The Real Vietnam tour – 15 Days From Ho Chi Minh

It is worth to travel to Vietnam once in your lifetime as it will be really more different and interesting than just reading in the books, learning in the movies and hearing from the others. Vietnam is now far beyond your imagination with modern and dynamic cities, exotic and marvelous landscapes, famous natural and cultural World Heritage Sites. With efforts from our experienced travel consultants, it will be so quick and easy to plan your Vietnam tour packages.

Being welcomed at Tan Son Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh) by our experienced English speaking guide and driver and listen to a brief introduction of your beautiful Vietnam tour when we are on the way to hotel for check-in.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Our Vespa tour (08:00 – 12:00) of modern-day Ho Chi Minh City will give you a view of the city unlike anything on a package tour, and much more than you could find on your own.

We know Saigon, and exactly how to take in the must-see landmarks while getting you off the crowded tourist trail. Take a peek at the history, the streets and the sights that most visitors never even hear about or see.

We’ll take you through the Chinese district of Saigon, stop to see a sweet smelling flower market & visit a breathtaking yet hidden Buddhist pagoda. Also, see the must-see landmarks such as the famous Saigon Cathedral & Post Office which were designed by Gustave Eiffel. Then get a brief history lesson in front of the Reunification Palace. Depending on the time of day you wish to take the tour, we will begin or end with a lunch at Café Zoom.

In the afternoon, you will visit some other famous city sites by car.

First, ransfer to visit the War Remnants Museum. Here, your guide will tell the story of the city’s darkest and most tragic hours during the Vietnam War. The museum contains displays of military aircraft, weaponry and many photographs – some that are quite graphic in nature.

At 18:00, Enjoy one of the best shows in Vietnam – The Mist, performed by Lune Production, at Saigon Theatre.

The show lasts for 1 hour and you will be transferred back to the hotel or your restaurant. For restaurant option, you will transfer back to your hotel on your own.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Boarding at Can Tho at Ninh Kieu pier. Welcome drink, introduction to the ship and crew, check into the cabins. Departure downstream of the Hau river. Lunch on board while en route.

Tour near Tra On floating market.

Turning into Nicolai canal, towards the Mang Thit and Co Chien rivers. Rest on the upper deck in a scenery of rice fields, sugar cane, woods on the near banks.

By mid-afternoon, the Bassac casts anchor for a visit on shore: past the first tree line, quiet discovery of the peaceful life in the delta’s countryside, of rice fields, fruit trees and the welcoming inhabitants.

Boarding back, complimentary drink as a welcome back on board. Rest on the deck or around the bar enjoying the sunset.

The crew serves dinner while the Bassac is cruising Mang Thit river towards her anchorage point for the night.

The Bassac sets anchor for the night on river Mang Thit.

06:30 Departure towards Cai Be. The passengers take their breakfast while enjoying the scenery on the banks.

The Bassac crosses Co Chien river then branches into Cho Lach canal for 30 minutes through the traffic of sand and rice barges, in a scenery of fruit drying facilities and wooden ship building yards.

Arrival near Cai Be, check-out and transfer to a rowing boat for a quiet visit through a small canal.

Rendez-vous with a local boat, which will take you to shore for a visit of Cai Be’s handicraft.

End of services by mid-morning on shore at Cái Bè.

Please note you will leave the Bassac for good upon boarding the small boat for the last visit, typically about 8:30. Pick up and drive back to HCMC and transfer you to Tan Son Nhat airport for short flight to Danang.

Upon arrival, our private tour guide and driver will welcome you to the city of beach. Time at leisure and overnight in Hoi An.

Spend a day leisurely cycling though the scenic countryside of Vietnam, far from the traffic the motor scooters, and the noises the city. You will cross the islands on the Song Thu river delta using local transportation, including ferries and floating bridges…

This tour will take you on a visit to artisans making bricks according to age-old. You will discover how wooden river boats are made and learn the secret of weaving the colorful straw Hoi An sleeping mats. Try the renowned Vietnamese basket boats. You will spend the day with first-hand contact with one of the rural inhabitant of the region, far from the usual tourist circuits. At lunchtime you will be invited into a local home for a traditional Vietnamese meal, and learn their customs and traditions. After you have relaxed for a while under the shade of a mango tree, you will begin your return towards Hoi An, which will take about an hour.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An Ancient Town -the 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 Cua Dai Beach.

This evening, our tour guide will give you tickets of Hoi An Memories Show 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.

Overnight in a Hoi An hotel

After breakfast, leave Hoi An for Hue, the last imperial capital of Vietnam, well-known for magnificent 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 your arrival at Hue city, start our visit to the old capital city of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty ruled from 1802 to 1945, with first stop at the Imperial Citadel giving you a better understanding of the beauty of Vietnamese Royal architecture and culture.

Then we will take a beautiful dragon boat trip along Perfume River and visit to Thien Mu Pagoda – one of the most popular attractions in Hue. It is located on the banks of poetic Perfume River with typical traditional architecture of Hue pagodas and famous for the event that buddhist monk from this temple, Thich Quang Duc, burn himself to death for anti-government protest in 1963.

Back to your hotel at around 17:00 and overnight in Hue.

This morning, head out to Hue outskirt to visit King Ming Mang and King Khai Dinh tombs which are the most beautiful works of royal architecture of the Nguyen dynasty.

King Minh Mang Tomb lies on the west bank of Perfume River, about 12km from the city center. The tomb was constructed in 1840, firstly by King Ming Mang, then, completed by his son according to his plan. The tomb is the most majestic of all Nguyen Dynasty royal tombs thanks to its perfect combination of manmade and natural beauty of Hue, where architecture fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape.

King Khai Dinh Tomb is actually the smallest tomb of all King’s Tombs in Hue, however, it is also the most costly one. The tomb was started building in 1920 and it takes 11 years to be completed. The truth is that the rulers had to raise national tax to 30% in order to complete the tomb. The prominent features of Khai Dinh tomb is about the intermingling of oriental and occidental, roman and gothic, ancient and modern.

Around noon, transfer back to Phu Bai airport for flight to Hanoi.

Upon your arrival at Noi Bai airport, pick up and transfer to your hotel for check-in.

Overnight in Hanoi.

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.

05:30 Wake up early and be ready for an amazing morning trip around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter – the symbols of Hanoi city and Hanoian. You will be surprised by seeing local Hanoians doing morning exercises around Hoan Kiem Lake as they are so natural practicing such strange Tai Chi in their own ways. Let’s see the way they do and join with them! From Hoan Kiem Lake, take a look at the Old Quarter as it is the only time in day you can enjoy quiet atmosphere.

07:00 Have breakfast with Pho – the most famous and popular dish in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular.

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, end your city tour with a fantastic water puppet show.

Overnight in Hanoi.

After breakfast, drive to Ky Son where the beautiful Moon Garden homestay located.

10:00: Arrive at Moon Garden Homestay in Ky Son village. Welcome drink with local fresh green tea. Free time for discovering Moon garden Homestay and Ky Son village by yourself (local market, kinder garden)

11:00: Cooking class

12:30: Lunch

13:30: Hand Spa– Enjoy having your fingers dipped in a fragrant lime bowl and the traditional herbal hand massage

Then, free time for relaxing or further conversation with the host family about local snacks, sharing cultures, and learning about traditional customs. If you want to learn Vietnamese, one of the family members can teach you.

15:00: Take a bicycle ride to discover the Ky Son, Tam Son, Van Minh, and Cham farming communities and stop at any home you like for a cup of tea. Visit the kinder garden (if open). Chat with local people about their daily life and farming. You can help with plowing or making rice beds, transplanting seedlings, harvesting rice (or cassava, corn, sweet potatoes…) depending on the harvest season, collecting tea and all medicinal herbs needed for your steam bath later in the afternoon and the foot “spa” in the late evening.

17:30: Return to the Moon Garden for happy hour (you will be offered some kind of local tisane). While waiting for your steam bath to be prepared, you can enjoy our local drink and taste some of the local products such as maize, sweet potato, cassava, peanuts, etc, depending on season.

18:30: Traditional, refreshing steam bath with fragrant herbs (Lemon grass, pomelo leaves, holy basil leaves).

19:30: Dinner

20:30: Observe the evening worship, and enjoy your foot bath in warm water with ginger, salt and mugwort medicinal herbs before bedtime, which brings you a deeper sleep.

7:00: Joining Yijinjing traditional exercises

7:30: Breakfast, then participate in burning votive money and gold for the deceased.

8:30: Free time: You can make yourself at home relaxing on the hammock in our garden, taking pictures with Vietnamese traditional clothes, chatting with people, or further discovery of the Ky Son village and the surrounding area.

09h30: Say goodbye and drive to visit famous Duong Lam ancient village and Mia Pagoda then drive to Mai Chau. Take the boat trip to visit Hoa Binh lake (Halong bay on the moutains) and have lunch at a local family or restaurant.

Arrive Mai Chau, take a cycling tour around the villages of Ban Lac and Poom Coong

Overnight in Mai Chau at Mai Chau ecolodge

Morning drive to visit Hoa Lu which was the capital city of Vietnam under the Dinh Dynasty between 968 and 980 AD and ancient sanctuaries and tombs can still be seen today. Apart from the historical importance, the area is naturally beautiful, referred to many as the “dry HalongBay,” with limestone peaks and fertile green valleys. After lunch, take the amzing boat trip to visit Trang An grottoes whichis a gathering of 31 valleys, 50 cross-water caves, and home to 600 kinds of flora and over 200 kinds of fauna, many of them in the Red Book of Vietnam. While rowing through Trang An grotto in the quiet, fresh air of the highlands, with only the sound of birds and the oars stirring the clear water and surrounded by magnificent forested mountains upon which graze white goats, visitors enjoy a heaven on earth.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Halong tour must be the most beautiful tour in Vietnam for any Vietnam Holidays. We start at 8.00 A.M for the 3 hour drive through the Red River Delta, which offers plenty of chances for taking photos of Vietnamese farmers tilling the vast green paddy fields. At half way, we’ll have a visit to a handicraft workshop with fine clothes, embroidered paintings, stone statuettes and all kinds of gems mined in Vietnam such as star rubies or sapphires… Our destination is the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay. The bay offers some 3000 mountain islands and islets towering in the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Vietnam Sea.

Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed on board our luxury junk in Halong bay 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.

Arrive in Hanoi, 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.

Start your interesting and fantastic street food & night walking tour (the walking tour will be much more fantastic at the weekend from Friday night to Sunday as many Old Streets will blocked for pedestrians).

At first, the street food & walking tour starts at one of Hanoi’s largest market, Dong Xuan market. In every corner, you can easily find various types of products, from dried food to pork, beef, seafood, from fruits to cakes, candies & fashion stuff. Our tour guide will give you full introductions of Vietnamese food culture with prominent ingredients as well as famous local dishes.

Next, you will try one of the most delicious foods in Hanoi, Banh Cuon at a local restaurant. There, you can easily watch how our master chefs cook and prepare the dish. Banh Cuon is made from a first layer of steamed fermented rice batter and a second layer of minced wood ear mushroom, minced pork, minced shallots that are all rolled together. It is served with dipping sauce consisting of Cha Lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), sliced cucumber, carrot, bean sporuts and fish sauce.
From there, continue our walking tour to the heart of the Old Quarter, wandering around street stalls, passing ancient house & pagodas.

Our next stop is a Grilled Pork Street Stall where small pork pieces are are flame grilled over hot coals. You can also have grilled pork with bread & vegetable that is really a Vietnam specialty and even considered one of the world best hamburgers.

It’s then our time for dessert after some main dishes and fresh fruits should not be missed!!! However, it is not only fresh fruits but all of the stuff will be mixed with condensed milk and crushed ice.

One another try should be the egg coffee, served at a quiet and ancient café shop, hidden behind buildings and busy streets. Cold Beer may be a better choice if coffee is not your style.

Finally, end the trip with Hanoi most famous ice-cream where locals really enjoy.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Time at leisure for you to wrap up your memorable Vietnam Holiday until private guide will see you off at the airport with the sincere thanks for your travel to Vietnam and with us. We hope that you have enjoyed your Vietnam trip and look forward to welcoming you back for your next Vietnam Tour, goodbye and see you again!!!