VIETNAM COUNRYSIDE & CAVES

VIETNAM COUNRYSIDE & CAVES

Vietnam

 13 days 12 nights

Places visited: HO CHI MINH - CAIBE - HOI AN - HUE - QUANG TRI - DONG HOI - HANOI - NINH BINH - HALONG

  • Time 13 days 12 nights
  • Place start Ho Chi Minh city
  • Transport By air, car, and cruise
  • Tour Style Authentic
  • Pricing Contact us
  • Validity

Highlights:

  • Explore the natural beauty, cultural and history of Vietnam especially the World UNESCO Heritage Site of Hoi An tranquil old town, Hue citadel, Trang An landscape complex and Halong bay

  • Learn about the Vietnam war and historical stories through Cu Chi tunnels, Vinh Moc tunnels & DMZ

  • Experience special insight into the local life in countryside of Vietnam 

  • Discover the vibrant, lively, and colorful Mekong Delta 

  • Discover Phong Nha which is known as the adventure capital of Asia with unspoiled and amazing caves 

  • Enjoy the peaceful mountainous scenery with limestones and rice paddies in Ninh Binh which is called Halong on land

  • Enjoy overnight cruise on Halong Bay.

ITINERARY

Vietnam   -  13 days 12 nights

DAY 1: HO CHI MINH – ARRIVAL

Upon arrival, a local guide with your private driver will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel.

Note: Normal check in time for hotels is 14:00

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

DAY 2: HO CHI MINH – CU CHI TUNNELS – CITY TOUR B, L

After breakfast, leave Ho Chi Minh for 2hr-drive northwest to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an immense network of connecting underground tunnels started in 1948 to protect the Viet Cong guerrillas from the French air and ground sweeps. The tunnels also served as living quarters, communication and supply routes, and housed hospitals, food and weapons caches. Touring the underground compounds will provide a better understanding of the history of the tunnels, the hardship of life in the tunnels and the Vietnamese resilience during combat. Return to Ho chi minh.

In the afternoon, visit some of Ho Chi Minh’s most historic landmarks including the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed from materials imported from France (outside only). Then head across the square to the Central Post Office, completed in 1891. A short drive away is the former Presidential Palace, the headquarters of the Ho chi minh Government during the American War. Continue to the War Remnants Museum for a vivid perspective of the American War through the eyes of the Vietnamese. (Please note that some of the displays are very graphic.) Experience Ho chi minh’s famed street coffee culture while your guide provides a brief language lesson as well as insights into daily life of a Ho chi minhese before returning to your hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

DAY 3: HO CHI MINH – MEKONG DELTA/CAI BE B, L

In the morning, you will be driven to Cai Be, board on a local boat along Mekong river with visits to family-run companies which make rice pancakes, puffed corn cookies and coconut milk candy. Enjoy lunch with specialties of the Mekong Delta in the ambience of an ancient house. After lunch, get on the cruise for a garden center, sample fruits, wine, traditional music and crossing Co Chien River. In the late afternoon, come back to Saigon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

DAY 4: HO CHI MINH – DA NANG – HOI AN –WALKING TOUR B

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flight to Da Nang,

On arrival, pick up and transfer to your hotel in Hoi An. Please note check-in standard time is 14:00

In the afternoon, take a short walking tour to explore Hoi An town. It was a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and its architecture and relaxed lifestyle have changed little over the years.

Overnight  in Hoi An

DAY 5: HOI AN – TRA QUE VEGETABLE VILLAGE B, L

Pick up at hotel and transfer or cycle to a local farm in Tra Que village. A short stroll will take you around the vegetable garden and then you can join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seaweed from the local lake, raking the ground, sowing, watering, picking vegetables, and many other gardening activities. After that, you will take a short rest and enjoy soft foot massage before getting to preparing lunch with a local family.

A delicious farm-to-table lunch including typical local food like ‘Tam Huu’ spring roll, Banh Xeo or local pancake is prepared by an expert chef. You also can join the cooking on these meals. 

After lunch time, transfer back to your hotel in the Hoi An town.

The rest of the day is free at leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An

DAY 6: HOI AN – DA NANG – HUE B

Enjoy this morning at leisure before leaving Hoi An for Hue.

On arrival, take half day of exploring the charming city of Hue, filled with many historical structures, such as the Thien Mu pagoda, and the impressive Imperial Citadel.

Overnight in Hue

DAY 7: HUE – THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE – PHONG NHA-KE BANG NATIONAL PARK B, L

After breakfast at the hotel, you will leave Hue in the morning and head to the DMZ to explore the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which became the fiercest battlefields during the Vietnam War from 1954 to 1975. The tour highlights include Hien Luong Bridge, the Doc Mieu Base, the closest American base to the DMZ. The last stop of the day will be the Quang Tri Citadel before returning to Hue. Lunch is served at a local restaurant. 

After lunch, continue to the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, recognised by UNESCO in 2003 as a World Natural Heritage Site for its system of unique water grottoes as well as abundant wildlife and plants, many of which are native to this region. Board a local boat and start cruising along the Son River to Phong Nha Cave, noted for its depth and surreal scenery the further you go into the cave. After 700m (2,297ft), a large dry passage way becomes visible and visitors can disembark and walk an additional 500m (1,640ft) into the cave. Notice the remnants of Cham altars and inscriptions found at the end. 

Transfer to Dong Hoi for the night.

Overnight in Dong Hoi

NOTES:

Suggested departure time: 08:00

Tour duration: 09 hours

DAY 8: PARADISE CAVE & DARK CAVE B, L

Depart from your hotel for a 1.5hr drive to Paradise Cave. Discovered in 2005, the 31km (19mi) long cave is the largest and considered by many to be the most beautiful cave in the Phong Nha - Ke Bang area. Surrounded by forested karst peaks, this remarkable cave system features cathedral-like spaces with colossal stalagmites and glimmering stalactites which led early explorers to name it “Thien Duong” (Paradise) Cave. 

Leave the Paradise cave for lunch at a local restaurant.

Continue to the 5,558m (3.5mi) long Dark Cave, so named for the dark coloured rocks inside and because there is no artificial lighting installed. Enjoy lunch outside the cave followed by some exhilarating zip lining and kayaking on the Chay River. Next, don provided headlights and specialised equipment to explore Dark Cave, with an optional swim in the cool water of Thuy Tien Lake inside the cave before transferring back to Dong Hoi. 

Overnight in Dong Hoi

NOTES:

Suggested departure time: 08:00

Grade: Easy

DAY 9: DONG HOI – HA NOI B

Today you will have free time to relax and enjoy the tranquility of nature. Then transfer to the Dong Hoi airport for a short flight to Hanoi.

Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi

DAY 10: HANOI CITY TOUR – WATER PUPET SHOW B, L

Depart hotel for a walking tour to explore the famous Old Quarter, then Vietnam’s first university - the Temple of Literature, and the Museum of Ethnology. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant with authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

In the evening, you will enjoy a traditional water puppet show, an art form which was invented a thousand years ago by the farmers of the Red River Delta area and then elevated to royal entertainment under the Ly and Tran dynasties.

Overnight in Hanoi

DAY 11: HA NOI - NINH BINH B, L

Depart Hanoi for a 2hr drive to the Trang An Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh Province. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, Trang An is famed for its spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks, some of which are submerged, and surrounded by vertical cliffs. Within the complex, visit Vietnam’s ancient capital of Hoa Lu, the country’s first centralized feudal state from the end of the 10th century. While the ancient citadel has largely disappeared, the temples of the Dinh and Le dynasties still stand surrounded by rice paddies. 

After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to the 3,500ha (13.5 sq mi) Van Long Nature Reserve, the largest wetland natural reserve in the Red River Delta. Enjoy a 2hr boat trip taking in stunning scenes of local villages dotted among the limestone karsts and caves. Bring along binoculars as you may encounter some rare langurs (monkeys) or birds. Head to your hotel for the night.

Overnight in Ninh Binh

DAY 12: NINH BINH – HALONG B, L, D

In the morning, leave Ninh Binh for Halong Bay, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site with its 3,000 islands of towering limestone dotting the bay and Gulf of Tonkin. 

Arrive at noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After a welcome onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.

Overnight on Halong Bay.

Distances and journey time:

Ninh Binh - Halong: 3.5hrs

DAY 13: HALONG – HA NOI – DEPARTURE B

Early in the morning and depending on the season, you will wake up to enjoy the sunrise over the aquamarine waters of the bay. Breakfast is served on board (brunch on some boats) while the cruise will tour around the bay until you disembark at the end of the morning.

Then transfer back to Hanoi for your onward flight (the departure flight should be after 15:00).

Policy & services

Our services include:

  • Accommodation in a shared twin or shared double room

  • Meals as mentioned (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)

  • English or French speaking guide (for other languages and a national guide supplements apply)

  • Tours and transfers as mentioned by private air conditioned 

  • Entrance fees for mentioned visits

  • Boat trip as mentioned in the itinerary

  • Cooking class (join-in)

Our services do not include:

  • Other meals than mentioned

  • Other services than mentioned

  • International and domestic Flights

  • Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature

  • Tips, Travel insurance

Notes: 

  • We strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance (covering emergency medical evacuation) for trips to Vietnam.

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