Vietnam Love At First Bite 13 Days

Warmly welcome on arrival Noi Bai Airport by our driver. Your guide and driver will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. The rest of the day is free at your leisure.

Optional: We introduce two one-of-a-kind traditional performances which are found nowhere else than in Vietnam. You can choose one of below options:

- Water Puppet Show where puppets are performed on water stage with folk music, presenting ancient tales, folklore and daily life in Vietnamese countryside.

- Tu Phu (Four Palaces) Show - a very unique show about ritual of spirit practiced in the Vietnamese indigenous religion with music, colors and lively dance performance. The Four Palaces Shows take place on Thursday and Saturday every week.

Meals: NA

Accommodation: Hanoi Hotel

Activities: Welcome to Vietnam. Be picked up and transfer to hotel, free day at leisure to prepare for the trip.

Hanoi

In the morning, tour guide will pick you up at your hotel and have a full safety briefing. Then set off for the tour around Hoan Kiem Lake, along the streets past some of the majestic historical buildings. Take a short walk to pay a visit to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, then move on to Truc Bach Lake where you will taste some Vietnamese snacks in Ngu Xa which used to be a famous bronze making village. Continue with a scenic drive around the West Lake with as many photos stops as you wish.

Have lunch at an authentic Vietnamese Bia Hoi (draught beer) Restaurant with simple but freshly prepared dishes which can cater for every taste. Usually these beer barns are open-walled and tables and chairs often spill onto the street so you will have a full view of street life while enjoying your delicious food.

After lunch, enjoy a quiet cool drink at a nearby café before returning to your hotel. Free time in the afternoon.

In the evening, enjoy a water puppet show.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Activities: Motorbike tour half day with lunch. Walk around the old quarter and local market visit with Bia Hoi tasting. Water puppet show in the evening.

Bia Hoi on Street

Have breakfast then check out of hotel.

8:00 Leave Hanoi and head straight to Halong Bay - the UNESCO World Heritage site (180km – 3.5 - 4 hour driving). After arriving at noon, you will board a beautiful boat for an overnight cruise on Halong Bay with an excellent menu of fresh seafood. Lunch and dinner are served on boat. Overnight on board.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Overnight on board

Activities: Jump aboard a cozy traditional junk boat, which will be your home for the night. We will head off to Halong Bay for a day of swimming and relaxing!

Kayaking in Halong Bay

Wake up the next morning at sunrise, you are invited to practice Tai Chi on the sun deck. Enjoy the feel of the early morning salt water scent and bask in the early sun rising from behind the mountains.

Arriving at the pier, you will be picked up for transfer back to Hanoi.

At 17:30 you will join in a walkie foodie tour. We will take you to go inside the small lane and alleys inside the Hanoi Old Quarter and show you how real Hanoians live, work and eat. By far our most popular tour, this tour is great fun and perfect way to discover some of the lesser known dishes that the locals lover to eat. From Bun Bo (Sauteed Beef Rice Vermicelli), Banh Cuon (Steamed rice rolls), “Banh Mi” and end with unique Ca Phe Trung (Egg Coffee) which will round off our four courses perfectly. Local life, local stories; local food and local drink tasting. It's the little things that make all the difference in your travel experience!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Activities: Spend the morning exploring Halong Bay and join activities available. Have lunch while cruising back to the land then back to Hanoi. Walkie foodie tour in the evening, discover locals' favorite food.

Cooking class on cruise

Transfer to the airport for flight to Hue. Pick up at the airport in Hue and drive to hotel.

Late afternoon, cyclo driver will pick you up from your hotel. You'll have chance to taste a range of delicious Hue cuisines and feel the romance of Hue at night. Have dinner in royal style and enjoy "royal dishes" which are used to served only the King in the past.

Overnight at hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

Activities: Fly to Hue. Cyclo tour around the street and have royal style dinner in the evening.

The Meal Of King

In the morning, our guide and driver meet you at hotel and transfer to the boat landing for a leisure boat trip along the Perfume River to visit the towering Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the most famous Vietnamese landmarks.

We then take a short drive into a lush valley of the river where seven tombs were built for seven Nguyen Emperors. We will visit two of the tombs: Minh Mang Tomb and Khai Dinh Tomb to help you understand more Royal’s Life and their architecture.

After that, drive outside of town for lunch and enjoy classic Hue cuisine at a restaurant in beautiful garden setting.

In the afternoon, return to the city center to visit Imperial Citadel, and the Forbidden Purple City, created in the 19th century for the Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty,

If time and weather permit, we could admire the glorious sunset on Perfume River. Drive back to hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

Activities: City tour with a boat trip on the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, explore the Citadel, and the royal tombs of Nguyen Emperors

Thien Mu Pagoda

In the morning, transfer by shuttle bus to the enchanting town of Hoi An listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage and was once a well-known trading centre in Southeast Asia from the 16th to 18th centuries. Land transfer by shuttle bus or Private car with stop at some sightseeing on the way for short break (admission fee not included). Check in the hotel and relax.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Activities: In the morning, transfer by shuttle bus to Hoi An.

Hoi An

In the morning, local guide meets you at hotel lobby. Go to a bicycle shop to choose a bicycle.

Then ride to a local farm in Tra Que Village. You will take a trip around the vegetable garden and join with the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing with seaweed from the local lake. Continue doing some next steps such as: raking the ground, sowing, watering greens, picking greens and many more gardening activities.

Spend the rest of the morning working the land in honored way, before having a break to prepare lunch with your host family. Your lunch consists of many local delicacies including ”tam huu” spring roll, 'banh xeo' or local pancake of people in middle region. Relax with a foot massage. Say good bye to your host family and ride back to Hoi An.

Late afternoon, ride to the home of a craftsman. Craftsman will show you a brief introduction about the history, shape and color of the lantern as well as steps of making them. You will have a chance to make your own lantern and keep it as a souvenir.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Activities: Ride bicycle to Tra Que Vegetable Village, join with local farmer doing some garden work and enjoy home made lunch by local family, relax with a foot massage. Late afternoon, ride to the home of a craftsman to learn making lanterns and keep as souvenir.

Working On Garden

Have breakfast at your hotel. Free time in the morning.

In the afternoon, be ready for the Half Day Hoi An Food walking tour.

First stop is the famous bread shop in Hoi An where you will try one of the best banh mi Vietnamese sandwiches in Vietnam. We then walk around the local market. Resting on the banks of the Thu Bon River, bustling Hoi An Central Market is certainly worth a look for its authentic slice of Vietnamese life. Here, guests will enjoy Cao Lau with authentic local taste, a specialty just found in Hoi An. Next stop we will go through a small alley and stop at local business house that you could not find by yourself and see how real Vietnamese life looks like. Here, we will discover a banh beo – a popular snack of Hoi An people. You will have a chance to talk and take photos with the owners. Afterwards, it‘s time to relax your stomach. Our local guide will bring you to the oldest pagoda in Hoi An where few tourists go and then take a lovely trip through the countryside. Guests will enjoy a unique dance performance done by our lovely guides. And you will see farmers working the rice paddies with the sunset reflecting off their hats. After stopping at the rice fields we will continue our trip and try banh khot - a round pancake made with rice flour, turmeric, coconut milk, quail egg and vegetables at a famous street vendor near Hoai square. Next, you will take the food challenge trung vit lon (balut in Phillipines) - one of the Top 10 weird foods in the world. "Egg no more, duck not yet." It is not because of the taste but because of its appearance. Next, we will go to a local restaurant by the river to enjoy a special dinner and discover a part of Vietnamese people life – “Nhau” style with cold beer and delicious food.

In the evening, come back to your hotel or you are free to continue exploring the area.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Activities: Free in the morning to experience the ancient town. "Food Tour by Motorbike" in the afternoon, discover some hidden Hoi An streets at the back of a motorbike and taste a range of supper yummy street food.

Banh Mi

Enjoy your free time before transferring to airport in Da Nang for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, transfer from airport to hotel. Check in and relax.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Ben Thanh Market

Drive to Cu Chi Tunnels - a major part of the Vietnam - American War. We watch a short introductory video showing how Cu Chi Tunnels were constructed before entering, then spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels. After the tunnels, you can try gun shooting with real bullets (fees not included). The bus will take you back to Ho Chi Minh City.

In the afternoon, our tour guide will pick you up at hotel for walking food tour.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Activities: In the morning, explore the street by cyclo, visit local market and a bird watching cafe in Saigon. In the afternoon,discover the famous underground system of Cu Chi Tunnels and learn about life in war time.

Getting Down Small Sceret Entrance

After breakfast, meet tour guide and driver at hotel. Your journey will take you to Ben Tre for a day exploring the Mekong Delta. Activities of the day include the visit to a brick kiln factory, a coconut processing workshop and a local mat-weaving house, take Xe Loi ride (a kind of modern motorized rickshaw) or cycling tour to explore around village under coconut row and tasting some fresh seasonal fruits. One of the highlights of the tour is a ride by small sampan boat through the small canals and side-arms of the “Mighty Mekong” to observe the daily life along the river banks. Enjoy lunch with local delicacies.

After lunch, take a short break and drive to Ho Chi Minh City. You have all rest of the day explore the city by your own.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Activities: Visit Ben Tre - experience the water world of Mekong Delta, embark on a small sampan boat riding through the small canals to observe the daily life along the river banks

Ben tre

In the morning, have breakfast at the hotel. Free at leisure until being picked up and get transferred to the airport for your onward flight. Have a smooth departure and hope to see you next time!

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: NA

Activities: Transfer to airport for onward flight. End of tour.

Ho Chi Minh City