Your arrival at the Noi Bai International Airport marks the start of your tour. Our guide is waiting to welcome you and take you into Ha Noi, the 1000-year-old capital city of Vietnam, and the commercial, political, and cultural heart of the country.

A city tour of Hanoi starts with a visit to Hoan Kiem Lake where you will see the Ngoc Son Temple established to worship Saint Van Xuong and Tran Hung Dao, a former general commander. You will then set out for a 1-hour cyclo ride around the 36 streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi followed by a welcome dinner at one of the many local restaurants. After that, you are free to explore on your own or relax in your hotel room.

Hotel in Ha Noi.

Today is the city tour of Hanoi starting with a visit to the One-Pillar Pagoda. We will then take a short drive to the Temple of Literature. Built in October 1073 to worship Confucius, it is the first known university in Vietnam. Hanoi is a place of contrast from the old town with its narrow streets to the elegance of the tree lined boulevards in the French quarter where we can see the Hanoi Opera House, the State Bank, former Governor's palace, and the Hanoi Cathedral (Saint Joseph’s built in the late 19^th century).

Later in the evening, we will enjoy dinner at one of the local restaurants before going to see the unique and intriguing Water Puppet Show,a traditional folk performance held on the Red River Delta.

Hotel in Ha Noi.

Leaving Ha Noi, we travel 80 km south to the Ninh Binh Province. This is an area of outstanding beauty, unrivaled historical and religious sites. Often known as the ‘Ha Long Bay on Land’, the area has large rock structures jutting out of the water and the land that are reminicient of the Bay.

We begin our tour with a relaxing sampan (boat) ride through the gentle and elegant landscape of plains and mountains leading to the beautiful and mysterious Tam Coc Grottoes. We then have a gentle cycle ride (4km) to the Bich Dong Cave. This journey takes you through breath taking scenery of rice fields and imposing mountains. From Bich Dong Cave, we then head off to Hoa Lu, the former capital of the Dinh and early Le dynasties between the 10^th and 11^th centuries.

Overnight in Hoa Lu.

After breakfast, we drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay, one of the most beautiful and mystical places in Southeast Asia. The day starts with a leisurely boat ride through the breathtaking Ha Long Bay where you will see unique mountainous rock formations (karsts) reaching majestically out of the water. We can enjoy a delicious lunch of fresh seafood cooked in a characteristically Vietnamese style while cruising to Bai Tu Long Bay, Teapot Islet, Blockhouse Islet, and Goat Head Islet.

The cruise continues karsts some of which display fantastic shapes, many of which have ancient stories connected to them. We also pass Hoa Cuong and Ga Choi Islands on the way to visit the Luon Cave. Back onboard, we have an early lunch before saying goodbye to the boat and to the crew. On the way back to Ha Noi, we have a short stop at the Bat Trang ceramics and pottery village where they make and sell all kinds of ceramics, embroidery and marble statues.

We go directly to Noi Bai Airport in Ha Noi to catch the flight to Hue in the central region of Vietnam. During the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945), Hue was the political, economic and cultural capital of Vietnam.

We spend the day exploring ancient Hue starting with a boat trip down the romantic Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the oldest and most beautiful pagodas in Hue. We then move on to see the Minh Mang Tomb. Minh Mang was emperor of Vietnam from 1820 to 1841.

Saying goodbye to Hue, we head south to the charming town of Hoi An via the more modern and rapidly growing city of Da Nang. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to take panoramic pictures when we stop at the summit of Hai Van Pass overlooking Lang Co Beach.

Enjoy a walking tour through the narrow and ancient streets of the charming town of Hoi An. Perhaps more than any other places in Vietnam, Hoi An retains the feel of centuries past. Once known as Faifo, Hoi An was an influential port along the Silk Road. For over 500 years, merchants from China, Japan, France and Portugal settled in the prosperous town resulting in a distinctive blend of culture, cuisine, religions and architecture. The town has the status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, listed for having the ‘most unique’ architecture in Southeast Asia. It has been restored and protected by both the UNESCO funding and proud locals ever since. The tour takes in the Chinese Assembly Halls, the 400-year-oldJapanese Covered Bridge and old family houses.

Tra Que is a small village secluded in a green garden of vegetables. It was just a farming/gardening village that provided all the fresh vegetables for the Hoi An people. With the coming of tourists, the village has become a place where people can visit to learn about the way of life of locals who still use the ways used for centuries to farm the land.

Today, you can experience the day living and working with the local people at the village. A short stroll will take you around the vegetable garden and then you can join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seaweed from the local lake. The experience includes raking the ground, sowing, watering, and picking the vegetables as well many other gardening activities. Working along side the locals, you will also get to understand and appreciate the natural humour and friendliness of the Vietnamese people.

In the morning, we leave Central Vietnam and head further south to the more fast-paced modernized city of Ho Chi Minh, formally known as “Saigon”. To get there, we drive back to Da Nang and take a flight. 

Day-10, we set out for the beautiful scenic drive through the Mekong River Delta, home to the richest agricultural lands in Vietnam. Enjoy a boat trip to an island that houses orchard gardens and the beautiful Cai Be Floating Market, a famous place in the Mekong Delta. The Cai Be floating market is a magnificent site to see as hundreds of small merchant boats anchor alongside the banks of the river trading their commodities to locals and tourists alike. We continue with our cruise through the maze of canals that crisscross around An Binh Island.

Saying au reviour to Vietnam, we head out to the airport in the morning for a flight to the capital city of Thailand, Bangkok. On your arrival in Bangkok, your guide will meet you and take you to your hotel. Once checked in, you are free to relax at your leisure.

Hotel in Bangkok.

Today you will totally enthraled with the splendor and excitement of this huge cosmopolitan city. You visit the magnificent Royal Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha Temple and Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha). Then visit Museum of Siam (The museum opens from Tuesday to Sunday and closes on Monday). Ride on a tuk-tuk to the Flower Market. After lunch (on your own), we ride on a long-tail boat along Bangkok Noi Canals (East of Venice) then visit Wat Trimit (Golden Buddha). 

After this busy and intense day, you return to the hotel where you will be free to do whatever you wish for the evening.

Hotel in Bangkok

Your penultimate day takes you to Ayutthaya, the former Capital of Thailand. We will start at the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, which was once used as the State Banquet Hall followed by Wat Chai Wattanaram also known as Khmer Temple then Wat Phra Sri Sanpetch & Viharn Mongkol Borphit, the former Royal Temple.

A short drive takes us to Wat Chong Lom Pier where we board aboat to take a cruise down the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok. We have a typical Thai buffet lunch onboard. The boat arrives at the River City Pier in Bangkok.

Later in the day, we will take you to the Siam Paragon shopping mall.

Hotel in Bangkok.