Highlights:
- Explore the historical sites to be found around the city of Hanoi
- Visit Hoa Lu, the ancient historic capital of Viet Nam and take a boat trip to visit Tam Coc in Ninh Binh.
- Take a cruise around the limestone islands in Halong Bay
- Trek through the rolling rice terraces, waterfalls, mountains and lush green hills of Sapa and get in touch with people from ethnic minority groups
- Explore the ancient The Emperor King's tomb and palace in the Imperial City of Hue with vast history.
- Join the cooking class to discover the Hoi An cuisine.
ITINERARY
DAY 1: HANOI ARRIVAL (MEAL: NO)
Arrival at Noi Bai Airport, Our driver will welcome you at airport terminal and transfer you to the hotel in the center. You will check in at the hotel and you will visit the center of the city by your own.
Overnight stay in Hanoi.
Please note that check in time at hotel is 14:00.
Inclusion: Airport pick up service, Accommodation
DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/-)
At 08:00 Am, Our guide will pick you up at hotel and we will visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to explore the architectural and historical aspects of Uncle Ho’s final resting place. Just next door is Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Lying to one side of the mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda which was founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049. You will then continue on to the Buddhist Tran Quoc Pagoda in West Lake. It is one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. Thereafter, you will visit the Bat Trang pottery village. The visit applies during Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. You will have lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon , after lunch, you will proceed to visit the Ethnology Museum. The tour applies on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. You will visit the Temple of Literature or Quoc Tu Giam and Vietnam’s first university which was constructed in 1070.
Then we past Hoan Kiem Lake to see the peaceful waters and the beauty of Ngoc Son Temple. Transfer to hotel, stay overnight in Hanoi.
Inclusion: Transportation, English speaking guide, meals: breakfast and lunch, all entrance fees, accommodation.
DAY 3: HOA LU – TAM COC (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/-)
At 08:00 Am: Meet your tour guide at your hotel. We will drive around 2.5 hours to Hoa Lu - the historic capital of Viet Nam and the famous ancient temples of the Le and the Dinh Dynasties. You can see the royal citadel where the emperors lived and know more about part of feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.
Then you will have Buffet lunch featuring Vietnamese cuisine.
Continue to take a boat trip to visit Tam Coc, known as “Halong Bay on land”. You will have a chance to see views of majestic limestone cliffs and three mysterious caves, as well as countryside sights, like peaceful streams, rice paddies and deserted green fields.
You can join to ride bicycle around countryside roads and villages to see the local farmers and buffaloes working on the rice fields. Get on bus to transfer back to Hanoi, drop you off at hotel. Free and easy in evening, stay overnight in Hanoi.
Inclusion: Transportation, English speaking guide, meals: breakfast and lunch, all entrance fees, accommodation.
DAY 4: HANOI – HA LONG BAY (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER)
08:00 – 08:30: Our tour guide and bus pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi old quarter.
08:30: Departure to Halong Bay for 3.5 Hours.
10:00: Arrive in Hai Duong province, and have 20 minute short break.
12:00: Arrive to Tuan Chau harbor,
12:15 Welcome to cruise and enjoy Welcome drink, get a brief introduction about cruise and safety guidelines. Check-in your cabin.
12:30: Enjoy Vietnamese seafood and vegetarian lunch, while cruising in the magnificent Halong Bay, admiring the fascinating rock formations in the bay.
15:00: You at Tung Gau Area. The airy and fresh air, cool breezes, blue sea and sky, and natural seascape will captivate any visitors setting foot here. Especially, Tung Gau of Lan Ha Bay is extremely suitable for enjoying kayaking and swiming and then Visiting Halong Pearl Farm Village
17.30: Come back to our cruise and relax.
19:30: Time for dinner enjoying special food on the cruise.
21:00: Evening entertainments: play game on the cruise: cards game, chess, karaoke, squid fishing, and overnight on the cruise.
Inclusion: Transportation, English Speaking Guide, All entrance fees, Kayaking, Swimming, meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner, accommodation on cruise
Note: Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather and operating conditions.
DAY 5: HA LONG BAY - HANOI - NIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/-)
06.30: Early morning sun risers can enjoy Tai Chi lesson on sundeck.
07.00: Morning view of bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee. Have breakfast.
08:00: Arriving Sung Sot Cave (Amazing Cave) and joining with guide to visiting and explore the cave
10:00: Check-out and enjoy a fantastic cruise on the bay. Join cooking class guided directly by Chef of Rosa Boutique cruise. You have chance to practice Vietnamese traditional dishes such as spring roll or famous cuisine of Vietnam.
11:00: Enjoy the lunch on cruise.
12:00: Rosa Cruise are landing Halong Bay harbor, tourist say goodbye to sailors and finish the cruise.
12:30: Return to Hanoi by shuttle bus.
14:30: Stopover in Hai Duong province to visit a ceramics workshop.
16:00 – 16:30: Arrive in Hanoi. Free and easy the evening.
21:00: Transfer to the train station. Take the night train to Sapa. Overnight on train.
Inclusion: Transportation, entrance fees, meals: breakfast and lunch, English speaking guide, accommodation, train ticket - sharing train cabin 4 berth with A/C.
DAY 6: TREK TO Y LINH HO – LAO CHAI – TA VAN – HOMESTAY (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER)
Arrive in Lao Cai train station at 06:30 Am, our driver will welcome you at the exit gate of Lao Cai train station, drive 1 hour by shuttle bus, transfer to Sapa Center. Have a free shower and breakfast at hotel.
09:00 Am: Our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel, then we start 3km of walking down to the south east of Sapa along the side of Muong Hoa valley to Y Linh Ho village of the Black H’mong - visit local school and local houses then continue 4km of trekking down to Lao Chai village of the H’mong.
Have picnic lunch on the way.
After lunch, we trek more 4 Km through terraced rice fields to Ta Van village of the Dzay minority people. This is a good chance to learn about the local architecture, daily life styles and customs. Have dinner at homestay, stay overnight at Ta Van homestay.
Inclusion: Transportation, meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner, English speaking guide, all entrance fees, accommodation.
DAY 7: TREK TO GIANG TA CHAI – SU PAN – AFTERNOON BUS TO HANOI (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/-)
Have breakfast at the Homestay.
At 08:00 Am, We will trek on a hilly trail throught Bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai village where you can see the Red dao minority people. You can make a stop at a waterfall for taking the photos or swimming if weather permits. Have soft break at rattan bridge –the oldest rattan bridge in Sapa. Visit some house and continue to go to Su Pan village . Have lunch at the villageIn the afternoon, we will ascend to the main road where the bus is awaited for your journey back to Sapa.
At 15:30, take the afternoon bus back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi at 21:00 then drop you off at hotel. Stay overnight in Hanoi.
Inclusion: Transportation, English speaking guide, meals: breakfast, picnic lunch, all entrance fees
DAY 8: HANOI – FREE & EASY – NIGHT BUS TO HUE (BREAKFAST/-/-)
Free and easy visit Hanoi.
18.00 – 18.30: Our bus will pick you at the hotel to take a night bus to Hue.
Overnight on bus.
Inclusion: Transportation, meals: breakfast
DAY 9 : HUE CITY TOUR (-/LUNCH/-)
At 08:00 Am, our tour guide will pick you up at bus station. Then you will start the Hue city tour. Visit Thanh Toan Bridge - The only other tiled roof bridge in Vietnam aside from the one in Hoi An. This wooden arch bridge has been built for the local villagers who are into farming and fishing. The old bridge served and still serving the local villagers on their daily life needs. The bridge connects the local market and the village houses.
Visit Minh Mang tomb - The tomb of the most beloved Emperor of Nguyen dynasty. Minh Mang Tomb is considered as the most majestic of all of the Royal Tombs. The impressive architecture that complements with the nature gives you a good impression of the Emperor who lives within the walls of the 18 hectares tomb.
Visit Khai Dinh tomb - The smallest but the most expensive tomb of all. Every corner of the tomb is very detailed which reflects how luxurious the emperor was. Lunch in a restaurant that serves Western, Asian and Vietnamese food.We visit Citadel - Imperial City is the home of Vietnam's last royal dynasty - the Nguyen Dynasty. This is the highlight of the tour. You will learn the rise, struggles and fall of the Nguyen Dynasty and how it affected the whole country.
Visit Thien Mu Pagoda - The oldest pagoda in Hue city. Get on a dragon boat cruise to see the sunset on the way back to the city. Drop you off at your hotel in Hue. Stay overnight in Hue.
Inclusion: Transportation, English speaking guide, meals: breakfast & lunch ; all entrance fees, accommodation.
DAY 10: HUE – HOIAN (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/-)
Our tour guide and motorbike will await and welcome you at hotel and start our motorbike tour to Hoi An.
This Scenic Coast route is simply the best way to transfer if you only have one day!
Leaving Hue in the morning our first stop is Elephant Springs where you can wade in the rock pools.
Next we stop for photos at Lang Co Beach before traveling over the Hai Van Pass. Hai Van means "Sea of Clouds" and when crossing the top of the Pass you are literally surrounded by clouds on one side with stunning ocean views on the other.
Next we travel through Danang to a stop at the famous China Beach with its fine white sand.
Marble Mountains our final stop are 5 marble outcrops topped with delicate pagodas. Arrive in Hoi An. Check in hotel and stay overnight in Hoi An.
Inclusion: Motorbike, helmet, English speaking driver, meal: lunch, all entrance fees, accommodation
DAY 11: HOI AN COOKING CLASS (BREAKFAST/LUNCH/-)
08:00- 08:30am, a trip to the market to purchase some fresh, locally grown herbs. Then, we board our river boat for a relaxing 30 minutes ride to Thuan Tinh Island, which is recognized by Hoi An as an official ecological zone.
To visit the Local Village, we take a row boat ride through the water coconut trees. We then walk through the gardens to visit Ms. Hoa's house to meet her family and snack on grilled rice cakes and iced tea. From there, we head back to our open-air cooking class overlooking the water coconut trees and river. Our chefs will show you how to make Vietnamese food while you enjoy the cool breeze and peaceful setting.
Our chefs have prepared a 4 course cooking class of traditional Vietnamese dishes. They will demonstrate how to prepare them, and then it's your turn-you prepare your own tasty Vietnamese lunch!! We start with a homemade Passion fruit Juice soda to whet your appetite.
Around at 2 Pm: finish and you will be free in afternoon. Overnight in Hoi An.
Inclusion: Transportation, all entrance fees, meals: breakfast and lunch, english speaking guide, accommodation, all ingredients for cooking
DAY 12: HOI AN – DANANG AIRPORT – DEPARTURE (BREAKFAST/-/-)
Our driver will pick you up at hotel and transfer to airport, fly home or next destination. Tour ends.
Inclusion: meals: Breakfast, transportation