VIETNAM MODERN AND RURAL LIFE EXPERIENCE (VCT04)

A great combination of Vietnam’s modern cities and the country’s beautiful rural environment from the North to the South. You will enjoy the natural beauty and warmth of Vietnam’s landscape and people as well as gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s rural and urban everyday life.

A great combination of Vietnam’s modern cities and the country’s beautiful rural environment from the North to the South. You will enjoy the natural beauty and warmth of Vietnam’s landscape and people as well as gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s rural and urban everyday life.

1
Day 1

HANOI

Meet at the airport and transfer to your hotel.

Rest and relax for the rest of the day.

Overnight in Hanoi.

2
Day 2

HANOI (B)

After breakfast, spend a day touring the capital. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (outside) and his personal residence, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Tran Quoc Pagoda. End the morning with your group choice of visit the Museum of Ethnology – an insightful museum focusing on 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam OR Hoa Lo Hilton - a site commonly referred to as the Hanoi Hilton by US prisoners of war (based on personal preference).

In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Literature, the first University for the sons of mandarins. Follow this with a walking tour through the old quarter of the city. Visit a local house and take your time talking with the hosts and learn about their family’s life and history. Embark on a leisurely ride on a cyclo around Hoan Kiem Lake followed by a water puppet show in the early evening. If time permits, pay a visit to a local coffee shop and enjoy Hanoi’s specialty - Egg Coffee.

Overnight in Hanoi.

3
Day 3

HANOI – KY SON (B – L – D)

After breakfast, depart to Moon Garden Home stay in Ky Son village. Enjoy a welcome drink of local fresh green tea upon arrival. Then spend time to discover the Moon Garden Home stay and Ky Son village, visiting the local kinder garden and market. After that, join a cooking class, learning from the owner how to make delicious Vietnamese dishes served as lunch.

In the afternoon take a leisurely bicycle ride along charming back roads, rice paddy fields and through picturesque villages such as the ancient village of Duong Lam: visit Mia Pagoda, discover Mong Phu temple in Mong Phu commune. Continue riding through the narrow alleys to see the old laterite houses. Finish at Ngo Quyen temple and Phung Hung temple.

Return to the lodge and try a local tisane and a traditional herbal steam bath before dinner.

Overnight in Ky Son Village.

4
Day 4

KY SON – NINH BINH (HOME STAY THO HA) (B – L – D)

Wake up early to join in exercises and witness traditional Vietnamese customs honoring ancestors and other morning rituals.

After breakfast relax in the stunning natural surroundings or walk around the village, stop at any home for a cup of tea. Chat with local people about their daily life and farming. Help with plowing, transplanting seedlings or harvesting rice, tea, cassava, corn, or sweet potatoes depending on the harvest season. Collect tea and medicinal herbs in the garden to use back at the lodge.

In the afternoon, drive to Hoa Lu (around 2 hour and a half drive), the ancient royal capital of Vietnam. Arrive Tho ha Village in the afternoon, check-in to your accommodation and take a countryside walk through the surrounding villages.

Overnight in Ninh Binh
5
Day 5

NINH BINH – HA LONG BAY (B – L)

After breakfast, depart for the stunning Halong Bay located in the Gulf of Tonkin. Arrive at Halong City, check in and board a junk. Lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay.

In the afternoon, enjoy some activities in the bay, or just spend some time relaxing on board (Possibility to swim in the bay if weather permits). Dinner is served on board.

Overnight on Halong Bay.

6
Day 6

HALONG BAY – HANOI – HUE (B – Brunch)

Breakfast on board and enjoy the fresh morning in the bay. The cruise ends around 11h00 am. Disembark and drive back to Hanoi airport. On the way, visit Tho Ha or Phu Lang village (*).

Arrive at Noi Bai airport in the late afternoon and take the flight to Hue.Welcome upon arrival at Hue airport and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Hue.

7
Day 7

HUE (B)

After breakfast, take a boat for a short cruise on the Huong River. Visit Thien Mu Pagoda which is located on the river bank and is an iconic seven-story pagoda considered the unofficial symbol of the city. And then continue on the visit the Imperial Citadel, the center of the Complex of Hue Monuments inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Enter through the towering main gate and appreciate the magnificent architecture and gardens while your guide explains the events and the intrigue surrounding the former royal court. Despite being heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, there are some incredibly well-preserved sections intact and others which are being carefully restored. End the morning with a leisure walk around Dong Ba Market where you can find anything from fabric and gold to fake watches, fresh flowers and street food.

In the afternoon, visit Emperor Tu Duc's Mausoleum, built according to the mystical laws of geomancy. Transfer back to your hotel and relax for the rest of the day.

Overnight in Hue.

8
Day 8

HUE – DANANG – HOI AN (B)

After breakfast, drive to Danang via the spectacular Hai Van Pass. Visit the Cham Museum, one of the best museums on the ancient kingdom of Champa. Continue to the charming old town of Hoi An, an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port, active from the 15th to the 19th century. Many of the buildings in the town are very old and the whole town is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site.

In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour in the old town. The Old Quarter has 850 magnificent old structures that still line the streets; old shop houses, shady pagodas and colorful communal halls. Visit Phuc Kien Pagoda and the Japanese wooden bridge. End the day with a fun activity and learn to make a lantern with local artisans and gain a deeper understanding of Hoi An’s history and culture through its art and traditional crafts.

Overnight in Hoi An.

9
Day 9

HOI AN – COCONUT VILLAGE – HOI AN (B – L)

After breakfast, transfer to Bach Dang dock for a full day trip to the rural village outskirt of Hoian. Board a wooden boat to Cam Thanh village. Admire a green and fresh beauty of the water coconut ranges along the river bank and relax to the sound of to the wind flees into the tree in the background. Transfer into a smaller boat and commence cruising on the Cua Dai River. Along the way, our guide will explain more about the daily life of Vietnamese fishermen, their family and their community. Be a real local fisherman by joining hands with the locals to catch fish with the net on a Vietnamese unique bamboo basket boat. Continue to explore the tranquil coconut-palm while listen to the extreme condition in the past war and how these ranges of coconut palm had become home to many soldiers. End the program with a warm welcoming lunch at a local house in the village. Relax and transfer back to the hotel.

Overnight in Hoian.

10
Day 10

HOI AN – DANANG – HO CHI MINH CITY (B)

After breakfast, transfer to Danang Airport fora morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). On arrival, proceed to your hotel and check in. enjoy a full day exploring the city. Visit the former Presidential Palace, or as it is known today - the Reunification Palace. Then head to the historical heart of the city and visit the Notre Dame Cathedral (outside visit only due to its renovation). The red bricks of the cathedral walls were originally from Paris, France. From there, take a short walk to the old Central Post Office. After that, visit the best-preserved buildings from the colonial era, the Opera House and the Hotel de Ville now home to Saigon’s municipal authorities. Continue to Catinat building. Built in 1927, in an art deco style, it has once again become a hub for fashion conscious Saigonese and contains many designer boutiques, galleries, restaurants and cafés.

In the afternoon, visit the War Remnants Museum and discover some different perspectives on the war.End the day with a visit to China town with its the bustling Binh Tay Market. Transfer back to your hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

11
Day 11

HO CHI MINH CITY – CAI BE – VINH LONG – CAN THO (B)

After breakfast, drive to Cai Be in the heart of the Mekong Delta. Visit a Cao Dai Temple on the way. In Cai Be, board a sampan for a cruise on the Mekong River and its numerous canals. Visit an old colonial house and a rice popcorn factory along the way.

In the afternoon continue on to Vinh Long and then drive to Can Tho, the largest town in the Mekong Delta.

Overnight in Can Tho.

12
Day 12

CAN THO – HO CHI MINH CITY (B)

After breakfast, board a sampan to visit the Cai Rang floating market and a local fruit farm. Then visit the charming, colonial style Binh Thuy House (over 100 years old). Explore Can Tho’s local market before heading back towards Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City late in the afternoon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

13
Day 13

HO CHI MINH CITY (B)

After breakfast, relax until departure to Tan Son Nhat airport.

Our prices include:

  • Accommodation at selected hotels.
  • Transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle.
  • English speaking guides for tours.
  • Entry fees for sightseeing.
  • Private cabin on sharing Junk in Halong bay
  • Private boat for trips in Hue and Mekong Delta
  • Meals as mentioned: (B) for breakfast, (L) for lunch, (D) for dinner.
  • Taxes: V.A.T.

Our prices do not include:

  • Visa for Vietnam.
  • Flights Hanoi – Hue/Danang - Ho Chi Minh City.
  • International flights and airport taxes.
  • Drinks, tips, personal expenses and all services not note specifically mentioned in the program.

Tour info