Vietnam the Real 26 Days

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, GP)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. In the evening, you will have dinner at a restaurant in a restored French colonial building.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour by motorbike and street food (B, L, G)

You’ll have the whole day to explore Vietnam’s capital city on the back of a motorbike. You will visit the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum Complex, the bustling Old Quarter.

The day also includes a ‘Street Life’ experience, also on the back of a motorbike. A street food brunch is included – take your pick from traditional Hanoi Pho (beef noodle soup), Nom (green papaya salad with seasoned beef), Banh Goi (pillow-shaped rice pastry with minced pork and mushroom), Banh Cuon (hot rice paper with pork and fried onion) or Bun Cha (fresh noodle with grilled pork).

In the evening, you’ll have tickets for a performance of traditional Water Puppetry. You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi/Mai Chau (B, L, D, G)

This morning, you will drive to Mai Chau by 4 WD vehicles and visit Thai and Muong villages. Lunch, dinner and overnight accommodation will be in stilt house of an ethnic Thai village.

Day 4: Mai Chau/Son La (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast, you will have time to wander around the village and see the daily life of the local people. After that, you will be driven to Son La and visit the former French Prison on arrival. Overnight in hotel in Son La.

Day 5: Son La (B, L, D, G)

Today, you will drive to Black River bank, where you will spend one night in a village of the Thai people.

Day 6: Son La/Lai Chau (B, L, D, G)
This morning, you will take a pleasant cruise up to the Black River by fishing boat. You will also visit several villages of ethnic minority people, where only few other tourists. After picnic lunch, you will continue driving to Lai Chau where you will have dinner and sleep at a village in Lai Chau.

Day 7: Lai Chau/Dien Bien Phu (B, L, D, G)

Today, you will drive to Dien Bien Phu passing beautiful scenery along the way. On arrival, you will visit the Battle Field, Dien Bien Museum. Your dinner and overnight will be in a local hotel in Dien Bien.

Day 8: Dien Bien/Sapa (B, L, D, G)
This morning, your car will drive you to Sapa passing through great scenery along the road and many residences of different ethnic groups such ass Red H’Mong, Black Dzao, Lu, White H’Mong. After lunch in a local restaurant, you will be free. You will spend the night in Sapa.

Day 9: Sapa (B, L, G)

After breakfast and a morning stroll to the town’s busy market, you’ll hike down a scenic valley calling in at the H’mong ethnic minority villages on the way. After a streamside picnic lunch, you’ll drive to more villages belonging to the H’mong, Day and Red Dao ethnic minority groups. You will spend the night in Sapa.

Day 10: Sapa/Ethnic market/Hanoi (B, L, G)

After breakfast, your transport and guide will arrive to take you to visit a market frequented by ethnic minority peoples. After a picnic lunch, you’ll return to Lao Cai for a shower and freshen-up before boarding the sleeper train to Hanoi.

Day 11: Hanoi/Ha Long kayaking (B, L, D, G)

After an early breakfast, you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas where you’ll board a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels. The cruising route will take you to the busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Meals will be provided on board with fresh seafood mainly. You will spend the night in a twin or double cabin with an en suite toilet and shower.

Day 12: Ha Long/Cat Ba Island (Brunch, G)

This morning, you will cruise toward Cat Ba Island. After that, your guide will take you to the National Park to hike through the forest. Although the distance is only about 18 km, it will take at least 6 hours to cover the undulating terrain. On the way, you’ll have a break for a picnic lunch at Viet Hai village and back to the town by late afternoon. You’ll spend the night in Cat Ba town.

Day 13: Cat Ba Island/Hai Phong/Hanoi/Hue (B, L, G)

The morning will be free for you to relax on a nearby sandy beach or while away your time in the small seafront town. After lunch, you’ll board the hydrofoil trip to Hai Phong where a car and driver will be waiting to return you to Noi Bai airport in Hanoi for an evening flight to Hue. You will spend the night in Hue.

Day 14: Cycling in Hue (B, L, G)

Today, the 30-km bike ride will take you to Hue’s rural villages. First, you will bike towards the Thanh Toan Bridge (roofed in Chinese style) and visit a local market with views of daily life and local products. You'll then return to Hue’s city centre with en-route visit a typical Hue’s ‘garden house’. After lunch, your route will take you past the Imperial Citadel and then ride toward one of the handicraft villages. Back to hotel in the late afternoon, you will have free time to recover and spend the night in your hotel.

Day 15: Hue/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G)

In the morning, your car will arrive to drive you to Danang via the high mountain pass of Hai Van. You will then visit the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum before leaving for Hoi An. After lunch, you’ll have a guided visit to the Ancient Town of Hoi An. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 16: Hoi An free (B)

The day will be free for strolling in the town, lazing on the beach, or whatever takes your fancy. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 17: Hoi An/Quy Nhon (B, L, G)

This morning, you will leave for Quy Nhon by car and arrive by early afternoon. You will spend the night in Quy Nhon.

Day 18: Quy Nhon/Nha Trang (B, L, G)

After breakfast at hotel, you will drive to NhaTrang passing Sa Huynh and Dai Lanh beaches. Lunch will be in a local restaurant en-route. Dinner and stay overnight in hotel in Nha Trang.

Day 19: Full day private boat trip in Nha Trang (B, L, G)

After breakfast, a car will arrive to take you to board a boat for a whole-day cruise to some of the small islands in the bay including Mun Island, Tam Island, Tri Nguyen Aquarium on Mieu Island.

Get back to the mainland in the late afternoon, you will be driven to your hotel where you will spend the night.

Day 20: Nha Trang/Dalat (B, L, G)

In the morning, your car and driver will arrive to take you to Dalat. After you have checked in to your hotel, you’ll visit the Linh Phuoc Pagoda and an embroidery workshop in an attractive garden setting. You’ll spend the night in Dalat.

Day 21: Hiking around Dalat (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you’ll drive along picturesque roads to the famous chicken village, aptly named due to the large chicken statue in the centre of the township. You’ll hike between Elephant Mountain and another large peak from where you’ll have an overview of the farms that dot the valley floor.

Lunch will consist of some of Dalat’s tasty produce. After a breather, your path will take you through an abrupt change in scenery from brush to dense forest. The track follows rolling hills with broad-leafed trees and vines, accompanied by a cool breeze. If you’re lucky, you may see a wild orchid in bloom or a few monkeys. Leaving the forest, the path heads across a meadow towards Tuyen Lam Lake. Don’t be alarmed if you meet an elephant along the way - they live on an island on the lake and are tame. You’ll finish your walk at a lakeside campsite with time for a swim in the lake (weather permitting). In the late afternoon, you’ll drive back to your hotel.

Day 22: Dalat/Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you’ll set off for Ho Chi Minh City – the early part of the journey takes you through attractive scenery and large coffee plantations. Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, you will visit the Museum of War Remnants, the huge Ben Thanh market. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 23: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long/Can Tho (B, L, G)

A morning drive will take you to Vinh Long where a Mekong River cruise will take you to visit the fruit orchards, a traditional family-run brick kiln, and some long established cottage industries. You’ll drive further into the Mekong Delta to Can Tho where you’ll spend the night.

Day 24: Can Tho/Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, G)

In the morning, you will take a boat cruise in the Cai Rang floating market on the Mekong Delta and then return to your hotel to check out. On your return to Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll call in at the beautiful and ancient Vinh Trang pagoda, 3 km from My Tho centre. Your overnight accommodation will be in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 25: Ho Chi Minh City/Tay Ninh/Cu Chi (B, L, G)

A morning drive will take you to Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai Holy See in time to watch the mid-day ceremony. After lunch, you’ll visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a Byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong to suddenly materialise as if from nowhere, launch a lightning ambush, and vanish equally rapidly. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 26: Ho Chi Minh City departure (B, DP)

Free time until transferred to the airport for your departure flight. Tour ends.