Vietnam Authentic Discovery – 13 Days / 12 Nights

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN HANOI

On your arrival at Hanoi Airport, please look for our signboard with your name. Your guide and driver will transfer you to your hotel in the city center. Check in and spend time at leisure.
Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 2: HANOI SIGHTSEEING AND MOTORCYCLE TOUR (B/L/-)

After breakfast, meet your local guide at 08:30 and visit the Temple of Literature (Vietnam’s first university, 1076). Stroll the Old Quarter (“36 streets”) and Hoan Kiem Lake to learn the legend and visit the Ngoc Son (Jade) Temple.
Visit St. Joseph’s Cathedral, then step into the serene Pagoda Ba Da tucked in a quiet corner near the cathedral.

In the afternoon, explore neighborhoods on a classic Russian Minsk motorcycle. First, taste specialty pho (rolled, stirred, fried) at a local spot in Ba Dinh.
Head to a hidden Red River farmland for a slice of countryside life with banana and vegetable plots and floating homes. Stop at the historic Long Bien Bridge (1898–1902).
Browse Hanoi’s largest open-air second-hand market in Hai Ba Trung, then weave residential alleys and a wet market to sample tropical fruits.
Continue toward densely populated Dong Da District; pause at the famed train street. Visit a local home with a separate kitchen and bathroom reminiscent of the 1960s.
Conclude with Hanoian egg coffee at an old café. Return ~16:30.
Overnight in Ha Noi.

DAY 3: HANOI – NINH BINH (B/L/-)

Depart 08:30 to Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s 10th-century capital. Explore the Hoa Lu Citadel and temples of Dinh Tien Hoang (968–980) and Le Dai Hanh (980–1009).
Lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, visit the Trang An Landscape Complex (UNESCO) for a peaceful riverboat through cave systems amid jagged karst and valleys — the famed “Halong on Land”.

Alternatively: Drive to Tam Coc for a private sampan along the Ngo Dong River through caves Hang Ca, Hang Hai, Hang Ba. Lunch at a local restaurant, then cycle to Bich Dong Pagoda (1428). End the day by climbing 486 steps to Mua Cave (Ngoa Long viewpoint) for sweeping rice-valley vistas.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

DAY 4: NINH BINH – HA LONG (B/L/D)

Depart 08:30 via the Red River Delta to Tuan Chau Pier and board your selected Lan Ha Bay overnight cruise. Lunch served as you cruise among thousands of limestone islets.
Join activities such as kayaking or swimming, or relax on the sun deck amid World Heritage scenery.
Dinner with fresh seafood.
Overnight on the cruise.

Alternative: Embark at Ha Long International Port for an overnight on pristine Bai Tu Long Bay (kayaking, caves, floating villages). Dinner and overnight on board.
Note: Itinerary subject to change due to weather and operations.

DAY 5: HA LONG – HA NOI – FLIGHT TO HUE (B/Brunch/-)

Enjoy sunrise over the bay; light breakfast, then brunch while cruising past dramatic karst formations.
Disembark and transfer to Noi Bai (Domestic) for a short flight to Hue.
Overnight in Hue.

DAY 6: HUE COUNTRYSIDE AND SIGHTSEEING TOUR (B/L/-)

Depart 08:30 to La Chu Village (8 km from Hue), famed for herbs and vegetables (onion, chive, coriander, basil). Enjoy an ~8 km bicycle tour through peaceful villages, rice terraces, riverbanks, and lotus ponds (Feb–Jul best).
Visit a family making votive paper offerings, then a local market to browse produce and spices, and meet vegetable farmers in the fields.
Learn to make Bánh Lọc (shrimp rice dumplings) and taste local specialties.

Lunch at a family restaurant by the rice fields. After lunch, relax with an herbal foot soak overlooking the paddies.

Return ~14:00 to visit the Imperial Citadel (Vauban-inspired; Kinh Thanh, Hoang Thanh, Cam Thanh) and the riverside Thien Mu Pagoda (17th c.).
Overnight in Hue.

DAY 7: HUE – HOI AN (B/-/-)

Depart 08:30 to Tu Duc’s Mausoleum and the colorful Thuy Xuan incense village. Continue to Minh Mang’s Mausoleum (palaces, temples, pavilions in harmony with nature).
In the afternoon, drive via Lang Co and the spectacular Hai Van Pass to Hoi An.
Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 8: HOI AN (B/L/-)

Join Chef Van for a hands-on cooking class: market visit for fresh ingredients, then return to Van’s home to prepare regional dishes together and share your creations.
In the afternoon, stroll the Hoi An Ancient Town (UNESCO) — the Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall, and merchant houses. End with tea at the tranquil Reaching Out Tea House (social enterprise). Return ~17:30.
Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 9: HOI AN – DA NANG – FLIGHT TO HO CHI MINH CITY (B/-/-)

Breakfast and leisure until transfer to Da Nang Airport for a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Meet your guide on arrival for a multi-district discovery.
Visit the FITO Museum (Traditional Vietnamese Medicine). Then stop at historic Đỗ Phủ Café — once a resistance base — to see the secret weapon bunker used in the 1968 Independence Palace attack and the vintage car linked to the Cu Chi route; enjoy coffee.
Head to hidden Van Phat Pagoda (Jewelry Street, Chinatown, District 5), famed for vibrant Chinese architecture and ten thousand Buddha statues; learn about preservation of family cremation urns.
Continue to the French Quarter (District 1) to visit the Saigon Central Post Office, then stroll Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi, the city’s busiest promenades.
Conclude with the spectacular A O Show (18:00) at the historic Saigon Opera House. Return ~19:15.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 10: TAY NINH – CU CHI TUNNELS (B/-/-)

Depart 08:30 for Tay Ninh to explore the colorful Cao Dai Temple (large eye facade; twin pagodas). Learn the syncretic faith blending Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, and Catholicism. Witness the mid-day ceremony with music and chants.
Continue to the Cu Chi Tunnels (from 1948): an underground network of living quarters, kitchens, storage, workshops, field hospitals, and command centers. Return to HCMC around 18:30.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 11: HO CHI MINH CITY – CAI BE (B/L/D)

Leave HCMC at 09:30 for Cai Be; board Bassac Cruise at 12:00. As you sail toward Cho Lach on the Tien Giang River, lunch is served.
Relax on deck while the boat slips into the Cho Lach Canal amid lively river traffic, markets, and churches — a vivid look at life along the waterways.

Mid-afternoon shore excursion beyond the tree line: discover peaceful delta countryside with rice fields, orchards, and friendly residents (or opt for a short cycling tour).
Back on board for sunset drinks. Dinner served while the Bassac cruises the Mang Thit River and anchors just downstream from Tra On for the night.
Overnight on board.

DAY 12: CAN THO – HO CHI MINH CITY – VESPA TOUR (B/-/D)

Breakfast on board as you sail to Can Tho. Transfer to a small boat to explore the colorful Cai Rang Floating Market. Disembark at Ninh Kieu Pier and drive back to HCMC. Afternoon at leisure.

At 18:00, explore Saigon by night on vintage Vespas: rooftop welcome drink, then weave through buzzing avenues and alleys. Dine at two beloved local eateries, enjoy live music at a Vietnamese-style café, and wrap up at a lively music bar with the city’s hip crowd. Food and drinks included.
Return ~22:00.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 13: HO CHI MINH CITY – DEPARTURE (B/-/-)

Breakfast at hotel and leisure until 12:00 check-out. Private transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your departure flight.