Day 1: Hanoi Arrival

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Upon arrival, your guide and driver will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Noi Bai International Airport and transfer you to your hotel in the city center. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Tip: In the evening, you may wish to take a peaceful stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as the Lake of the Restored Sword. This picturesque lake is steeped in an Arthurian-style legend. On weekends, traffic around Hoan Kiem Lake is closed, transforming the area into a lively pedestrian space. It is more than just a peaceful escape from the city’s traffic; it is also an important community gathering place where families and couples enjoy leisurely walks, musicians perform for visitors, and children and adults enjoy activities such as two-wheeled hoverboards and roller skates.

Meals: N/A.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Today, enjoy a full-day exploration of Vietnam’s charming capital, known for its tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient Oriental pagodas. Hanoi is an eclectic city offering a fascinating mix of history, culture and everyday local life.

Your city tour takes you to some of Hanoi’s key attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, with Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and stilt house, the nearby One Pillar Pagoda, the Presidential Palace and the Temple of Literature.

Continue to Quan Thanh Temple, the tranquil Tran Quoc Pagoda and West Lake, before visiting your choice of one of Hanoi’s museums: the History Museum or the Ethnology Museum.

In the late afternoon, enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance, a unique Vietnamese art form originating from the wet-rice culture of Southeast Asia.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

After breakfast, enjoy a short drive from Hanoi to Hai Phong, where you will board your overnight cruise for a fascinating journey through the beautiful scenery of Halong Bay.

Upon arrival, enjoy welcome drinks followed by a cruise briefing, safety instructions and cabin check-in. The specially designed itinerary takes you along less-traveled routes that other cruises may not reach, allowing you to experience the natural beauty of the bay and its many islets at a leisurely pace.

Today’s activities also include exploring Trung Trang Cave in the middle of Cat Ba National Park, swimming in the cool emerald waters and joining a hands-on cooking class on board, where you can challenge your skills by preparing a famous Vietnamese dish.

Enjoy fresh seafood meals on board as you cruise through the spectacular surroundings.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: Overnight on cruise.

Wake up to a fresh cup of coffee and join a Tai Chi session before cruising back toward the shore. En route, the junk boat weaves through impressive rock formations, with the Dark & Bright Cave located along the route.

After brunch, disembark and return to Hai Phong City, a major industrial port city with considerable tourism potential. The city preserves a variety of architectural attractions, including traditional pagodas and temples as well as French Neoclassical architecture in its old neighborhoods.

Begin your Hai Phong city tour with the Opera Theatre, also known as the Municipal Theatre, one of three theatres built by the French in Vietnam and a distinctive cultural landmark of the Port City.

Continue to the Flower Stall and Le Chan Statue, dedicated to Le Chan, one of the female generals who fought alongside the Trung Sisters against Chinese rule in 43 CE. Walk along the tree-lined streets to gain an introduction to the character of this beautiful city.

After visiting Du Hang Pagoda, an ancient structure dating back to the Early Le Dynasty, continue by scenic drive to Ninh Binh. Along the way, stop to take photographs of local villages and the surrounding countryside.

Upon arrival in Ninh Binh, check in to your hotel and enjoy some time to relax.

Meals: Brunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Ninh Binh.

Begin your exploration of Ninh Binh with a visit to Bai Dinh Pagoda, a vast Buddhist complex built on a grand scale on a hillside near Ninh Binh. Completed in 2014, it has become a major attraction for domestic Vietnamese visitors.

The entrance leads through covered walkways lined with 500 stone arhats, or enlightened Buddhist figures, toward the main triple-roofed Phap Chu Pagoda. Inside is a 10-meter-high, 100-tonne bronze Buddha, flanked by two additional gilded Buddha figures.

Continue up the steps behind the pagoda to a viewpoint, a 13-storey pagoda and a giant Buddha. The central area of the complex contains additional temples, including one housing a 36-tonne bell, the largest in Vietnam. Many of the structures are made from natural materials, while the impressive bronze work, lacquerwork and stone carvings were created by local artisans.

After lunch, enjoy a leisurely boat trip through Trang An, a nature reserve similar to Tam Coc but generally less crowded. Trang An is a complex of cultural, historical and natural heritage sites recognized by UNESCO in 2014 as Vietnam’s first mixed heritage site.

Surrounded by limestone hills, a peaceful river winds through a series of caves, including one that takes approximately 15 minutes to pass through in darkness. This eco-tourism area offers a tranquil atmosphere, with the sounds of birds and the gentle movement of oars across the clear river providing the main interruptions to the peaceful scenery.

After the boat trip, transfer back to your hotel for some time to refresh.

Later in the evening, transfer to the railway station for the overnight train to Dong Hoi, Quang Binh. You will travel in a shared four-berth air-conditioned cabin with a soft sleeper.

Cabin option: If you prefer not to share the cabin with other passengers, please let us know so that we can arrange a private four-berth cabin or a two-berth cabin. A surcharge applies.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Soft Sleeper Cabin with AC.

Welcome to Quang Binh, a province on Vietnam’s North Central Coast. Upon arrival at Dong Hoi Railway Station this morning, your guide and driver will meet you and transfer you to the hotel for an early check-in.

After a short break and breakfast at the hotel, begin your exploration with a visit to Paradise Cave (Dong Thien Duong) in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO-recognized World Natural Heritage Site that opened to the public in 2010.

Paradise Cave is one of the largest and most impressive accessible caves in the area. After climbing 524 stairs, you will reach the large entrance of the cave. Descend into the cave along a wooden walkway designed to protect and preserve its fragile formations. The walkway continues for approximately 1 km through the enormous, beautifully illuminated cave.

Continue through the dense forest along the sparkling waters of the Chay River and Nuoc Mooc Spring. The river flows from an underground cave, while the water has a striking light-blue color and maintains a constant temperature of around 19°C. Along the way, you may see birds, butterflies, dragonflies and endangered monkeys, as well as enjoy some time to refresh yourself at a pleasant swimming area.

Have lunch at a local restaurant overlooking a nearby lake and pine forest. Then take a short drive along the strategic Ho Chi Minh Trails and learn about the region’s wartime history from your local guide before returning to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Quang Binh.

After breakfast, depart for Hue via Quang Tri, with visits and short breaks along the way. Travel through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where some of the fiercest battles were fought during the American War.

In the late morning, take a fascinating tour of the Vinh Moc Tunnels, preserved as a monument to the determination of Vietnamese communities to continue living in their traditional village areas during the war. Entire villages moved underground and lived in the tunnels and caverns.

Continue with a visit to Hien Luong Bridge and the nearby museums, which contain photographs and memorials related to the war. Cross the Ben Hai River, which was used to demarcate the division between North and South Vietnam.

Have lunch at a local restaurant in Dong Ha Town before continuing to Hue. Along the way, stop at a small church that still shows signs of mortar attacks in the area.

Upon arrival in Hue, check in to your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue.

Begin your day with a traditional boat trip along the peaceful Perfume River, taking in the lush greenery surrounding the waterway.

Disembark to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the symbols of Hue City. Continue to the Noon Gate of the Imperial Citadel for a walking tour through the inner area of the citadel, where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled from 1802 to 1945.

Explore important landmarks within the Imperial Citadel, including the Flag Tower, Noon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace and Forbidden Purple City.

In the afternoon, transfer to the Tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh to admire its distinctive blend of traditional Chinese architectural influences and modern Western elements.

Continue with a visit to Thuy Xuan Incense Village, one of the remaining villages preserving the traditional incense-making profession and the cultural beauty of Hue’s former imperial capital.

Conclude the day with a transfer back to your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue.

After breakfast, depart Hue by road for Hoi An. Stop at Lang Co Bay, home to a long white-sand beach and blue seawater. From here, enjoy views of a peaceful fishing village, boats sailing across Lap An Lagoon and, toward dusk, flocks of storks returning to their nests.

Continue over the spectacular Hai Van Pass, also known as the Pass of the Clouds, a scenic mountain route between Hue and Hoi An. From the pass, enjoy views of the East Vietnam Sea on one side and the lush mountainous landscape on the other.

In Danang, visit the Cham Museum and explore handicraft villages at the foot of the Marble Mountains before continuing to Hoi An, the peaceful riverside town.

Arrive in Hoi An in the early afternoon and check in to your hotel. After a short break, join a walking tour around this charming ancient town, famous for its fascinating architecture.

Visit the Old Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese Assembly Hall and historic ancient houses, where you can meet local people and learn more about their daily lives and experiences.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An.

3-Hour Rowing Basket Boat & Buffalo Riding Experience

8:00 AM: Pick up at your hotel.

Begin the morning with an opportunity to ride a water buffalo that has been carefully trained and tamed. A local buffalo handler and guide will accompany you throughout the experience, creating an enjoyable and memorable ride through the fields and even into the water.

After the buffalo-riding experience, transfer by van to a nearby local fishing village. Here, board a larger boat and continue to the next part of the tour: riding a traditional “Thung Chai” basket boat, also known as a round boat.

Your local guide will introduce you to the traditional use of basket boats by local fishermen and explain how to paddle and steer the round boat. One of the key techniques is using a figure-eight motion to control the boat.

One of the highlights of the experience is an entertaining performance by the local “Thung Chai” boat crews on the river. Enjoy this lively and exciting demonstration before continuing your basket boat experience.

Before boarding the small basket boat, you will receive a life jacket and safety instructions. For safety, personal belongings such as cameras, mobile phones, wallets and sunglasses should be kept on the larger boat.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An.

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your flight to Vietnam’s modern metropolis, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

Arrive in the late morning and enjoy an orientation tour through the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City on the way to your hotel. Have lunch at a downtown restaurant of your choice before setting out on a guided city tour in the afternoon.

Visit some of the city’s key attractions, including the Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, City Post Office and Ben Thanh Market.

Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Today, leave the busy streets of Saigon behind and travel to Ben Tre Province for a full-day experience in the Mekong Delta.

En route, visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, an ancient architectural gem in southern Vietnam located in Tien Giang.

Upon arrival at Hung Vuong Pier, board your private boat and enjoy a glimpse of the beautiful delta scenery while sipping fresh coconut juice.

Experience the unique lifestyle of the Mekong Delta as you visit fruit orchards, coconut groves and traditional brick workshops. Discover locally made products such as coconut candies, rice cakes and handicrafts.

After a short walk, visit a local family to learn how they make traditional sedge mats. Enjoy tea and tropical fruits before continuing your journey by “Xe Loi,” a type of motorized rickshaw, or by bicycle. Cycle through the picturesque villages for approximately 20 minutes and observe local life along the way.

Stop at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch. Afterwards, board a sampan for a relaxing ride along the narrow canals.

Your boat will be waiting at a nearby pier to take you back to Ben Tre, where your car will meet you for the drive back to Saigon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and spend the morning at your leisure before transferring to the airport for your departure flight home.

Your Vietnam Revealed – 13 Days Tour comes to an end.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: N/A.