Explore Vietnam: 13 Days 12 Nights Tour Package

Upon arrival, you will be met by driver who will escort you to a waiting vehicle for your transfer to downtown with a brief introduction en route. Your driver will be holding a welcome signboard with the Sun Getaways Travel Logo & your name. 

Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital city and home to seven million people. Traditional and refined with French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards, scenic lakes and a bustling Old Quarter, Hanoi has a sophisticated charm. Observe locals practicing Tai Chi by the lake, with barbers and food vendors plying their sidewalk trade.

Night 1: Overnight in hotel in Hanoi

8h30am: We pick you up at your hotel, and departure for Hoa Lu – Tam Coc, enjoying the beautiful sceneries of the rural areas on the way

10.30: After arriving in Ninh Binh province, the guide will take you to visit Hoa Lu – the Ancient Royal capital of Vietnam. We will visit Dinh King Temple and Le King Temple in the 10th century, the heroic histories of these two Kings in the Chinese Wars.

After that, we go to Tam Coc (10 km away from Hoa Lu). Have lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, you will get on a bamboo boat – rowed by the local people – in Hoang Long River to visit Tam Coc (three caves) on the way. You pass through three enormous caves that provide a brief respite from the intense summer sun. It takes approximately two hours to go up and down the river and along the way, you witness local fisherfolk, village life along the river, of course, the striking limestone karst formations that Tam Coc is famous for.

If you like to go biking, it is a good idea. You will have a chance to visit real villages and amazing landscapes by bicycle about one hour (from the Restaurant).

16.00: We take the car and come back to Ha Noi.

18.30: We arrive in Ha Noi. Free time and overnight at hotel.

Night 2: Overnight in hotel in Hanoi

After breakfast at your hotel, our driver and tour guide will come to pick you up at about 8:00 am for a city tour. You will visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (viewed from outside; closed Mon and Fri and from Oct-Nov), – the final resting place of the beloved national hero, Uncle Ho – and President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house where he lived off and on from 1958 to 1969. 

9.30: You’ll visit the One Pillar Pagoda, which is a group of structures that collectively make up a pagoda built over the water in the middle of a square lake. After that, you’ll have a chance to explore the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the shore of West Lake. From there, it’s onto the Temple of Literature, which was Vietnam’s first university and is dedicated to Confucius. 

12.30: You have lunch at the restaurant in the Old Quarter. Afterward, you’ll visit Hoan Kiem Lake – the heart and soul of Hanoi.

Option 1: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

You’ll stop in at MUSEUM OF ETHNOLOGY. This superb museum showcases the depth of Vietnamese cultural diversity with an astounding collection of 15,000 artifacts gathered from throughout Vietnam. Maps, displays and dioramas are labelled in Vietnamese, French and English.

Displays portray a typical village market, the making of comical hats and a Tay shamanic ceremony; videos show the real thing. You can also check out a traditional Black Thai house reconstructed in the museum. There’s also a centre for research and conservation where scientists from all over the world study traditional Vietnamese cultures

Option 2: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Depart for Bat Trang ceramic village which is about 20 km away from Ha Noi, this is a pottery village with a half-millenary historic development.

15.30 – 16.00: We will come back to your hotel. Free day for shopping or relaxing at your hotel. 

Night 3: Overnight in hotel in Hanoi

Following breakfast at the hotel, Sun Getaways Travel will come to pick you up around 07h45 am with our shuttle bus to start the 3-hour-and-a-half drive to Halong Bay through the paddy fields in the Red River Delta.

Arrive at Tuan Chau Island – Take a break and a Welcome drink at the Cruise Lounge.

Welcome drink – receive cruise briefing, safety instructions and check-in. Start cruising and explore Halong Bay – one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Enjoy a buffet lunch with Vietnamese dishes served while cruising through the bay, passing the most beautiful and quiet areas, such as Incense Burner, Dog Stone Islet, Fighting Cock, Soi Sim Beach, and Coconut Three Island.

Visiting the Tung Gau area is covered by leaping rocks and cultured pearl fishery. You can watch the process of the jewel, from culturing to harvesting and sculpting, Moreover, you have a chance to do kayaking based on your preference. Enjoy a busy space with a pearl maker, you can experience the completion of a pearl.

Visiting the beautiful Ti Top beach for swimming (if the weather permits), Ti Top Beach is especially famous for its fresh atmosphere, clean water, and smooth white sand that create a great ambiance for tourists to relax or passengers can take steps to reach on the top of  Ti Top beach to have a whole panorama view of Halong Bay. Back to the boat and free time while sailing to the Luon Bo area, and anchor overnight.

Attend the Cooking class on sundeck – How to make Vietnamese spring rolls – traditional Vietnamese food. Then enjoy Happy Hour (Buy one drink-get one free). It is time for relaxing. Watch the magnificent sunset over Halong Bay. 

Dinner – Deluxe Vietnamese BBQ Set Menu Dinner

Evening activities include Leisure time to enjoy a chat around the bar, watching movies and many sorts of Vietnam cultural films, relaxing and spending a romantic night on Pelican Halong Cruise’s music, playing cards, chess are available, reading magazines in room and dining room. You may also try your luck at squid fishing & fishing from the boat. End of Program for Day One. 

Night 4: Overnight on Cruise

Wake up early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax watching the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore the nearby islands by rowboat. 

Return to the junk, watch the fruit carving demonstration and participate in the Cooking Class before enjoying a traditional Vietnamese lunch. Then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City, where your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Hanoi.

The private car will pick you up on arrival and transfer you to Noi Bai Airport to catch your short flight to Danang. On arrival, your tour guide and driver will transfer you to the hotel in Hoian, a destination with two faces: the charming, old-world trading port of narrow streets and traditional houses, and the beach with its luxurious resorts and long stretch of clean white sand. 

Night 5: Overnight in hotel in Hoian

A comprehensive walking tour through the delightful Hoi An Ancient Town, a beautifully preserved Unesco World Heritage Site that has remained virtually unchanged through the centuries. Our guide will pick you up at your hotel and transfer you to Hoi An Town. Exploring Hoi An on foot is one of the best ways to absorb the beauty of this city. While walking around Hoi An, exploring the small yet beautiful town, which tourists find to be a place of peace. 

The unique atmosphere combines elements of Vietnam, China and Japan. The most remarkable views are from the ancient houses, reminding visitors of a long gone past and providing a momentary glimpse of a more subdued and simple time. The tour includes visits to many of the town’s renowned Ancient Houses which boast remarkable architecture, Assembly Halls of Chinese influence, Art Craft Manufacturing Workshop and of course the must-see Japanese Covered Bridge. Mostly the houses here were designed with Chinese, and Japanese architecture. Following history, the Chinese, and Japanese used to come here to settle down and do business. Besides, you can recognize the Eastern and Western architectures through these ancient houses. After lunch, walk to the Bach Dang dock where you will embark on the boat. From the boat, you can enjoy the busy daily life of Hoi An people. Continue to Thanh Ha pottery village where you can learn and enjoy the daily life of local people. Thanh Ha Pottery Village in the 16th and 17th centuries was a thriving village. It was famous for earthenware that was sold in many provinces throughout central Vietnam. Observe all the steps of making a pottery product such as a vase, pot, kettle, or cooking pot. Then embark on the boat to visit Kim Bong carpentry village. Most of Hoi An old town’s architecture was made by their ancestors, dating back to the town’s heyday as a commercial port. Upon arrival in the village, you’ll see the artisans working with their skillful hands on the crafts and visit ship-building yards. Kim Bong’s common products such as furniture, religious statues and finely crafted wooden doors can be found and bought in souvenir shops. The style of Kim Bong Carpentry is said to be an excellent combination of the Cham kingdom, China, Japanese… and of course the talented hands of Vietnamese craftsmen. Transfer back to Hoi An by boat.

Night 6: Overnight in hotel in Hoian

This morning, escape the masses and head out for a bicycle tour through the countryside around Hoian. Start today by biking to Tra Que, a vegetable and herb-growing village. The country road to Tra Que winds through rice paddies and rural landscapes. At Tra Que see the gardening of herbs and vegetables using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago; no electrical machinery here. 

You’ll pick some fresh vegetables and herbs to be used in your upcoming cooking lesson. You’ll then to the local village market and with a shopping list in hand you’ll purchase a range of local ingredients. 

You’ll then continue to a family house in Tra Que with a chance to enjoy some local foot massage and soak your tiring feet into nice warm herbal water as a local treatment before cooking class. Working together with the family chef, you’ll learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food from scratch. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional Vietnamese utensils (still in use today). You’ll have a chance to sit and enjoy your creations.

In the afternoon, bid farewell to your host family before biking to the fishing village and water coconut forest in Cam Thanh. This place acted as a refuge for people and local soldiers during the Vietnam War, but now it is famous for producing vast amounts of seafood products. 

Upon reaching the village, anglers will take you in bamboo basket boats to row into mangrove forests, and canals… and you’ll have fun with traditional fishing techniques. Bike back to your hotel.

Night 7: Overnight in hotel in Hoian

Have breakfast at your hotel in Hoi An. Pick you up and transfer to Hue. Drive through the Pass of Ocean Clouds for a stunning panoramic view of the mountains and sea. Arrive in Hue.

Visit the Imperial City, which is located in the Citadel. Modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial City was built in the early 19th century. Explore the Thai Hoa Palace, with its spacious hall and ornate roof of huge timbers supported by 80 carved and lacquered columns. See the Halls of the Mandarins, the Nine Dynastic Urns and the site where the Forbidden Purple City once stood. 

Also, you will visit Dong Ba market. Afternoon, you will take a boat on the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu pagoda and the Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, built in 1840, which is known for its magnificent architecture and elaborate decorations and is considered one of Hue’s most beautiful pagodas. Overnight in Hue City.

Night 8: Overnight in hotel in Hue

Depart cycling from the city center to Thuy Bieu village via a southern bank of the Perfume River. 

A bit busy at the beginning but worth it when you make it to the village. Then it’s time to swing around. Discover Tiger Fighting Arena, one of the historical places, where elephants and tigers fought to the death for the entertainment of the Emperor, the royal family, and Mandarin.

Leave the arena behind, we continue biking to Elephant Temple which is a royal temple where the King’s war elephants were buried and honored. 

Continue riding to Thuy Bieu village, visit the first local house, and find out silk paintingcraft by local people. Keep cycling along verdant paths in Thuy Bieu village for relax. Making incense stick private house – A thing can not lack of Buddha, ancestor anniversaries in Hue, or general worship. 

Take a part in making: “banh nam” and “banh loc” – Hue specialty cakes – under the host’s instruction or learn how to make candy. You can enjoy them right after they have cooked.

Keep riding along the roads then leave Thuy Bieu village by dragon’s boat. The tour will be ended at Toa Kham Boat Dock at the city centre, then back to your hotel by bicycle. 

Then transfer to the airport for your departure flight to HCM city. Upon arrival, your guide and driver will pick you to the hotel in center. Check in hotel and explore the nearby area on your own.

Night 9: Overnight in hotel in Ho Chi Minh

We’ll pick you up in the morning and take you to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a major part of the Vietnam-American War and a fascinating day trip– explore the mysterious tunnels, find hidden doors and once-deadly traps. 

After lunch, we’ll go back to HCMC and spend the afternoon either visiting the War Remnants Museum or the Presidential Palace, whichever you prefer. Then stroll around the city’s colonial streets in the evening to the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall.

Night 10: Overnight in hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Breakfast at your hotel. The guide will pick you up and transfers you to Ben Tre.

On arrival in Hàm Luông pier. Cruise  on Bến Tre river  exploring  the lively activities along river as fishing, water transferring…….see  brick making in  handy traditional style by printing and baking. Visit one of plenty of coconut processing workshops located along canal. Turn on natural scissors creeks where they look smaller and smaller to go to village. Take a walk to family workshop making sleepmats and enjoying some fruits and tea. Riding a motor cart (xe lôi) or bike  on shady paths, pass by green rice fields and vegetable plains to be able to touch on really life and find out  about tropical culture from Peasants. Lunch at Hai Hồ house.

Afternoon –  riding a sampan  along canal, before boat back to Ham Luông pier. Then transfer to Can Tho. Overnight at hotel in Can Tho

Night 11: Overnight in hotel in Can Tho

Take a leisurely boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong River ( Bassac River), then proceed to visit the Cai Rang floating market, which is the liveliest in the whole religion. Have you ever tasted Vietnamese vermicelli soup? Well, now go and see how it is made. Then wander around the village meet the friendly local people and experience how to cross a “Monkey bridge” which is built with only one stem of bamboo. Visit the orchard garden. Stop for lunch. On the way back to HCM City. 

Night 12: Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

After breakfast at the hotel, this morning is free at your leisure for last minute shopping and sightseeing before your private car and driver arrive to take you to the airport for your flight to your next destination. Tour ends

Accommodation: Check-out time is at 12:00 pm.

This is the end of your trip with Sun Getaways Travel. We thank you for joining us on this incredible experience to explore all the wonders of Vietnam. Goodbye, and we hope to see you again next time!