Vietnam Inspiration 14 Days - CHARMED BY VIETNAM

We pick you up at 8:30 AM for a short transfer outside of Hanoi, we have this morning to learn about Hanoi villages’ life, its traditions, customs.

We walk and cycle along the villages, visit local markets, some old houses, their worshipping temples and communal houses. Then, we have a small food demonstration before our lunch at one of the local family’s houses here.

In the afternoon, we catch your van for a short drive to Lien Mac, a beautiful area of immaculately tended vegetables and flowers. Here you hop on the bike again and get a close- up look at the colourful fields and have the chance to chat with some of the local people out caring for their crops.  Stop by a “tofu family” to explore how they make tofu and you can try their fresh products. Bid your farewells, and catch the van back to your hotel in Hanoi at around 4:30 PM.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, water, local bike, community development fund.

Depart from your Hanoi hotel at 8:00 AM transferring to Mai Chau on our spectacular 4 hour drive. Upon arrival at Poom Coom village in Mai Chau, we take a short walk to visit the ethnic Thai people then lunch is served.

At 1:00 PM, take a short car ride in about 1 hour before we set off for our hiking through the beauty of Pu Luong nature reserve, the trek is intermediate level and requires some walking up hills but it’s worth your hike as we see many spectacular views of villages and terraces.

Arrival at the Thai stilt homestay in the late afternoon. Free time to rest and shower, then a traditional dinner with our host family. Overnight here.

Driving Distance: about 230 km

Trekking Distance: about 9 km (3 hours)

Trail Difficulty: 3/5

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, lunch, dinner, water, homestay with permit.

Wake up early today is recommended as your chance to witness more local activities in the morning. After having our breakfast, we say good- bye to our host by around 8.00 AM for our good hike ahead.

More trek today through hidden gems of Pu Luong including beautiful view of valleys, nice terraces and peaceful villages.

We stop for our picnic lunch then continue our trek through more villages to reach to Hieu village in the afternoon.

Take rest as you wish then you are free to stroll around the village to interact with the locals and visit the beautiful waterfall nearby. Back to the homestay for dinner and overnight at homestay. Contact us if you wish to stay at an Eco lodge at Hieu village, instead of homestay.

Trekking Distance: about 12 km (5 – 6 hours)

Trail Difficulty: 3/5

Inclusion: Guide, entrance fee, water, all meals, homestay with permit.

Your last day here at this beautiful nature reserve and friendly villagers so take the chance to explore around on your own or with our guide around the village.

We then take an easy walk in about 1,5 hours to the town-let of this nature reserve where you van is waiting for us.

Lunch at one of the local restaurants before having a scenic drive back to Hanoi. Finish our trip at your hotel around 5:00 PM.

Driving Distance: about 235 km

Trekking Distance: 8 km

Trail Difficulty: 2/5

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, water, breakfast, lunch, hotel.

Departure for Ha Long Bay is around 8:00 AM in a shared van. Arrive at the port around 12:30 PM. Welcomed on board, you are taken to your cabin before the trip briefing while you cruise to Bai Tu Long Bay and admire the fascinating formations. Visit Thien Canh Son cave. Then relax at our secluded island-beach or explore by kayak. Later you return back to the boat just in time to watch the beautiful sunset from the top deck before enjoying the bay’s freshest seafood dinner.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide on boat, morning shower, entrance fee, kayak, boat / junk, all meals, permits.

Early risers can enjoy the sunrise and the quiet breath-taking beauty of Bay’s landscape with towering limestone. You have breakfast at around 8:00 AM before our short rowboat by the locals of the bay.

Lunch on the boat as we slowly cruise back to boat pier. Hit the road back to Hanoi around 5:30 PM.

Hotel then pick up around 6:30 PM for the night train to Hue. Boarding is at 7:30 PM. You are in a shared AC soft sleeper cabin.

Inclusion: Transfers, guide on boat, entrance fee, boat/junk, breakfast, lunch, train ticket.

Arrival in Hue at around 09:00 AM. Station pick up then transfer to a prearranged hotel. Shower, short rest and breakfast.

Departure from your hotel for our morning explorations to visit the Imperial city to learn all about the royal kingdom here in the past. We then visit Thien Mu Pagoda and learn more about Buddhism in Vietnam. Have Lunch at the restaurant.

After lunch, you embark for a beautiful boat ride downstream with pleasant viewing along the Perfume River to reach Tien Non pier. Our afternoon start with biking to visit the flower village of Tien Non, it’s just lovely to be among different types of flowers, then cycle a bit more to visit Thanh Tien paper flower making village, you can try to make one by yourself. After that, we visit village where they make traditional folk painting, more ride through the beautiful and peaceful countryside of Hue before hitting the road back to your hotel for about 5:00 PM.

Cycling Distance: 14 km

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, bike & helmet, morning shower, breakfast, lunch, water, local boat, hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel around 8:30 AM, we go on a relaxing 1 hour Vietnam cyclo ride to visit Dong Ba market then explore the Royal Tombs, choosing only to visit the best ones, as we have lots to do today. Visit Ming Mang or Khai Dinh Royal Tombs.

After itis time to begin our transfer to Hoian (about 4 hours). There is fabulous sightseeing en route and we may make stops at: Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Cham Museum, and the Marble Mountains depending on time. Hoian in the evening. Overnight here.

Tip: This is a very good chance for you to get great tailor-made clothes at reasonable prices. Hoian is well known for its tailoring.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, water, Vietnam cyclo, hotel.

At 8.00 AM, we meet at your hotel for a very short transfer to the boat docks, we boat to a fishing village where you see & experience the life of a fisherman here, activities from preparing the fishing tools to go fishing. Followed by a short basket boat row along the village of water coconut before our lunch.

We then cycle along the country road through the paddy fields of rice, coconut or corn heading to the main town of Hoian.

Our afternoon is continued with sightseeing to the famous cultural sites around Hoian, we end our trip at around 5:00 PM at your hotel.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, local bike, local boat & basket, breakfast, lunch, water & snack, hotel. 

Breakfast at the hotel then transfer to the airport in Da Nang for an early morning flight to HCM City. Touchdown then transfer and check-in to your hotel before our city tour of bustling HCM City. Visit the Binh Tay Market in Cho Lon; stopover at Thien Hau, a 150-year-old Chinese Temple; then visit a Lacquer-wares workshop as well as the Jade Emperor Pagoda. In the afternoon visit the War Remnants Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the historic Central Post Office. We drop you off at your hotel around 5:30 PM.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, domestic flight ticket, hotel.

Departing HCM City at 8:00 AM from your hotel for a morning excursion to Tay Ninh and the Great Cao Dai Temple (a place to worship a mixture of Buddhism, Confucius, Taoism, Hinduism and Christianity). Take part in the noon mass at the temple (1 hour). Lunch in Tay Ninh.

In the afternoon we visit the Cu Chi outdoor museum to learn about the infamous tunnel systems of the Viet Cong. Take this opportunity to get a unique understanding of the guerillas underground fighting strategies during the war. Crawl through 50 to 100 meters of the 200 km tunnel system if you dare. On the way back to HCM City visit a local rice paper workshops and take in views of the Vietnam countryside. We drop you off at your hotel around 5:30 PM. Overnight at your hotel.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, hotel.

Getting started at 8:00 AM from your hotel, then a drive about 70 km out of HCM City to see Mekong Delta life around My Tho. Upon arrival Ben Tre, drift down the busy branches of the Mekong and into its peaceful canals. We visit a brick kiln and a coconut shell husking workshop. See the daily life of farmers and try the hard work taking shell of the coconut that is unique to the region.

More boat cruise inner the natural waterways, we visit a coconut-candy workshop, a main product that made Ben Tre famous then visit a local market and farmer workshop making sleeping mats, an old tradition hand weaving sedge mat or rush mat. 

And now, the Mekong adventure is on, see what life is really like for locals by explore this quiet island by bicycle or more relaxing way by hop on a Lambretta triporteur an old 1960 traditional tricycle in south Vietnam which is winding around the coconut palms, bitter melon or cucumber farms to a farmer house that we break for lunch and relax.

In the afternoon, we walk a bit more of coconut farms and fruit orchards of this village then enjoy the local hand – rowing sampan slowly cruise under the canopy of water coconut palms along the canals. Our boat picks us again and cruises back to the boat landing in Ben Tre town. Head back to HCM City. Tour ends around 5:00 PM.

Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, local boat trip, breakfast, lunch, hotel.

Breakfast at hotel. Depending on your flight you may have some more time for shopping. Then we transfer you to the airport for your flight home. Goodbye, and hope to see you again soon!

Inclusion: Transfer, breakfast.