Vietnam at Glance - 10 Days

General Information

Tour Highlights

• Tonkin show
• Get a glimpse of attractive highlights of Vietnam
• Halong cruise – experience the stunning vibe of the World’s Wonder
• Eco tour by a local guide
• Experience the vibrant Ho Chi Minh City

Tour Details

Duration: 10 Days/ 9 Nights
Start/ End: Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh
Tour Route: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Hue – Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh
Tour Type: Tailor-made tour
Tour Customizable: Definitely! Tell us your interest
Vehicle: private air-conditioned vehicle and licensed driver
Guide Service: private English-speaking guide
Tour Departure: No fixed departure. Anytime you wish!

Brief Itinerary

Day 01: Hanoi Arrival – Tonkin Show
Day 02: Hanoi Orientation
Day 03: Hanoi – Halong Bay
Day 04: Back to Hanoi – Flight to Hue
Day 05: Hue – Hoi An
Day 06: Hoi An – Eco-tour
Day 07: Hoi An leisure Day
Day 08: Ho Chi Minh Arrival – City Tour
Day 09: Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Delta
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh Departure

Full Itinerary

Day 01: Hanoi Arrival – Tonkin Show

Upon arrival, our representative will be waiting to warmly greet you and escort you to the hotel. At 16h00, you move to Hanoi Tower, just 3 km away from your hotel.

Check-in meeting point of Tonkin show. We drive by bus around 30 km to see the Tonkin show. Operated only Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, The Quintessence of Tonkin Show is one of the most interesting shows in Hanoi at this stage. The Show lasts from 7.30 PM to 8.30 PM and draws inspiration from the spiritual history of the nearby Thay Pagoda where you will be told about the story of the pagoda's founding by venerable monk Tu Dao Hanh, and an explanation of the ancient union between religion and the monarchy. Years in the making and with hundreds of performers, an interactive stage, state-of-the-art technology, as well as a stunning setting, the show is an unmissable highlight. The local restaurants with local cuisine, enjoy your dinner.

Day 02: Hanoi Orientation (B – L)

Today we will venture out to explore Hanoi. First up we will drive to the Ho Chi Minh complex where we will spend time at Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, his former stilt-house, the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and One Pillar Pagoda. We then head to the Temple of Literature originally built as a temple to Confucius.

After lunch, we head to the Museum of Ethnology that is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to the 54 Ethnic minority peoples in Vietnam. Or the renowned Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Hoa Lo is also known as the ‘’Hanoi Hilton’’ and was the place where former US presidential candidate John McCain was incarcerated for over 5 years.

Later, in the afternoon, we get into a 1-hour cyclo tour of the French-inspired "old quarter". We will be free for exploring in the old quarter ranges from markets through to designer boutique stores to fantastic contemporary art galleries. After dinner, we sit down to enjoy the performance of the city’s famous Water Puppets. Overnight in Hanoi.

Note:

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on every Monday & Friday. We will visit outside.
• The Museum of Ethnology is not opened every Monday. As your estimated travel date on this day is Monday so we will change to visit Hoa Lo. If there’s date change, we can head to the Museum of Ethnology.
• The Museum can be moved to your favorite one in Hanoi.

Day 03: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B – L)

Today we join Halong Bay one day trip with Wonder Bay Cruise – one of the leading cruises for group tours one day. The service and boat are good.

08:45 – 09:15 – Our Limousine bus and guide pick you up from the hotel and follow the new high way to depart for Tuan Chau Island, Halong City, a stopover for a rest on the way

12:15 – Arrive Tuan Chau Harbor, welcome aboard, and safety briefing – Wonderbay will take you on an 5 hour journey via 2 day-sleeper boat cruise route which renowned for its striking, passages uninhabited islets and outcrops have been given imaginative names by the locals, due to their perceived shapes, including Cock Fighting and Thumb, while enjoying Vietnamese mouth-watering lunch on boat.

13:45 – Arrive Bo Hon archipelago, you will visit Surprising Cave to see a lot of stalagmites and stalactites with different shapes of sea lives, then go kayaking or bamboo boat in Luon Cave to explore the stunning lagoon. (Greg and you have an opportunity to see the biggest cave in Halong bay)

Then, Visit Ti Top Island with sandy beach adjacent to the towering limestone mountain with excellent backdrop of the Bay, and climb up Ti Top Peak for a panoramic view of the bay like paradise. (I suggest Greg and you climb up the top and get the view from the bay)

16:30 – Return to Wonderbay Cruises for Afternoon Tea and cruising back toward Tuan Chau harbor. There is a lot of time for enjoying sunbath on the upper deck with music, get into great fun of group touring fellows among world iconic natural scenery.

17:45 – Disembark for going back on the new high way to Hanoi.

20:45 – Drop off at your hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 04: Back to Hanoi – Flight to Hue (B – L)

Time will be free until our car arrives to take us to the airport to board the noon flight in Hue. On arrival, we will be met and driven to our hotel. After that, we will visit the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945, after exploring the ruins of this wonderful monument. We then head to the Hue Royal Fine Art Museum, which is housed within the former Dien Long An Royal Palace. Our day will be done with a visit to the local Dong Ba Market to see the daily life of local people. We will spend the night in Hue.

Day 05: Hue – Hoi An (B – L)

At 8:00 a.m., we will be greeted at the hotel by a driver and guide, then board the Dragon Boat on the romantic Perfume River heading out for the countryside. Being the old-aged capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to the most stunning tombs will be on the itinerary for today. The beautiful Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be our first stop of the day. We will get into a great vista of the Perfume River and the surrounding area. Thien Mu Pagoda is known as the symbol of Hue, and of Buddhism in Vietnam. From here we rejoin our van and go visit King Khai Dinh's Tomb and King Tu Duc's Tomb.

Later, in the afternoon, we traverse by vehicle to Hoi An along scenic highway 1A. En route, we will stop to contemplate the beautiful sceneries North, to Lang Co Beach and South to Danang city.

On arrival in Danang, we will visit the Marble Mountain – the five elements of the Universe (water, wood, air, fire, and earth).

We then arrive in Hoi An. The rest of the day will be free for strolling in the town, lazing on the beach, or whatever makes you relaxed. We’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 06: Hoi An – Eco-tour (B – L)

Today, we can choose bus or bike to cycle to a local farming village to join the daily work life of local farmers – hoeing and a soil, watering veggie at an organic herb garden, riding water buffalo in the field and get into the freshest air of the countryside beauty. After that, board on the Hoi An Eco-tour boat and cruise to the mouth of the river where it meets the Cua Dai Sea.

It is time for you to learn and try our hand at local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets, learn to paddle the strange and unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boats. Explore the now tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of a past war and hear of the extreme conditions endured by soldiers on both sides. Have an unwind fun with superb purple crabs on bamboo basket boat. After heading a local water coconut palm village, we stroll around the village and enjoy some tea and snack with local talks…Back on-board our Hoi An Eco-tour boat and have lunch and a cold beer or soft drink on the boat, then back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, we have a walking city tour: We will start our walking tour around the ancient town to visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, the temples as well as pagodas of Chinese appearance. We then return to the hotel.  Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 07: Hoi An leisure Day (B)

Today, relax at leisure. Do what you want and feel free to ask your guide for things to entertainment.

Day 08: Ho Chi Minh Arrival – City Tour (B – L)

Today, we will transfer to Danang airport and take the flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Later, in the afternoon, head to the Cu Chi Tunnels which is one of the best places to explore artifacts of the US-Vietnam war, also known as the “Iron Triangle” or “Iron Land”. En route, we drive through the pleasant countryside; rubber plantations and rice paddies. Before we enter the tunnels, we will see a short introductory video that shows how they were constructed, followed by a discovery of the maze of tunnels, some of which have been widened to allow travelers access. Also, on display are various mantraps and the remains of an American tan, as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500lb bombs, dropped by B52 bombers. Later, we transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 09: Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Delta (B – L)

This morning, we leave Ho Chi Minh City behind and visit Vietnam’s rice basket, the Mekong Delta. We pass through idyllic, rural scenes until we reach My Tho, a peaceful town on the bank of the Mekong River, where we will head to the Vinh Trang Pagoda.

Then, we will have a boat ride on the Mekong, head to local homes and orchards, a coconut candy workshop, a honeybee farm, take a sampan ride on palm-shaded creeks, strive a taste of seasonal fruit as well as honey tea and get into a performance of traditional Southern singing. Later, we return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh Departure (B)

Time to say goodbye. Breakfast and morning at leisure until getting back to the airport for a flight coming home. The trip ends. Hope you enjoyed the trip and wish that Multi Country Asia Tours could serve you next time.