The Vietnam Explorer 14 day tour is your best choice if you want to experience the totality of Vietnam: the land, the people, the culture, and the history, as a Vietnamese person would be. In this tour, as you travel through the country you will experience all forms of transport: car, train, airplane, boat, walking and hiking. During 2 weeks traveling with VietAsia Travel, you will trace the path of the founding of Vietnam, starting in Hanoi and ending in Saigon.
This is the ultimate tour of Vietnam-an in-depth exploration of Vietnam’s most interesting cities and countryside. Traveling across the country from North to South, you can explore the colonial elegance of Hanoi - our romantic capitol, Halong Bay - our world's natural heritage site, Sapa - with magnificent mountainous views and opportunities to meet with H'mong and Dzao hill tribes, Hue - the ancient citadel of the last King in Vietnam until 1954, Hoi An - a magical lantern-lit town for all tourist alike, our beloved Mekong Delta - the lush forests and major cultivation area for Vietnam, Can Tho - a discovery of daily life in the delta, and finally, the bustle of Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon - all a major city has to offer.

DETAILED ITINERARY:

Day 01: Arrive Hanoi - Hello Vietnam
Upon arrival in our thousand years Capital – Hanoi City, our guide will welcome you at Noi Bai airport and then transfer you to your hotel in the city center. Relax some time to recover some what from jet-leg and for the refreshment.
If time permits, take an orientation tour of Hanoi. You will know our legend/history about Hoan Kiem Lake (the lake of the Restored Sword), our architectural and our way of with small streets and its name (Old quarter). Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.



Day 02: Hanoi - Night train to Sapa (B)
Today, we will take the sightseeing of the most city's outstanding historical and cultural sites. The visit includes:
- The complex of Ho Chi Minh historical sites, also called the political center of Vietnam.
- One-pillar Pagoda and The Temple of Literature for the brief understanding about the two most popular religions in Vietnam (Buddhism and Confucianism).
- Visit one of the museums in Hanoi (Museum of History, Museum of Ethnology, Museum of Fine Art).
- Enjoy our welcome show of northern rural of Vietnam – Water Puppet show.
You will have time for dinner then transfer to Railway station for night train to Sapa. Overnight on the train in 4 soft berths cabin with A/C.

Day 03: Sapa (B)
Arrive at Lao Cai train station at about 6.00am. Meet the local guide at the main entrance and take our private car for the transfer to Sapa 35km away.
Have breakfast and relax before exploring Sapa town and the local market in the town.
In the afternoon, take a 2km short trekking with the local guide to Cat Cat Village, the home of H’mong Ethnic. Meeting and talking with locals at their home to learn more about their daily life and get to know their habits. From here, you will have a chance to see the hydroelectric power station built by the French by the wonderful waterfall. Get back to the town in late afternoon. Tonight we suggest you the RED DZAO restaurant for your dinner.



Day 04: Sapa villages (B/L)
A whole day today is for discovering the nature as well as different culture of hill tribal people. From hotel we start our trekking up and down hills with nice rice terraces, spectacular scenery the Fansipan Mount, and through scenic Muong Hoa valley. We walk up and down the rice terraces, hills, bamboo forests and streams to Lao Chai and Ta Van Villages which is decorated by terraced-fields and the house of H'mong, Red Zao and Zay people. You will have great opportunity for taking photos of breathtaking landscapes, meeting friendly hill-tribe people at home and work, and getting to understand their tradition, habits...Enjoy lunch at a local house. We will return to our hotel in Sapa by jeep in late afternoon. Overnight at hotel in Sapa.
Note: A full or half day trekking or moving by jeep and short walk is on your request.

Day 05: Sapa market - Night train back to Hanoi (B)
After breakfast we will leave for Bac Ha Hill Tribe Market for about 3 hours driving to the market. Join in the colorful market of the tribal people in this region. On the fair market the H'mong, Dzao, Phu La people in their best traditional costumes go to the market for shopping and meeting friends and relatives…
Say goodbye to the colorful market and drive to Chay River where you will get on a boat for a river adventure. You are bound to feel great and find yourselves smaller among high Rock Mountains and to be surprised at white and breathtakingly waterfalls while cruising along the river. Get off the boat to visit a village of the Tay Minority (Trung Do village) by the river. After the boat trip, we drive back to Laocai and pay a short visit to the Vietnam-Chinese border gate.
You will have time for your own dinner at a local restaurant in the town  before driving to the railways station for night train to Hanoi. Overnight on the train in a air-con soft berth cabin.

Day 06: Hanoi - Drive to Ha Long Bay - World Heritage Site (B/L/D)
The train arrives back to Hanoi early in the morning. Meet the guide and driver at the station and drive to city centre and take a stroll along the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake where each morning around 6am, groups of locals gather to do their exercises along the lovely tree lined promenade. You may cross over the red bridge at the north end to Ngoc Son Temple and the Tortoise Tower which are on a small island.
Get to a local restaurant for breakfast and refreshment. After breakfast, you will leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you will board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels with sails, a wide transom and rectangular superstructure, that will take you first to the busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Weather permitting, you will be able to swim, fish, climb a hill for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape, or venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan. All your meals will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood. Your overnight will be aboard.



Day 07: Halong – Da Nang - Hoi An (B)
Participate in Tai Chi o­n the top deck or simply watch the sunrise over the magnificent bay. Enjoy your morning cup of coffee or juice before setting out to the near- by cave by row boat. Watch for monkeys high on the cliff tops. Return back to the junk, where breakfast is served, while sailing around Bay Tu Long bay where the movie “Indochine” was filmed.
Your cruise will end at noon and you will be met by your driver for the transfer to the airport in Hanoi for the late afternoon flight to Danang.
Arrive in Danang, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Hoian town, around 30km away. Overnight at hotel in Hoian.

Day 08: Hoian - Myson Sanctuary (B)
Morning, take a discovery trip to My Son, 40km from Hoi An. Located in a lush valley, My Son was a capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries. My Son, considered being in the same league as some of Southeast Asia's greatest archaeological sites, including Angkor in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, Ayutthaya in Thailand and Borobudur in Indonesia. These towers and sanctuaries were built from the 7 to 13 centuries. Admiring great architectural and art works of the Cham lost Kingdom. Having a brief understanding of the history, culture for which My Son was recognized the World Cultural Heritage. Return to Hoi An in the morning.
In the afternoon, you will have a guided tour to see the interesting sights of this ancient city. Some hundreds years ago, this town thrived o­n trading with the Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. You will visit a historical Old House, Japanese Covered Bridge, Old Temple and Silk Factory. Overnight at hotel in Hoian.  



Day 09: Hoian - Hue & Royal Palaces (B)
After breakfast in the hotel, you will have a four hour drive over the scenic Hai Van pass along the coast to the old citadel of Hue. You will have a short stop in spectacular Lang Co beach for refreshment. Visit Cham Sculpture museum and Marble Mountain in Danang before continue on our drive to Hue.
Afternoon, take the sightseeing in Hue to the Ancient Imperial Citadel, a complex of palaces and temples built by the Nguyen from early 19th Century for which Hue was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.
Then you will embark on a drive to Hue’s countryside, through scenic villages and green rice fields to reach the Emperor Ming Mang’s tomb. It is one of the most beautiful of all Emperors tombs, in a complex of pavilions, temple, courtyards and lakes.
Recommended: There is an optional Dinner Cruise with Vietnamese traditional folk music on a private dragon boat on Perfume River at extra cost. Overnight at hotel in Hue.



Day 10: Hue - Ho Chi Minh City (B)
Early morning, enjoy a leisure boat ride along the scenic Perfume River to visit Thien Mu pagoda and admire sunrise before getting back to hotel for breakfast. Then transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon).
You will explore this cosmopolitan city o­n a guided tour. High lights are the famed Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Reunification Palace, War Remnant Museum, Municipal Theater, Ben Thanh Market, Cho Lon and a Buddhist Temple. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh.



Day 11: Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Can Tho (B/L)
After breakfast, depart the hotel and drive Southward to the Cai Be – Vinh Long Province. Here you will see the Mekong Delta (“Nine Dragon River Delta). This is special experience of Mekong Delta. We will visit the Candy factory, orchard garden, listen to traditional music and have lunch with family in the garden.
We cross the island in the middle of Mekong River by oars boats.
Stay overnight in CanTho – the capital of Mekong Delta. Late afternoon take the short walk to the local market nearby.



Day 12: Cairang floating market - Ho Chi Minh (B/L)
Rising early to the sounds of the Delta coming to life for another day, we breakfast and start our trip with a boat cruise on sparking streams along the endless waterway of Mighty Mekong River to Cai Rang floating market. There will be hundreds of boats loaded with fruits, vegetables and fish jostling for trade. Sellers advertisers their wares by crying out across the waters. We visit the lush orchards and are treated to a delicious tropical fruits. Afternoon drive to HCM. Overnight at hotel in HCM.

Day 13. Saigon - Cuchi Tunnels - Caodai Temple (B)
Depart Hotel early in the morning for Cu Chi to visit the Tunnels. Cu Chi Tunnels are a network of underground tunnels begun in 1948 by the Viet Minh in their struggle against the French. These tunnels were expanded and used by the Viet Cong during the war between Vietnam and America. Americans called this the “Iron Triangle” and was a stronghold of the Vietcong for almost thirty years. Walk underground in the tunnels. From here you will continue on to see the Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh, where each day at noon a prayer service is held. It is a striking structure on a very large compound. The term Cao Dai (meaning higher tower or place) is a euphemism for God. Caodaism was found in the 1920’s by Ngo Minh Chieu, using a combination of teaching from Buddism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and other religions into one religion to promote peace. Return to hotel in HCM in mid afternoon and free in the rest of the day. Overnight at hotel in HCM.



Day 14: Departure from Saigon - Farewell to Vietnam (B)
You will be free until the departure time. Driver will meet you at the hotel and transfer you to the airport in HCM for your departure flight home or to next destination. Say farewell to Ho Chi Minh & Vietnam.

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TOUR COST:
The cost is quoted in US Dollars per Person (Pax) base on TWIN/DOUBLE share basic, and applied for private tour.
Peak season surcharge may be applied for Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Tet Holiday.

Include:
Accommodation as specific or similar, base on TWIN sharing
All transportation by private car,
Round trip train ticket Hanoi - Laocai – Hanoi (soft sleeper A/C cabin)
Boat trip as mentioned in the itinerary
Overnight boat trip in Halong bay
All domestic flights: Hanoi > Danang, Hue > HCM
All entrance fees
English speaking guide
All meals as mentioned in the program

Exclude:
International flights
Meals except otherwise mentioned
Vietnam Visa (15 US$/person) upon request
Tipping, drinks, insurance, and personal expenses

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