- Hanoi located on the banks of the Red River, is one of the most ancient capitals in the world, where travellers can find well-preserved colonial buildings, ancient pagodas, and unique museums within the city centre. A great place to explore on foot, this French-colonial city is also known for its delectable cuisine, vibrant nightlife, silks and handicrafts, as well as a multi-cultural community that’s made up of Chinese, French and Russian influences. Meanwhile, its tranquil countryside is a short drive away, featuring lush parks, verdant mountains, and traditional villages, and not forgetting, the iconic Ha Long Bay. If you’re a first-time visitor to the Vietnamese capital, our Hanoi travel guide has everything you need to know for a fulfilling holiday, including the best accommodation, restaurants, attractions, shopping, and detailed information on the local culture, currency, climate, and transport options.
- Halong Bay is in northern Vietnam, 170 km (105 miles) east of Hanoi. The bay is famous for its scenic ocean karst topography and is often included in lists of natural wonders of the world. Halong Bay is a bay located in the area of the Gulf of Tangkia, north of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It has an area of 1,500 square kilometers and has a coastline about 120 kilometers away from Hanoi.
- Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam in the 10th and 11th centuries. It lies in Truong Yen Thuong village, Truong Yen Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam. The area is one of ricefields broken by picturesque limestone mountain and is approximately 90 km south of Hanoi. Together with Phat Diem Cathedral, Tam Coc-Bich Đong, Bai Đinh Temple, Trang An, and Cuc Phuong, Hoa Lu is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ninh Binh Province.
- Hoi An is a beautiful city in Vietnam, just south of Da Nang. The Old Town of Hoi An is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hoi An is a city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, cut through with canals. The former port city’s melting-pot history is reflected in its architecture, a mix of eras and styles from wooden Chinese shop houses and temples to colorful French colonial buildings, ornate Vietnamese tube houses and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge with its pagoda.
- Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh), commonly known as Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn) or by the abbreviations HCMC or HCM, is the largest city in Vietnam and the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).
BRIEF:
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Tam Coc – Hanoi (Meals: B/L)
Day 3: Hanoi city tour (Meals: B/ L)
Day 4: Hanoi – Halong Bay- Overnight on Cruise (Meals: B/L/ D)
Day 5: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Hue (Meals: B/ L) – by flight
Day 6: Hue Full Day Tour (Meals: B/ L)
Day 7: Hue- Hoi An Street Food Tour (Meals: B/ L)
Day 8: Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh Half Day Tour (Meal: B/L)
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta (B, L)
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City- Departure (Meals: B)
DETAILS ITINERARY:
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Arrival in Hanoi
Arrive in Hanoi, welcomed by Smiletravel’s guide and transfer to hotel. Check-in Hotel. Free and easy.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Tam Coc – Hanoi (Meals: B/L)
08:00 Guide will pick you up at the hotel and leave Hanoi Capital for Ninh Binh, enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the rural areas on the way. About 10:00 arrive Hoa Lu, visit the two temples of King Dinh and King Le in the 10th century, finding out the heroic histories of this two Kings in Chinese Wars. After that, we go to Tam Coc (10 km far from Hoa Lu). Have lunch at local restaurant.
After lunch you will get on the bamboo boat – rowed by the local people – in Hoang Long river to visit Tam Coc (three caves) on the way, you also have a chance to see the paddy field if you visit Tam Coc in April or September.
15:30 Back to the Harbour for the transfer to Hanoi.
17:45 Arrive in Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Hanoi City Tour Full Day (Meals: B/ L)
You are met at 08:30 am in the hotel lobby. There is a morning and afternoon schedule, as well as an organised lunch.
Morning:
- Ho Chi Minh Complex including the Mausoleum, his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh Museum
- The Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university dating back to 1070
- A local Vietnamese lunch
Afternoon:
- Hanoi Hilton museum (Hoa Lo prison)
- Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake – the Ngoc Son Temple is set on a tiny island on Hoan Kiem Lake, its history dating back to the 13th century
- A one-hour cyclo tour through the narrow, chaotic streets of the Old Quarter – a must for any visitor to Hanoi!
- A traditional performance of the famous Vietnamese water puppets
After finishing city tour, you will come back hotel. Have dinner by yourself.
Overnight in Hanoi
Hanoi – Halong Bay- Overnight on Cruise (Meals: B/L/ D)
07:30 – 07:45 pick up from your hotel in Hanoi. Drive to Halong Bay. Enjoy the peaceful scenery as we travel through the countryside, farmlands and Red River delta.
10:30 Stopover on the way for short break
12:30 arrive at the wharf – Meet the captain, crews and join us for a welcome drink, cruise briefing, safety instructions and check-in cabins.
13:00 Lunch with fresh seafood is served while cruising towards Vong Vieng floating village, passing through extraordinary shaped-islands.
15:30 Drop anchor at Vong Vieng: visit local houses, fish farm, schools and have a chat with the friendly fish men. (You also swim here if you like) The other option is to travel by kayak (passenger row kayaks for themselves). The kayaking option is $10.00 per person unless pre-booked.
17:00 back on board, enjoy the sunset and continue cruising to Luom Bo for anchoring.
19:00 Dinner is served.
21:00 enjoy the comfort of your cabin or night fishing.
Overnight on cruise
Halong Bay – Hanoi – Hue (Meals: B/ L) – by flight
06:30 enjoy the bay’s morning landscape with a cup of tea or coffee.
07:30 lightly breakfast is served.
08:30 explore the mystery of Sung Sot cave, one of the most beautiful caves in Halong Bay.
09:30 back on board, continue cruising, enjoy the stunning views of the Bay and relax.
10:30 Lunch is served on board while cruising back through Halong Bay to the pier.
11:30 Check-out.
12:00 back to wharf. Farewell.
12:30 Return from Halong to Hanoi.
14:30 Stop-over
16:30 Arrive in Hanoi. Our driver will transfer you to the airport for the flight to Hue. Upon arrival in Hue, you will be met and transferred to the hotel in Hue.
Overnight in Hue
Hue Full Day Tour (Meals: B/ L)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel
8.30: Our guide and driver meet you at the hotel and transfer to the boat landing for a leisure boat trip along the Perfume River to visit the towering Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the most famous Vietnamese landmarks.
We then take a short drive into a lush valley of the river where seven tombs were built for seven Nguyen Emperors. We will visit two of the tombs: Minh Mang Tomb and Khai Dinh Tomb to help you understand more Royal’s Life and their architecture.
After that, drive outside of town for lunch and enjoy classic Hue cuisine at a restaurant in beautiful garden setting.
In the afternoon: Return to the city center to visit Imperial Citadel, and the Forbidden Purple City, created in the 19th century for the Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty,
Drive back to the hotel. Overnight in Hotel
Hue- Hoi An Street Food Tour (Meals: B/ L)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Driver and guide will come and transfer you to Hoian
Arrive in Hoian. Check in your hotel/resort and then we start Hoian food tour with walking tour. Our guide introduce you special foods in here. to enjoy a bowl of Cao Lau. Cao Lau is a specialty and a traditional Hoi An dish composed of flat noodles, pork, bean sprouts, and greens served in a savory broth. The noodles are made with local sticky rice soaked in the water that must be taken from Ba Le Well. Bami and enjoy My Quang noodles, another very famous local specialty. More and more food will be showed by our guide to you.
Overnight in Hoian
Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh Half Day Tour (Meal: B/L)
Transfer to Da Nang Airport after breakfast for the short flight to dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals.
Welcome you by Smiletravel’s guide and driver. Picks up and transfer to hotel (if the room is available you can check-in early) have lunch before starting half day tour to visit most attractive places in HCM C tourist cannot miss out.
We visit Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, General Office, War museum, and Ben Thanh market.
Overnight in HCMC.
Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta (B, L)
In the morning,08:00 drive to My Tho, get on a private boat which shall start off by driving to Turtle Island. Enjoying a variety of tropical fruits and listening to traditional South Vietnamese folk songs performed by local artists. Then, going to a Bee Farm, play with the pythons, try some honey tea, and taste local confectionery.
There is a short rowing boat ride to main boat to go to Phoenix Island and have lunch. After lunch, go back to the harbor. Drive back to Ho Chi Minh stop at and Chinatown with Binh Tay Market and Thien Hau Temple.
Overnight in HCMC.
Ho Chi Minh City- Departure (Meals: B)
Free time for shopping until transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport to take a flight back home. Tour End
- Private tour
- Accommodation at selected hotels with daily breakfast
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary (B – breakfast, L – lunch, D – dinner, BR – brunch)
- All transfers and transportation as indicated in program
- All guided sightseeing fees and entrance fees as per itinerary
- English speaking tour guide at places as indicated in program
- Boat trip as indicated in program
- Air tickets: Economy class – Vietnam Airlines or Vietjet Air )Hanoi- Hue-Ho Chi Minh
- Bottle water