12 Days Vietnam Nature and Culture Tour

Morning, start a full day city tour beginning with the Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. Explore Ba Dinh Square, an important point of pilgrimage for many Vietnamese, the Presidential Palace, 13 Ho Chi Minh Museum and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where he lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars. Lunch at local restaurant. After lunch, continue city tour to one of the museums (Fine Art, History, Revolutionary, War, Ethnology Museum) of your choice (closed on Monday), Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple and experience a one hour cyclo tour. Finish your day off at the Thang Long Opera Theatre for a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.
Overnight in Hanoi

08.00 – 8.30: Our bus will pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi and start your trip to explore the most amazing bay in the North of Vietnam. On the way, we will have a quick stop in the middle of the way to rest.
11.40: Arrive at our waiting lounge at Ha Long international cruise port, you will have a bit of time to relax. Wait for our captain to finish the registration and transfer by tender to our boat.
12.35: Enjoy a welcome drink and spend a couple of minutes briefing about safety on the boat and activities included then we check in our cabin.
13.00: Delicious Vietnamese set menu will be served while leisurely cruising further into Bai Tu Long Bay.
15.00: Arrive in the kayaking area – that is Cap La Island. Enjoy kayaking through the karst and breathtaking nature, swimming and relaxing.
17.30: Get back to the boat and enjoy our Sunset party while our cruise sailing to the overnight anchorage. Attend a Vietnamese cooking demonstration. You can quickly learn a simple but delicious Vietnamese dish that Gordon Ramsey (a 2 Michelin Star Chef) used to guide – Nem Cuon or challenge yourself in fruit and vegetable carving.
19.00: Sumptuous set dinner on board.
20.30: Free time to challenge yourself in Vietnamese puzzle games, or gathers your group/family for a board game; try your luck with squid fishing or simply have a cocktail and enjoy the quiet night on the bay.
Overnight aboard

06:30: Sunrise Tai-chi section on sundeck or catch a morning view of the stunning bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee.
07.00: Breakfast will be served in Western style, familiar to you to fulfill your strength and ready for another exploring day.
08.00: Explore the well-hidden Thien Canh Son Cave.
09.00: Upon return to the boat you will have about 30 minutes to freshen up and finish packing.
10.00: Enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch on the boat.
10.30: Back to the harbor.
11.00: Disembark at Ha Long cruise port.
11.30: Our bus will take you back to Hanoi.
15.30: Upon arrival in Hanoi transfer to airport for flight to Hue. Upon arrival escort to hotel and rest on your own leisure.
Overnight in Hue

Enjoy a full day city tour to visit Hue Citadel - Vietnam’s former imperial capital and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. With an area of 500ha and a system of three circles of ramparts, namely from outside to inside: Kinh Thanh Hue (Hue Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel) and Khai Dinh Tomb, Hue Citadel is the result of the interminglement of many architectural trends: European and Asian, as well as ancient and modern.

Afternoon, take a cruise along the Perfume River, visiting Minh Mang Tomb (one of Nguyen Emperors). Back to the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda - an active Buddhist monastery with its origins dating back to 1601.Stop at Dong Ba market for shopping.
Overnight in Hue

Your tour guide will assist with checking you out of your hotel and then you'll be escorted by vehicle for a scenic ride along the mountain coasts of Vietnam. Start by riding through the mountains, valleys, countryside, and shorelines where you'll find numerous breath-taking scenes. Feel free to request your driver to stop for photos along the way. Then you'll continue to the Cham Sculpture Museum. The Cham Museum in Da Nang is dedicated to this period and the Champa existence, which began predominantly in the coastal areas of Vietnam. The museum displays almost 300 terracotta and stone works of art ranging from the seventh to the fifteenth century, then you will visit Marble Mountain and My Khe Beach(Vietnamese: Ngu Hanh Son; literally "five elements mountains") where we will discover the stunning natural caves of the mountain and enjoy the beautiful view from the top. We will also visit mysterious pagodas and the sculpturing village.
Overnight in Hoi An

In the morning, you'll transfer to the My Son Holy Land. Tucked in the mountains up winding roads with serene views, lay the 4th century My Son Holy Land ruins. The surrounding mountains are strictly forbidden from living or development. The ruins lay in a beautiful surrounding mountainous landscape. You'll enter the temples while your tour guide gives you the history and stories of the Cham and the site. Afterward, you'll watch an Apsara show nearby the site, passed through the Cham tradition. The show features live music and colorful costumes.

In the afternoon, visit the you'll continue to visit Hoi An Ancient Town. This town features the 16th century Hoi An port town in its preserved state. You'll start the day visiting the Museum of Trade Ceramics. This museum houses art and pottery dating from the 1,500s to the 1,700s. Then you'll briefly visit the Chua Ong Pagoda, a temple from the 17th century which features China's influence in the region. You'll continue through the Ancient Town as the streets take on a magic of their own with old lanterns, French-style houses, intricately carved wooden doors and more. You'll take a stroll through the Old Tam Ky House to see it's imperial styles meshed with French overtures. Continue on to stroll along the river and see traditional boats and locals on bicycles passing by. You'll then approach the Japanese Covered Bridge. This bridge has connected the Chinese and Japanese sides of town over the waterway for centuries. The old wooden structure has shown amazing resilience for more than 400 years. At dusk, enjoy walking along the riverside as colorful lanterns light up the town.
Overnight in Hoi An

Today you will enjoy your full free day on Hoi An, the most beautiful beach of Vietnam. You might enjoy swimming and drinking on beach. Overnight in Hoi An

Enjoy your morning free leisure until check-out time and flight to Saigon. Upon arrival escort to hotel for check-in and rest on your own leisure. Overnight in Saigon.

The history of Ho Chi Minh City has many layers, telling a tale of decades of external influence from the Chinese and the French. With your private driver and English-speaking guide, start your visit today by exploring Cholon, the city’s Chinatown and widely regarded as the largest one in the world by area. The city used to be known as Saigon-Cholon until Vietnam’s independence from France in 1955. From here continue to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, also known as Phuoc Hai and regarded as one of the most interesting pagodas in the country. Built by the Cantonese community around the turn of the 20th century, it is still busy with worshipers. Filled with smoky incense, the pagoda with its elaborately carved figurines and decorated panels of carved gilt woodwork, is dedicated to Buddhist and Taoist deities. If you only visit one pagoda in the city, this should be the one. Finally, head over to Dong Khoi Area in the center of the city where the French colonial presence can be felt at the Notre Dame Cathedral, a Catholic Basilica commissioned entirely of imported French building materials. End with a visit to the Saigon Central Post Office, a stunning architectural marvel with rich Gothic, Renaissance and French influences.

Head into the countryside near Ho Chi Minh City today to spend half a day exploring an incredible feat of perseverance and war time engineering, the famed Cu Chi Tunnels. With your private driver and English-speaking guide, gain important insight into the prolonged struggle against invading armies, and appreciation for the resilience and spirit of the Vietnamese people. The residents of Cu Chi took the war underground into a highly developed network of tunnels that at its height stretched as far as Cambodia and included meeting rooms, kitchens and triage areas. Imperceptible from the ground, opposing armies could roll their tanks over the bunkers without causing damage to the tunnels below. Living conditions were harsh – in addition to fighting the war, residents battled food and oxygen scarcity, venomous insects, and cramped living quarters.
Overnight in Saigon

Today transfer to the airport for your flight home. End of Service