Trip code : TBV-GDS-BIZ 08-E Itinerary: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Phong Nha cave, Hue, Hoi An, My Son Holyland, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh city , My Tho, Mekong Delta, Can ThoDuration :16 days / 15 nights Detailed itinerary:Day 01: Arrival Hanoi Upon arrival in Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi city you will be met by our trip leader who will be with you through your stay. Then transfer to down town for check-in to hotel. After that, we have an orientation walk around the neighborhood. We together tonight enjoy a welcome dinner at Vietnamese local restaurant. Stay first night in Hanoi Meals: 1 DinnerDay 02: Hanoi - Halong After breakfast this morning, we start our tour of Hanoi with a visit to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the national leader whose memory is honored here. We will also visit The House on stilts, see the distinctive One Pillar pagoda. Then we’ll visit the Temple of Literature, where Vietnam’s first university was established here in 1076. After lunch at local restaurant, we set off for Ha Long Bay of Vietnam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrive in the early afternoon and transfer to hotel for check. We tonight have dinner at Vietnamese restaurant with traditional music. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 03: Halong Bay - Hanoi Rising early you may have a chance to see the sunrise in Halong Bay. After breakfast, transfer to pier for embarkation the private boat to discover spectacular Halong Bay, listed as a World Heritage of outstanding natural beauty. With its clear, emerald waters and mountains draped in velvety cloaks of vegetation, “The bay of the descending dragon” is dotted with more than 3,000 mountain islands rising from the clear emerald waters of the Gulf Tonkin, many of them containing beautiful grottoes. A 4-hours boat cruise will lead you to visit Thien Cung cave and Dau Go grotto, stone Dog, Fighting Cocks.... Fresh seafood lunch will be served on board. After the boat cruise, we return to Hanoi for refreshment. This evening we enjoy a water puppet show at Thang Long theatre. We enjoy a late dinner at local restaurant. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 04: Hanoi – Quang Binh This morning is free for independent exploration of this fascinating city. Because Has was isolated from Western development after 1954, Is has a uniquely preserved concentration of French and Chinese colonial-era architecture. After lunch on your own, we regroup and tour the city tour of Hanoi with visits to the Museum of Ethnology, Hoan Kiem Lake, Opera House. Then take an hour cyclo (trishaw) tour for visiting the Hanoi’s Old Quarters. We’ll see Vietnam’s history reflected in the French-influenced lakes, public parks, and tree-lined boulevards. After dinner at local restaurant, we board a night train to Quang Binh. The train will be arriving Quang Binh next morning. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 05: Quang Binh – Phong Nha River Cave – Hue Early arrive in Quang Binh, enjoy a 55 km drive to Son Trach commune with the beautiful scenery of cone-shaped limestone hills rising from the flat valleys. Upon arrival, take a boat cruise to explore the series of spectacular River Caves around the area including Phong Nha cave and Wind Cave, the UNESCO World’s Natural Heritage site in Vietnam and is the longest one with the length of 8km among the surroundings. After the journey ends, we head to Hue for check into hotel. We together tonight have dinner at hotel. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 06: Hue sightseeing After breakfast at hotel, we will spend the whole day to discover Hue city, the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in Vietnam. We take a dragon boat upstream to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s most reserved religious monument built on a hillock overlooking the Perfume River and the tomb of Minh Mang who ruled from 1820 to 184. After lunch at local restaurant we will tour the Citadel, find the Imperial Enclosure, and see its inner Forbidden Purple City, a private area reserved for the emperor. After lunch at local restaurant, visit tomb of Tu Duc who had the longest reign of any Nguyen monarch, lived a life of ultimate imperial luxury. We can see conical hat weaving village .We tonight have dinner at local restaurant accompanied by Royal music and traditional Hue folksongs. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 07: Hue - Da Nang – Hoi An After breakfast at our hotel, we depart across the Hai Van Pass (Pass of the Ocean Clouds), passing through many pretty red-tiled villages with fruit orchards, enjoying spectacular for the ancient town of Hoi An, an ancient, well-preserved port town that’s changed in the past two centuries, view of sky and sea. After check into hotel, we take a walking tour of the ancient quarter and see its historic streets and mossy houses such as Phuc Kien Congressional House and Japanese Bridge, historic houses with brick exteriors and wooden interiors... Dinner tonight is on your own. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 08: Hoi An - My Son – Bang An – Da Nang We rise early for breakfast before our drive to My Son, a UNESCO World Heritage site, 55km from ancient town of Hoi An, the site of the most important Cham intellectual and religious centre, dating back the late 4th century. My Son has only 20 monuments standing today. My Son is considered to be Champa’s smaller version of the grand cities of South-East Asia’s other Indian-influenced civilisations: Angkor (Cambodia), Bagan (Myanmar), Auythaya (Thailand). In the afternoon we travel back to Danang via Bang An Cham ruins, another Champa octagonal tower dating the 10th century. We have dinner tonight at our hotel. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 09: Hoi An – Da Nang – Nha Trang This morning you are free to explore the town of Hoi An on your own. After lunch at local restaurant, we head to Danang airport for our flight to Nha Trang. Arriving in early evening, we enjoy dinner tonight at local restaurant. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 10: Nha Trang After breakfast we tour the tour of Nha Trang city, a growing community that is blessed with miles of beautiful beaches and whose residents remain devoted to the sea for fishing and recreation. We board our wooden boat to visit a local fishing village and Hon Tam beach as well. After lunch at local restaurant, visit the Institute of Oceanography, Ponagar Cham Tower, a sacred Hindu site dating back to the 2nd century AD. The tower was built between the 7th and 12th centuries and is still used today as a place of pilgrimage for the Cham and Vietnamese Buddhists then visit Long Son Pagoda. The balance of the day is free at leisure for sunbathing as you wish on white sandy Nha Trang beach. Dinner tonight will be arranged by your own. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 LunchDay 11: Nha Trang – Da Lat After breakfast we travel to overland to Dalat, the city of Eternal Spring, admiring the rice paddies, vegetable patches, and gently sloping hills we pass by. We arrive in Dalat around noon. After checking into our hotel, embark on an orientation walk to become familiar with neighborhood. After lunch at local restaurant we visit the “Valley of love”, Xuan Huong Lake, then visit a workshop where you’ll see the making of Dalat’s famed artichoke tea and wines. Take a cable car to hilltop to visit Truc Lam Pagoda. Rest of afternoon and evening are yours to spend the leisure. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 LunchDay 12: Da Lat – Ho Chi Minh city After breakfast we depart for Ho Chi Minh City – formerly known as Saigon, with stopover to visit Preen waterfall. Take a short break at Bao Loc tea & coffee plantation. Lunch will be arranged en-route. Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh city, check into hotel and leisure. We have dinner tonight at local restaurant. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 13: Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi After breakfast this morning, drive out to Cu Chi Tunnels, 70 km from Saigon to spend some time examining this 250 km long underground maze where thousands of fighters and villagers hid and fought during Vietnam war. The networks, parts of which was several stove deep, included innumerable trap doors, constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories... After that, we return to Ho Chi Minh city in time for lunch at local restaurant. After lunch, our city tour will be started with visits to Independent Palace, The Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame. We also see the architecture of Central Post Office, City Hall, Opera Theatre. Go shopping at Ben Thanh market. Rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to discover Ho Chi Minh city at leisure. Have dinner at local restaurant and self discover Ho Chi Minh city by night (B/L/D). Dinner tonight is on your own. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 LunchDay 14: Ho Chi Minh city – Cai Be – Vinh Long – Can Tho We rise early for breakfast before we drive to Cai Be with stop en-route at Bonsai garden for a tea break. Upon arrival, board a motorized boat to visit the popcorn cake, rice paper making family before visiting the floating market of Cai Be. Then continue by boat towards Vinh Long province to see the diverse fish traps in order to learn a kind of lazy fishing. After cruising along small shady canals, we step ashore and take a chance to watch a typical and interesting music show of the Mekong cultural life at local house. Afterwards, we take a short visit on foot for about half an hour to enjoy the rural peaceful atmosphere of the countryside life, on the way we can also stop en route to learn more about tropical fruit trees, and bee farms. Return to our car and continue driving to Can Tho for check into hotel. We have dinner tonight at local restaurant. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 Lunch, 01 DinnerDay 15: Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh city This morning we continue our boat cruise to Cai Rang and Phong Dien, 2 big floating markets with stops at a Bun Tau noodle factory and a short trek before arriving at a rice husking mill. You can even try passing one of the many fragile monkey bridges along the canals. Leave our boat at a dock opposite Cai Rang floating market. Hop into our car for a drive to Phung Hiep biggest floating market for taking photos of this lively activity. Return to Ho Chi Minh city in the afternoon. Dinner tonight is on your own. Meals: 01 breakfast, 01 LunchDay 16: Departure Free at leisure for last minute shopping until transfer time to Tan Son Nhat In’t airport for departure. Meals: 01 breakfast | 
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