Vietnam adventure tour

Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to the hotel. Indulge for a half day at one of Hanoi’s best spas located in a leafy neighborhood close to West Lake. Revitalize and relax with a wellness regime of your choice, leaving the hustle and bustle of Hanoi behind. This excursion is the perfect addition to any Vietnam tour.  
 Depart your hotel in the afternoon. On arrival you will be welcomed with some invigorating tea before your beauty technician will take you to a private room for treatments. At the end of the session transfer back to your hotel.  

Depart in the early evening for Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake where the Water Puppet Theatre is situated. This is a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history. Following the show, stroll through the historic Old Quarter to one of the best restaurants in Hanoi located in  the center of the Old Quarter offering a menu of rich, delicious Vietnamese menus.  If you want to hit Hanoi’s nightspots ask your guide for suggestions (drinks on own account). At the end of the evening, back to your hotel. If you are fortunate, there may be a performance at the Hanoi Opera House. Dating back to more than a hundred years, Hanoi Opera House is perhaps the grandest in all Indochina. Be fortune enough to see a live performance at this majestic structure whilst you are here.
 
Overnight in Hanoi.

Depart your hotel early this morning for the 2-hour drive through rural northern Vietnam to Hoa Lu, Vietnam's first capital. Visit the temples dedicated to Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang of the Dinh Dynasty (968-80), and Emperor Le Dai Hanh of the Le Dynasty (980-1009). The ancient Hoa Lu Citadel (most of which has since been destroyed) once covered an area of three square kilometers. If time permits after visiting Hoa Lu (for the fit and healthy), take a half-hour walk up one of the surrounding limestone karst hills and be rewarded with spectacular views.

In the late morning depart for Tam Coc town for a Vietnamese lunch. Along the way, stop wherever you wish to take photographs of local villages and the stunning landscapes.
 
After lunch,  the boat gently glides through the water, observe the enormous limestone karsts jutting out from the green rice fields giving rise to its other name, 'Halong on Land'.
 
Should you feel adventurous climb up to Bich Dong Pagoda on the nearby Ngu Nhac Mountain, dating back to 1428 and comprising three structures: Ha, Trung, and Thuong
 
 Pagodas, in ascending order. Cruise back by sampan to Tam Coc town before returning to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi. 
 

After breakfast leave Hanoi for an overnight boat trip on Halong Bay. Journey there through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta, observe everyday life of Vietnamese villagers as they work the rice fields, take pigs to the market on bicycles and plough the fields with their water buffaloes. Arrive in Halong City late morning and board your traditional wooden junk for the overnight journey into the Bay. En-route lunch will be served. Following cruise by rock formations with such names as Sail, Dog and Dinh Huong (incense pot). Towards the end of the day set anchor for the night. As the sun sets over the bay dinner is served on board with fresh seafood, salads, and fruits. Overnight on the junk.

On your return to Halong City enjoy a full breakfast (or brunch) as your boat weaves its way back to the dock. Upon disembarkation your driver will meet you for the transfer back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

This morning meet your guide at your hotel and depart on your tour after breakfast. Your first stop will be Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (closed on Monday & Friday and from Sep 20 to Dec 10 as annual maintenance), as well as his private residence from 1954 until 1969. The wooden ethnic minority style house, which was built on stilts, is surrounded by lovely peaceful gardens. In the same complex you will see the One Pillar Pagoda, founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049. This structure has become an important symbol for the people of Hanoi.   

Your tour continues to the National Fine Arts Museum, located in colonial France’s former Ministry of Information, which has an eclectic mix of contemporary Vietnamese art, religious pieces, lacquer-ware and sculptures. Your next stop will be the Temple Of Literature, Vietnam’s first university.  Constructed in 1070, the gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past.
 
After lunch time, continue on to Quan Thanh Temple (Taoist, dating from the Ly Dynasty). The last stop of the day before returning to your hotel will be the Museum of Ethnology where you observe Vietnam's diverse culture through the Museum’s unique presentation of artifacts and dresses used in daily life.
 
In the evening, transfer to the airport for flight to Danang.  Upon arrival, pick up & transfer to hotel in Hoian. Overnight in Hoian.
 
 

Start the day with a hotel pick up at 8:30 am. Begin your journey with a short bicycle ride through rice paddies to the countryside (a vehicle can be arranged for those preferring not to cycle). Arrive at a farm where you will be warmly welcomed with tea by a local family host. You will have the chance to visit their house. Your guide will explain the different steps of rice cultivation. Put on traditional farming clothes and conical hats for sun protection.

Then, start the fun part of the tour. Because learning is way better with practice, you will experience rides on a water buffalo and learn the how to plough, rake, carry water into the rice field, sow, pull up the rice seedlings, transplant rice, etc. Prepare yourself for a unique experience, and try not to fall into the mud!  Afterwards, return to the house and learn how to make pancakes that you will be able to enjoy.  Additionally, learn how to cook rice in the traditional way. Enjoy lunch with the host family before riding back to the hotel.  

Hotel return is at approximately 1:00 pm.  
In the afternoon, pick up from hotel in Hoi An. Hoi An was a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and its architecture and relaxed lifestyle have changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit the former merchants’ homes, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall and the colourful market.  Overnight in Hoian.
 

Depart the hotel in this morning for your full day tour of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. A boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River takes you by tranquil settings of gardens and lakes where Hue’s best-known religious sites, the Thien Mu Pagoda then continue your tour to the elaborate mausoleums of Emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh and the Imperial Citadel, from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945.  

Overnight in Hue.

Free until transfer to the airport for flight to Saigon. Upon arrival, pick up & transfer to hotel.It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and    hit the road on two wheels with Saigonese to explore the hidden charms of Saigon. We’ll first ride you to district 5, passing through  streets that provide all inclusive wedding services (such as wedding cards, weddinggates, etc.),then onto a colorful flower market and a local wet market.

Here you will have the chance to challenge yourself trying to buy some beautiful flowers. After  the shopping, we'll stop at a local coffee shop, order a "cà phê đá” - ice coffee with condensed milk - sit down and have a morning chit chat just like a true local. Then we head towards the China Town, through criss-cross alleys, to explore couple of roads that are famous for selling bike parts or
textile materials, Quan Am Pagoda and the big market that is well-known by locals “Cho Lon”-  one of the biggest wholesale market of the city. After the markets, we’ll take you back to the central District 1 to visit some of the beautiful landmarks of Saigon such as the Reunification Palace (view from outside), War Remnant Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office, etc. All will give you a complete insight of the vibrant Saigon City. Enjoy your ride!
Overnight in Saigon.

Breakfast at hotel. The Mekong Delta, popularly known as the “rice bowl” of Vietnam, is famous for its vast rice fields, innumerous waterways and beautiful landscape. This morning start your tour to the heart of the Mekong Delta with the transfer to Trung Nghia, Vung Liem (approx. 170 km). After arrival hop on bike for a cycling tour on quiet village roads passing gardens, coconut trees until you reach Phu Nhuan Communal Temple. Continue to cycle through rice fields and to a local home where lunch is served.  
 
After lunch, bike or walk through the lush garden and visit the Chua Xu Temple in where locals and visitors from other provinces come to this temple to worship. Take a rowing boat back to the Coco Riverside Lodge. Together with a family member of the lodge you go fishing with nets and traps. Water bike are always available for your experience on the river. In the early evening you participate at a cooking class in a nearby house. Take the opportunity to chat with your hosts about farming in the Mekong Delta, the medical system in this region or even the American war. Enjoy a music performance and dinner in this peaceful atmosphere. Overnight at Coco Riverside Lodge

Begin another day in the delta by checking if any fish got caught in your net overnight. Return to the lodge for breakfast. Take a walk through the village and see how the locals make baskets from water hyacinth. Help to cut water coconut leaves, which are used to build the walls and roof of the houses. Visit a dragon fruit orchard and then the blind Mr. Dung. He shows you how to make poon oil sticks and weave coconut fabrics. After you checked out the lodge you visit a Cao Dai Temple and learn more about this unique religion. A rowing boat then brings you on the lush waterways and under “monkey bridges” to the home of the family Duc. The farmers use a biogas system to generate green energy from waste. From here called a local home factory, where you see how pop rice is made and taste it before leaving. In the later morning you will drive back to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.
 

Breakfast

Free time till airport transfer. End of tour.