08 Days - Vietnam Cultural Discovery Tour

DAY 01: HANOI ARRIVAL - WECOME DINNER
Activities: Arrive in Hanoi, have a brief city tour if possible and enjoy welcome dinner before watching the Water Puppet Show.
Itinerary: Welcome to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, you will receive the warmest greeting from our tour guide and they will transfer you to hotel for check in. If possible, we will have a short tour in Hanoi and visit some nearby and poetic places like Restored Sword Lake and the Old Quarter of Hanoi with 36 ancient streets. Then we will have a friendly and warmly welcome dinner in a restaurant in the city before enjoying the Water Puppet Show - one of the most unique and valuable traditional art performances of Vietnam. 

DAY 02: HANOI CITY TOUR - DRIVE TO HALONG BAY
Activities: Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, the One-Pillar Pagoda, Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature before moving to Halong Bay.
Itinerary: After breakfast, we will spend half day to explore the modern but classical capital of Vietnam. The first destination is the Ho Chi Minh Complex with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, and Ho Chi Minh House on Stilts. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is one of the most solemn and valuable buildings in Hanoi. Near the Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace - a French colonial building is the place which uses for important government meeting. Adjacent to the Palace is the place where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked, the House on Stilts. Leave the Ho Chi Minh Complex; we will head to the One Pillar Pagoda, a pagoda with unique architecture. Next to visit Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam. This place was erected in the Ly dynasty to tribute Confucius and a greatest Vietnamese teacher - Chu Van An and thousands of doctoral laureates those passed the Imperial examinations. In the afternoon, we will move to Halong Bay by passing through the countryside of the Red River Delta in about 3 hours. When arrived, check in your hotel and relax in the evening. 

DAY 03: HALONG BAY CRUISE - HANOI - FLY TO DANANG
Activities: Thien Cung Cave before back to Hanoi and move to Danang.
Itinerary: After breakfast, we will enjoy a 4 hour journey in Halong Bay. Enjoy the emerald waters and cool wind in your convenient junk. Visit Thien Cung Cave or the Grotto of the Heavenly Palace. Like many caves in Halong Bay, the stalagmites and stalactites are the major factor that makes this place well known. Besides, this cave is associated with a romantic tale between a girl named May (Cloud) and the Dragon Prince. Enjoy a delicious seafood lunch on board before coming back to Halong City and back to Hanoi Airport for your flight to Danang. On arrival in Danang, our driver will welcome you and take you to your hotel in Hoi An. 

DAY 04: HOI AN SIGHTSEEING
Activities: Explore Hoi An, visit the Ancient Quarter, Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, Tan Ky ancestral house and the Japanese Bridge. Take a short visit to a handicraft village in the afternoon.
Itinerary: After breakfast, we will start our today tour by exploring Hoi An.In the past (from the 16th to 18th) Hoi An was a bustling international commercial port for many traders from any parts in the world, from China, Japan, Arabia to Holland, France and Portugal. And now, the traders are replaced with visitors and a bustling commercial port is turned into an attractive tourist destination. Here, you can see many building in the narrow street have remained unchanged for more than a century besides tailor shops and numerous cafes. We will walk through the Ancient Quarter and feeling the classic in each houses and lanes. Then we will head to Chua Ong Pagoda, a famous pagoda in Hoi An. Next, continue to visit the Chinese Assembly Halls, the oldest among five Assemblies Halls in Hoi An with typical structure like a grand gate, a nice garden and a large altar room. To end our morning, we will peek into the 200 year old Tan Ky ancestral house and the Japanese Bridge. In the afternoon, we will have lunch before taking a short boat trip to a nearby island to visit a handicraft village specializing in ceramics. Finally, we will back to hotel and spend your whole night in Hoi An. 

DAY 05: HOI AN - HUE
Activities: Drive to Hue, stop at the beach of Lang Co before exploring the Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and Dong Ba market in Hue.
Itinerary: Today we will move to Hue by passing over the Hai Van pass and stop at the scenic beach of Lang Co for a drink on the way. When arrival, we will explore another beautiful place in the Middle of Vietnam with the briefing tour of Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. The Citadel was built under the reign of Emperor Gia Long in 1805 and finished in 1832 under the sovereignty of Emperor Ming Mang. The Forbidden Purple City, built in 1804, was the residence of king and royal members only. Inside the Forbidden Purple City, you can see many specialized rooms like Can Thanh - the residence of the king, Thai Binh Lau - the reading chamber of the emperor... Next, we will visit the Imperial Museum, a giant collection of bronze, pottery, court robes and personal belongings of former Vietnam Emperors. Lastly, we will feel the excitement of Hue in the Dong Ba market. Here, you can buy and try to taste many unique food that only be seen in the middle of Vietnam like Cao Lau, filter cakes... and many traditional product like Vietnamese traditional hat, Ao Dai... 

DAY 06: HUE - HCM CITY
Activities: Flight to Saigon and explore Saigon's downtown.
Itinerary: Free until transfer to airport for flight to Saigon. Arrival Saigon, pick up and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon you will have a city tour visiting the Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, Ben Thanh market. Rest of the day we suggest you tour Saigon's down town with it's many gift shops and galleries. 

DAY 07: HCM CITY - DAY TRIP TO MEKONG DELTA
Activities: Visit Cai Be floating market, An Binh island and enjoy the Mekong Delta before reaching Vinh Long town and drive back to Saigon.
Itinerary: Today we will start with the visit of Cai Be floating market. Here, you can see many wooden boats which play a role as stores where you can buy varying kinds of fruits and vegetables. Afterward, we may peek into a local workshop to learn how rice paste, coconut candy and pop rice are made. There is also a handicraft village nearby where you may see how the locals make rice-net for spring rolls, fish sauce and Soya sauce, sewing coconut leaves for cottage proof. In the afternoon, a delicious lunch will await you to enjoy at a 170 year old house. After lunch, we will travel around in a traditional rowboat and see the traditional wooden houses, palm trees and the daily activities of the local like fishing and picking up fruits in the Mekong Delta. If time permits, you can visit a nursery garden to enjoy different types of fruits and discover how the growers of the Mekong Delta produce the world famous fruits and vegetables. The cruise will end at around 3.30PM in Vinh Long town. Then we will drive back to Saigon.

DAY 08: SAIGON DEPARTURE
Activities: N/A
Itinerary: Free on your own until time to transfer to the airport for departure flight.