VNM14: Vietnam On Your Tounge(19D18N)

Take a flight to Sai Gon. Welcome at the airport and check-in to hotel. Free at your leisure. Overnight in Sai Gon.

Start your day by an hour on “Cyclo “- special vehicle around the city. We continue our day by walking through the busy city to visit Unification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Post Office, War Remnant Museum and Ben Thanh market. Lunch at local restaurant in Hue (Old capital) style. Back to hotel and rest.

At 18.00, part night excursion, part street local food adventures. Guests experience the nightlife of Sai Gon the way locals do, all from the back of a vintage Vespa scooter. Stops include drinks at Zoom cafe to watch the world goes by (as said in the Lonely Planet guide book), food and drinks at local restaurants (one stop for sea food and one stop for Southern food), samplings of Sai Gon best authentic street local food, a Vietnamese-style coffee shop (with live music) and wrapping up the evening at one of the many local nightclubs (with live music), where the new generation of Vietnamese unwind and flaunt their unique style. Guests ride pillion behind our drivers to enjoy and experience the Vietnamese night life with friends… Overnight in Sai Gon.

08.30 get pick up by our chef who will guide you through the colorful and vibrant Ben Thanh market to purchase necessary ingredients for your cooking lesson. Feel free to ask any questions you want!

After market visit, our Chef will bring you back by Taxi to our cooking class. Hands-on cooking class for a warm and fun ambiance, participants cook all together with our Chef but everyone has their own material and ingredients for a better understanding of cooking techniques. You will use Vietnamese kitchenware to realize and enjoy a tasty 3 courses meal. To end on a sweet touch, we will take care to complete this meal with a delicious seasonal dessert. During the class you just concentrate on the pleasure of discovering and cooking, we’ll give you all the detailed recipes at the end. Overnight in Sai Gon.

Pick up and drive 02 hours to Ben Tre province. On arrival, take a boat on Ben Tre River – one of tributaries of Mekong River, sightseeing lively activities along river. Stop at local brick kilns to see how to make bricks in handy traditional style. Continue going through palm tree- lined canals and visit one of coconut-processing workshops located along canal. It is a chance to interact with local people to know more about rural life and enjoy some candies, coconut juice. Take a short walk to family workshop where they make traditional mats and enjoy some fruits and tea.

Take a motor cart or cycle riding on shady road, pass by green fields and vegetable plantation and find out about tropical culture from peasants. Lunch at “Coconut riverside “Restaurant with specialties such as: Elephant- ear Fish, spring rolls… After lunch, take rowing boats along water palm creek back to pier and driving back to Sai Gon. Overnight in Sai Gon.

This morning get transfer to the Mui Ne – popular tropical beach along Viet Nam coast. Strong sea breezes make it very popular for kite surfing and windsurfing. Overnight in Mui Ne.

Free at your leisure to discover sand dune, lotus pond… Overnight in Mui Ne.

In the morning, get transfer to Nha Trang (04 hours). Check in hotel and take a rest. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Taking a wooden boat to Mun Island. It was named Hon Mun because its stones are as black as ebony. Hon Mun is not only a place where tourists can observe and explore the sea creatures’ life but also is the best place for snorkeling in Viet Nam. At Hon Mun, tourists can dive or take the glass-bottom boat to admire colorful corals and sea creatures.

Boating to Mot Island and enjoying floating bar. Hon Mot is one of the attractive islands in Nha Trang bay. It is a perfect point for snorkeling and escaping from Nha Trang. In here, you will enjoy lunch on boat with BBQ seafood. Join in “live music show” with our crew and then enjoy the feeling of “floating bar” with wine and fruits.

Visiting Tranh Beach which is famous with its green tropical forest throughout 4 seasons and the long white sandy coastline. You are free to sunbathing or swimming. Joining sport activities: jeski, parasailing . . . (excluding).

Visiting Lang Chai (Fishing Village) which is a famous fishing village in Nha Trang Bay where you can find out your favorite fishes and enjoy “traveling” on the Bamboo basket boat (the coracle). Overnight in Nha Trang.

Free at your leisure to sunbath on the beach until transferring to the airport for the flight to Hoi An. On arrival, get transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Hoi An.

We spend a walking tour around this enchanting port town and visit its numerous places of interest: 400 years old Japanese Bridge, 300 years old Chinese temple, 200 years old Vietnamese former merchants’ house, the local fish market … Around the town we can see a numerous art galleries and tailor shops, get some made-to-order clothes if you like. After lunch in local restaurant, you will have a chance to ride a “Xich Lo or pedicab” through the opposite site of Hoi An River bank where you can take a panorama of Hoi An town. Keep on the “Xich Lo” through the tiny lanes of Hoi An countryside, passing the fields of corn, sweet potatoes, beautiful local fruit-garden… Stop over the local fishing village; get on the boat for 2 hours streaming down to Cua Dai estuary to enjoy the sunset cruise on the river. Overnight in Hoi An.

Depart at your hotel at 09.30 you will ride by bicycle to the home of a craftsman in the old streets in Hoi An Town. Where you will discover the daily life of Hoi An people and see how they make a lantern. You will have a chance to enjoy making the lantern and keep it as a souvenir. Have lunch at the local restaurant.

Afternoon, continue biking to Tra Que Vegetable Village, experience a day of living and working with the local farmers in this village. A tour of the organic vegetable and herb gardens can include some time working in the field if you like, or merely observing and learning about the system and the fresh ingredients. Upon returning to the house, we were all treated to an herbal foot massage followed by a session of cooking various local dishes such as: Tam Huu Spring Roll, Banh Xeo or the local pancake of the people from the middle region. Biking back to your hotel. Overnight in Hoi An.

In the morning, get transfer to Hue. The first stop is the Marble Mountain where you can see some marble factories and see their art works. We then have a chance to see China beach – one of the most beautiful and famous beach in Vietnam. The next stop is Cham museum where displayed the exhibitions of Cham people. The Cham museum in Da Nang has incomparably the best collection anywhere of Cham materials, mostly sculptures.

After that, we drive 20km on Sea cloud pass (Hai Van Pass) – the highest pass in the country and one of the most scenic hillside roads in Vietnam. Sea cloud pass is the last spur of the Truong Son Range that reaches to the sea, sightseeing in Vietnam is at its best here with the sequel of valleys and lagoons as the road descends lower. And our last destination is Lang co beach which lies on the most beautiful curve of the “S” where you can be the first to see sunrise in Vietnam. Lang Co beach attracts visitors by its wild beauty with white sand and blue sea. Arrive Hue in mid afternoon. Overnight in Hue.

Pick up from hotel in Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. A boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River visits Hue’s best-known religious sites, Thien Mu Pagoda. Then continue to discover Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen’s Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945 including Flag Tower, Noon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, and Forbidden Purple City.

The afternoon continues with a visit to the elaborate tombs of emperors Tu Duc & Khai Dinh. This guided tour gives you a deep understanding about King’s philosophy of geomancy and how this affected royal life. Overnight in Hue.

In the morning, we go to Vi Da Xua Garden café shop and enjoy fully the peaceful moment. Tasting a cup of coffee, listening to the birds singings in the sky or watching the flowers getting in bloom should always be a good idea. Get-on local ferry to Con Hen Island, where we have a chance to discover the local life of people. Visit to Hue’s Dong Ba Market and lesser known Bao Vinh, the older commercial area of Hue.

Have a Lunch at Vuon Y Thao garden house restaurant before heading to Thuy Xuan Hat – Incense making village, you will see how Hue Hat (non Hue) – a symbolized for the beauty of Hue lady. We enjoy the Cooking Class at Tinh Gia Vien – here you can attend a hands-on cooking class, preparation a classic meal of Hue. Ms. Ton Nu Ha – Golden Hands will demonstrate you. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Ha Noi. On arrival, get transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Ha Noi.

This morning cooking tour gives you a hands-on lesson on how to shop for fresh ingredients and cook authentic Vietnamese food. You will prepare dishes under the guidance of experienced chefs at your own work station and each workshop will conclude with tasting the food you have prepared, accompanied by local beer or wine, in our comfortable dining area.

In the afternoon, start to discover the Ha Noi Capital.

Ho Chi Minh Complex: Completed in 1975, the complex includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (close in the afternoon, on Monday & Friday), the Presidential Palace, House-on-Stilts, One pillar pagoda and the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

The Temple of Literature: Originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam’s first University dating back to 1070. Inside are the stone steles mounted on the backs of turtles, inscribed with names of Vietnam best scholars. The temple highlights the importance that Vietnamese society place then and now on education.

One hour Cyclo Tour through the Old Quarter: Also known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Originally each of the 36 streets names’ was related to the products being sold there. Overnight in Ha Noi.

Get pick-up in the morning for Ha Long, it’s approximately four hours to the port. Hop aboard the traditional wooden junk and unwind over lunch as you glide along the jade green waters dotted with towering karsts. You’ll visit ancient limestone caves, swim in the salty waters and go exploring by kayak. Back on board, enjoy a sunset cocktail and dine on the bays fresh seafood. Overnight on board.

Wake to the sun peeking over the horizon and see the bay at first light. Watch as vendors paddle their small sampans teeming with goods to the nearby boats and villages. Visit the Surprise Cave with its impressive limestone formations created over generations. Look for the sacred turtle, the giant Buddha and the frog on the rock! Arrive back into the port around midday for a quick lunch and then return to Ha Noi. Overnight in Ha Noi.

Free at your leisure. Overnight in Ha Noi.

Transfer to the airport for your flight back home. Tour ends.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!