Hello Dao Phuong Tu,
We would like to thank you very much for the wonderful trip you have planned for us !!! We feel that the time has been used properly in order to maximize our pleasure from our visit in Vietnam.
Overall the guides were very good and the hotels were located in central spots that allowed us to enjoy the places by ourselves. Also we have enjoyed from the hotels and from the restaurants that have been chosen for us.
Yet, we would like to attract your attention to the following:
1. Although it seems that the guide in Hanoi has a lot of experience and a very good English, he was the only one that was late to get us from the airport and from the train station. It seems he didn't check the time tables in both cases, and we've spent a lot of time waiting and looking for him.
2. There is a need to consider late check out, or any other solution for freshen up before taking the train from Sapa back to Hanoi. The Spa shower that was offered by our hotel, in order to freshen up before leaving, was smelly and dirty.
3. Also, the room we have got in Sapa had such a poor flow of water that we couldn't shower. On the second day, according to our request, we were moved to another room that was ok.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN !!!
Yours sincerely,
Elisa & Itzik
PROGRAM DETAIL
Day 01 . Tue 26 September 2017 : Saigon arrival (VJ877 @20:15) (-) | Guide and driver
Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), you will be welcomed by your guide and taken to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for your own exploration. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh
Day 02 . Wed 27 September 2017 : Saigon city tour (B, L) | Guide and driver
You will be picked up at 8:00am from your hotel in Saigon, to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post Office. The Saigon city tour then continues along Dong Khoi Street, where the Opera House and the Peoples’ Committee building, built in 1897 by French architect Ferret Eugene, are situated. The 800 seat Opera House served as the home of the Lower House Assembly of South Vietnam after 1956. You will then visit The Reunification Palace, formerly known as Presidential Palace, which was the residence of the president of South Vietnam until the end of April 1975. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, you will visit the War Remnants Museum formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes. This is a poignant display of the futility of war. Next on the sightseeing list is Thien Hau Pagoda located in Cho Lon, the city’s Chinatown. This pagoda is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. The most impressive features of the structure are the intricate friezes and the carved tableaus towards the front of the pagoda. The impressive incense coils inside the pagoda also make for some great photos. Another site that cannot be missed is Binh Tay Market or ‘Cho Lon’, which can be roughly translated to ‘big market’. Although the whole district lives up to its name a visit to this market really says it all. Selling everything from fake Ray Bans to dried squid, you are bound to enjoy a walk through the maze of stalls in this bustling market. your tour of Saigon will end with a visit to a lacquer ware workshop. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
Note: Binh Tay market, an 88 year old structure is going under a comprehensive 365-day-restoration project starting from Nov 2016. During this renovation time, the visit will be arranged at temporary market, located on Thap Muoi Street, just opposite the existing market, with space for up to 1,077 stalls.
Day 03 . Thu 28 September 2017 : Saigon - Ben Tre - Saigon (B, L) | Guide and driver
You will be picked up at your hotel at 8:30am and driven to Ben Tre. Upon arrival at Hung Vuong pier you will embark a boat to cruise on Ben Tre River, one of the tributaries of the Mekong River. Enjoy the lively activities on the river like fishing and water transferring. You will stop at a brick-factory, to see how bricks are made by hand in a traditional way. Your next stop is one of numerous coconut processing workshops located along the canal.
Take a bicycle-cart along a village path and stop at a farmer’s house for lunch. You then talk a walk to a mat-weaving village before embarking small rowing-boats to travel along palm tree lined waterways back to Hung Vuong pier. You return to Ho Chi Minh City, stopping along the way to visit the beautiful Vinh Trang Pagoda. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 04 . Fri 29 September 2017 : Saigon - fly to Danang - Hoi An walking tour (VN120 SGN DAD 1000 1120 by Asiatica) (B) | Guide and driver
Breakfast at hotel. At 7:30, you are transfered to the airport for flight to Danang. On arrival, be picked up from the airport to hotel in Hoi An for check in.
In the afternoon, you will be taken on a half-day walking tour through the narrow, winding streets of Hoi An’s ancient town, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese assembly halls, the 200- year old Tan Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Following the tour you can explore the town and go shopping on your own. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 05 . Sat 30 September 2017 : Hoi An - Danang - Hue (B, L) | Guide and driver
After having breakfast at hotel, drive to Hue. Stops en route are the sensational Marble Mountain, Danang Beach and Danang city for a visit to the Cham Museum & Marble Mountain. We then follow the road over the scenic Hai Van Pass before arriving in Hue, the last imperial capital of Vietnam.
The afternoon will be spent visiting Hue Imperial City, the last royal city of Vietnam with various beautiful structures including the Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace and the Forbidden Purple City or Tu Cam Thanh.
We then stroll through the bustling Dong Ba Market, passing many fantastic eating spots where visitors have a chance to sample various local delicacies. Overnight at hotel in Hue.
Day 06 . Sun 01 October 2017 : Hue- Thuy Bieu village - fly to Hanoi (VN1544 HUIHAN 1920 2035 by Asiatica) (B, L) | Guide and driver
Start the day with a visit to Minh Mang Mausoleum, one of Hue's finest royal tombs. An architectural complex compromised of 40 buildings (palaces, temples, pavilions, etc.). Then, we will take a boat trip on poetic Perfume River. Stop to visit Thien Mu Pagoda (Celestial Lady Pagoda) built in 1601 - the symbol of Hue city. Cruise toward Thuy Bieu eco-village, an old laid back village situated on the bank of Perfume River known for its green tea fruit orchards. Arrive in the village, and join our cooking class to prepare Hue’s signature dishes with our chef’s instruction, then enjoy your creations in the open air riverside restaurant surrounded by lush trees. The afternoon is reserved for walking through the peaceful village, visiting several communal houses, ancient temples and the garden-house, a typical and unique feature of Hue. Soaking your feet in medicinal herb water followed by an excellent blind massage will refresh them after a day of sightseeing. Then transfer to the airport for flight to Hanoi. On arrival, transfer to hotel for check in & overnight
Day 07 . Mon 02 October 2017 : Hanoi city tour - train to Lao Cai (B, L) | Guide and driver
You will be picked up at the hotel at 8:00am. Starting the day trip will be a visit of the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which compromises Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum (closed on Mondays & Fridays), his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh Museum. We will then visit the Temple of Literature constructed in 1070 to worship Confucius, which served as the first Royal National University in Vietnam. The site also honors 82 Vietnamese doctorates who passed a number of rigid exams in the feudal ages. Their names, birthdays and birthplaces are engraved in 82 headstones perched on stone tortoises. It is widely believed that touching the heads of these tortoises will bring luck. Its peaceful green compound with its neatly maintained lawns, gardens and lotus ponds make it a tranquil hideaway from the city’s bustle and heat. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays, the alternative being the History Museum), which offers informative and well-documented displays of the country’s 54 ethnic groups, including elaborate and colorful hill tribe costumes. The display continues in the museum’s garden with fascinating examples of traditional houses of numerous minority groups, from the Kinhs to the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands. Then back to the Old Quarter for a 1 hour cyclo tour. We then head to Ngoc Son Temple set on a tiny island in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake. Ngoc Son Temple dates back to the 13th century, and the lake itself is the picturesque heart of Hanoi, frequented by tourists and locals alike. Relax at a mini hotel until being picked up to the railway station for night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train (private cabin)
Day 08 . Tue 03 October 2017 : Lao Cai arrival - Sapa - Coc Ly market (B, L) | Guide and driver
Arrive in Lao Cai 6:00am, after having breakfast, follow national road 70 traveling through the lush farm land of Lao Cai province for 42 km to Phong Nien Commune, turn left and follow provincial road 154 which sneaks through the country side along the Chay river for 17 km to Coc Ly which offers beautiful scenery of high mountains, narrow valleys and terraced rice paddies. Enjoy several photo stops along the way, especially of the beautiful tear farms near Phong Hai. Arrive in the market place at about 09.00am, at crowded time of the market. Join local ethnic peoples for about 2 hours of the morning to enjoy the exciting atmosphere as well as activities of this weekly market. Walk from section to sections, corner to corners, seeing and smelling of different local product, spices, vegetable, farming tools, handicraft, even medicinal herb…especially meeting smiling peoples every where. Coc Ly is also famous cattle market where local farmers from villages in the region sell and by cows, horses, water buffaloes, pigs…, and there is a large ground just beside the main market place for this activity. The market is always crowded for the whole morning and over after lunch time. Leaving the market at noon, have lunch then boarding a motor boat and cruising down stream the Chay River for 1.5 hour to Trung Do village of the Tay which is beautifully set on the bank of the river. Spend about an hour walking to explore this charming village before continuing the boat trip briefly to Bao Nhai. Back to Sapa for overnight
Day 09 . Wed 04 October 2017 : Sapa - Lao Chai - Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai (B, L) | Guide and driver
The day is devoted to a beautiful hike through the breathtaking scenery of Sa Pa valley. Start by road that descends in the wake of the street Cau May (6 km) En route, admire the rice terraces hidden behind mist of the morning, a truly awe-inspiring sight.
Follow a small track and cross Muong Hoa River and pass well tended rice terraces on your way to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai. Continuing through the colorful rice terraces you will reach the village of Ta Van Giay. As you continue your trek along the Muong Hoa River you will cross a small suspension bridge, roughly 2km from the settlement. Here you can discover a fascinating collection of rock carvings. These engravings depict some beautiful images of man, stilt houses and some beautiful decorative patterns. We lunch in a home in the village. After lunch the walk continues through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic minority village. After taking a rest nearby a waterfall to refresh, you start climbing uphill to a road where the car is ready for your journey back to Sapa.
Approx: 1-hour driving/ 4 hours walking/ 1-hour lunch.
Day 10 . Thu 05 October 2017 : Sapa - Waterfall - Fanxipan peak - night train to Hanoi (B, L) | Guide and driver
After breakfast, private transport will take you to Silver Waterfall, the highest in Vietnam with a 300m drop. An ascent to the base of the waterfall will enable you to explore the surrounding landscape. This is a famous spot and is regularly visited by monks to pray. After that, we are driven to Tram Ton Pass where we will trek 30 minutes through the forest. Along the way, you have chances to see wild flowers. Trekking along the Golden Stream, you will arrive at Love Waterfall. It is the best place for relax in Sapa, returning to Tram Ton Pass. Then we continue our drive uphill to the Heavens Gate, the highest stretch of road in Vietnam as well as the provincial border of Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces. Enjoy fantastic view over the valley!
After that we will be transferred to cable car station where we will have 25 minutes travelling to Fanispan Mountain where is considered to be the most beautifal landscape of Vietnam now. Reach the altitute of 2800 meters, you have a good time to see the view and take photos, visit pagoda the spiritual destinations and trek up to 600 steps you will reach the peak of Fansipan - the Roof of Indochina. ( Spend about 1,5 hours for hiking and taking photos). In the late afternoon the car will pick you up for the return journey to Lao Cai to catch the night train back to Hanoi.
Overnight on the train (private cabin)
Day 11 . Fri 06 October 2017 : Hanoi arrival - Tam Coc (B, L) | Guide and driver
We will arrive at Hanoi train station at 5:30am where you will be picked up brought to a small hotel to freshen up and have breakfast, then our car and guide will pick you up to travel to Hoa Lu – the former capital of Vietnam, about a two-hour drive from Hanoi. On arrival, you will visit two temples, one of them dedicated to Emperor Dinh and the other in memory of Emperor Le, followed by a brief visit to the remains of the Old Palace. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will visit Tam Coc (three caves), a peaceful valley among limestone ‘karst’ hills, There, you will be rowed along a gentle river between paddy fields and through the caves. After the boat trip in Tam Coc, the rest of day we will take the ox-cart along winding roads passing lotus ponds, temples and cottages, typical of Vietnamese countryside to visit Bich Dong Pagoda situated on a hillside. Overnight in hotel in Tam Coc.
Day 12 . Sat 07 October 2017 : Ninh Binh - Halong (B, L, D) | Guide and driver
After breakfast depart to Halong Bay via Thai Binh and Nam Dinh, passing a peaceful countryside typical of Red River Delta with endless rice fields and winding rivers. We will arrive at Halong’s tourist wharf around noon and embark an elegant wooden junk. Lunch will be served while the boat gently cruises past numerous islands and limestone structures rising from the emerald water. A fresh seafood dinner will be prepared by an experienced chef and served on deck. A peaceful night on board in your private cabin.
Day 13 . Sun 08 October 2017 : Halong – Hanoi (B) | Guide and driver
Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay you have time for an early morning dip while the sun rises, followed by breakfast on board. You will continue to sail through the bay during the morning to explore more secluded areas. The junk will stay close at all times serving as a backup vessel for those that require it. Around midday we will return to the main harbor and return to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanol
Day 14 . Mon 09 October 2017 : Hanoi departure (BL678 @09:35AM) (B) | Guide and driver
You may have your breakfast taken away or have early breakfast, then transferred to the airport at 6:30AM for departure flight.
End of our services!