Details Itinerary 

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide   

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Upon arrival at Noi Bai airport, our guide will greet and accompany you to your hotel. Free time until you?ll be picked up to watch water puppet performance, a traditional art form closely connected with the long-standing spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. You?ll then be driven to a good local restaurant and enjoy a welcome dinner with us. Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B, L, G)

The morning tour will begin with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the resting place of Uncle Ho. You will also see his house-on-stilts and learn about the simple life of the Vietnamese?s beloved leader. Your next visit will be Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas, which still maintains its unique architecture harmonious with nature and boasts many precious Buddhist statues. You will then driven to Temple of Literature, the oldest school in Vietnam, giving it the distinction of being the most significant temple in both Hanoi and Vietnam.

In the afternoon, you will call at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, an excellent instruction to the cultural heritages of Vietnam's 54 distinct ethnic groups. Later on, you will visit the beautiful Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake - a striking blue gem in the city centre. The tour ends with 1 ?hour walking tour around the Old Quarters to enjoy its warmth and cosiness, looking up to contemplate centuries-old and weather-beaten houses, both familiar and exotic, etc. Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D, G)

Picked up at around 8.30 a.m, you?ll then depart for Ha Long Bay. Enjoy a 3 hour drive with a brief stopover at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop for refreshment and see different kinds of handicrafts skillfully made by disable people.

Arriving Ha Long Bay, you will go aboard and check in. Lunch will be served afterwards with a selection of seafood specialities. The boat will take you first to the famous World Heritage area where you can visit Amazing Cave and take a swim on a tranquil beach in Ha Long Bay. Then you are free, possibly for retiring to your cabin or having romantic walks on the boat side to enjoy the marvellous sunset. You?ll spend a night on boat.

Day 4: Ha Long/Hanoi/Dong Hoi (B, L, G)

It would be nice if you wake up to see sunrise and daylight filtering through the early morning mist and the towering rock formations. After western breakfast, you will venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan. You?ll then continue a leisurely cruise along Ha Long Bay and have lunch before returning to the harbour. Our car will pick you up and drive back to Hanoi for your refreshment at the local standard hotel.You'll then check out at around 18.00 and be driven to the station for your overnight train to Dong Hoi.

You'll spend the night on the train.

Day 5: Dong Hoi/Phong Nha/Dong Hoi (B, L, G)

Arriving in Dong Hoi station early in the morning, you'll be picked up to your hotel for refreshment and have breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.  After breakfast, you'll be driven to travel to visit Phong Nha cave, one of the world heritage sites in Vietnam and one of the most beautiful caves in the world. It is known for its outstanding cave system and limestone karst formations, many of the underground chambers remain a mystery, even to the most seasoned adventurers. You'll then have a boat cruise along the river to take a chance to enjoy the beauty of Phong Nha caves called the water cave and dry cave. Visiting Phong Nha, tourists can hear strange sound of winds passing through mountain gorges, admiring stalactites falling down as tens of thousands of huge tooth.

Rest of the day, you?ll then be back to Dong Hoi for your free time to relax on the beach.

You'll spend the night in Dong Hoi.

Day 6: Dong Hoi/Hanoi (B, G)

After breakfast, you'll be picked up to travel to Hue. On arrival, you'll do the check-in at your hotel in the city centre. Free time at leisure after check-in procedure.

In the afternoon, our guide will show you around Hue. You will first visit the Imperial Citadel, that served as the powerful seat of Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Enjoy your shopping at the famous Dong Ba Market before transfer back to hotel. You'll spend the night in Hue.

Day 7: Hue (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you will take a cruise along Perfume River to visit Hue's best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda. Our car will then take you to visit the imposing Minh Mang tomb, a striking example of classic Sino-Vietnamese architecture.

After lunch, a continuation to visit poetic Tu Duc Tomb. This tomb is idyllically set in a romantic scenary of mounts, lake and pine forest and considered as one of the most beautiful works of the Nguyen dynasty. Last but not least, you will visit elaborate Khai Dinh Tomb, which  is the result of the interminglement of many architectural trends: European and Asian, as well as ancient and modern. Your overnight stay will be in Hue.

Day 8: Hue/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G)

Morning transfer from Hue to Hoi An. Pass by Lang Co Beach and Hai Van pass. You will stop at Danang to visit Cham Museum, which holds the finest collection of Champa sculptures in different art styles from the 7th to the 15th centuries. Driver and guide also take you to visit Marble Mountains and Stone Carving village where famous stone products are skillfully made by local people. Afterwards, you?ll head to Hoi An? an enchanting World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

After checking in your hotel, you will take a tour of the ancient town where the mix of Japanese and Chinese architecture reflects Hoi An?s significance in the past as an important trading port.. Your overnight stay will be in Hoi An.

Day 9: Hoi An/My Son/Hoi An (B, G)

After breakfast, you will be driven to My Son Sanctuary, once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence. Set in a lush green valley, a series of impressive tower-temples dating from between the 7th and 13th centuries provide a breathtaking site. Our guide will show you the remains of remarkable brick towers, and explain their origins and purpose. You'll then return to Hoi An with free afternoon to relax. Your overnight stay will be in Hoi An.

Day 10: Hoi An Free (B)

After breakfast, you will have free time to do any activities such as walking around the Old Town or relax on the beach as you wish.

Day 11: Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City (B, G)

Prices per person in US$:

Contact Us for more details

Valid until December 31, 2011

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation sharing a twin or double room.

• Domestic flight tickets: Danang - Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, including domestic airport taxes.

• Train ticket: Hanoi - Dong Hoi, air-condition soft four bed cabin.

• Boat cruise as programme.

• Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver.

• English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary

• Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the programme.

• Lunches and dinners, as specified, in the local restaurants and full board on the boat in Ha Long Bay.

• Government taxes

Price do not include:

• International flight tickets and airport tax.

• Visas

• Dinners, except as specified above.

• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

• Insurance.

Hotel list for Five Star standard

• Hanoi: Melia Hotel (***** modern high-rise building in one of Hanoi’s leafy boulevards in the city centre, uninspiring bland architecture, but high-quality facilities, restaurants, and service, ten-minute stroll from the city centre, Deluxe room)

• Dong Hoi: Sunspa Resort (**** nestled on a private beach facing the Nhat Le sea, luxurious tropical gardens all around the resort, Deluxe Ocean/Pool-view Room) or similar

• Hue: Imperial Hotel (***** in the heart of city centre, Deluxe Room) or similar

• Hoi An: Palm Garden Beach Resort (***** beautiful villa and bungalow style resort on a 5ha site on the northern section of Cua Dai Beach, Superior Garden-view Room)

Hotel list for Four Star standard

• Hanoi: Silk Path Hotel (**** modern boutique hotel in the old quarter, Deluxe Room) or similar

• Dong Hoi: Saigon Quang Binh (**** international four star hotel with swimming pool, Deluxe Room) or similar

• Hue: Huong Giang Hotel (**** on the bank of the Perfume River, Deluxe Room) or similar

• Hoi An: Hoi An Trails Resort and Spa (**** beside Cua Dai beach, Deluxe Room) or similar

Hotel list for Three Star standard

• Hanoi: Thang Long Opera hotel (*** city centre, walking distance to Hoan Kiem Lake, Innova Superior) or similar

• Dong Hoi: Saigon Quang Binh (**** international four star hotel with swimming pool, Superior Room) or similar

• Hue: Mondial Hotel (*** city centre with outdoor swimming pool, Superior Room) or similar

• Hoi An: Lotus Hotel (*** with swimming pool, 2km from town centre, Deluxe Room) or similar

Hotel list for Two Star standard

• Hanoi: Nam Hai hotel (*** in the Old Quarter, Standard Room) or similar

• Dong Hoi: Saigon Phong Nha Hotel (** in the town centre, Standard Room) or similar

• Hue: Canary Hotel (** city centre, Superior Room) or similar 

• Hoi An: Lotus Hotel (*** with swimming pool, 2km from town centre, Superior Room) or similar

Creating Unique Touring Experiences with Gia Linh Travel
  All the touring itineraries on this website have been carefully crafted by our in-country management teams and represent a series of experiences we can certainly recommend. However, we understand that every travel experience should be as unique and individual as each traveler. Our consultants are waiting to hear from you so that we can tailor or custom design a tour to your individual specifications.