Day 1: Hanoi arrival
(guide, private car, dinner, accommodation, visits)
Welcome by Zen Vietnam Travel guide and driver. Transfer to downtown Ha Noi.
An orientation walk or rickshaw in the old town district, otherwise known as the 36 Trades Streets of Ha Noi because most of the shops on the same street sold the same thing: Rue des bambous, Rue de silk, Traditional medicine street, Bronze street, etc. A really typical and charming district, with its shops on the sidewalks, small narrow houses, scooters everywhere.
Installation at the hotel for the shower and rest. Warning ! hotel rooms are only available from 2 p.m.
Gourmet dinner at the famous ¨Cha Ca¨ dish in a local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi - Visits
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)
Today, you will start the visit of the capital Hà Nội with a very old Buddhist pagoda, the 6th century Trấn Quốc pagoda, located in a beautiful setting by the large West Lake. Then you will visit the Quán Thánh temple at 300m.
Then, the visit of the ethnographic museum, which gives you a panoramic view of the life of the 54 ethnic groups with 54 different cultures in the territory of Vietnam.
Time for lunch at the restaurant.
In the afternoon, visit of the political district with the mausoleum of Hồ Chí Minh, the founding father of modern Vietnam, the presidential palace, the house on stilts of Hồ Chí Minh, the pagoda with the one pillar. Visit of the Temple of Literature, the first university in the history of the country.
At the end of the day, you will witness the water puppet theater show, a unique culture that you will never find in any other country in the world. Vietnam is the only country that practices this art.
Dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi - Flower and Kumquat Villages - Ninh Binh
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)
Breakfast at the hotel.
At 8:00 am, departure for the visit of the peach blossom village đệ Nhat Tân, Tây Tựu and the kumquat village of Quảng Bá. A little discovery of daily life among our peasants in order to admire their fine work.
Road towards Ninh Binh, nicknamed the terrestrial Ha Long Bay because of the similarity between the landscapes and the geological formation, with thousands of rocks covered by beautiful vegetation, a succession of natural cirques linked together by dug caves by erosions.
Arrival in Ninh Binh. Time for lunch at the restaurant.
In the afternoon, bike ride in the village to Thung Nham for another ride but in a rowing boat. It will be a very ¨zen¨ moment to contemplate the beauty of the terrestrial Halong Bay with rocks, rice fields, caves ....
Return to the hotel. Rest time
Dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight in Tam Coc
Day 4: Visit of Dong Dinh village - off the beaten track - Agricultural activities - Bai Dinh Pagoda
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure to Dong Dinh village crossing the World Heritage Center of Trang An, the center of Halong Bay on land with superb landscapes.
Arrived at Dong Dinh village, a small Catholic village on the edge of a small river. Mr. Sang and his family welcome you to their home. Here you can learn to fish, row the concrete boat, participate in agricultural activities in the village. A pleasant little moment in a nice village and around smiling people.
Lunch at Monsieur Sang's.
In the afternoon, visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, the largest Buddhist pagoda in Southeast Asia, a pharaonic building equipped with thousands of small Buddha statues, hundreds of marble Buddhist Saints statues, of bronze statues of Buddha weighing a hundred tons. It is a building to be seen in life.
Return to the hotel. Rest time
Dinner at the restaurant. Night at the hotel.
Day 5: Ninh Binh - Cat Ba - Cruise in Halong Bay - Overnight on board
(guide on board, bus, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits, private junk or collective boat)
Breakfast at the hotel.
At 7:30 am, departure for Hai Phong 150 km away to embark on a shuttle that takes you to Cat Ba Island. 30 minutes more bus and you arrive at the Ben Beo pier where you will board our beautiful private junk (or collective boat) and start the 24 hours on board for a discovery of one of the natural wonders of the world, the Halong Bay.
From our ¨zen¨ criteria for trips, we have chosen the part of the south of the bay where the large mass tourism boats do not pass yet, just a few small traditional junks in this area. A part of the bay which is still very authenticwith thousands of rocks, wild beaches and huge floating villages that you can't find in the other part of Ha Long Bay.
Lunch on board with seafood. Time for swimming or simply resting on the deck to admire this miracle that nature offers us. After 3 hours of navigation, we arrive at Hang Ca, a beautiful place for the kayak trip, another way to see the bay up close.
Around 5:30 p.m., we anchor in a magnificent circus in the middle of the bay where you will be alone. A hell of a time to watch the sunset over the bay.
Dinner on board and a test of squid fishing in the evening will be great memories.
Overnight on board.
Note: The order of visits during the cruise may be changed depending on local weather conditions.
Day 6: Cat Ba - Ha Noi Airport - Flight to Hue
(guide on board, bus, lunch, accommodation, visits, plane)
An early morning awakening in a magical setting around 5 am to admire the sunrise over the bay, why not?
After a good breakfast, the junk continues to sail in the bay and takes you to Viet Hai village for a nice bike ride or visit the fish farm or just enjoy the tranquility on a beach. You choose !
Lunch on board and disembarkation around 11:30 am.
Transfer to Ha Noi Airport for 6:00 p.m. flight to Hue
Arrival in Hue. Welcome by the guide and the driver. Transfer to the hotel.
Day 7: Hue - Visits
(guide, private car, lunch, accommodation, visits)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Hue, former capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. A charming city which has a great cultural richness with its history, its historical monuments, its imperial city, its mausoleums, its Perfume river ...., which seduced the soul generations of Vietnamese poets as well as visitors. Despite damage due to the two wars, the renovation projects are gradually giving it back its original charm.
The day's visit begins with Dong Ba Market, the largest indoor market in the city. Here you find everything the locals need. A beautiful market to see.
Then you will visit the Heavenly Lady Pagoda, the most important pagoda in Hue. Built in 1601, the Heavenly Lady Pagoda is not only a Buddhist temple but also an important ceremonial place for members of the royal family. A little discovery on local religious life.
The visit continues with the most important monument in Hue, the Imperial City. Built for 29 years from 1804 to 1833, the imperial city was the political, economic, cultural center of the country and the home of 13 Nguyen emperors and their families. The construction of the imperial city was a typical example of oriental architecture by harmoniously applying Confucianist philosophies, fengshui and also the use of local and exotic materials.
Time for lunch.
Continuation of the visit to the 2 mausoleums of Khai Dinh and Minh Mang. While the Mausoleum of Minh Mang is a typical construction of the city, strictly respecting local criteria, oriental philosophies, fengshui ... the mausoleum of Khai Dinh is an exception. Its architecture is really an original invention of this emperor and under the hands of the artists of the time, a splendid building, mixed with several styles: Catholic, Buddhist, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, as well as a most beautiful mosaic work. from Vietnam, were made.
Dinner on your own and overnight at the guest house.
Day 8: Hue - Cloud Pass - Hoi An
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)
Breakfast.
The morning begins with a visit to the Thanh Toan Bridge, a cute little Japanese-style bridge located in a small village not far from the city center. Visit of the very authentic daily market where the villagers come to shop every day. A market that stands out from the rest.
Departure towards Hoi An via the Col des Nuages. A photo stop on the pass is highly recommended.
Arrival in Da Nang. Time for lunch at the restaurant.
Visit of the Cham sculptures museum.
Visit the beautiful Ngu Hanh Son Buddhist temple which is hidden in the Marble Mountain in Da Nang.
Arrival in Hoi An, nicknamed the Little Venice of Vietnam, Hoi An was a former silk trading port since the 14th and 15th centuries, a city which is very very well preserved, with its ancient temples, its ancient houses of various styles. , from the West with French houses, to the East with Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese houses. A favorite city for most of the people who have visited it.
Dinner at the restaurant in the center of the old town. This outing allows you to see the city again but under the magnificent light of the lanterns.
Night in a guest house.
Day 9: Hoi An - Village Tra Que
(guide, private car, lunch, accommodation, visits)
Breakfast at the hotel.
This morning, you will start with a bike ride to Tra Que village, a village renowned for its cultivation of aromatic vegetables, salads, onions ... in an organic way. Here you will dress up as a peasant, participate, learn and work the land with the people of the village.
After the time to learn the profession of peasant, it will be a small cooking class with the family to make some typical dishes of the region.
Lunch in the village.
In the afternoon, continue the bike ride through villages surrounded by rice fields to the sea. Then, you will start another boat ride towards the old town of Hoi An. Visit of the city with some temples and typical houses, the Japanese bridge and also time for your shopping.
Night at the hotel.
Day 10: Hoi An - Freetime
(accommodation)
Completely free day for your personal activities: walking, cycling, beach, shopping….
Overnight in the guesthouse.
Day 11: Hoi An - Flight to Saigon - Visit of Saigon
(guide, private car, dinner, accommodation, visits)
Breakfast at the hotel.
At 8:00 am, departure for the flight around 11:00 am for Saigon. Arrival in Saigon. Welcome by the guide and the driver. Transfer to the city center.
Saigon, today called Ho Chi Minh city, is the first city of Vietnam in several aspects: economic, area, population ...
Continuation of your day by visiting the Reunification Palace which served as the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam before 1975. Visit of the central post office and Saigon Cathedral.
Discovery of the Chinatown of Cholon with in particular the Binh Tay market which is full of life and where you can find absolutely everything you can imagine, all in a warm atmosphere. Finally, visit the Thien Hau pagoda, a guaranteed atmosphere with the incense cones burning on the ceiling and all the decorative elements typical of a pagoda dedicated to the goddess of the sea.
Dinner on the Indochine Junk boat, a beautiful ride for 1h30 on the Saigon river to admire the modern beauty of the city while listening to traditional music.
Overnight at hotel in Saigon.
Day 12: Saigon - Sa Dec - Can Tho
(guide, private car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)
Breakfast at the hotel.
At 8:00 am, departure with the guide towards Sa Dec, a small town famous for growing flowers. Arrival in Sadec, visit of the market for exotic agricultural products of the Mekong and the former house of the Lover, Marguerite Duras' first love in life, which inspired her for the release of the novel Lover.
Lunch at the Lover's house.
Continuation of the road to Can Tho, the first city of the Mekong Delta. Visit of the Binh Thuy house where we shot the film The Lover, a superb house.
Installation at the hotel.
Dinner at the restaurant. Night at the hotel.
Day 13: Can Tho - Floating market - Vinh Long - Cai Be - Saigon
(guide, private car, lunch, accommodation, visits)
Wake up early at 6 am to visit the Cai Rang floating market, the largest floating market in Vietnam where hundreds of boats gather every morning to trade in agricultural products, fruits and flowers. The origin of the floating markets comes from the relief of the Mekong Delta, with rivers, streams and canals everywhere, which really discourages land transport but which seems ideal for boat travel. Here you will see that the locals of the Mekong are as comfortable on their boats as the others elsewhere on their scooters !!!!!
Return of the floating market. Time for breakfast and drive to Vĩnh Long 40km from Can Tho.
Arrived at Vinh Long, you will embark on a boat for a little air of the Mekong with the visit of candy factory, rice cakes, rice alcohol ... huge gardens of exotic fruit trees that you do not know : durian, rambutan, jackfruit, water apple, milk apple ....
Lunch at the gastronomy of the Mekong.
In the afternoon, a short cruise for 1 hour on an arm of the Mekong to Cai Be admiring the beautiful landscapes on both sides. Arrival at Cai Be we take the car in the direction of Saigon.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 14: Saigon Freetime - Departure
(transfer to the airport)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Free day without guide & driver for your personal discovery.
The room is vacated at noon..
Meeting with the driver then transfer to Saigon airport for the departure flight.
End of the trip!
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