Itinerary
Tour Code: GVCST-01
Tour Route: Ho Chi Minh city – Mekong Delta – Nha Trang – Hoi An – Danang – Hue – Hanoi – Lao Cai – Sapa – Halong Bay – Hanoi.
Tour Duration: 19 Days/ 18 Nights
Designed Itinerary by: Jenny Trinh – Travel Advisor – Mob/WhatsAp/Viber: +84 987184390/ E-mail: jenny@greendiscoveryindochina.com
Tour Description
Taste Of Vietnam – 19 Days/ 18 Nights allow you to travel through the length of Vietnam, stopping in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi with the beaches, mountainous and small towns of the central coast in between. This trip also offers you the chance to enjoy and explore Vietnamese cuisine and traditional culture.
Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages of Vietnam, and features a combination of five fundamental tastes in the overall meal. Each Vietnamese dish has a distinctive flavor which reflects one or more of these elements. Common ingredients include fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables
While sharing some key features, Vietnamese culinary tradition differs from region to region.
In northern Vietnam, a colder climate limits the production and availability of spice. As a result, the foods there are often less spicy than those in other regions.
The abundance of spices produced by central Vietnam’s mountainous terrain makes this region’s cuisine notable for its spicy food, which sets it apart from the two other regions of Vietnam where foods are mostly not spicy.
The warm weather and fertile soil of southern Vietnam create an ideal condition for growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and livestock. As a result, foods in southern Vietnam are often vibrant and flavorful, with liberal uses of garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs.
This Taste Of Vietnam 19 Days/ 18 Nights we will bring you to explore all most of the best sightseeing places in Vietnam and offer you the chance to enjoy our authentic Vietnamese cuisine at three regions. Let’s immerse yourself in a wonderful range of cultural experiences, scenic delights and exotic cuisines that exist outside of your home country. Get to know the local practices and people, explore the history and heritage, and find yourself leaving more culturally enriched than when you embarked on your journey.
Whether you’re looking to immerse yourself the unique foods, diverse languages or the enriching cultural experiences that are to be encountered along the way, Green Discovery Indochina can ensure that you not only visit a destination, but that you truly experience it.
BRIEF ITINERARY:
Day 1: Arrival SAIGON CITY (D)
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City Tour – Dinner on Bonsai Cruise (B/L/D)
Day 3: SAIGON CITY – Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple (B/L)
Day 4: HCM City – Mekong Delta (B/L)
Day 5: Mekong Delta – HCM City (B/L)
Day 5: Mekong Delta – HCM City (B/L)
Day 7: Nha Trang – Emperor Cruise – Sunset Party and Dinner (B/L)
Day 8: Nha Trang (B)
Day 9: Nha Trang – Danang – Hoian (B)
Day 10: Boat trip Hoi an – Visit Market and Cultural Immersion Cooking Class (Breakfast/Lunch)
Day 11: Hoian – Danang – Hue (B/D)
Day 12: Hue – Royal Banquet Dinner (B/L/ Dinner)
Day 13: Hue – Hanoi – Cooking Class – Welcome Dinner (B/L)
Day 14: Hanoi – Lao Cai (B)
Day 15: Lao Cai – Sapa (B/L)
Day 16: Sapa – Lao Cai (B/L)
Day 17: Lao Cai – Hanoi – Halong Bay (B/L/D)
Day 18: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B/L/D)
Day 19: Departure Hanoi (B)
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DETAIL ITINERARY:
Day 1: Arrival SAIGON CITY (D)
You will be met at the SAIGON CITY airport by your guide, who will take you to your hotel to check in. You’ll have free time to relax or explore Saigon Old Town on your own.
At 19:00 Meet our local guide again for Welcome Dinner at local restaurant in town.
The warm weather and fertile soil of southern Vietnam create an ideal condition for growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and livestock. As a result, foods in southern Vietnam are often vibrant and flavorful, with liberal uses of garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs. Sugar is added to food more than in the other regions. The preference for sweetness in southern Vietnam can also be seen through the widespread use of coconut milk in southern Vietnamese cuisine. Vast shorelines make seafood a natural staple for people in this region. Some signature seafood dishes from southern Vietnam include bánh khọt and bún mắm
After dinner, transfer back to your hotel. Free at your own leisure.
Overnight in Saigon.
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City Tour – Dinner on Bonsai Cruise (B/L/D)
You will begin your urban experience in bustling SAIGON CITY (formerly Saigon), the country’s commercial center and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. You will visit Chinatown, the Thien Hau Pagoda, the Reunification Palace, the Opera House and the Hotel de Ville. If you so desire, you can also visit the moving War Remnants Museum.
Next up, you will explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city’s main shopping boulevard with shops selling clothes and accessories by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares.
At 18:30 Meet our local guide and driver again for the unforgettable dinner on Bonsai Cruise.
You will surely be ready for another relaxing overnight stay in SAIGON CITY.
Day 4: HCM City – Mekong Delta (B/L)
You will head to lush My Tho, where you will cruise on a private boat through the green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where we you will be treated to a delicious lunch in a local restaurant in the heart of the Mekong, complete with tropical fruits. You will also visit the Dong Tam snake farm, which breeds snakes for (among other things) snake wine. You will also visit VinhTrang Pagoda, which exhibits a combination of Asian and European styles.
You will then arrive in Can Tho for an overnight stay.
Day 5: Mekong Delta – HCM City (B/L)
You will wake up to the sounds of the Mekong River welcoming a new day and take a boat trip to join in the Cai Rang floating market. This is one of the most bustling floating markets in the Mekong Delta, with hundreds of small boats jostling for space to sell their goods. After sampling local fruits, your guide will escort you back to the hotel through the myriad canals. You will have lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight stay.
Alternative for early birds: Join the floating market on the “The Lady Hau” cruise.
Enjoy breakfast on the “Lady Hau” while cruising to the floating market. When the “Lady Hau” arrives at Cai Rang floating market, guests are transferred to a local traditional boat to enter the market.
Then, continue cruising with the hotel’s guide along narrow creeks to visit a noodle factory and an orchard. After sampling local fruits, our guide will escort you back to the hotel by local boat through the myriad canals. (Starting at 6:30 AM, the Lady Hau cruise and tour extension takes around 4 hours; minimum 4 persons).
Day 6: SAIGON CITY – Nha Trang (B)
You will be free until transfer to the airport for a flight to Nha Trang. You will be picked up and transferred to the hotel and have more free time before an overnight stay in Nha Trang.
Day 7: Nha Trang – Emperor Cruise – Sunset Party and Dinner (B/L)
You will have a full day cruise on Nha Trang Bay, with some stops for snorkeling and swimming.
16:30 – 17:00 Pick-up from your hotel and transfer to Nha Trang Port to board the Emperor Cruises Junk.
17:00 – 18:30 On arrival at the port you are greeted by the Experiences Manager with a welcome drink. Introduction to Nha Trang Bay, the locals, the food, the culture, the emperor, safety precautions, and the Emperor Cruises Junk. Start cruising through the spectacular landscape of Nha Trang Bay as the sun sets.
17:00 – 20:00 Cruise through Nha Trang Bay at night while sipping cocktails and wines on the sundeck as you are entertained by musicians playing against the stunning backdrop of stars, the moon, and the city lights. Experience the gastronomical pleasure of a 5-course seafood dinner on board while being serenaded and served by the Emperor Cruises team.
20:00 – 20:30 End your romantic dinner by having drinks or cocktails at the lounge or on the sundeck before heading back to Nha Trang Port and returning to the mainland where your transfers will be waiting to drive you back to your hotel.
Day 8: Nha Trang (B)
You will have free time at the resort and stay another night in Nha Trang.
Day 9: Nha Trang – Danang – Hoian (B)
You will be free until transfer to the airport for a flight to Danang. You will be picked up and transferred to Hoian for an overnight stay.
Day 10: Boat trip Hoi an – Visit Market and Cultural Immersion Cooking Class (Breakfast/Lunch)
At 8:00 Be picked up by our local chefs and driver, then start our market tour.
We will visit Hoi An’s colorful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of this busy market. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about all the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later.
We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. This is a chance to view local river life, so make sure your camera is handy.
On arrival, we explore the cooking school’s herb garden, before learning about some of Hoi An’s and Vietnam’s well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – the Red Bridge chefs first demonstrate each dish before we prepare the same dish ourselves. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat what we have cooked.
Bring your swimsuit and after the cooking tour has finished relax and enjoy free use of our 20 metre swimming pool – towels and showers provided.
In the afternoon, free at your own leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 11: Hoian – Danang – Hue (B/D)
After breakfast at hotel, you will have free morning at your own leisure. In the afternoon, we will leave Hoian for Hue. We will embark on a tour of Hue City, including the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and Dong Ba market. Tonight you will enjoy the fine cuisine of Hue in a local restaurant and have overnight stay in Hue.
Day 12: Hue – Royal Banquet Dinner (B/L/ Dinner)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will board a private boat and go cruising on the romantic Perfume River. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with many tombs of emperors past, and a visit to some of these tombs will be on the itinerary for today. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day, and from here you will cruise further to ornate Minh Mang’s Tomb.
You will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before continuing to visit Tu Duc’s Tomb and Khai Dinh’s Tomb.
The abundance of spices produced by central Vietnam’s mountainous terrain makes this region’s cuisine notable for its spicy food, which sets it apart from the two other regions of Vietnam where foods are mostly not spicy. Once the capital of the last dynasty of Vietnam, Huế’s culinary tradition features highly decorative and colorful food, reflecting the influence of ancient Vietnamese royal cuisine. The region’s cuisine is also notable for its sophisticated meals consisting of many complex dishes served in small portions. Chili peppers and shrimp sauces are among the frequently used ingredients. Some Vietnamese signature dishes produced in central Vietnam are Bún bò Huế and Bánh khoái.
You will have an overnight stay in Hue.
Day 13: Hue – Hanoi – Cooking Class – Welcome Dinner (B/L/D)
You will transfer to the airport for a flight to Hanoi, the colonial capital city, famous for tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and classic pagodas and temples.
In the afternoon you will explore Hanoi, from the fascinating Old Quarter to hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquer-ware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. You can also shop for impressive modern art in the city’s many galleries after visiting Hanoi’s main cultural attractions, including the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature.
In northern Vietnam, a colder climate limits the production and availability of spices. As a result, the foods there are often less spicy than those in other regions. Black pepper is used in place of chilies as the most popular ingredient to produce spicy flavors. In general, northern Vietnamese cuisine is not bold in any particular taste — sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, or sour. Most northern Vietnamese foods feature light and balanced flavors that result from subtle combinations of many different flavoring ingredients. The use of meats such as pork, beef, and chicken were relatively limited in the past. Freshwater fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, such as prawns, squids, shrimps, crabs, clams, and mussels, are widely used. Many notable dishes of northern Vietnam are crab-centered (e.g., bún riêu). Fish sauce, soy sauce, prawn sauce, and limes are among the main flavoring ingredients. Being the cradle of Vietnamese civilization, northern Vietnam produces many signature dishes of Vietnam, such as bún riêu and bánh cuốn, which were carried to central and southern Vietnam through Vietnamese migration. Other famous Vietnamese dishes that originated from the North, particularly from Hanoi include “Bún chả” (rice noodle with grilled marinated pork), Phở gà (rice noodle with chicken), Chả cá Lã Vọng (rice noodle with grilled fish).
You will stay overnight in Hanoi.
Day 14: Hanoi – Lao Cai (B)
You will have a full day of leisure to explore this charming city.
In the evening your guide will take you to the Hanoi Train station for the overnight train to Lao Cai, where you will begin your Sapa adventure.
Day 15: Lao Cai – Sapa (B/L)
Once at the Lao Cai station (around 6 a.m.), there will be a vehicle waiting to transfer you to Sapa.
The drive to Sapa is only 33 km, but it takes around 1.5 hours. Once at Sapa, you will check in to the hotel (early check in subject to availability). You can freshen up and have breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel and then enjoy a free morning to explore town. In the afternoon you will take a walking tour to the hill tribe villages of Cat Cat, home to the H’mong hill tribe minority people. As you walk to the villages nestled in the valley below Sapa, you will meet some of the local minority people on their way to and from Sapa. Here you will have the opportunity to share cultural experiences with the families that live in the area.
You will have an overnight stay in Sapa.
Day 16: Sapa – Lao Cai (B/L)
Following breakfast, you will explore the Sapa Sunday market and then set out on a 3-4 hour trek that will take you along buffalo paths and trails and through the hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Ta Van, home to the H’mong, and Dzay people. This is an absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery, and is an area inhabited by some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. You will stop for a picnic lunch on the way to Ta Van village and then transfer back to Lao Cai for the Express train and an overnight journey back to Hanoi.
Day 17: Lao Cai – Hanoi – Halong Bay (B/L/D)
Arriving in Hanoi at around 5 a.m., you will be picked up and taken to a restaurant for breakfast and morning coffee. You will then leave Hanoi by private vehicle at 8:30 a.m., arriving at the jetty around 11.15 AM.
11.30 – 12.15 Arrival at Hon Gai International Harbour.
12.30 – 13.00 Transfer by tender to Swan Cruise, enjoy Welcome Drink, Depart to Bai Tu long Bay.
13.00 – 14.30 Enjoy Lunch while cruising to magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay, admire the fascinating formations on the way.
15.30 – 16.30 Transfer from boat to rowing boat to visit Vung Vieng Fishing Village. Rowers are local people wearing traditional costume. It’s the opportunity to see the fisher’s daily life with the primary features in the charming nature.
17.30 Return to boat – Continue cruising through the bay.
18.30 Anchor for overnight at Cong Do area.
18.30 – 19.00 Cooking Demonstration in restaurant.
19.30 – 21.00 Savor a delicious Set Dinner in dining room.
21.00 – 22.30 Activities: Relax on deck, Beauty Spa services, drink service available or night time fishing.
23.00 Relax, enjoy fresh air & overnight on board.
Day 18: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B/L/D)
06.30 Enjoy sunrise over the Bay or take part in our morning Tai Chi session.
06.45 – 07.45 Coffee, tea and breakfast pastries served in dining room.
08.00 – 08.30 Explore the well- hidden Thien Canh Son cave.
09.00 – 09.30 Check-out cabins and settle bills – Luggage collection
09.30 – 10.30 Having international Buffet Brunch served in dining room.
10.30 – 11.00 Arrival at the pier.
12.00 You will then rejoin our car and drive back to Hanoi. Check-in hotel and free at your own leisure.
19.00 Meet our local guide and driver again for Farwell dinner at local restaurant in town.
After dinner, transfer you back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 19: Departure Hanoi (B)
There is no activity planned for today, so you are free to enjoy yourself souvenir shopping until transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
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SPECIAL OFFERED PRICE OF TOUR PACKAGE
The price is valid till the end of December, 2017
Price is quoted in American USD dollar at the newest exchange rate
| Tour Class |
Group Size: 4 pax |
Single supplement |
| Superior – 3 Stars | 1,735 US$ | NA |
| Deluxe – 4 Stars | 2,245 US$ | NA |
***Supplement for Domestic Flight tickets:
| Domestic Flight Tickets | Cost per person |
| Saigon – Nha Trang | 95 US$/ Way/ Person |
| Nha Trang – Danang | 110 US$/ Way/ Person |
| Hue – Hanoi | 110 US$/ Way/ Person |
IMPORTANCE: All airfares and taxes are subjected to change without prior notice until ticket issuance.
Accommodation:
| Destination | Accommodation |
| Superior – 3 Stars | |
| Hanoi | Maison D’ Hanoi HOtel |
| Sapa | Sunny Moutain View Hotel |
| Hue | Hue Serene Palace Hotel |
| Hoian | Lotus Hoi An Boutique Hotel & Spa |
| Nha Trang | Asia Paradise Hotel |
| Ho Chi Minh | Saigon Europe Hotel & Spa |
| Can Tho | Kim Tho Hotel Can Tho |
| Halong Bay | Swan Cruise |
| Deluxe – 4 Stars | |
| Hanoi | The Ann Hanoi Hotel |
| Sapa | Sapa Legend Hotel & Spa |
| Hue | Imperial Hotel Hue |
| Hoian | Hoi An Silk Marina Resort & Spa |
| Nha Trang | Diamond Bay Resort & Spa in Nha Trang City |
| Ho Chi Minh | Harmony Saigon Hotel & Spa |
| Can Tho | Vinpearl Cần Thơ Hotel |
| Halong Bay | Athena Cruise |
Note:
– This is a cash price. Credit cards incur a 2.5% fee
– This is private tour design for your group only
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What’s included?
- Entrance Fees: To scenic spots as listed in the itinerary.
- Meals: All meals as specified in the itinerary with authentic Vietnamese food.
- Private Transfers: Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing by private air conditioned vehicle with a driver and English-speaking guide (as listed above). Your comfort is our priority!
- Guide: As outlined in the itinerary an English-speaking guide and driver will be provided in each city they will remain with you throughout your time in that city. A new guide and a new driver will meet you at each city on your tour, to provide you with the best local knowledge available.
- Hotels: Hotel fees are based on two people sharing with Double (Twin) Rooms. All hotels as listed in the above itinerary serve daily Western or Local breakfast. All rooms are air-conditioned with private facilities unless specified.
- Boat trip in Mekong Delta and Halong Bay
- Kayaking Fees in Halong Bay
- Dinner on Bonsai Cruise
- Royal Banquet Dinner in Hue
- Cooking Class and Boat trip in Hoi An
- Cooking Class in Hanoi
- Domestic Flight tickets: Saigon – Nha Trang; Nha Trang – Danang; Hue – Hanoi
- Daily bottle of mineral water
- Service Charge & Government Taxes
What’s excluded?
- Excess Baggage Charges. Passengers holding an adult fare or half fare ticket are entitled to a free baggage allowance of 20kg, for economy class. Total weight of carryon baggage each passenger may not exceed 5kg. The size may not exceed 20x40x 55cm.
- Personal Expenses: Expenses of a purely personal nature such as laundry, drinks, fax, telephone calls, optional activities, sightseeing or meals which are not included in the tour itinerary.
- Tip
- Single Room Supplement