Tranquil Vietnam in 15 Days – Vietnam Travel

Your trip begins with your arrival in Vietnam. Your private driver will meet and greet you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel by private transportation. Check in to the hotel and get over the jet lag. You can mooch through the streets of the city. Historic charm, architectural marvels, and various products are splashed all over this area. After enjoying the first day yourself and return to the hotel for a relaxing sleep.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Have breakfast at your hotel then our tour guide will pick up you and drive through narrow streets come to the meeting point to join a group at the historic Old quarter our first stop is to visit the French Quarter and visit the Opera House where you will learn about French colonial and architectural and the history.

Our Vespa rider you driver you to the second destination to see the railway train tracks, we can see how of the locals' life & work, just Centimetre from the train tracks in tall narrow houses.

After a short ride on the Vespa toward Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, our rider will stop at the point you can see the overview of the area including the president's place, the parliament house, and all government offices, our guide will tell you about the history and story about Hanoi.

Now time continues riding through pass to see the botanical garden and ride through Small Alley see the narrow houses to visit Huu Hiep Lake to see the B52 Crash site at the lake, this US bomber was shot down during the 1972 bombing raids of Hanoi, a poignant reminder of recent history.

On our next ride is to visit west lake one of the biggest lakes in Hanoi city, at some point we can see an overview of the city with beautiful houses and amazing views and see part of the rich people living.

Driver to Thanh Nien street Next to the West lake is Truc Bach lake where we stop at the monument of John MC Cain and see the lake and the place he gets shot down, you will learn about the story of John MC Cain.

It's back on the Vespa for the ride to the An Duong market to see where local people come to buy and sell fresh vegetables and food for daily life and stroll around this huge, bustling place taking in the vibrant atmosphere that typifies Hanoi.

Our next ride takes us along the riverside to get on the red river island to visit a hidden gem village, here also see the poor part of people live, see people farming on this island, and also have a chance to meet and chat with people live on this island, and our guide will take you to visit a local family to see how about the daily life.

Then now we drive up through the banana farm to see the beautiful green of the vegetable farm along the way. Now is the time we get to visit Kumquat farm these little trees are traditional gifts at Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year, and adorn every family home, symbolizing Luck. Health, Wealth, Fertility, and peace.

After a long drive and visiting now our time for relaxing and enjoying Vietnamese coffee you could try the famous coffee of Hanoi Egg coffee.

After all our last destination we then ride out of the city to the Long Bien Bridge, a magnificent structure build over a hundred years ago with spans the red river and connects the Hoan Kiem and Long Bien districts, and provides shelter to locals living on the boats underneath, on motorbikes & bicycle can traverse so off we go!

We then get on the Vespa and head to the local restaurant for you to enjoy the Vietnamese cuisine, after lunch, our Vespa team will ride you back to your hotel stay or you can get off anywhere you want just tell our rider.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Have breakfast at the hotel then you will be picked up by an experienced English-speaking guide and travel to Ba Vi, a countryside located on the outskirt of Hanoi. The approximate travel time is one hour and 30 minutes.

Then arriving at Mr. Duoc’s house, you will be welcomed with fresh honey tea and green lentils or lotus seeds that made by his family. Imagine a Vietnam in the old time of war through the stories of Mr. Duoc, who is a Vietnam War veteran and lived during those hard times. He is also a green tea expert, you will visit his tea plantation which is one of the largest in Ri village, and will join the locals in green tea processing. Afterward, have a Vietnamese cooking demonstration with another local host Mrs. Chin and then enjoy a home-cooked lunch in a lovely garden.

After that, you will wander around the village and mingle with local people. You will visit the local craftsman who has been skilled at making conical hats from a very young age and other workshops in the village to see how people there make tofu or shell the rice. As you meander through the countryside you will experience the friendliness of the local people greeting you along the way. Then join your guides for a leisurely cycling trip along the country roads. Observe traditional Vietnamese rural life as the local people work in the paddy fields. Along the way, watch out for a water buffalo plowing a paddy field while ducks swim across the lake. Stop at another host family for foot bathing prepared by the recipes of the Muong ethnic group and have a relaxing time before embarking on your private boat for a trip along the Da river.

Later, enjoy a transfer from Ba Vi back to your accommodation.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Have breakfast at the hotel and get ready for the 3 hours trip from Hanoi to Ninh Binh by private vehicle.

Upon arrival, you will have free time. You could spend time exploring Ninh Binh.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel. We will start at Ninh Hai Village where you get a mountain bicycle and start cycling to explore the rural villages and the valley. Our tour guide will take you cycling through the villages and take you to visit a local family to learn and see how about the daily life of the people here and then cycling again through narrow trail road of the rural way and cycling through pass the green and beautiful green rice paddies fields to visit Emerald Cave. After visiting the cave, continue cycling through Thung Nang Valley where you can take amazing beautiful scenery and landscape, and our tour continues cycling through back street through the Tam Coc Valley. Then we have a break at the Tam Coc Valley where you can see the spectacular limestone mountain that we call Halong on land.

After that, we cycled to visit the local market to meet before we headed to our local home restaurant.

13.20 PM: Board the sampan boats (2 people share a boat) in Tam Coc dock to drift down the river among the villages, mountains, and lush rice fields. Passing through 3 caves “Hang Ca – First cave, Hang Hai – Second cave, Hang Ba – Third cave” to get a strange feeling.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

After breakfast, you’ll take a 3.5-hour-drive to Halong Bay, one of the great nature in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Upon arrival, the boat crew will welcome you and transfer you to the junk for check-in and enjoy a cruise around Halong Bay with a delicious local seafood lunch served on board. At the same time, you can behold thousands of limestone islands and grottoes rising from the clear, emerald water. After lunch, you’ll join some activities on the boat to discover the beauty of the bay such as visiting a cave or enjoying swimming in the sea before getting back to the junk for relaxation and dinner. In the evening, you can join night fishing with locals.

Overnight on board.

In the morning, your breakfast will be served while floating on the sea to explore the beauty of Halong Bay before disembarking time. Joining some more activities on a boat and then checking out the cabin. The early lunch will be served before getting back to the main dock and back to Ha Noi for a flight to Hue.

Overnight in Hue.

The Imperial City of Hue is not only famous for the Citadel and the royal family but also for the delectable traditional dishes that are hard to replicate. Within the Hue food tour by cyclo, you will be able to explore the culinary arts of Hue and taste the foods that were being served to the Imperial family and high-ranking officials for an affordable price while touring around the beautiful city in cyclo.

Itinerary:

We will pick you up at your hotel and start the tour by riding on a cyclo. On the cyclo, you will see the historical and colorful Trang Tien Bridge on the way to the other bank of the river. Our first stop is at the oldest and the biggest market in Hue city, Dong Ba market, where you can see and try most of the ingredients used in making almost all the Hue specialty dishes and fresh local fruits. After enjoying snacks, fresh fruits, and buying souvenirs, we will get you around the city for a while and drink coffee at a very nice place. Then, the cyclo will take you to some local restaurants. This time you can sit down and enjoy the best local dishes of Hue while listening to the guide’s explanation of how to make and eat them. After the series of dishes, you will enjoy a very special dessert that originated in Hue before heading back to your hotel.

Overnight in Hue.

Have breakfast at the hotel. The guide will pick you up around 8:00-8:30 am, and you will head to the boat station, from where you will take a boat trip. The dragon boat will cruise along the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, which is considered to be the most beautiful pagoda in Vietnam. Then you will head to the Imperial Citadel, the residence of the Nguyen Dynasty, which was Vietnam’s last royal dynasty. Then you will visit The Royal Antiques Museum, one of the first museums in Vietnam. Many collections of ancient Hue and Royal antiques are displayed here: bronze wares, china, music instruments, royal attires, and personal belongings of the Emperor family of the Nguyen Dynasty. Then continue to Dong Ba market – the best place for cultural gifts and souvenirs.

Have lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon you will visit the Emperor's Tombs such as Emperor Khai Dinh's (1885-1925) Tomb, famous for its beauty and unique architectural style, and Emperor Minh Mang's (1791-1841) Tomb. On the way back to Hue you will have a stopover at the Conical Hat village to see how famous Vietnamese traditional hats Non-La are produced, and the Incense stick-making village to observe how locals make sandalwood and cinnamon incenses.

Arrive back at your hotel around 4:00-4:30 pm.

Overnight in Hue.

08:45 am-09:00 am: Our team will meet you at your hotel in Hue city. Briefing safety rules and routes from our tour guide. Under his experienced technical guidance, you will find the easy way to manage your bicycle. Soon you will be pedaling on the green and shady paths, passing communal houses along the river's canals and through rice fields to head to Thanh Toan bridge.

Upon arrival at Thuy Thanh village, free to shop at the local market, followed by a visit to the Agricultural Museum to learn about the tools used by farmers in Vietnam (plows, sickles, hoes, rice-hulling mills, etc). Join the folkgames for fun. You can even join in with some agricultural activities if you like!

Lunch at the local homestay in the village with delicious local food. You’re invited to join cooking with the host, a lovely couple Nua & Sy who remain their authentic talented skills of gardening and cooking and friendly share to you. After lunch, the car transferred toward An Bang Cemetery. Well off the usual tourist trail lies the biggest cemetery in the country, locally known as City of Ghosts. After Vietnamese reunification in 1975, many residents of An Bang Village emigrated to Europe and the USA. From here, they sent money back to their relatives who stayed behind, making it one of the wealthiest villages in Vietnam. According to the villagers’ beliefs, having a meticulously cared for and decorated tomb will bring the family good fortune, and if the village of An Bang is anything to go by, their extensive efforts seem to have paid off!

Later, drive to An Truyen village. On arrival, embark the motor sampan to visit Dam Chuon, in the Tam Giang lagoon – the biggest lagoon system in South East Asia. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the local life on the lagoon. You will be visiting a family farm, where you could learn how to catch fish in a very unique way. Snap a couple of nice shots of the lagoon before stopping by a local restaurant, to enjoy some cold drinks with the fish you have caught. Back to the hotel.

17:30-18:00. End the adventure.

Overnight in Hue.

Breakfast at the hotel. Then, taking the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Check-in your hotel and free at your leisure time to get your energy back.

Depart from Ho Chi Minh city (clients’ own arrangement of land transportation from Ho Chi Minh City to Cai Be: approx. 120km). Arrive at Cai Be, greet at Cai Be harbor, and boat trip transfer to Mekong Lodge. Check-in your accommodation. After that, daily lunch is served in a nice restaurant with a Vietnamese day menu. On the afternoon arrival date, guests are going to have a bike tour around the area nearby Lodge, do countryside sightseeing, visit Kim Phuoc Pagoda (option 1: approx 1hrs30’) OR option 2: approx 2hrs30’ with an extra visit to the local market.). Cooking demonstration in the evening & dinner in the restaurant. -Riverside Bar is open until midnight. Overnight in Mekong EcoLodge.

Have breakfast at your accommodation. Then take a boat trip to Cai Be market, visit handicraft villages, then transferred to Mekong Lodge. Daily lunch is served in a nice restaurant with a Vietnamese day menu. The second-day program will be included a bike trip to Tan Phong island: visit some local handicrafts: handmade banana leaves hammock, thatched from water coconut leaves, daily house products being made from water hyacinth, free fruit tasting & Vietnamese folk music. Then take a small rowing boat to a small canal (approx 30’). Carvings on fruits or carrots in the evening & dinner in the restaurant.

-Riverside Bar is open until midnight.

Overnight in Mekong EcoLodge.

Have breakfast at your accommodation. Today you have a full morning relaxation in Mekong Lodge after 2 days of activities.

Take a boat transfer to Cai Be Harbor and catch your bus again to Ho Chi Minh.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Relish a healthy breakfast on the final day of your trip. Complete the hotel check-out formalities after which you can visit the local markets and buy souvenirs for your loved ones. Later, proceed for departure and board your flight back home.

Trip Ends.

Goodbye and safe travel!