Treasures Of Vietnam 16 Days

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam's highly traditional capital. The driver will pick you up at the airport and take you to the centre of the city. Here, you will be able to check into your hotel and relax for much of the afternoon.

Stay overnight in Hanoi

After breakfast at the hotel, the driver and guide will arrive to start our explorations of Hanoi and its long and proud history. We start this with its modern history at Ba Dinh Square, where we can find homages to the wartime president, Ho Chi Minh, still massively revered around Vietnam. We can visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to see his preserved body before proceeding to his former stilt-house, where he lived a humble later life beside the concrete of Ba Dinh Square. We can also see evidence of ancient Vietnam at the One-Pillar Pagoda and colonial Vietnam with a look at the Presidential Palace.

Following this, we head to the Temple of Literature, the country's first university set amongst a beautiful green garden. At the back and around the sides of the university, we can see exquisite examples of ancient Vietnamese architecture, which once housed the brightest minds in the country during their studies of Confucius and his philosophies.

We take lunch in a restaurant nearby before deciding on our next destination. This can either be Hoa Lo Prison, where Vietnamese and Americans lived a tortuous life over the course of the 20th century, or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which gives a brilliant and colourful account of the 53 ethnic minorities living throughout the rural areas of the country.

After exploring the museum, we head into Hanoi Old Quarter, where we can see more of the deeply fascinating streets and their connecting alleyways on a walk through. We discover much about the culture, history and religion of Vietnam before ending the tour at your hotel.

In the early evening, the driver will return to take you to Hanoi’s central train station for your overnight train to Sapa.

Once you have stepped off the train in the early morning, our driver will find you and transfer you the short and beautifully scenic distance from Lao Cai Train Station to Sapa Town. In Sapa, we have breakfast and relax for a while in the morning.

After this, we can start our easy trek into the mountains of Sapa, following the path of the Muong Hoa Valley as it reveals incredible beauty across cascading rice paddies, towering limestone mountains and speckled villages constructed of stilt houses. We can absorb the awe-inspiring views on our 2-3 hour trek, stopping along the way to take outstanding photos.

Our first big stop is at Lao Chai Village, where we can meet members of the Giay ethnic group before enjoying a local lunch and proceeding onwards. We end at Ta Van Village, where a local stilt house homestay will welcome us in. We spend the rest of the afternoon here, refreshing after the trek and soaking in the incredible views on offer in front of us.

Dinner will come later, served by our Giay hosts in their beautiful house. We have an evening of total relaxation to look forward to after this, all underneath a blanket of stars.

Enjoy a filling breakfast to build up the energy for the day. We start with a 3-hour trek to Giang Ta Chai Village, passing stunning rice fields and the incredible bamboo forests of Hoan Lien National Park on the way.

We arrive at Giang Ta Chai for a quick break and a talk with some of the locals. Afterwards, we will carry on until we find a nearby waterfall, where we can take fantastic photos and enjoy a picnic lunch. 

We continue onwards after this, past more of Sapa’s iconic and sweeping scenery, eventually arriving at Su Pan Village. The car will be waiting for us here, so after a break and one last look at the views, we will take the drive back to Sapa town.

In Sapa, you will check into your hotel and enjoy the sights of this former French hill station.

After breakfast, we take the drive northwest of Sapa town, where some of the region’s most marvellous attractions lie. We will see evidence of one on our drive – the grandiose Fansipan Peak, the tallest mountain in Indochina.

The Silver Waterfall is another of these evocative Sapa attractions, and one look at the fast flowing water will show you why. The water here falls at such a pace that it looks like one continuous sheet of silver, cascading down between wild greenery and observable via a wooden bridge.

After a look here, we jump back into the car and continue through to the Heaven Gate, which crowns the apex of the Hoan Lien Son Mountain Range. The stone staircase here leads to a hole in the mountain, which offers stunning views on the other side.

On the way back to Sapa, we stop at O Quy Ho, a place of agriculture in the high mountains. We will have a look at some of the flowers, fruits and medicines that grow here, all of which are unique to the region because of its high altitude and cooler climate.

Once back in Sapa town, we will have lunch on your own and then you will have an afternoon of free time. This is your chance to discover some of the town’s attractions, including Sapa Lake, Ham Rong Mountain, Notre Dame Cathedral or Mau Son Temple.

In the late afternoon, the guide and driver will return and drive you to Lao Cai Train Station for your night train back to Hanoi. End of Sapa Tour.

You will arrive in Hanoi at about 05:30 AM and walk the short distance to the hotel, which is near to the train station. There will be time to sleep and have breakfast before the driver turns up at about 08:00 AM to take you to Halong Bay.

Please Note: The itinerary from this point varies depending on the cruise that you select when booking this tour. The itinerary listed below is merely an example and aspects of the destinations visited, as well as the cruise ship, may vary from your experience.

We arrive at Halong Bay around midday and check-in at the welcoming lounge at the harbour. From here, we board the cruise and eat a delicious lunch to start us off.

Take the following hours as relaxation time on the top deck or in the cabin of the cruise. We will make our leisurely way to our first destination, Sung Sot Cave, where we can disembark and take a walking tour of the inside. This is a delightful cavern made of limestone and forged by rain which, over time, carved out the impressive rock formations found within.

Return to the cruise after this as we make our way to the next stop, Titop Island. Here, we can enjoy the vast scenery out in front of us from the panoramic viewing platform at the peak. Alternatively, for those passengers seeking more relaxation, they can enjoy the view from ground level, either on the white sand of the beach or in the light blue water of the shore.

The cruise welcomes us back once more, and this time we will stay on board to enjoy the perfect sunset descending between the peaks of forested mountains. At this time, the bar will begin its drinks deals and you will have the chance to mingle with guests in Halong Bay’s golden hour.

A delectable dinner rounds off the afternoon and brings about the evening, which can be spent in total serenity on board.

Head to the top deck for a sunrise tai chi session, held by our expert tai chi teacher. Breakfast in the dining room afterwards will come before our final activity of the cruise – a trip to Cua Van fishing village.

We cruise over to the fishing village, where we are greeted by the colourful sights of hundreds of makeshift houses floating on the water. We can opt to kayak or be rowed on a sampan boat around the houses, learning of the unique life lived here by the hardworking locals.

After this, we return to the cruise for the last time and check out of the cabins. A cooking demonstration will prepare us for a filling brunch, which we can enjoy on the way back to the harbour. Take in your last views of Halong Bay as we get closer to the mainland, and disembark the boat when we arrive. End of 2 day 1 night on Halong Bay Cruises.

The driver will meet you here and transfer you directly to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport. Our flight to Da Nang will take about 1.5 hours, and you will arrive here to find another driver waiting for you. Take the quick transfer after this to Hoi An, where you can relax in your hotel in the middle of the beautiful UNESCO world heritage site.

Savour your first breakfast in the centre of Vietnam. Your new guide will be along shortly to introduce themselves and to present you with bicycles for the day ahead.

On the first part of our cycling tour, we will head through the colourful streets of Hoi An and into its beautiful outskirts, where rice paddies stretch uninhibited for miles. Along these tranquil roads, we make our first stop at Ba Le Market to see how locals make preparations for meals throughout the day.

Past more scenic rice fields, cemeteries and schools, we eventually arrive at Van Lang Village, a fishing village on the flanks of Bay Mau water coconut forest. Upon our entry to the village, a local man will greet us and offer us green tea. Take a walk around the village after this, noting the many examples of locals living their attractively modest lives.

You will have the chance to climb into one of the round-bottomed coracle boats in the Bay Mau forest and head out into the water, using a simple oar to steer between the beautiful nipa palm rising up on all sides. Cast your net into the water under the guidance of our local host to see if you can catch fish for the upcoming lunch.

We head over to our host’s house, where we can relax with a medicinal footbath in the late morning. Start the afternoon by helping the family to make lunch, after which we can dine together on central Vietnamese specialities including tam hữu (spring rolls), bánh xeo (crispy pancakes) and cá nướng lá chuối (grilled fish in a banana leaf). 

After this, we head back to the town via bicycle or car, where you can enjoy the rest of your day as free time. Maybe you would like to use this chance to go shopping around the town and get some clothes professionally tailored for you at a very cheap price.

Rise at a time suitable for you and enjoy breakfast at your own pace. You can enjoy your free time today in any way that you wish.

This can be in the centre of the town, walking around the ancient streets of Hoi An and learning of the deep well of history on display across the architecture here. The 21 official sites can educate guests about some of the ancient Chinese, Japanese and European influences that accompanied Hoi An as it rose to become one of the vital stops on the Maritime Silk Road.

After this, you could check out the beaches of An Bang and Cua Dai on the northeastern corner of the town, or possibly the Cham Islands lying just off the coast.

Take your final breakfast in the tropics of Hoi An before you head to Da Nang Airport to take the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon your arrival, the driver will collect you and transfer you to the centre of the city, where your hotel awaits. 

Whatever is left of the day is yours to spend as free time, during which you could check out Ben Thanh Market in the centre of the city, or the Chinatown district of Cholon in the southwest.

Take breakfast early and await collection from the guide and driver. The 2-hour drive to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh City begins after this, passing rice fields and eventually arriving in the wild jungle that was so often the battleground for conflicts in the Vietnam War.

The site that we arrive at managed to house a staggering 250km of tunnels under the jungle floor. We will head into the tunnels and explore a small section of its huge length, finding important rooms such as command centres, infirmaries and even basic living quarters. Afterwards, we step out onto the jungle floor to try and locate the incredibly well-camouflaged entrances and old trap doors littered around.

Returning to Ho Chi Minh City, we stop for lunch en route. Back in the city, our half-day tour starts at the Reunification Palace, where the war was ended during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. We head to the nearby War Remnants Museum after this to hear more about the legacy and tragedy of the war. A trip to the Notre Dame Cathedral and Saigon Central Post Office after this will take us back in time to the era of French colonialism, when Saigon was the capital of France’s Indochinese empire.

We return to your hotel after this for you to enjoy the evening.

The driver and guide will arrive after breakfast to transfer you southwards to the Mekong Delta. Here we will find some of Vietnam’s most fertile and wild scenery, stretching across green plateaus and placid rivers.

Once arrived in the city of My Tho, we will board a boat and head out into the gorgeous nature across the Mekong River. We skirt the banks, finding activity on both sides, before docking at Dragon Island to see how fishing farms operate along the Mekong. We walk around the island and find some humble villages devoted to manufacturing local crafts.

After that, we continue through the Xep Canal and dock at a farmer’s house, where we can enjoy the rest of the morning in total relaxation. We will be provided with honey tea and fruits to enjoy to the sounds of live traditional music.

Following this, we take a horse and cart over to our riverside restaurant, where we enjoy lunch with sweeping sights over the beauty in front of us. We follow this with a tour of some other workshops in the area, many of which focus on the production of coconut candy along with many other coconut-based crafts such as jewellery and roofing for houses.

We head back to My Tho and take the swift transfer to Can Tho, where you will check into your hotel and relax.

Rise early this morning, as our tour leaves at 05:30 in order to make it to one of the largest floating markets in Vietnam – Cai Rang Floating Market.

We arrive at the market to find incredible scenes of floating boats speckled across the river, selling their merchandise, products and services to tourists and locals alike. We head out into the market on a local boat, skimming the water and approaching the boats of vendors with their produce placed high on a pole, so that potential buyers can see what they are selling from afar.

After some time here haggling for great deals, we return to the hotel in Can Tho. Take breakfast here, followed by the transfer to Can Tho Airport, from where your flight to Phu Quoc Island will leave.

Arrive in Phu Quoc and meet your driver. Take the transfer to your beachside hotel for relaxation and the ultimate experience of Vietnam’s white-sand coastline. In your free time here, you may want to keep things simple and indulge on the beach. This can be done at over ten of the island’s pristine beaches, but the 20km stretch of Long Beach offers the most convenience.

Savour a slow breakfast in the island paradise of Phu Quoc. You have a completely free day of whatever you feel like, which may be more relaxation on Phu Quoc’s tremendous beaches and at its fantastic resorts.

For those feeling more active, Phu Quoc National Park offers excellent hiking trails through unique jungle, where many animals endemic to the island live. There is also the chance to scuba dive or snorkel in the teal-colour coastline surrounding the park and see colourful shoals of fish in motion.

Alternatively, a quieter paradise can be sought on the An Thoi islands, an archipelago to the south of Phu Quoc where the jungle and the beaches are at their wildest. A charter boat, bookable from a tour agency in town, can take you here.

After breakfast at the hotel, you have some free time before the afternoon to explore as you wish. Of course, you could simply return to the beach and soak up the last of the rays, but there is also the opportunity to head to the safari park in the northwest corner of the island, where animals are free to roam at their will.

In the early afternoon, the driver will arrive at your hotel and take you to the airport for your final domestic flight. You will land in Ho Chi Minh City and take the transfer with the driver to your hotel.

Have your final breakfast in the hotel and make the most of your final hours in Ho Chi Minh City before the driver arrives. After the transfer to Tan Son Nhat international airport, you will take your flight back home or to your next destination.

This brings the 16 Day Treasures of Vietnam tour to a close. We are very happy that you chose our company for this extensive trip and we wish you well for your future travels!