The old merchant streets of historic Hanoi give you a glimpse of Vietnam of old while Halong Bay's serene waters transports you into a world of vastness and beauty.
Your coastal journey takes you to historic Hoi An by train with her superb Japanese, French and Chinese architecture, quaint cafes and tailors and the Imperial City of Hue will delight the most hardened of historians.
The beaches and Islands of Nha Trang and cosmopolitan Saigon await before ending the tour with Mekong tour staying with a local family.
Hanoi to Saigon, Vietnam, 19 days / 18 nights
What you will see and do:
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Cycle tour of Hanoi’s Old Quarter
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Halong Bay overnight cruise on a traditional Junk
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Travel on the Reunification Express Train
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Visit Hue and Perfume River
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See China Beach and Marble Mountain
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Explore Hoi An old town
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Relax in Nha Trang on boat cruise to the islands in the bay
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Sightsee in Ho Chi Minh City
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Visit Cu Chi tunnels
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Stay with a local family in the Mekong Delta
Accommodation:
Groups stay in three star modern hotels and accommodation is twin share and single supplements are available.
The only exception is our stay with a local family in the Mekong Delta. Accommodation is basic, but clean with wonderful hospitable hosts!
Group Size & Departures:
Tours are guaranteed to depart with 4 people on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Groups are no bigger than 12 travellers.
This tour can also be booked as a private tour with your choice of accommodation and departing on a day that suits you. It can also be done in reverse. Simply contact us for more details.
Your Guide:
This is a locally guided tour. Our local operator is one of the most experienced in Vietnam and is fully registered. You will be joined for each "section" of the tour by a local expert guide.
This means that your guide in Hanoi will be different from the one in Saigon, but they both will take excellent care of you!
Your Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Hanoi (D)
You will be welcomed from your flight and transferred to your Hanoi hotel. Depending on your time of arrival you may like to join us on a walking ‘orientation’ of the old quarter and a brief look at Hoan Kiem Lake.
The old quarter is steeped in history, busy crowded merchant streets named after their wares, i.e. Hang Gai – ‘Silk Street’ where you can purchase anything from silk pyjamas to herbal medicines.
Hoan Kiem Lake – ‘Lake of the Restored Sword’ gets its name from a 15th century legend where Heaven gave Emperor Ly Thai a magical sword to drive out the Chinese. Tonight we introduce you to Vietnamese cuisine at a local restaurant.
Check in time: 14:00 hrs and early check in is subject to availability upon check-in.
Day 2 - Hanoi City Tour (B)
Visit the lotus-shaped One Pillar Pagoda in the form of a lotus, it emerges from the water and rests on a single stone pillar, Temple of Literature which was built and founded in 1070 (the 11th century), this temple was to pay tribute to education and to those of high academic achievement.
Visit the Fine Arts Museum to have an overview about Vietnamese contemporary art and its development today’s art. This afternoon a visit to the beautiful Museum of Ethnology. Enhance your understanding of Vietnam’s diverse culture through its unique presentation of objects and dress from the ethnic communities.
Return to town and enjoy an hour’s cyclo ride (cycle rickshaw) through the Old Quarter of “36 streets and 36 wares”, ending the ride at Lake of the Restored Sword.
This evening attend a traditional water puppet show, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form especially designed for depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history.
Day 3 - Hanoi – Halong, Halong Bay Overnight Cruise (Bld)
Visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and his house before departing for Halong Bay, where we enjoy a two-day tour. Journey eastwards along Highway 5 across Hai Hung Province to Halong on the coast.
Your driver will stop at various places of interest, including the Humanity Centre a program for disabled young people to learn crafts such as silk embroidery. Halong is a popular resort for local people and the departure point for your boat journey to Halong Bay World Heritage Park. Overnight onboard your boat.
Day 4 - Halong Bay - Hanoi (B)
Continue your boat trip through this magical land. Halong Bay is one of the most spectacular and romantic of all Vietnam’s physical wonders. From the Emerald waters 1,000 islands rise steeply to create a dramatic seascape, which is described as the ‘dragon descending into the sea’.
The boat will stop at various points of interest, caves and lagoons. Arrive at the pier around 11:00am where it’s time to say goodbye to the crew. Return journey to Hanoi.
Day 5 - Hanoi Reunification Express (B)
Those taking the first class tour will have a full day in Hanoi to explore or shop at your leisure. Check out of hotel by 12:00 noon. This evening we transfer onto the overnight train to Hue in Central Vietnam.
Your accommodation is in a 4-berth air-conditioned soft-sleeper (4 persons sharing per cabin). Note: For private tours there is the options to fly instead of taking the train.
Day 6 - Arrive Hue (B)
First class tour arrives Hue. Journey south parallel to Highway 1 past Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Ha Tinh, Dong Hoi and Dong Ha.
This morning on arrival in Hue you will be transferred to the hotel for breakfast. Check-in time is 14:00 and early check-in is subject to availability. In the afternoon, tour to Tu Duc Tomb and the Imperial City.
Once the Royal Palace of Tu Duc, who ruled Hue more than 100 years ago, this tomb consists of pavilions in a tranquil setting of forested hills and lakes. The Imperial City located in the Citadel, was built in the early 19th century and modelled after the Forbidden City in Peking.
There are numerous palaces and temples within these walls, as well as towers, a library and a museum.
Day 7 - Hue Free Day (B)
Free day to explore Hue. Hue is a small peaceful city and was the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Emperors until 1945. Note: Optional tours to be purchased before departure (Perfume River Cruise, DMZ Zone)
Day 8 - Hue - Hoi An (B)
Journey south along Highway 1, through the tunnel. This new tunnel goes through the heart of the Truong Son Mountain Range that juts into the South China Sea to Lang Co, a pretty island-like stretch of palm-shaded sand with a crystal-clear lagoon on one side and many kilometres of beachfront, facing the South China Sea.
Visit the Cham Museum in Danang founded in 1915 by the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient and the open-air collection of Cham sculpture, which is the finest in the world. A brief stop at China Beach made famous in the American TV series ‘China Beach’. It stretches for many kilometres north and south of the Marble Mountains.
During the American War, soldiers were airlifted here for ‘rest and relaxation’. Five stone hillocks, once islands, made of marble make up Marble Mountain. Each is said to represent one of the five elements of the universe. The largest and most famous, Thuy Son, has a number of natural caves in which Buddhist sanctuaries have been built over the centuries. When the Champas ruled this area, these same caves were used as Hindu shrines. Continue to the ancient town of Hoi An.
Day 9 - Hoi An (B)
After breakfast take a short walking tour to learn a little about the architecture and history of this ancient town. Hoi An is a picturesque riverside town south of Danang. Known as Faifo to early Western traders, it was one of South East Asia’s major international ports during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
The rest of the day is free to explore Hoi An, a wonderful town for getting clothes tailor-made or for buying souvenirs. Hoi An also boasts an excellent beach just 5 km away. If you have not chosen accommodation at the beach then it is easily accessible by cycle, taxi or as a motor-bike pillion.
Day 10 - Hoi An (B)
Free day to explore Hoi An.
Day 11 - Danang – Nha Trang Ex Vn335 0940/1045 Economy Class (B)
This morning transfer to Danang for a short flight to Nha Trang. On arrival you will be
transferred to your hotel. Afternoon is free to enjoy the beach, bars and restaurants all close to your hotel. Check-in time: 14:00 hrs and early check-in is subject to availability.
Day 12 - Nha Trang (Bl)
Today we take a leisurely boat trip around the islands. You may snorkel or swim if you wish. Take an excursion by boat to various islands and the seawater aquarium on Mieu Island. This is an important fish-breeding farm where over forty species of fish, crustaceans and other marine life are raised in three separate compartments.
We visit an island fishing village where you will be rowed ashore in small Vietnamese round boats and be served a succulent meal of seafood and other dishes.
Day 13 - Nha Trang - Saigon Ex Vn455 1700/1755 Economy Class (B)
After a leisurely breakfast, join your guide for a visit to the Big Buddha and Nha Trang’s Cham Tower – one of the best examples of these ancient structures left in Vietnam. Check out of hotel by 12:00 noon. Late afternoon, transfer to the airport for your flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). On arrival, transfer to your hotel.
Day 14 - Saigon City Tour - Cu Chi Tunnels (B)
Start your journey with a 3-hour drive northwest of Saigon to the Cao Dai Great Temple. The modern sect, founded in the 1920s, is a fusion of Buddhism, Confucism, Taoism, and Christian beliefs, with a dash of Islam thrown in.
The temple holds a very colourful service at midday which outsiders can observe. A simple local lunch is at a rural diner (the best available in this undeveloped area), followed by a further one and half hour drive to the Cu Chi tunnels.
The tunnel complex was dug in 1948 for the guerrillas to hide from French air and ground sweeps. It also served as a communication route and food and weapon caches as well as hospitals and living quarters for guerrilla fighters throughout the American war.
Visit the underground villages to better understand the tunnels’ history, life in the tunnels and the Vietnamese’s resilience during the combats. Return to Saigon for an evening at your leisure.
Day 15 - Saigon (B)
After breakfast, we take a walking tour to some of Saigon’s historic landmarks including a stroll down Rue Catinat of Graham Greene's 'The Quiet American'.
This area will reveal more colonial classics; the Opera House, a three-story classical theatre built to entertain the French colonists (external visit only); the former Hotel de Ville constructed for the French bureaucrats of Indochina in 1901, now The People's Committee building (no public access) the Notre Dame Cathedral, a stunningly massive red-brick edifice with twin spires, a clear reminder that French once ruled this city; the Central Post Office influenced by Renaissance architecture; and the former Presidential Palace, headquarters of the Saigon Government during the American war.
The afternoon is free to visit the markets or just enjoy Saigon’s cafés and French bakeries.
Day 16 - Saigon – Cai Be – Mekong Delta Overnight Tour (B,L,D)
Today, travel southwest to the Mekong Delta. Sit back and relax on a 3-hour journey enjoying the wide variety of life and scenery.
As we leave Saigon City behind we enter into the peacefulness of the Delta. On arrival, board a private boat (the Mekong Queen) to explore life on the river including the hustle and bustle of the Cai Be floating market, where hundreds of boats filled with fruits, vegetables, and other products anchor along the river banks.
Continue to explore some of the local home industries, i.e. the making of coconut sweets wrapped in rice paper. We continue on the cruise to your lunch stop. A lunch of local specialties is served at an ancient house where you have the opportunity to interact with the family members.
Visit a bamboo basket weaving family and brick making factory. Those on the first class tour will continue to your homestay where you will be spending the night. You have free time to go for a little walk around the neighbourhood if you wish.
The accommodation is clean but basic, do not expect too much! Those on the superior and deluxe tours private tours will transfer to a hotel for the night.
Day 17 - Mekong Delta – Saigon (B)
After breakfast continue exploring the Mekong before a return to Saigon with a stop en route to see the colourful Cao Dai temple. Rest of the day free.
Day 18 - Saigon Farewell Dinner (B,D)
Today is a free day to explore or do any last minute shopping. Tonight, you will be farewelled with a traditional Vietnamese Dinner.
Day 19 - Airport Transfers (B)
The end of an amazing cultural journey. Today we will transfer you to the airport for your
onward travel. Check out time: 12:00 noon
The tour is priced from NZ$2814pp share twin and includes:
8 x Breakfasts 3 x Lunches 4 x Dinners, All accommodation, Transfers, Sightseeing tours, Entrance Fees, English-speaking local guide, Domestic trains & flights, Meals as indicated, Full pre-departure information.
This tour represents real value for your travel dollar. So why not join and experience the best of Vietnam!
Request a Fine Travel e-mail consultation now
We guarantee to reply within 24 hours Monday to Friday
Phone us on: 09 921 5178 or
Free Phone: 0800 00 3463
Subject to availability and standard travel terms
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