DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN SAIGON (Dinner)
Upon your arrival, our vehicle and Guide from ABI HOLIDAYS will welcome you at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Then our vehicle will take us to the hotel for check-in.
In the afternoon, we will go on to visit the Temple of God Thien Hau in District 5, a beautiful temple that appears in many fine pictures of Vietnam, and Binh Tay Market (or the Big Market). The culture of Saigon is influenced by many strong characteristics of the Chinese community: concentration and resourcefulness, and District 5 depicts them well.
In the evening, have dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant (reserved). After that, you should head out and join the energetic nightlife of Saigon on your own arrangement. Overnight in Saigon.
DAY 2: SAIGON – CITY TOUR – CU CHI TUNNELS – SAIGON (Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast, we will start the city tour at the colonial-styled Central Post Office and Tan Dinh Church (The Pink Church). Our last stop this morning will be the War Remnants Museum, one of the most famous history museums in Vietnam. It will transform and challenge your historical knowledge about the Vietnam War.
Have lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we will go to Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground network constructed by Vietnamese guerrillas to protect the region against American attacks during the Vietnam War. We can crawl a part inside the tunnel, visit their infirmary, kitchen, etc, to discover how people had survived hereby. Back to the hotel and have dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Saigon.
DAY 3: SAIGON – DA LAT (Breakfast, Lunch)
In the morning, we will go to the airport for the flight to Da Lat. Upon arrival, our guide and vehicle will pick you up from Lien Khuong airport, then transfer us to the hotel for check-in.
Lunch at a local restaurant. Then we will visit Da Lat train station with its unique architectural beauty imbued with French architecture and ancient trains marking time, the oldest station in Vietnam. Continuing to visit Linh Phuoc Pagoda, the temple is also known as the “bottle” pagoda because in the temple yard there is a 49-meter-long dragon decorated with tens of thousands of bottles. This is the unique ceramic mosaic architecture of Da Lat city.
Our vehicle will take us back to the hotel to rest. Have dinner at your own arrangement and free time to visit the city at night. Overnight in Da Lat.
DAY 4: DA LAT (Breakfast, Lunch)
Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we will go to the Valley of Love Tourist Area, which has an area of over 500 hectares. We will ride electric cars, ride ducks, play games, and enjoy the Central Highlands gong show.
Have lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will visit:
- Bao Dai Palace, the residence and working place of King Bao Dai in Da Lat, has beautiful architecture in harmony with the surrounding scenery.
- Lam Vien Square: large, airy space impressive with giant art works. We will be free to visit and take pictures.
Have dinner at your own arrangement and overnight in Da Lat.
DAY 5: DA LAT – DA NANG – HOI AN (Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast, we will go to the airport for the flight to Da Nang. Our guide and vehicle will meet you at the Da Nang airport and transfer you to your hotel in Hoi An to drop off your luggage.
We’ll walk over the tile-roofed Japanese Bridge with our guide, visit the taciturn Chinese Assembly Halls, ancient houses and Trading Houses, pagodas, and stroll into the market located by the Thu Bon River, where we may experience the same feelings as the artists, who see the rooftops of Hoi An as a magical old world of Oriental feel and source of inspiration.This is also a wonderful town to shop for lanterns, soft silk, raw silk, leather, or get your clothes and “ao dai” tailored within a day.
Have dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Hoi An.
DAY 6: HOI AN – TRA QUE VILLAGE – HOI AN (Breakfast, Lunch)
Depart from your hotel by bicycle in 30 minutes or by private vehicle (optional surcharge) to Tra Que vegetable village. Take a short stroll around the vegetable gardens and listen to the history of the village. Then join gardening activities such as preparing the land, fertilizing with seaweed, raking the ground, sowing, watering, picking vegetables, etc. Have lunch at a local village. After our morning excursions and lunch, we will learn how to harvest and wrap the vegetables. Then we will go to a basket boat dock. This is a very fun activity. The small basket boats float on the water, skillfully pushed by the boatman.
After going back to our hotel, we will have dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Hoi An
DAY 7: HOI AN – MY SON – HOI AN – HUE (Breakfast)
After breakfast at the hotel, we will transfer from Hoi An to My Son, where we can discover the hidden treasure of the Cham culture that once brightly developed in the location of present-day Central Vietnam. Thanks to the mystery and construction secrets of the Cham towers hereby, My Son has been also designated by UNESCO as the World Heritage in Vietnam. Have lunch at a local restaurant.
Our vehicle will take us back to Hoi An to transfer to Hue. Explore Hoi An at night and have dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Hue.
DAY 8: HUE CITY TOUR – HANOI (Breakfast, Lunch)
After having breakfast at the hotel, our vehicle will take us to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, famous for its outstanding photography angles and ancient architecture.
Next, we will stop at Hue Citadel, which maintains the Royal Palace of the 13 kings of Nguyen Dynasty, the last feudal dynasty of Vietnam, with Ngo Mon, Thai Hoa Palace, Forbidden City, The Mieu, Hien Lam Cac, and Cuu Dinh. Later, we will visit the Tomb of Khai Dinh King, one of the massive mausoleums built over 11 years with unique architecture and structure using local and foreign materials.
Head straight to Phu Bai airport for the flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, our vehicle and guide in Hanoi will pick us up from the airport to the hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 9: HANOI CITY TOUR (Breakfast, Lunch)
Have breakfast at the hotel. Let’s start from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the One-Pillar pagoda near Ba Dinh Square, where the most solemn ceremonies of Hanoi take place. Go on to Tran Quoc Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, the very first high school for Vietnam Scholars.
After lunch at a restaurant in the old quarter, we will visit Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart and soul of Hanoi.
Move on to the Museum of Ethnology, which focuses on the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. Later, go back to your hotel in Hanoi to relax. Have dinner at a local restaurant at your own arrangement. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 10: HANOI – HALONG BAY OVERNIGHT CRUISE (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
After breakfast at the hotel, our vehicle and guide will pick us up to go to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Northern Vietnam. The trip to the pier takes about 2h30’.
Welcome onboard and take a 2days-1night trip on a deluxe cruise with excellent and exciting activities [swimsuits recommended]. Being a bay with nearly 2,000 islands and islets, some with craters, Halong has been recognized twice by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site to emphasize its value and the need to be protected. This journey will awaken all our senses with the beauty of nature, the savory taste, the comfy facility, and the perfect service right at one of the natural wonders of the world. Overnight on-board.
DAY 11: HALONG BAY – HANOI (Breakfast, Lunch)
Wake up in one of the most beautiful bays in the world, enjoy breakfast, and visit stunning caves in the morning.
At noon, our guide will wait for us at the pier, taking us back to Hanoi to rest and prepare for the long journey ahead.
Have dinner at a local restaurant at your own arrangement. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 12: HANOI – NINH BINH – TRANG AN – HANG MUA – HANOI (Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast, our vehicle will meet us at the hotel to head south to Ninh Binh today.
Being an ancient capital city a millennium ago, Ninh Binh is now known for its poetic landscape and ancient relics. Taking a leisure trip to Trang An Landscape Complex, a prominent tourist destination not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia and the world.
Afternoon, we will visit Hang Mua, with its poetic mountain scenery, caves, and 500 steps to see the typical nature of the countryside. Lunch in Ninh Binh with goat meat is famous in the province.
Have dinner at a local restaurant at your own arrangement. Overnight in Ninh Binh.
DAY 13: BAI DINH PAGODA – AM TIEN CAVE (Breakfast, Lunch)
Breakfast at the hotel. Then our vehicle will take us to Bai Dinh Pagoda, a large temple complex with many Asian and Vietnamese records established as the temple with the largest gilded bronze Buddha in Asia, the pagoda has the longest Arhat corridor in Asia, the largest bronze Maitreya statue in Southeast Asia. This is the largest temple and holds the most records in Vietnam.
Have lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, continue to visit “Tuyet Tinh Coc”—Am Tien Cave; this place makes visitors fascinated by the beauty of the clear blue lake surrounded by rocky mountains, a feature of the beauty in Ninh Binh.
After that, our vehicle will take us back to Hanoi. Dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 14: HANOI DEPARTURE (Breakfast)
After breakfast at the hotel, our guide will meet you at the hotel. The rest of the morning is at your arrangement.
Check-out from the hotel. The guide and driver will say goodbye, and we all wish you a good trip home!
