Essential Vietnam 9 Days / 8 Nights

This is a cultural tour to Vietnam, where our guide will take you to experience the vibrant famous attractions in Saigon or Saigon through Vietnamese cyclo, the Vietnam Mekong Delta, Hoi An ancient town, the Hue Imperial Citadel, the World Heritage Site Halong Bay and atmospheric Hanoi. During this Vietnam tour, you will not only discover the beautiful sights in Vietnam various destinations but you will also get to know the Vietnamese people and take away a feeling for the warmth of welcome from local people, for whom a smile is never far away.

Saigon – Mekong Delta – Danang – Hoi An – Hue – Hanoi Halong Bay – Hanoi

Itinerary in brief

Itinerary in details

Day 1: Arrive Saigon

Arrive in Saigon and transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

O/N in Saigon.

Day 2: Saigon City (B)

Take a full day city tour of dynamic Saigon. Todays, the city is still called Saigon by many locals. The city sightseeing tour will take you into the city’s bustling Chinatown and the tour begins with a visit to the Thien Hau Temple, from where you will take a cyclo ride; the most appropriate and unusual way to explore Cholon, literally meaning ‘big market’. The ride will take you to the lively Binh Tay Market.

Then visit a lacquerware factory to witness workers continuing a Vietnamese ancestral tradition. After lunch visit the War Museum and the former Presidential Palace, from there on you will go on foot (the car will be available at all times) to visit the major sights of colonial Saigon: the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall. After this historical visit, enjoy some wonderful ice cream at Fanny’s, a quaint little parlour with a French atmosphere, before exploring the trendy boutiques on Ton That Thiep Street.

O/N in Saigon

Day 3: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Saigon (B,L)

Head south to the Mekong Delta and reach Ben Tre, crossing the Mekong River with a local ferry. From there take an 18-kilometre ride by xe loi, a local motorbike trailer, through the second biggest Vietnamese coconut tree orchard. There are stops along the way to discover the local life and for an explanation of the Vietnamese rice field process. After lunch in a local restaurant continue your Mekong discovery cruising small canals and arroyos lined with water coconut, walking through fruit orchards, enjoying honey tea, and taking a horse cart ride.

O/N in Saigon

Day 4: Saigon – Danang – Hoi An (B)

After breakfast, transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for the short flight to the central port city of Danang.

On arrival in Danang, transfer to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries whose architecture and relaxed lifestyle has changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit the former merchants’ homes, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful market. In the afternoon take a three-hour cruise on the Thu Bon River with stops at Thanh Ha pottery village, Kim Bong carpenters’ village and the shipbuilding yard.

O/N in Hoi An

Day 5: Hoi An - Hue (B)

Leave Hoi An for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. The scenic route passes through Danang before climbing over the Pass of Ocean Clouds and dropping down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. In the afternoon visit the elaborate mausoleums of Emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh and the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945.

O/N in Hue

Day 6: Hue – Hanoi (B)

A boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River visits Hue’s best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the mausoleum of former emperor Minh Mang, in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. After lunch transfer to Hue Airport for the short flight to Hanoi. Arrive at Hanoi transfer to hotel.

O/N in Hanoi

Day 7: Hanoi (B)

Take a full day city tour of Vietnam’s capital. Hanoi is a unique city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples. The city tour includes such sights as Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, the Quanh Thanh Temple and the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the edge of West Lake. After lunch in town continue to the Museum of Ethnology and end the afternoon with a visit to the Lake of the Restored Sword and a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter.

O/N in Hanoi

Day 8: Hanoi – Halong Bay  (B,L,D)

Your early morning departure from your hotel to Halong Bay takes you on a journey through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta. You observe everyday life of Vietnamese Villages as you see villagers work the local rice fields, take live pigs to market on bicycles or motorbikes, and plough the fields with their large water buffaloes.

Arrive in Halong and board the Emeraude, a wonderful replica of one of the classic steamships of the colonial era of French Indochina. A welcome drink is served on the sundeck. With 37 luxurious air-conditioned cabins, a restaurant, two bars and a sundeck, this is the ultimate Halong Bay experience. Lunch is served on board at 1:00pm. While cruising on the emerald green waters of the bay try a traditional Vietnamese foot massage or high tea which is served on the sundeck in the late afternoon. Enjoy watching the sun set. A scrumptious buffet dinner is served between 8:00pm and 11:00pm. Before retiring to your cabin, return to the sundeck for a nightcap and take in the quiet serene beauty of the stars.

O/N on boat

Day 9: Halong Bay – Hanoi Departure (B)

Early morning offers a Tai Chi class on the sundeck between 6:00am and 7:00am. If Thai Chi doesn’t interest you, enjoy a fresh cup of coffee or tea as you view the awakening of Halong Bay’s boat people. A wholesome breakfast is served before cruising back to Halong City.

Arrive back at Emeraude’s exclusive private pier at 9:30am for disembarkation where your guide waits to take you back to Hanoi. Arrive back in Hanoi around 12:30pm.

You will have some time for shopping at your leisure until transfer time to Noi Bai Airport for onward flight. (Departure flight must be after 03:00 pm for Emeraude and 05:00 pm for Junks)

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