Tour summary: HANOI – HALONG – LAO CAI – SAPA – DA NANG – HOI AN – HUE – HCMC – CU CHI – MY THO

Highlights:
Hanoi: with a history of 1,000 years’ establishment and a population of about 6 million inhabitants, Hanoi plays the important role of a capital city of Vietnam. Hanoi enjoys being a center of politics, economy, culture, tourism, education and transportation of Vietnam. Visiting Hanoi means to learn about the interesting history, cultures and hard-working living style, the fast and dynamic development in all aspects of not only the city itself, but also of the North and the whole country of Vietnam. Hanoi offers the fascinating old quarter of 36 streets of traditional guilds, interesting museums and ancient temples, beautiful lakes and shaded streets, delicious local specialties of “Pho Hanoi” and “Cha Ca LA Vong”, and more.
Halong bay: there are not enough words to describe this truly World Natural Heritage site. Legend says that once upon a time, the area of Halong bay was covered by sea and inhabited by fishermen. After being robbed by pirates for many times, the fishermen prayed to God for help. God then sent Dragon Mother and Children down to punish the robbers. The former spread down thousands of gems to attract the latter. As soon as the robbers touched the gems, the gems turned into big rocks to press the robbers under. Since then Halong Bay is dotted with thousands of rock islands of amazingly different shapes and sizes, creating the unique look of Halong. Taking a day cruise or overnight on a traditional junk is the best way to admire the gorgeous scenery and enjoy great relaxation on boat.
Sapa: located in the northwest of the country, Sapa is a mountainous district of Lao Cai province, a land of modest, quietly but many hidden wonders of the natural scene. The natural scenery of Sapa is combined with the creativity of human beings with the topography of the mountains, green forests, the paintings are arranged in a harmonious composition makes an excellent romantic landscape areas attractive.
Hue is the capital city of Thua Thien - Hue province, Vietnam. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. As such, it is well known for its monuments and architecture. Hue originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguyen Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century.
Hoi An is located 30km south of Danang City, and it is the heart of Quang Nam central province. Hoi An attracts tourists thanks to its poetic and picturesque landscapes such as Thuan Tinh islet, Cua Dai beach,Cham island together with traditional handicrafts and famous local specialities
Cu Chi tunnels which stretched for over 200km, became legendary during the 1960s. The Cu Chi tunnels played a vital part in the U.S.-Vietnam War.
Ho Chi Minh City is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It’s a bustling, dynamic and industrious centre, the largest city in the country, the economic capital and the cultural trendsetter.
Mekong delta is about 40.000 square kilometers (km2) in area. And it is known as one of the widest and richest delta in ASEAN, in Vietnam it is considered as the biggest granary of Vietnam (the second one is Red River delta in the North of Vietnam), it provides 60% of nation’s rice. Besides that, Mekong delta is the place of different tropical fruits such as durian, coconut, banana, pineapple, dragon fruit… and when people come here they can enjoy the seasonal fruits all round year.
Tour details:
Day 1: HANOI
Arrival in Hanoi, the centuries-old beautiful capital of Vietnam, airport pick-up, hotel check-in, time at leisure. Enjoy a fantastic trishaw(also called cyclo) ride through the bustle and hustle of Hanoi Old Quarter Overnight in Hanoi
Day 2: HANOI (B)
Full day for exploring the fascinating city of Hanoi where old and new things blend together, Vietnamese, Chinese and French cultures mix together.
Activities: a pleasant walk around the peaceful Ho Chi Minh area, visit HCM Mausoleum, HCM’s stilt house and garden, the One Pillar pagoda. Take another pleasant walk at the beautiful Temple of Literature, visit the Ethnology Museum. Finally take a fascinating walk through the famous 36 busy streets of the Old Quarter and shopping.
Overnight in Hanoi
Day 3: HANOI – HALONG BAY (B-L-D)
Morning check out the hotel, transfer to Halong Bay, a World Natural Heritage site. Upon arrival, check in aboard a deluxe junk and start cruising. Enjoy fabulous seafood, stunning sceneries, and water activities: swimming, kayaking (excluded), and fishing
Overnight aboard
Note: In case of small parties from 2 pax to 6 pax, we will share a junk with other guests. For any parties from 7 pax up, we will charter a junk. More options can be discussed case by case.
Day 4: HALONG BAY – HANOI – LAO CAI BY NIGHT TRAIN (B-L)
Morning continue the cruise along simply gorgeous sceneries including a very delicious lunch on board.
Afternoon: drive back to Hanoi, boarding on the Livitrans or Fanxipan night train.
Overnight on the train - 4 pax share a business air-conditioning cabin.
Note: In case of small parties from 2 pax to 6 pax, we will not send a guide to go on the train with the groups. For any parties from 7 pax up, we will arrange a guide to go on the train with the groups. More options can be discussed case by case.
Day 5: LAO CAI – MOUNTAIN MARKET – SAPA (B)
Morning: early arrival at Lao Cai railway station, then take a scenic drive up the mountains to a colourful mountainous market of hill tribes in Muong Khuong (Sunday) / Cao Son (Wednesday) / Coc Ly (Tuesday) / Bac Ha (Sunday) / Can Cau (Saturday) etc. (depending on which date). Afternoon: drive back to Lao Cai and go on to Sapa, a tourist hub in North Vietnam.
Hotel check-in and overnight in Sapa

Day 7: HANOI – DANANG – HOI AN (B)
5:00 Early morning arrival in Hanoi transfer for breakfast in a hotel then transfer to the airport for a flight to Danang
After arriving in Danang, tour the Cham Museum, an elegant colonial building which now houses the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world, a famous spot for American soldiers during the Vietnam-American War. Continue south to Hoi An, the ancient town.
Arrival in Hoian, check in a hotel.
Free and easy
Overnight in Hoian
Day 8: HOIAN – MY SON (B)
Morning excursion to My Son, the former Religious capital of the Cham people, a world cultural heritage site. Enjoy the scenic landscapes and mysterious Cham arts and architecture
Back to Hoian enjoy a relaxing city walk to more than 200 years-old temples and houses: Hoian History Museum, Fujien temple, Japanese Pagoda bridge, Phung Hung Ancient house
Transfer back to the hotel for relaxation
Overnight in Hoian
Day 9: HOIAN – HUE (B)
Morning check out the hotel and transfer to Hue, stopping enroute to visit the Marble Mountains, five stone hillocks, once islands, that now rise sharply from the surrounding ricefields. Riddled with caves and shrines, they are said to each represent one of the five elements of the universe. Continue to Hue via Hai Van Pass.
Arrival in Hue, sightseeing in Hue
Transfer to check in a hotel. Afternoon visit the Royal Citadel of Hue, enjoy a pleasant walk in this interesting area, then visit the amazingly full Dong Ba market.
Overnight in Hue
Day 10: HUE (B)
Full day enjoy Hue’s typical features: peaceful, traditional and beautiful.
Activities: lovely boat trip on the Perfume River to the beautiful Thien Mu pagoda, King Tu Duc’s tomb, King Khai Dinh’s tomb. Afternoon: excellent motorbike trip with drivers to interesting traditional villages and beautiful sceneries around Hue.
Overnight in Hue
Day 11: HUE – HCMC – CU CHI (B)
Morning transfer to Hue airport to take a flight to HCMC. Upon arrival, transfer to Cu Chi and visit Cu Chi Tunnel where human knowledge has been enriched by experiencing a web-like tunnel system of more than 200km in length which provide shelters for Vietnamese guerrillas during the Vietnam War against American troops.
Transfer back to HCMC to check in a hotel
Enjoy the unique water puppet show
Overnight in HCMC

Day 13: HCMC (B)
Full day city tour, visit Cho Lon market, Thien Hau temple, the Reunification Hall, the War Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral (1880) and Old Post Office (1886). Enjoy great shopping at many nice boutique shops, shopping malls, and the Ben Thanh market
Evening optional treatment with wonderful massage and spa, or shopping in the city center (excluded)
Overnight in HCMC
Day 14: HCMC - DEPARTURE (B)
Free time till transfer to the airport for departure and with sweet memories with us
End of tour.

Children policies: applied for children from 5 to 10 yrs old
- Sharing bed with adult: 50% of tour cost
- Extra bed: 75% of tour cost
- Twin sharing: 100% of tour cost
Exchange Rate: 21000 VND/USD
Group price policies:
- 5% discount for any groups from 6 to 10 people
- 10% discount for any groups from 11 people or more
- Special promotion: 5% discount for all groups booking from 1 May to 30 September
All the prices are valid in 2011, subject to change without prior notices
(Except for Christmas from  24 to 26 Dec  2011 and New Year from 31 Dec  to 5 Jan 2012)
Hotel selection:

Or similar hotels
Tour inclusions:
- Hotel accommodation with buffet breakfast (based on twin sharing)
- All meals indicated in the program (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
- All ground transport on tour with A/C vehicles, trishaw(also called cyclo), motorbike, return train tickets, boats, 2 domestic flights
- All entrance fees for sightseeing and shows
- Visa application on arrival
- Local English, French, Chinese speaking guide (other languages upon request)
- Daily cold bottles of water and towels
Tour exclusions:
- International flight tickets to and from Vietnam
- Personal Insurance
- Visa fee at the airport on arrival in Vietnam 525,000 vnd/pax
- Personal expenses such as drinks, laundry, tips, other meals etc.
- All other accounts not mentioned in the above inclusions.