Essence of Vietnam - 9 days

Having breakfast at hotel then start a guided city tour of Hanoi. Having celebrated its 1000- year anniversary in 2010, the city has a rich and fascinating history. Your city tour will take you to the main attractions of Hanoi, including Ho Chi Minh complex (Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and stilt house); the Presidential Palace, the nearby One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, West lake, Tran Quoc pagoda, Quan Thanh temple and of the city’s museum (History Museum or Ethnology Museum). Late afternoon, enjoy Water puppet show - one of Vietnamese traditional performance.

At around 8 am, your driver will pick you up for the journey to Halong Bay and arrive at around midday to board a traditional junk for an overnight cruise. Halong Bay is widely considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world. Thousands of towering pillars of sea and wind-carved limestone karst make the bay an unforgettable sight. After lunch, explore some of the huge limestone caves dotted around the bay and visit a floating fishing village. Then the captain will find a secluded spot where you can swim, soak up the sun on the top deck, or try your hand at kayaking. In the evening enjoy a seafood feast for dinner.

Enjoy an early morning swim (during the summer), followed by breakfast as you cruise through more spectacular scenery. The cruise arrives at the harbor by noon. The driver will pick you up and then transfer directly to the airport for flight to Danang. Upon arrival in Danang, you will be transferred to your hotel in Hoi An. Check in and free time to explorer the ancient town.

This morning, you will join in a cooking class at Red Bridge Cooking School. Visit Hoi An’s colourful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of this busy market. You will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about all the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later.

After that, board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. On arrival, you explore the cooking school’s herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of Hoi An’s and Vietnam’s well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours - each dish is first demonstrated by the Red Bridge chef’s, before you prepare the same dish youself. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, you can enjoy what you have cooked.

In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour of the ancient town, including the 200 year-old Tan Ky house, Phuc Kien Pagoda, the Assembly Hall, the former merchants’ houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge. Free time for shopping and tailor made suits.

This morning, you leave Hoi An for Hue. On the way, you will have chance to the fascinating Cham Museum and Marble Mountain en route to charming Hoi An. Upon arrival, you will visit the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. You also visit Tu Hieu pagoda and Imperial museum before free time for shopping at the vibrant Dong Ba market.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and then board a private boat for a cruise on Perfume river. You will visit Thien Mu pagoda and then take a drive to visit Minh Mang tomb before transferring to the airport for flight to Saigon.

Upon arrival in Saigon - Vietnam’s largest city, you will have a half day tour including  the interesting sites such as The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, Remnant War Museum and Ben Thanh market.

This monring, you will visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence.

The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens.

After that, drive to Tay Ninh province to visit Cao Dai great temple - one of the most striking structures in Asia. This temple is the holy land of Cai Dai religion - a mixture of Buddhism, Confucius, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity…). You will have chance to attend the daily noon prayer. Come back Saigon in the late afternoon.

Today is your free time. The driver and tour guide will pick you up and transfer to your departure flight. Thank you for travelling with us. Tạm biệt và hẹn gặp lại.