Vietnam Panorama Tour

Arrive in Hanoi - Noi Bai International Airport.

You will be met at the airport by your English-speaking guide and transferred to your hotel in downtown Hanoi. Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is a beautiful city of lakes, shaded boulevards, and verdant public parks. 

14h: Go to the hotel for check-in. 

In the afternoon, we will visit:

- The historical Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam, was built in 1070 in honor of Confucius.                                                                                                                                 

 - Visit Quan Thanh temple and Tran Quoc pagoda.

- Then visit Hoan Kiem Lake (The Restored Sword Lake) and the Ngoc Son Temple, which is on an island in the northern part of the lake. 

Overnight in Hanoi

08:00 A.m: We will visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Museum, the One Pillar Pagoda, the French colonial Styled Presidential Palace, and the historical Temple of Literature, the first university of VietNam, built-in 1070 in honor of Confucius.

In the afternoon we will see the Museum of Ethnology and then attend a traditional Water Puppet show. This art originates from rural festivals in Vietnam. The artists – men and women – stand waist-deep in the water to manipulate the puppets, making them move about, talk and laugh and even dance on the surface of the water. . We will enjoy a Cyclo tour along the narrow streets of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The Old Quarter includes 36 old streets with each name representative of the type of merchandise sold in it.

After dinner at a local restaurant (pay by yourself), we will transfer to Railway Station for a night train to Lao Cai

Overnight in train (Cabin 4 bed)  

6.30:am: arrive at Lao Cai, pick up at Lao Cai Station then transfer to Sapa. You will have breakfast and some time for a rest. 
Then we will trek around Sapa, about 12 km, to Lao Chai village and keep going along Muong Hoa Valley - the bottom of the Sapa Valley to get to Ta Van village which is supposed to be the most beautiful one in the area. These are Black H’Mong and Dzay ethnic villages. We will visit the people in their homes, visit schools and observe how they work the terraced rice fields surrounding the villages. It is an opportunity to admire the most beautiful rice terraces of Sapa and to meet the inhabitants, the children. The afternoon will be at leisure so you can explore Sapa for yourself the church of the Madonna del Rosario, the Sapa market, a lively meeting place for the various ethnic groups in the area and where the red Dzao and the black H'mong and the Kinh sell their products.

Overnight in a hotel in Sapa. 

The Sunday market in Bac Ha is where you'll want to stock up on water buffalo, pigs and horses. Once you're all set, you can browse for bottles of local firewater (made from rice, cassava or corn) or handicrafts made by some of the 10 Ethnic monitory groups living near here - Flower Hmong, Dzao, Giay (Nhang), Han (Hoa), Xa Fang, Lachi, Nung, Phula, Thai and Thulao. Bac Ha is a less crowded alternative to Sapa, and arriving midweek makes for a relaxing visit. Around 700m above sea level, the highlands around Bac Ha are somewhat warmer than Sapa. Bring ear plugs so you needn't endure the 'Voice of Vietnam' echoing from the loudspeakers at market-rousing time.

In the afternoon, transfer to Lao Cai, take the train to Ha Noi

In the morning we depart Hanoi for Hoa Binh, then Mai Chau Valley. After about 3,5 hours we will be in Mai Chau. After having lunch with a white Thai family in Pom Coong village, we depart for Sam Khoe village, where we start trekking for 8 km to Xo village. We will stay in one of their traditional stilt houses. There, we will be hosted as honored guests and will be able to sample some of their homemade rice wine! In sampling these people’s hospitality, we will discover a little more about their lives and culture.

Transfer to Mai Hich.  Overnight in Mai Hich

8h00 - 8h50: Breakfast is service at your hotel. You start to bike 11km to visit Mua Cave. The place attracts visitors with its many interesting stories. Climb 500 stone steps, here you can see all the way to Tam Coc, enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the countryside and Ngo Dong river. 

13km Bike from Mua cave to Thung nham wharf , get on the boat spend 2 hours through 3 caves: Chua, Ghe, But (the longest is But cave with 500m) you can see a lot of stalactites with a different shape.

In the afternoon from Thung Nham 3km bike back to your hotel and overnight in Ninh Binh

Early this morning you depart for the province of Thai Binh, a huge source of rice in Northern Vietnam, and also home to many traditional craft villages, of which Dong Xam Silver Village is among the most well-known.

Dong Xam Silver Village is famous for its silver processing which has been practiced since the 17th century. The fame of Dong Xam Silver has spread not only in Vietnam but overseas. Silver handicrafts produced are exported to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Spain. These silver products have an unusual style and appearance. The intricate decorations require delicate skills.

From here you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. On arrival, you’ll board a wooden junk to take you through the Bai Tu Long Bay area. You continue your cruise through the bay’s most deserted areas with opportunities to swim at quiet sandy beaches, weather permitting, or visit one of the least visited caves. For dinner, enjoy a cooking class on board and closely watch the talented chef craft fruit and vegetable to decorate the meal. You stay overnight on board.

06.30-07.00: Welcome a new day with an amazing dawn on Bai Tu Long Bay. Refresh your body and soul with a Tai-chi session on the sundeck.

07.00-07.30: Catch the morning view of the seascape while enjoying breakfast with cookies and tea, at the café in the restaurant.

07.30-08.30: Visit Vung Vieng fishing village - the famous fishing farm by bamboo boat and discover the life of local people living on the surface of Halong Bay. (No swimming).

08.30-9.30: Pack up the luggage and check out of the cabin.

09.30-10.40: Enjoy brunch in the restaurant while cruising back to the tourist harbor.

11.00: Disembark from boat.

12.00: Your driver takes you back to Hanoi.

Guide and car pick up to NoiBai Airport for the departure flight to Hue at about  01 hour

Arrive in Hue Airport. You will be met at the airport by your English-speaking guide and transferred to your hotel in downtown Hue

Overnight in Hue

08:00 am. We depart from the hotel. Hue City was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945 under 13 Emperors of the Nguyen dynasties. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) has classified Hue as one of the four main attractive centers of Vietnam. Hue is famous for its magnificent architecture of citadels, palaces, pagodas, and royal tombs, built in poetic surroundings on the banks of the Perfume River.

In the morning, you will have a boat ride on the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, built on a hill overlooking the Perfume River. We continue with King Tu Duc and King Khai Dinh’s tombs, which are of unique architecture and design. They were designed by the emperors in preparation for their life after death. A delicious lunch will be served on a boat. In the afternoon, you will visit Imperial City and Forbidden City and shop around the Dong Ba market

After breakfast

Transfer by car to Hoi An, crossing Cloud Hill, with the possibility of making a stop to take photographs. Upon arrival in Da Nang, visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture. The afternoon is reserved for visiting the ancient city of Hoi An: the Hoi An market, the ancient house of Tan Ky, the Chinese Phuc Kien Temple, the Japanese covered bridge, the silk workshop, and free time for purchases. Overnight in Hoi An. 

08:00 am. We travel about 50km from Hoi An to My Son sanctuary. It comprises many Champa temples, in a valley roughly two kilometers wide, surrounded by two mountain ranges. It was the site of religious ceremonies of kings of the Champa dynasty and was also a burial place for Champa royals and national heroes. The My Son temple complex is one of the foremost temple complexes of Hinduism in South East Asia and is the foremost heritage site of this nature in Vietnam. Though the complex has been destroyed over time, we still see many majestic ancient ruins of temples in the area.

Distance       Da Nang Central – My Son: 50 km => 1-hour transfer

Arrived in the village, you will be warmly welcomed by Mr. Han, from a family of three generations. He will offer you a green tea tasting.

Then you will prepare the lunch with the Han Family. On the menu: crunchy pancakes, nems from Hoi An, tam huu, grilled fish in a leaf of banana tree… It’s delicious!

After that, you will take a cruise on board of a « thung chai », a round basket boat made of bamboo, much more stable than you think, and the fishermen will teach you the traditional fishing. Guaranteed fun!

Back to Mr. Han’s house; take advantage of a relaxation time thanks to a foot massage with medicinal herbs, a traditional therapy practice, very enjoyable.

Your feet will be in a tepid bath with lemongrass and leafs of lemon tree that will delight your sense of smell.

And finally, to finish this beautiful day, you will have the chance to chill in the shade of a coconut tree, before going back to Ho Chi Minh

Arrive in Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon)- Tan Son Nhat International Airport. You will be met at the airport by your English-speaking guide and transferred to your hotel in downtown Saigon

Departure for the Mekong Delta with destination Ben Tre. After two hours of travel, boarding a boat and cruising on the currents of the great arm of the Mekong surrounded by lush vegetation. Visit the coconut confectionery factory. Bicycle ride or 'bike cart' to discover the culture and daily life of the local inhabitants, free lunch, and return by private car to Sai Gon with direct transfer to the airport for the flight to back home or next trip