Colors of Vietnam

Hanoi arrival (L,D)

Meet on arrival by our guide, then transfer to hotel. 

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Free time in the afternoon to relax or for your own exploration of the city.

Welcome dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel.

Hanoi - City tour - Lao Cai (B,L,D)

Full day to discover the capital of Vietnam. We start by visiting the Museum of Ethnology which includes costumes, tools, musical instruments and some houses of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups (closed every Monday). Then we visit the Temple of Literature, the "first university of Vietnam", and Tran Quoc Pagoda founded in the 5th century. 

Visit Ngoc Son Temple in Hoan Kiem Lake. A walking tour in the old quarters of Hanoi allows you to understand the local life. In the evening, attend the Water Puppets Show. 

Dinner in town and then transfer to the station for the night train to Lao Cai.

Overnight on board/ soft berth 4 berth cabin.

Lao Cai arrival - Sapa (B,L,D)

Arrive at Lao Cai Station in the early morning, then transfer by private car to Sapa, we admire the rice terraces hidden behind the clouds of the morning. Located 1,650 meters above sea level, with the temperate climate, Sapa was an old resort created by the French in the region of Fanxipan Mount (3143m) which is considered as the roof of Indochina. This city interests visitors in the mosaic of minorities H'mong, Red Yao, Tay, Dzay Safo... For hundreds of years, they live together and conduct their ancestral life despite modernity. 

Rest at the hotel and lunch at local restaurant. 

Afternoon, we take a walk to the Black H'mong village in Lao Chai and the Dzays village in Ta Van where we have the opportunities to discover the specific culture of each ethnic group.

Back to Sapa in the late afternoon.

Dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight in Sapa.

Sapa (discoveries + walks) - Lao Cai - Hanoi (B,L,D)

Morning: we visit the Sapa market where ethnic groups come to exchange their agricultural products or sell their traditional costumes made meticulously by the women's hand. It is also well-liked by young couples. 

Then we are going to climb the Ham Rong mountain (Dragon Jaw) where we can not miss the opportunity to take great photos of the area. An interesting walk takes us to the theater where we will have the opportunity to attend the dance performance of five ethnic groups of Sapa. 

After lunch at local restaurant, return to Lao Cai, we will make a detour to Ta Phin village where we discover the old Red Yao traditions. Before going to the station, stop at the Sino - Vietnamese border where we see the confluence of the Red River (red) belonging to Vietnam and Nam Thi River (green) to China. 

Boarding the overnight train from Lao Cai to Hanoi. Overnight on board in comfortable air-conditioned sleeper cabin.

Hanoi arrival - Halong Bay (B,L,D)

The train arrives at 05:00 to Hanoi station, having breakfast and shower at the hotel, then drive to Halong Bay through the traditional Vietnamese countryside with its villages, markets, rice fields. Stopover for a visit to a workshop manufacturing the ceramics and a school of training of all traditional artisan crafts of Vietnam. 

Arrival in Halong around noon, check-in cruise and enjoy the welcome drink on board.

Have lunch on boat while admiring the fascinating formations on the way. An extraordinary landscape, "one of the wonders of the world", nearly three miles of limestone islands and fantastic shapes: turtle, sailing sampan, etc ... scattered in the emerald water with a surface of 1,500 km². 

Stop at the Suprise cave, walk up about 100 steps to the cave entrance. It takes approximately 45 minutes for cave visiting, then climb to the top of the Titov island or just swimming at this beach if time permits. Admiring the Sunset on the upper deck of the Junk.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Halong Bay - Ninh Binh - Tam Coc (B,L,D)

After breakfast, continue the cruise through the bay by passing the very beautiful places in the bay in return way, and before landing, we take the brunch on board early noon.

On the way back, cross the Mekong delta. Visit and explore the city of Hai Phong: Flower Market and Du Hang Pagoda dated to the 17th century.

Arrival in Ninh Binh at the end of the day. Dinner at local restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

Ninh Binh - Vinh (B,L,D)

In the morning after breakfast, take a bicycle (about 2 km) through a typical village and visit a traditional home. Boarding the small rowing for 2 hours through the spectacular scenery of rice fields. 

Having lunch in Ninh Binh before taking the national road No. 01 to go to Vinh - the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh. Arrival at hotel in late afternoon.

Dinner and night at the hotel.

Vinh - Phong Nha Cave - Quang Binh (B,L,D)

After breakfast, departure for Phong Nha following always the national 01 and a part of the Ho Chi Minh trail. Stop on the way to relax and take photo. 

Arrival in Phong Nha around noon, lunch and then take a cruise trip in the river to visit the most beautiful famous caves of Vietnam, Phong Nha cave, there are more than 250 million years of formation and that is recognized by UNESCO as a natural World Heritage Site.

Head to the town of Quang Binh where we pass the night at the hotel.

Quang Binh - Hue (B,L,D)

After breakfast, depart for Hue, still following the national 01 and crossing the 17th parallel that divided the country in two-part for 21 years after the Geneva Accords. Continue to Hue for the first visit in the city's history: The "Vauban" Citadel with palaces in the Forbidden City. All this corresponds to the extension of the power of Viet Nam until the south. A short cruise for an hour in the Perfume River and then visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, located at the edge of the river. 

Back to town for lunch at local restaurant and then discover the Dong Ba market, the largest in the city.

Royal Diner - suit accompanied by traditional music. Overnight at hotel.

Hue - Hoi An (B,L,D)

After breakfast at the hotel, visit a village of the family making incense sticks and conical hats and tomb of Emperor Tu Duc.

Heading to Hoi An via the famous Hai Van pass where you have a beautiful view of Danang and its surroundings (to the South China Sea). 

Stop along the way to visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Danang with its famous art collection of Hindu influence. Continue to Hoi An.

Arriving in Hoi An at the end of the day. Dinner and overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An visits - Free at the beach (B,L,D)

Having breakfast, we walk to discover the Hoi An ancient city with its monuments: Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation, the fish market, Japanese bridge and a traditional Vietnamese house and then a cruise on the Hoai River to see more activities in the real fishermen and countryside outside the city. 

Free time at the beach at the end of the day. Dinner and overnight in Hoi An

Hoi An - Quy Nhon (B,L,D)

After breakfast, leave Hoi An and heading on the national road to the south and along the coast. 

Lunch on the way. Taking photos during the arrest. Check-in Quy Nhon, an orientation tour of this beautiful coastal city. Dinner and overnight in Quy Nhon

Quy Nhon - Tuy Hoa - Nha Trang (B,L,D)

Breakfast at hotel, it is the second day to follow the national road heading towards the south along the coast. 

Lunch at local resto. Stop on the way for photos and rest. Arrival in Nha Trang - one of the most beautiful coastal cities with beautiful resorts. An orientation tour of the city.

Dinner and overnight in Nha Trang

Nha Trang visits + cruise (B,L,D)

Morning: we visit the Po Nagar Cham Towers and Long Son Pagoda. The beaches of Nha Trang are ranked the 29th among the best bays in the world, the sun shines all year with an average temperature of 23°C. Nha Trang deserves a paradise for beach extension. 

Afternoon, we take a boat trip to Hon Tam Island in Nha Trang Bay where we can swim in the emerald water, dive underwater to discover beautiful nature. We cruise to the Tri Nguyen Aquarium in Bong Nguyen (Hon Mieu Island) to admire the most comprehensive collection of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and sea turtles this.

Dinner and overnight in Nha Trang.

Nha Trang - Po Klong Garai - Dalat (B,L,D)

Depart to Dalat, through Phan Rang where we visit Cham towers of Po Long Giarai dedicated to Cham king in the 13th century, we continue our journey by taking the road through the Splendid pass (Ngoan Muc). 

A stop at the top you will be fascinated by the stunning beaty of the nature. Descending from the pass, we come to Dalat. Found in 1897 by the famous Dr. Alexandre Yersin - the author of the anti-plague vaccine, the city name means water of Lat (an ancient tribe). 

At the altitude of 1500m, it well deserves the name "City of Eternal Spring" because the climate is ideal. Dalat flourishes all year. It is also famous for its waterfalls, lakes, valleys of flowers, its green meadows and pine forests.

After lunch, we visit the Botanical Gardens of Dalat, the Valley of Love and Xuan Huong lake.

Dinner and overnight at hotel in Dalat.

Da lat - Bao Loc - Ho Chi Minh city (B,L,D)

We leave the city of poetry and love to continue our journey to Ho Chi Minh City, we can say that this is the most beautiful road trip: roses, daisies and all kinds of seasonal flowers decorating the length of 300km. Fields of coffee, tea, rubber make the table top trays both romantic and grand. Stop at Bao Loc, we have the opportunity to taste all the regional specialties. 

Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), the economic center of Vietnam. Located in the heart of Cochinchina in the Mekong Delta, it is also the largest city with a population of more than 8 million.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Ho Chi Minh city - My Tho - Ben Tre (B,L,D)

In the early morning, depart for the Mekong Delta. Arrive in My Tho, take a boat ride through the tropical islands planted with orchards and cross the Xep channel. At the end of the canal, horse carts await you for a walk in the villages. You will visit an orchard where you can enjoy the fruits and drink tea with honey. 

Then you will board the sampan rowing into a smaller channel. At noon, reach the Turtle Island for lunch in a restaurant in the middle of the forest of mangroves.

In the late afternoon, arrived at the homestay and free time to relax.

Dinner and overnight at the inhabitant.

Ben Tre - Sa Dec - Long Xuyen (B,L,D)

Breakfast at homestay, then walk in the orchard with the owner. You will then go to the village market and participate in the preparation of Vietnamese dishes with the owner and then taste them. Landing at My Tho. 

Route to Long Xuyen via Sa Dec, where we visit the Kien An Cung pagoda, Huynh Thuy Le's house - lover of Madame Marguerite Duras - and the Trung Vuong school, where her mother, Mrs. Donadieu had taught. Continuation of the road to Long Xuyen. Arriving late in the day.

Overnight at hotel in Long Xuyen.

Long Xuyen - Ho Chi Minh city (B,L,D)

Early morning, we visit the floating market in Long Xuyen, lively and authentic. We discover the daily activities of people living on the Mekong. 

Visit Cu Lao Ong Ho on foot and in small boats through several arroyos.

Return to Ho Chi Minh city. Overnight at hotel.

Ho Chi Minh city- visits / departure (B,L,D)

After breakfast at the hotel, we spend a full day visiting the city: Notre Dame Cathedral, red brick building in neo-Romanesque style, which was consecrated in 1880, Post Office built by Gustave Eiffel, the Opera and City Hall of beautiful French architectures and then a walk in Chinatown (Cho Lon). 

The richly decorated pagodas and Chinese temples are very different in style of Vietnamese sanctuaries. Visit the Thien Hau pagoda and Binh Tay Market wholesalers. Free time for shopping or your own exploring the city before transfer to the airport. The room is available until noon only.