experience and family-style lunch.
• Private Mekong Delta excursion with motorboat and sampan services.
• Vietnamese lunch during the Mekong Delta excursion.
• Private Cu Chi Tunnels excursion.
• All scheduled sightseeing entrance fees.
• Bottled drinking water and tissues during private touring.
• Local taxes and service charges for included arrangements.
• Twenty-four-hour local assistance during the journey.

Services Not Included

• International flights to Hanoi and from Ho Chi Minh City.
• Vietnam visa or electronic visa fees.
• Travel, medical, cancellation and emergency-evacuation insurance.
• Domestic business-class flight upgrades.
• Excess baggage and special baggage charges.
• Meals not clearly stated in the confirmed itinerary.
• Alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and minibar consumption.
• Optional attractions, performances and activities.
• Single-room supplements beyond the confirmed room arrangement.
• Early hotel check-in and late hotel check-out.
• Room, suite, villa and premium-view upgrades.
• Laundry, spa treatments, telephone calls and personal expenses.
• Tips for guides, drivers, cruise crews, boat rowers and hotel staff.
• Peak-season, weekend-cruise and public-holiday supplements.
• Christmas, New Year and Vietnamese Lunar New Year supplements.
• Compulsory hotel, resort or cruise gala dinners.
• Additional costs caused by weather, airline or transport disruption.
• Any service not clearly listed under “Services Included”.