10 Day itinerary in Vietnam, Asia
A comprehensive tour of Northern and Center Vietnam, visiting its greatest cultural legacies, iconic towns and astonishing natural wonder.
By Linda, Jacqueline, Alessia, Threeland and Sophie
Physical Difficulty
Recommended Age
Operated in
GUIDANCE
starting point
trip type
trip attributes
Indigenous culture
Meet local people
Nature & Wildlife
Start
Night
End
Wander around the narrow streets of Hanoi Old Quarter and enjoy a unique show of Water Puppetry
Visit Sapa, a quiet Vietnamese town - home to different ethnic tribal groups
Take a leisure overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay
Stroll around Hue Citadel and Hoian Ancient town
Wander around the narrow streets of Hanoi Old Quarter and enjoy a unique show of Water Puppetry
Visit Sapa, a quiet Vietnamese town - home to different ethnic tribal groups
Take a leisure overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay
Stroll around Hue Citadel and Hoian Ancient town
Mid-Range Accommodation - 3* standard
Accommodation Categories
HANOI ARRIVAL
Welcome to Hanoi, the Capital city of Vietnam! Upon your arrival in Noi Bai Airport, our guide and private car will greet you and transfer to hotel for check in. Rest of the day is your free time to relax to get over jetlag. Overnight in Hanoi. Please note: Normal check in time at hotel is 14:00 – 15:00, early check in is subject to availability
Guide: Included for the day
Accommodation:
HANOI CITY TOUR – NIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI (NO GUIDE ESCORT ON TRAIN)
Breakfast at hotel and check out hotel. Morning, transfer to Ba Dinh Square – the biggest square in Hanoi where all the biggest cultural, political events of the cities, especially demonstrations, take place. Start our visit at the Complex of Ho Chi Minh including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closed on Mondays, Fridays and 3 months annually for restoration), Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts, his fish pond and the One-Pillar Pagoda. Then, visit the Temple of Literature which is considered as the first university of Vietnam. Continue the trip to picturesque West lake to visit Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hanoi built from 6th century. Afternoon, we drive to visit the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays). This is one of the largest Museums in Vietnam with 2 exhibition areas – inside and outside. Visiting this Museum will bring you the knowledge about the Ethnic groups in Vietnam and their cultures. Late afternoon, we have an overall view of the capital by a “cyclo” visit, which will start around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, stop to visit Ngoc Son Temple located on the Hoan Kiem Lake (the “Sword” Lake). From here, we wander on the narrow streets of the Old Quarter to experience the daily life of the local people. Evening highlight will be the Water Puppet Show. Then transfer to a mini hotel for a short rest before heading to the train station for your night train to Lao Cai. Overnight on train (4-berth sharing cabin with A/C).
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:
LAO CAI – MARKET VISIT OR SIN CHAI – CAT CAT VILLAGES – SAPA
Arrive at Lao Cai Station at 06.00, picked up by our guide and transferred to have breakfast at local restaurant. Option 1: If today is Saturday, Sunday or Tuesday, nothing will be better than driving overland to a market of the hill tribal people, mainly from Flower Hmong ethnical group. Depending on the day, you can choose either Can Cau (Sat), Bac Ha (Sun) or Coc Ly (Tue). In all these markets, we can meet hundreds of beautiful women from Flower Hmong tribe, who are famous for their wonderful craft and hand-made flowering clothes and textile fabrics, or intermingle with people from Black Hmong, Dzay, Dzao and other ethnic groups coming to the market not for purchasing stuffs, but for meeting and chatting – just once a week - like in a real cultural center. After sightseeing, drive to Sapa to check in hotel and stay overnight. Option 2: If today is not Tuesday, Saturday or Sunday, we visit hill tribe villages surrounding Sapa town. After about 45 minutes driving uphill to Sapa town, we leave the luggage at hotel then walk around the town. We then visit Cat Cat Village, about 1 km from Sapa town. It's located at the bottom of the Muong Hoa Valley and near the stunning Cat Cat Waterfall. This is an age-old village of H'Mong ethnic group remaining unique customs and practices that are lots in other villages. Then next 3 km to Sin Chai, the village located at the foot of Fansipan Mountain, “the roof of Vietnam and Indochina”. From here you can enjoy huge stunning landscapes and fall in the beauty in Sapa. Drive back to your hotel. Overnight in Sapa.
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:
SAPA - Y LINH HO, LAO CHAI, TA VAN VILLAGES - LAO CAI – NIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI (NO GUIDE ESCORT ON
After breakfast and check out hotel. Begin trekking from Sapa towards another part of Muong Hoa Valley where you can see the magnificent landscapes of the mountainous region. Trek through Y Linh Ho, the village of the Black H’mong. The walk then takes you from Lao Chai village of Black Hmong minority to Ta Van village of Giay minority including a visit to the local Catholic Church. After that, the car will take you back to Sapa town. Finish the tour, we drive to Lao Cai station for the overnight train to Hanoi, stop at a mini hotel for shower and a short rest. Overnight on train (4-berth sharing cabin with A/C).
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:
HANOI - PRIVATE TRANSFER TO HALONG BAY/LAN HA BAY – OVERNIGHT ON CRUISE
Upon arrival in the morning, picked up and transferred to have breakfast at a local restaurant. Then, we will drive via the new expressway, which takes around 2.5 – 3 hours (instead of 3.5 – 4 hours via the old road) to Halong, one of the earliest World Heritages Sited designated by UNESCO for Vietnam in 1994. Note: the drive will take 2 hours from Hanoi to Hai Phong (Lan Ha Bay). Upon arrival in Halong, check in the overnight cruise to discover the magnificent beauty of this “Descending-dragon” bay, created by thousands odd-shaped limestone rocks and karst grottoes. After a lunch on board, we can visit the Grottos, stop for swimming or kayaking, passing floating houses and approach islets to enjoy their beauty in close distance. Back to the cruise, enjoy cooking demonstration before having dinner. Evening attend activities on the boat or relax at your own leisure. Overnight on the cruise. Please note: the program may vary depending on the cruise you choose. You will have station English speaking guide on board.
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation:
HALONG BAY/LAN HA BAY – PRIVATE TRANSFER TO HANOI - FLIGHT TO HUE
You should wake up early to enjoy the dawn on the sea in the early morning. The Vietnamese calls the "East Sea" by a point-oriented name "Eastern Sea", so you may guess how miraculous seeing the sunrise over the islets of the Bay. After breakfast, our boat will continue to cruise in marvelous areas, where almost each islet has its own name, adopting its shape or reminiscent like Sail Island, Fisherman’s head rock, Butterfly rock or Turtle islet etc. Check out your room and have brunch on board while the cruise comes back the pier. Disembark from the cruise, our driver and tour guide will transfer you back to Hanoi from Halong via the old road (3.5 – 4 hours driving) or via the expressway from Hai Phong (2 hours driving), heading to the airport for the flight to Hue. Upon arrival, the tour guide & driver will be welcoming you the airport. Drive to the city centre and check in your hotel. Overnight in Hue. Notes: You can choose the shuttle bus from Cruise company instead of private transfer for cost optimizing in case your group is less than 7 people.
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation:
HUE CITY TOUR
Breakfast at hotel. Being recognized by UNESCO as the 1st Cultural World Heritage for Vietnam, Hue is highlighted by the old royal architectural works and the most traditional Vietnamese lifestyle. After breakfast, we will discover the charm of the city from the Royal Citadel, Forbidden City, Hue Royal Museum. Go on having a boat trip on Perfume river to visit Thien Mu pagoda, the iconic of Hue city. Afternoon, drive 12 km out of Hue City to visit the Tombs of Emperor Minh Mang located on the west bank of Perfume river, which was built from 1840 and completed in 1843 with the effort of ten thousand workers and artisans. The Tomb offers a balance of nature and structures that is unmatched among tombs in Hue. The solemn and quiet architecture set in a poetic landscape demonstrates both the Emperor's strictness and deep beliefs. Continue visiting Emperor Khai Dinh’s Tomb, the last great tomb of the Nguyen dynasty with a mix of Asian and European style in architecture and decoration. The tomb began construction in 1920 and took eleven years to complete, and was still unfinished when the Emperor Khai Dinh passed away. Though in extent, Khai Dinh’ Tomb is small in comparison with the rest of Imperial tombs, its construction, decoration and details are very elaborate. Overnight in Hue.
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:
HUE – BA NA HILLS – HOIAN
After breakfast and check out hotel, we will depart from Hue to Hoian by the Hai Van Pass (the “Ocean Cloudy Mountain Pass”) and enjoy the beauty of Lang Co Beach before reaching Ba Na Hills for discover this beautiful attraction in Da Nang city. You will take a cable car to the summit of mountain (at 1487m of sea level). Start visiting Ba Na Hill with many different attractions: Funicular, Debay ancient wine cellar & Le Jardin D’Amour, Linh Ung pagoda, Thich Ca Buddist statue, etc. This afternoon you continue to join activities and games in Fantasy Park. Later walk to the summit of the mountain at the height 1487m – the highest one of Ba Na Mountain, visit Bell Tower, Nghinh Phong tower and Golden Bridge, to take beautiful photos of the mountain and Da Nang city. Late afternoon, transfer to Hoian City for check in hotel. Overnight in Hoian. Please note: Wax Museum entrance fee, wine tasting cost and coin games at Fantasy Park are not included, joining them will be at your own account.
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:
HOIAN ANCIENT TOWN TOUR
After breakfast, let’s take an interesting walk over the tile-roofed Japanese Bridge, visit taciturn Chinese Assembly Halls, enjoy the attractiveness of ancient houses or listen to folk music of Central Vietnam at old club-houses. Later we can stop at shrines or stroll into the market located by Thu Bon river, where you may find the same feelings of the artists, who see the rooftops of Hoian a magical old world of Oriental feel and source of inspiration. This is also a wonderful town to shop for lanterns, soft silk, raw silk, or get your clothes tailored within a day. Rest of day will be free on your own to discover the town or cycling along Thu Bon to Cua Dai Beach. Overnight in Hoian.
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:
HOIAN - DANANG DEPARTURE
Breakfast at hotel. Free until check out time and transfer to the airport for departure flight. Please note: Normal check out time at hotel is 11:00 – 12:00, late check out is not included
Guide: Included for the day
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation
Meals
Transport
Activities
Extras
Not Included
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$1,664.00 USD