Discover the Gems of Vietnam with a 14-Day Grand Tour

Upon arrival, you will be met outside the baggage claim area by your friendly driver who will escort you to a waiting vehicle for your transfer to downtown with a brief introduction en route. 

Your guide will be holding a welcome signboard with the Sun Getaways Travel Logo & your name. We’ll get you to your hotel and see that you’re comfortable, plus we’ll give you an introduction to the city at the same time. Then the rest of the day is yours to settle in, relax, and explore the area.

Night 1: 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 2: Overnight in hotel in Hanoi

Breakfast take away prepared by hotel.

6.30 – 7.00: Pick up from your hotel/accommodation in Hanoi Old Quarter, get on big bus and depart for Sapa Town.

9.30: Follow the highway to Lao Cai city with the first comfort break

11.00: Second comfort break at Lao Cai city before approaching Sapa

13.00: Arrive Sapa Town with colorful traditional costumes of H’Mong, Dzao, Tay ethnic People. Meet our local English speaking guide.

Welcome drink and itinerary briefing, enjoy the lunch with local Vietnamese dishes

14.15: A short drive to Y Linh Ho then trek through the rice terraces and along Muong Hoa Stream to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai to see the spectacular landscape of Hoang Lien Son Mountain. You approach Ta Van village where Dzay Ethnic People inhabits in late afternoon.

Trekking distance is about 9 kms and it lasts for 3.5 hours

17.45: Check in homestay; get to know the family of Dzay People. Spend time to enjoy the mountain life on Sunset. You may attend cooking local dishes with the family and enjoy dinner in peace.

In the evening, you can join the local bar nearby with music and socialize with other tourists then overnight at Homestay in Ta Van Village.

Night 3: Overnight in homestay in Ta Van village

8.00: Have breakfast prepared by the family and start a new day with more interesting trek.

8.45: Keep walking to the rice paddies where you have a nice photo session of the amazing surrounding landscapes; a trek through the bamboo forest; stop to have a panorama view of Giang Ta Chai village – home of red Dzao People.

11.00: Trek through the Giang Ta Chai Bridge to main road, bus picks you up to come back Sapa Town.

Trekking distance is about 4 kms and it lasts for 2 hours

12.00 – 14.00: Welcome drink at hotel, have lunch with delicious Vietnamese dishes and check in procedures.

Free time in afternoon in Sapa Town. Have dinner by your own and overnight in hotel with night activities.

Night 4: Overnight in hotel in Sapa

Have breakfast at hotel and free times to discover Sapa town by yourself.

12.00: Check out and clear all the bills.

14.30: Transfer to bus office for the bus back to Hanoi

20.30: We say goodbye to you at your hotel/stay.

Night 5: Overnight in hotel in Hanoi

Following breakfast at the hotel, Sun Getaways Travel team will come to pick you up around 08h00 am with our shuttle bus to start the 3-hour-and-a-half drive to Halong Bay

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 the room and dining room. You may also try your luck at squid fishing & fishing from the boat. End of Program for Day One. 

Night 6: Overnight on Cruise

The day starts early onboard with a Tai Chi session on the sundeck. Tai chi also called Tai chi chuan, combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow and gentle movements. Coffee, tea and pastries for breakfast are served in the dining room with a morning view of the bay’s landscape.

Transfer by tender to Sung Sot Cave. Walk up about 100 steps to the cave entrance. It takes approximately 45 minutes for cave visiting. Visit Sung Sot Cave, one of the most biggest cave in Halong Bay with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Return to the boat by tender. Proper shoes are highly recommended.

Back to Cruise. Check out and have a buffet brunch while cruising back to the Tuan Chau Wharf. Relaxing on the sundeck or in the dining room enjoying the bay scenery while approaching the wharf.

Disembark to Tuan Chau Wharf. Say goodbye to the crew.

Return to Hanoi by minivan. Stop over the middle to visit a traditional workshop and refreshment about 30 minutes. Arrive in Hanoi. 

Our driver will pick you up and transfer you to the airport by private car for a short flight to Hue. Meet your guide upon arrival and heading to your hotel.

Night 7: Overnight at hotel in Hue

In the morning, arrive in Hue, the guide will pick you up and bring you breakfast, and then you’ll begin your day in Hue with a visit to the ruins of the Imperial Citadel, the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945. 

Then take a bicycle trip through the Old City to Tinh Tam Lake, the ancient gardens of the emperors. In the afternoon you can head to the Mu Pagoda, overlooking the emerald Perfume River. 

Your last stop will be to explore Khai Dinh’s Tomb, a traditional Vietnamese temple with a European touch, making it a particularly unique tomb among the ancestral ruins of ancient Hue. Then Free time for visiting the city. 

Night 8: Overnight in Hue

Breakfast at your hotel. Pick you up and transfer to Hoian. You can stop to visit Lang Co Beach. 

Drive through the Pass of Ocean Clouds for a stunning panoramic view of the mountains and sea. Arrive in Hoian, check-in and free time. 

Night 9: Overnight in Hoi An

Option 1 – Cooking class:

Your cooking class today will begin with a visit to a colorful local market, buying all the necessary ingredients and heading back to prepare. Your chef will demonstrate how to cook some typical Vietnam cuisine, you will then start cooking yourself and enjoy what you have cooked.

In the afternoon, explore the enchanting time-capsule town of Old Hoi An on a walking tour with your guide. Hoi An was a major seaport in Asia and it resulted in a fusion of style and culture that has been perfectly preserved. Wander traditional Chinese shops, luxurious French homes, and an ancient Japanese bridge. The town is home to silk markets, Vietnamese food stalls, and talented street performers– all of which are sure to charm you.

Option 2 – Vegetable village:

Breakfast at your hotel and then it’s time for a little bit of exercise and riding a bike to Tra Que Village and a visit to a local farm. This is a very special involvement in true Vietnamese rural life. You will learn about the history of the village and then be shown the daily practices of growing vegetables. You will learn how vegetables are used in traditional Vietnamese medicine.

You will join in the activities of the farmers – collecting seaweed fertilizer, sowing, raking, watering and picking. Your cultural immersion continues as you join the family to prepare and eat the lunch you have helped grow. You will also taste other local specialties such as Tam huu (spring roll) and Banh xeo (pancake).

Of course, you must also join in the after-lunch nap before returning to the field to learn how to harvest and wrap the produce. Mid-afternoon we wave goodbye to your new friends and go back to Hoian to visit Hoian Old Quarter. Return to your hotel for relaxing

Option 3 – Countryside biking or motor riding:

Our guide will pick you up at the hotel by motorbike, ride to Tra Que village and then ride back to the river for aboard a local ferry to  Kim Bong Village. This village is not only famous for wood carving but weaving sleeping mats as well, so we will stop at a family to see how they weaved the mat for everyday use in the old times before having today’s popular mattresses.

Visit a local family making the famous local noodle – Mi Quang is another chance to learn the local life. You also have a chance to make and eat the perfect banh dap (rice cracker). Riding into a Cam Thanh village. Have lunch at Cam Thanh homestay. Back to town for a walking tour and free in the evening.

Note: If you prefer biking than scooter tour, we can be flexible to modify the route, matching with your ability.

Night 10: Overnight in hotel in Hoi An

We’ll pick you up after breakfast and take you to the airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. After you arrive we’ll get you to your hotel and then you can spend the evening exploring the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh.

Free time in Ho Chi Minh city.

Night 11: Overnight hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Breakfast at your hotel, transfer for visiting Cu Chi Tunnels. After lunch in Cu Chi, the driver back to Ho Chi Minh City. This afternoon, depending on your preference, visit either the War Remnants Museum or History Museum, and the former Presidential Palace. Finish the day with a stroll around the city’s colonial architecture, including the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall

Night 12: Overnight in hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Breakfast at your hotel. The guide will pick you up and transfer you to Ben Tre.  Arrive at Ham Luong dock, you will take a boat and then cruise along Ham Luong River, a tributary to the Mekong River. The cool breeze from the river and lush tropical islands along its banks will immediately get you excited to explore all the great things ahead.

Breakfast at your hotel. The guide will pick you up and transfer you to Ben Tre.  Arrive at Ham Luong dock, you will take a boat and then cruise along Ham Luong River, a tributary to the Mekong River. The cool breeze from the river and lush tropical islands along its banks will immediately get you excited to explore all the great things ahead.

Arrive and visit various local workplaces to find many wonderful examples of how local people use ageless techniques to create their crafts, including activated charcoal, dried coconut, handy coconut husk brooms, and many family businesses using coir, or coconut fiber, to create amazing art. Cruise around the village roads by “Xe Lôi”, the local vehicle, which is a kind of motorized rickshaw. Kayak through the natural canals to get a unique experience of the peaceful beauty of the Mekong River as well as the rural life there. Having lunch at a local host house.

After lunch, you will have some time to relax. Then take a car back to Ho Chi Minh City

Night 13: Overnight in hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Your time will be your own until your private car and driver arrive to take you to the airport for your flight to your next destination. 

Note: Check-in time- 2.00 pm and check-out time- 12.00 pm

Finish an unforgettable Vietnam Tour with Sun Getaways Travel. Goodbye & see you the next time!