Touring Vietnam Inside Out 20 days

Upon your arrival at Hanoi airport, your tour guide and driver will greet you and escort you to your hotel, help with your check-in. The rest of day is for your relax.

After breakfast, you have a full day today to explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his personal residence, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Tran Quoc Pagoda. End the morning with a visit to the Museum of Ethnology (or Women Museum, History Museum, Hoa Lo Prison or Army Museum). In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Literature, the first University for the sons of mandarins. Followed by a visit to Ngoc Son Temple nearby Hoan Kiem Lake. Enjoy a one-hour rickshaw sight-seeing tour around Hanoi Old Quarter for great fun. Then, watch a traditional water puppet show in the late afternoon. Back to your hotel, free at leisure and overnight in the hotel of Hanoi.
Note: please note Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum is closed on Monday and Friday and most of museums are closed on Monday.

After breakfast, drive to Ninh Binh (2 hour drive), the destination that is well known with the nick name “Halong Bay on land”. On the way, stop at Hoa Lu, the ancient royal capital of Vietnam to visit temples dedicated to the Dinh and Le Kings. Continue your trip to the World Heritage site Tam Coc area and board a small sampan for a spectacular 2-hour trip through caves, waterways and beautiful rural landscape consisting of limestone cliffs and rice paddies.

In the late afternoon, drive back to Hanoi

After breakfast, you will drive to Sapa from Hanoi on the new national highway with a 5 hours drive, stop for a break or take photos en route. After check in hotel and take a rest at Sapa,

In the afternoon, visit Thac Tien Waterfall (1.3km walk) and stop at O Quy Ho pass (Heaven Gate) to enjoy the beautiful view. Return Sapa and enjoy your leisure time.

Today, our beautiful trekking tour will start at 08:30 at your hotel for a short drive out of Sapa town to Hang Da Church. On the way, we can stop at some view points to enjoy the panorama view of the whole Muong Hoa Valley.

Arrive at Hang Da Church, take a short visit around the church as this church is serving for nearly 1000 local ethnic people. Next to the church is a small beautiful ethnic village where is intact and stays away from modern society. Continue your trekking route to Hau Thao village where you will see the stunning view of Muong Hoa valley. Discover the daily life of the Black Hmong minority and their traditional customs and costume as soon as you arrive at the village.

Trek ahead to Pho village then down the hill to Giang Ta Chai village of Giay people. Have lunch in Giang Ta Chai Village before starting the trek by climbing the mountain on a small trail near the waterfall. Stop for a while to take photos on top of the waterfall. The trek will lead you through the bamboo forest to Ta Van village of Giay people which is praised as one of the most beautiful and fantastic trekking routes in Sapa.

Arrive in Ta Van village, check-in your beautiful homestay and overnight there.

Have breakfast with local dishes prepared by our host. Then visit around Ta Van village for a while before going to Lao Chai village - the home of Black Hmong people. Enjoy the view of the largest rice terrace fields in Sapa. Tan Van & Lao Chai villages are famous as the best place to enjoy terraced rice fields.

Continue walking to Y Linh Ho village then up the main road where you will return Sapa town by car.

Check-in your hotel in Sapa and overnight there.

After early breakfast, depart to the local ethnic markets where you will see people of different hill tribes. The markets in the Northern Vietnam are always the colorful meeting places for the hill tribes, spotlight for any Sapa Tours and of course, your unique Vietnam Tours experience. Minority people come down from the mountains to sell their products, or just for catching up on the latest news, gossip, drinking away troubles or seeking for lover. Depending on the day, markets can be held in different regions.

In the afternoon, a local village nearby and learn more about the daily life of the hill tribe communities as well as their living environment. Drive back to Hanoi for overnight.
Note: Visits to the minority markets may be switched, depending on the opening days of each market (See schedule below). It might be cold and wet in winter (October – Mar), please prepare jacket and good shoes for the walk.

Market days:

Can Cau Market - Saturdays
Bac Ha Market or Muong Hum Market or Muong Khuong Market - Sundays
Cao Son Market - Wednesdays
Lung Khau Nhin Market - Thursdays
Coc Ly Market – Tuesdays

We start at 8.00 A.M for the 3.5 hour drive (170 km) through the Red River Delta, which offers plenty of chances for taking photos of Vietnamese farmers tilling the vast green paddy fields. Stop at half way for taking a short break. Arrive at Halong City, check in and board your junk, enjoy approximately 24 hours journey in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as we sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some activities in the bay, or just spend some time relaxing on board (Possibility to swim in the bay if weather permits). Dinner is served on board.
Note: Visits or activities will be slightly different depending on each junk’s itinerary. Your tour guide will be replaced by a local guide on board during your cruise.

Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, and a light breakfast before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as we navigate back to Halong City. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier. Our guide and driver will meet you at the pier then drive back to Hanoi.

Enjoy the food tour experience with a first visit to one of the local markets in the city to see all different kinds of food that used for a Vietnamese breakfast, lunch, dinner and understand more about life of Vietnamese.
Secondly, we walk to explore everyday life of Hanoian, try some more different dishes which are very special, popular and preferred such as: Banh Ran - Sticky rice pancake; Bun Cha - Hanoi Style Vermicelli with Grilled Pork; Hanoi grilled pork in stick; Banh My Pate – Stuffed French Baguette; Bia Hoi – Draught beer; Trung Vit Lon - Fertilized duck eggs; Egg coffee…
Finally, we will try Cha Ca - Fried Fish which is considered as one of the best dishes to try while you are traveling in Hanoi. This unforgettable Hanoi food tour will take about 4 hours and you will end the trip at your hotel at around 20:00.

Enjoy some leisure time in Hanoi before it is time to take the flight to Hue. Upon your arrival at Hue airport, your tour guide and driver will greet you and escort you to your hotel. Then, enjoy a visit to the Imperial Citadel, home to the Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City – once the Emperor's private residence. The Imperial Enclosure houses many palaces and temples within its walls. Later on, absorb the energy, sounds and odors of the bustling Dong Ba Market.

After breakfast, we will take a beautiful dragon boat trip along Perfume River and visit to Thien Mu Pagoda – one of the most popular attractions in Hue. In the afternoon, continue on your tour with the visit to King Ming Mang and King Khai Dinh tombs which are the most beautiful works of royal architecture of the Nguyen dynasty.

After that, drive to Hoi An - highlight of any tour to Vietnam - is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site. This scenic drive passes through the fishing village of Lang Co before climbing over the Hai Van Pass (Pass of Ocean Clouds). On the way, stop in Danang to visit the Cham Museum, which contains the finest collection of Cham sculptures in the world and Marble Mountain - a well-known pilgrimage site with peaks, caves, tunnels and temples.

Upon arrival in Hoi An, free to take walking tour of the Hoi An ancient town centre.

Our FARMING & FISHING LIFE TOUR provides you with a close-up and intimate exposure to both the local farming and fishing communities. The photo opportunities are endless.
Tour guide meets you at your hotel, cycle to a local farming village traveling along picturesque country roads (Bus or bike are option to choose to go). Share in the daily work life of local farmers – hoeing and a soil, watering veggie at an organic herb garden, riding water buffalo in the field and enjoy the freshest air of the countryside beauty. Board boat and cruise to the mouth of the river where it meets the Cua Dai Sea
Learn and try your hand at local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets. Learn to paddle the strange and unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boats. Explore the now tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of a past war and hear of the extreme conditions endured by soldiers on both sides. Have a relaxed fun with catching beautiful purple crabs on bamboo basket boat. Learn how to make an origami creations from reeds of palm leaves such as grasshopper , birds, ring, sunglass ,bracelets….etc Visit a local water coconut palm village, take a walk around the village and have some tea and snack with local talks.
Back on-board our boat, enjoy lunch and cold beer or soft drink. Return to hotel by coach.

After breakfast, Visit to My Son Holy land in the morning, once the spiritual capital of Champa Kingdom that dominated South East Asia for nearly a thousand years and occupied most of the central parts of Vietnam from 2nd century to 16th century with very rich in history and culture.

In the afternoon, take your free time to cycle through rice paddies in the countryside of Hoi An ancient town, shop for souvenirs among the antique shops and art galleries, or just sit at sidewalk cafes and soak up the atmosphere of this quaint town. Or relax on the white sandy beach of the famous Cua Dai Beach.

Free at leisure until we pick you up and transfer to Danang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Sai Gon), the city that is famous with modern office skyscrapers, oriental style pagodas and food stalls along the street.

Upon your arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, pick up and transfer to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is on your own.

Optional tour – Ho Chi Minh Vespa Tour: Experience as local people with a Vespa and escorted by a driver, visiting the city landmarks that give you a view of the city unlike anything on your Vietnam tour. Take a peek at the history, the streets and the sights that most visitors never even hear about or see. You will pass through the Chinese district of Saigon, stop to see a sweet smelling flower market and visit a breathtaking yet hidden Buddhist pagoda, Saigon Opera House & Post Office which were designed by Gustave Eiffel.

In the morning, drive outside of Ho Chi Minh City to visit the incredible Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground labyrinth of passageways, used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or “American War” as it’s referred to here) as protection against American air raids. Those inclined are invited to crawl through selections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime.

In the afternoon, back to Sai Gon for a visit to the 19th century ‘Notre-Dame’ Cathedral, the beautiful Central Post Office which are fine examples of classical French colonial architecture. Continue with a tour of the former Presidential Palace (Reunification Palace), now preserved as a museum. After that, we finish the day by visiting the War Remnants Museum and the bustling Ben Thanh Market.

Today we will start our exploration of the Mekong Delta, a major rice producing area. This must be one of the most fascinating riverine deltas in the world. After breakfast, drive to Cai Be in the heart of the Mekong Delta. On arrival,we will make a boat trip to the Cai Be floating Market, visit villages and meet the people of the Mekong Delta. Along the way, stop at a candy factory and orchard garden, where you have an opportunity to listen to traditional music. Enjoy a relaxing lunch at a riverside restaurant, then cross the river by motorized boat to visit some fluvial islands and explore the countryside by bicycle. Then, get on pier at Vinh Long and drive to Can Tho for the night.

In the morning, we make the boat cruise to see the Cai Rang floating market (the nicest one with heaps of rowing boats), truly highlights of any Vietnam Tours where you will enjoy the beautiful scenery and see the daily activities of the locals who live along the Mekong canals. Then venture deeper into the country-side, passing traditional houses made of wood and palm leaves as you observe the activities of the local people. Return to Can Tho then drive to the airport for your flight to Phu Quoc Island, arriving in the late afternoon. Transfer to your hotel for check-in and enjoy the rest of the day on your own

One of Vietnam’s star attractions, mountainous and forested Phu Quoc is a splendid tropical getaway set with soft secluded beaches, the water a thousand different shades of turquoise. Stunning sunsets, thunderclouds heaped on the horizon. Palm trees protruding perpendicular over the gentle waves. That's Phu Quoc island and paradise for Vietnam beach lovers and great place to end your amazing Vietnam Holiday.

Breakfast at hotel. Day free at leisure on Phu Quoc beaches.

Breakfast at hotel. Day free at leisure on Phu Quoc beaches.

Free until we transfer you to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh and connect with your departure flight. We hope that you have a good time traveling with Nadova Tours and look forward to welcoming you in your future trips. Goodbye and see you again.