Ultimate Vietnam 16 Days

Our guide will pick you up and take you to Ninh Binh province.  Take a short break along the way to unwind before going to Hoa Lu, which was Vietnam’s capital from 968 to 1010.  During the Dinh, Le, and Ly dynasties, Vietnam had a noble system that you can learn about here.  After that, take a bike tour around the town to see how people there live.  Next, you’ll have a buffet lunch at the local restaurant. The restaurant serves a wide range of local dishes, including goat meat, spring rolls, fish, chicken, fried rice, vegetable salad, and vegetarian choices.

 After lunch, take a 1.5-hour bamboo boat ride in Tam Coc, which is sometimes called “Ha Long Bay on land.” The views of the paddy fields, rivers, caves, and calm sky will fascinate you.

 After that, go to Mua Cave (Dragon Peak) and walk almost 500 steps to the top of Lying Dragon Mountain. From there, you can see Tam Coc and the nearby lotus fields, which look especially beautiful in the summer.  Finally, you’ll go back to Hanoi and be dropped off at your hotel. This is the end of your tour.

Overnight in Hanoi

 Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Just as the local custom of Tai Chi gently eases you into your day, so does the practice itself.  Take a morning class with a “Local Specialist” aboard a junk boat while taking in the breathtaking scenery.  There are peaceful beaches in Halong Bay perfect for an early morning dip, and if you’re in the mood for some adventure, you can rent kayaks and paddle through the Dark and Bright Caves, taking in the glistening stone walls as you go.

While cruising back to port, you can enjoy a complete breakfast buffet after checking out of the accommodation.  You will return to Hanoi by disembarking at around noon.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

highway to Lao Cai takes about 5.5 hours to drive.  There are lots of chances to see beautiful views along the way on the bus ride. Get to Sapa.  Take it easy and eat lunch at the restaurant.  Check into the hotel.

 In the afternoon, take a short drive to the village of Y Linh Ho. From there, walk along the Muong Hoa stream and through the rice terraces to get to the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai and see the beautiful Hoang Lien Son Mountain.  One of the largest native groups in the Sapa area is the Black H’mong.  Their customs and way of life are something they are proud of.  They speak their own language and dress in deep blue, traditional clothes.  They used to live by sorting, but they just recently switched to a more sedentary way of life.  So there are still many signs of the past to be seen, like simple houses and stone walls around homes.  After that, go to Ta Van village to meet the Zay people.  About 38,000 Zay people live in the mountains in Northwest Vietnam. They are a pretty small minority group.

 At Ta Van Bridge, there are cars and buses ready to take you back to Sapa.  Have dinner by yourself.  Spend the night in Sapa.

Overnight in Sapa

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast.  Get ready for a relaxing trip to Sapa today.  The drive up Fansipan Mountain has some of the most beautiful views.  There was a huge area of rose flower farms, and chayote grew on bamboo frames just 1 km outside of town.  We stop at the beautiful Silver Waterfall and begin to walk up the path that goes along the waterfall. Along the way, we take in the stunning scenery.  You can also spend some time at the nearby fish farm.

 Take the road trip to Heaven Gate and Tram Ton Pass even further.  The Heaven Gate & Tram Ton Pass is Vietnam’s highest mountain pass. It is 2047 meters above sea level.  Take a half-hour walk from here to see the beautiful views of both sides of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range.  From this spot, you can see the most beautiful views of both sides of the Fansipan Mountain range.

 After lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll take a short transfer to the O Quy Ho cable car stop, which will take about 15 minutes.  It will take you about 20 minutes to get to the next stop, which is 3,000 meters above sea level, on the cable car.  From the cabin, you can see Sin Chai valley, Fansipan hill, and Hoang Lien National Park.  Following stone steps from the base station to the top will take 40 minutes. When we get to the 3,143-meter summit of Fansipan, we can celebrate our victory while sitting high above the hills and taking in the view of this beautiful mountain range.

Overnight in Sapa

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Get up and enjoy the clean air of Sapa.  Hotel breakfast.

We begin our walk downhill toward Cat Cat town, which is home to Black H’mong people and is near the bottom of a deep valley at the base of Fansipan Peak.  Along the road, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery.  When we get to Cat Cat town, we’ll walk down to the bottom of the valley to see the beautiful waterfall where the French built a hydroelectric power plant. We’ll stop for a short break and take a picture of the bridge and the waterfall.

 Go back to Sapa town.  Get out of there and eat lunch at a restaurant.  You have time to shop or walk around. Before you should start your trip back to Hanoi at 15:00.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, you’ll be taken to the airport for a flight to Da Nang in central Vietnam. The flight will take about 1.5 hours, and when you get there, you’ll be met and driven to the old coastal city of Hoi An.

The lovely old town of Hoi An is in the middle of Vietnam’s coast. Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must-see for tourists in Vietnam. It has well-preserved building, lantern-lit streets, and a rich cultural history.

When you get there, check into your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore this amazing town at your own pace.

Overnight in Hoian

Meals: Breakfast

It would be great if we could get a close-up and personal look at the local fishing and cooking groups.  As soon as you are picked up from your hotel in Hoi An, you will begin your journey to the neighborhood market, where you will shop for the ingredients you will need for the day.  In order to prepare for the culinary lesson that will take place later, you need follow the guide and head to the village of Cam Thanh to purchase organic veggies.  On the other hand, before we start this session, let’s go on our boat and go on a river tour. During this trip, we will get the opportunity to interact with local fishermen and have a firsthand experience of traditional net fishing.  As you navigate the canals of the coconut palm paradise, you will also have the opportunity to paddle the one-of-a-kind bamboo basket boat that is traditional to Vietnam.  By taking this tour, you will have the opportunity to gain a cultural perspective on the ways of life of both our farming and fishing communities.

You will then be able to enroll in a cooking lesson, during which you will learn how to prepare dishes such as deep-fried spring rolls, papaya salad with shrimp crackers, pork or fish cooked in a clay pot with steamed rice, and Banh Xeo, which is a rice pancake topped with fresh salad combined with seasonal fruit for dessert.  It is now time for lunch.

Overnight in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

This morning is your time to enjoy the last day in Hoi An

After check out the hotel, a private car to head to Hue.  You can enjoy wide views of the coast and mountains as you drive along the lovely Hai Van Pass.  Take a short break at the beautiful Lang Co Beach along the way.

Hue is a lovely city in the middle of Vietnam that is famous for its long history, beautiful scenery, and imperial architecture.  During the Nguyen Dynasty, it was the capital of Vietnam. The many palaces, churches, and tombs that are spread out across the city show how important it was historically. When you get to Hue this afternoon, check into your hotel and have the rest of the evening to yourself.

Overnight in Hue

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast this morning, go on a tour of Hue.  To get to the Thiên Mụ Pagoda, take a boat ride on the calm Perfume River in the morning.  The pagoda is an important sign of Vietnam and Hue. It was built on a hill with a view of the Song Huong (Perfume River), 4 km southwest of the Citadel.  It is called Thap Phuoc Duyen and is 21 meters tall. It was built in 1844 during the rule of Emperor Thieu Tri.  Each of the building’s seven floors is named after a manushi-buddha, which means a Buddha who took on human form.  After that, take a car to the beautiful tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. He was the fourth emperor of Vietnam’s Nguyễn dynasty and ruled from 1847 to 1883. After that, have lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Go see the Imperial Citadel in the afternoon.  There are palaces, ornate rooms, libraries, residences, and colleges inside the beautiful Citadel, which was built according to strict geomancy rules.  After seeing the citadel, keep going to Dong Ba Market, which is the oldest market of its kind in Hue. It has hundreds of shops selling cheap clothes, household items, crafts, and fresh food.  The tour will end at your hotel, where you can spend the rest of the day however you want.

Overnight in Hue

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Today, go to Hue Airport and take a one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City in the south of Vietnam.

You may know Ho Chi Minh City as Saigon, but it is now the biggest and liveliest city in Vietnam. There are many modern skyscrapers, historical sites, and a lot of cultural artifacts in this busy city.

When you get to Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll be taken to your hotel, where you can spend the rest of the day at your own pace.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll leave for the Cu Chi caves. It will take about an hour and a half to drive there. When you get there, there will be a short introduction and then a movie about how the tunnels were built and how the people who lived there during the war did it.
Then, take your time visiting the rest of the area and tunnel systems. These included the bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and storage areas, as well as military facilities such as weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers, and storage areas. All of this was done to help the people who lived in the caves meet their basic needs. Also, for safety reasons during the war, there are a lot of secret trap doors and dangerous traps in the maze-like tunnels. After that, there will be special tea and cassava, which was used as a wartime food by guerillas.
Then you’ll go back to your Ho Chi Minh hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

Meals: Breakfast

Start the day with a healthy breakfast, and then go on a trip to the Mekong Delta.  Around 7:15–7:30 am, the guide will meet you in the hallway of your hotel. You will then be taken to My Tho, which is on the left bank of the Mekong River.

 When you get there, get on the sampan and take a ride down the river between the four beautiful islands, which are called Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise.  Take a break at Unicorn Island, stroll through the country roads, and check out the flower farms.  View fruit farms and enjoy tropical foods and music played by locals in the form of folk songs.

 Then, take a sampan that you row by hand through Thoi Son canal and enjoy the fresh air and scenery.  You can try honey tea and coconut candies at the honey-bee farm and family workshops.

 After a traditional Vietnamese lunch to get some energy, you can ride your bike around the Tan Thach town and meet the people who live there to learn about their daily lives in the Mekong Delta.  Feel free to spend some time in a hammock and enjoy the cool breeze if you don’t want to go on a bike trip.  After that, you’ll go back to where you are staying.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Today is the last day in Vietnam!  You will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the airport for your flight back to home or start another trip. It will have been an amazing trip.