14 Days Vietnam Impression

Brief description
This tour takes you to the quintessential destinations from north to south of Vietnam. Within 14 days, this tour will give you a moderate schedule enabling an in-depth visit at each site. The stately Hanoi, The paradise of rice terraced paddies of Sapa, the magnificent Halong Bay, the former capital city of Hue, the charming Hoi An ancient town, the bustle & hustle Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and the waterway of the Mekong Delta are all packed up into your ideal

Detail itinerary
Day 1: Ha Noi Arrival
Upon our arrival at the Noi Bai (Hanoi) airport, our local guide will meet us and escort us to our hotel. The rest of the day is ours to relax and recover from jetlag. In the evening, you will experience an interesting water puppet show, a traditional Vietnamese art form. Overnight in Ha Noi.
Day 2: Ha Noi City Tour – Overnight train to Lao Cai (B, L)
This morning is for a city tour around Ha Noi, the capital of Viet Nam. Ha Noi is a unique city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, ancient temples, old pagodas and peaceful lakes. You will visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts, One Pillar pagoda and temple of Literature. In the afternoon, you will go to Bat Trang ceramic village before transferring to Ha Noi’s railway station for a night train to Lao Cai.
Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa – Cat Cat Village (B,L,D)
Train arrives at Lao Cai Railway Station at 06.00 am, transfer to Sapa by bus. Have breakfast at hotel . Relaxing our guide will meet you at hotel for a short walk downhill to Cat Cat village. This village of H’mong tribe in the valley which remains very generally unaffected by outside influences. Excellent views of the valley, the magnificent limestone and paddy fields of H’mong village. Enjoy some visits to local families and reach their customs. After the village and further down into the valley, the Cat Cat waterfall will be visible. A “White curtain” cascade appears, within a flowery valley and deep-green pines. The rocks near the river and waterfall provide a marvelous place for picturesque photos and sunbathing during good weather…
Have dinner at a local restaurant. Then discover Sapa at night, see ethnic people’s activities and life in Sapa. Overnight at hotel.
Day 4: Sapa trekking to Lao Chai Village – Ta Van Village – Sapa (B,L,D)
Breakfast before private jeep transfers you to Lao Chai village, a village of Black H’mong. A short walk down to the river to visit hill tribe house to see their living style and the local women making their handicraft and clothes. Further on along the road, the Ta Van village where the Dzay people live can be seen. Visit the village and learn their customs. Return to Sapa in the afternoon for a hot shower; relax. You spend one more night at the hotel in Sapa
Day 5: Sapa – Ethnic Markets – Lao Cai – Overnight train to Hanoi (B,L)
After having breakfast, we are transferred to one of the unique markets, Bac Ha Market (Sunday), Can Cau Market (Saturday), Coc Ly Market (Tuesday), Cao Son Market (Wednesday), Lung Khau Nhin Market (Friday).
Arriving at the market, you are free for visiting one of the most colorful markets in the world. This market in the North-West of Vietnam filled with many different hill-tribe people such as Flower Hmong, Dzay, Tay, Nung,…At the Market you have chance to enjoy the local people, s simple but unique kinds of food with special wine made from rice, corn, tapioca and different sorts of fruits such as plums, apples, beaches…
After the market, we are transferred back to Lao cai for your night train back to Hanoi
Day 6: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay (B,L,D)
When you arrive in Ha Noi at about 04:35 AM, you will have breakfast first and then a car will take you to Ha Long city. Along the 3-hour drive to Ha Long city, you can see rich farmlands, clumsy water buffaloes and industrious people working. You will arrive at the Ha Long pier at noon and take a boat trip to Ha Long bay, a world heritage site. This is a opportunity to take beautiful photos of shaped islands such as Dog island, Incense Burner island, Fighting Cock island admiring caves like the Sung Sot cave and Titop beach. In the evening, you will have dinner and then relax time, drink beverage or go fishing at leisure before spending the night on board. Overnight on board of the junk.
Day 7: Ha Long – Ha noi (B,L)
The morning will start with a small, delicious breakfast with cake, tea or coffee. Subsequently you will head for islets of Man’s head, Tortoise, and Hidden cave on a small bamboo row-boat, etc., stop by Bai Tu Long bay and finally get back to the Ha Long pier. After check-out, you will have a buffet brunch on board and return to the wharf at noon. On your way back to Ha Noi, you will visit an embroider workshop and showroom of the disabled where you can find wonderful needlework. Overnight in Ha Noi.
Day 8: Ha Noi – Hue (B)
You will be at leisure until going to the airport for a flight to Hue, the former imperial capital of Viet Nam. After check-in at your hotel, you will visit the Imperial Citadel and Dong Ba market in the afternoon. Overnight in Hue.
Day 9: Hue (B,L)
You will sail on the romantic Perfume river to visit the most famous religious site in Hue: Thien Mu pagoda and the mausoleum of the former emperors Ming Mang and Khai Dinh, constructed as the king himself planned and chose the location in the middle of the pine forest.
Overnight in Hue.
Day 10: Hue – Da Nang – Hoi An (B)
You will leave Hue for Da Nang. The picturesque route passes Lang Co, a fishing village, which is strikingly charming for any photographer. Arriving in Da Nang, you will visit the Cham museum, the best collection of Cham artifacts in the world. On the way to Hoi An, you will drop in Marble Mountain, a large garden mount complex; a precious gift of Mother Nature acknowledged as a national heritage. When you come to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th century, you will have time for relaxation on the beach. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 11: Hoi An – Cooking Class (B,L)
You will visit Tra Que in the morning, a charming village which supplies vegetables for the whole town. You will work with the villagers and they will show you the way how to harvest and prepare fresh vegetables. This is a great opportunity to know how to cook Vietnamese dishes with your hosts before you enjoy the fruits of your labor. In the afternoon, you will take a walking tour to the center of this old town visiting the houses of old merchants, 400-year-old Japanese covered bridge, ancient pagodas and temples as well as colorful markets with shopping time available. Overnight in Hoi An
Day 12: Hoi An – Da Nang – Ho Chi Minh City (B)
You will leave Hoi An after breakfast for Da Nang airport for a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
The afternoon will be for a city tour around the dynamic cente of the city or Sai Gon exploring the war museum, central post office, Notre Dame cathedral and the bustling China town. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 13: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta (B,L)
You will depart for Vinh Long and visit the My Thuan suspension bridge en route. Reaching Vinh Long, you will take a boat trip on the Mekong river to the Cai Be floating market, a typical bustling trade center on water of southern villagers. You will proceed to a small channel of An Binh islet and visit a ceramic tile factory, coconut candy workshop and a rice husking business together with the famous Bonsai of gardener Sau Giao. After that, you will be driven back to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 14: Ho Chi Minh – Departure (B)
In this departure day, you will be at leisure until going to HCMC’s airport for the next destination. The exciting tour ends here