Vietnam Exclusive in 13 Days

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi), you will be warmly welcomed by our English-speaking guide and driver, who will transfer you to the city center. Along the way, you will catch your first glimpse of Vietnam’s lively and fascinating traffic scenes.

Depending on your flight arrival time, you may either relax at your hotel (official check-in time is from 2:00 PM) or enjoy an orientation tour of the city.

A Special Welcome by HORIZON VIETNAM TRAVEL:

Upon arrival at our office, you will be greeted by the enchanting melodies of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments. Their gentle sounds will transport you into the rich and captivating world of Vietnamese culture, creating a memorable and emotional first impression.

You will then take part in our traditional tea ceremony. More than simply tasting tea, this experience reflects the Vietnamese art of sharing and cultural refinement. Every gesture, from selecting the tea leaves to serving the tea, carries a deeper meaning. It is a moment to celebrate friendship, social harmony, and a close connection with nature, inspired by Buddhist and Confucian traditions that value balance and serenity.

Next, you will have the opportunity to join a singing bowl meditation session. Focus on your breathing and inner self while leaving behind worries and tensions. In the silence, the soothing sound and vibrations of the singing bowl create a deeply relaxing atmosphere, bringing peace and mindfulness.

To complete your welcome experience, enjoy an exceptional massage session, either a full-body massage or a foot massage. The gentle and professional techniques help stimulate blood circulation, relieve fatigue, and ease muscle tension accumulated during your journey. It is the perfect way to unwind after a long flight.

Welcome lunch at a typical Vietnamese restaurant.

In the afternoon, begin your discovery of Hanoi with a walking tour through the city’s historic districts. Stroll through the former French colonial quarter, known for its elegant architecture, and explore the bustling Old Quarter of 36 Guild Streets, where a vibrant mix of vehicles, local shops, traditions, and daily life creates an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the world.

Dinner at your leisure.

Overnight at your hotel in the heart of the Vietnamese capital.

Today, we start our exploration of Hanoi, seeing the most notable landmark of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (close on Mon. and Fri). This imposing marble and granite monument was built towards Ba Dinh Square. We follow the footpath to the One Pillar Pagoda rising from the center of a square lotus pond, ascending on a single pillar and resembling a blossoming lotus flower.

The next place will be the fascinating Ethnology Museum (closed Mondays), which is both a research center and a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Vietnam. As an alternative to the Ethnology Museum, visit the highly acclaimed Hoa Lo Prison which was once known as “Hanoi Hilton”

We continue the trip to the Temple of Literature & Vietnam’s first university, constructed in the 11th century, the gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past.

Passing by Hanoi’s Old Quarter also known as the ‘36 streets’ before enjoying the Water Puppet show. This is a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel, around 8:00 a.m:

Welcome at your hotel, you take the car to depart for Bai Tu Long Bay which is wilder and less crowded.

Arrival in Ha Long around noon, immediate boarding a beautiful junk, converted into a floating hotel for a magnificent cruise to discover the UNESCO world heritage. Welcome drink and presentation of the cruise program. Then you settle into your cabin to freshen up. Lunch is served while your junk departs your cruise while sailing through the magnificent landscapes of the 7th wonder of the world with its thousands of islands and islets shaped like sugar loaves.

You then use the small boat to reach the island of Cap La where you perform a beautiful kayak trip through breathtaking landscapes among steep limestone peaks on the emerald waters of Bai Tu Long Bay, then free time for swimming and relaxation at the preserved white sand beach. Return on board, then free time for a shower and relaxation on the upper deck or take photos while contemplating the sunset.

Then you enjoy the Sunset Party with fruits and snacks. You participate in a Vietnamese cooking demonstration. You can quickly learn a simple but delicious Vietnamese dish that Gordon Ramsay (a 2 Michelin star chef) used to guide – Nem Cuon or challenge yourself to cut up fruits and vegetables.

Lunch and dinner meals are served with excellent local dishes and fresh seafood specialties on the menu. Dinner and overnight aboard the junk.

Hue was the capital of Vietnam between 1802 and 1945 and this chapter was one of the most eventful in the country. The city’s preserved architectural and historical heritage deserves your full attention.

Breakfast at your hotel, today you visit the Majestic Imperial City where 13 Emperors of the Nguyen dynasty lived between 1802 and 1945.

It is the only existing Imperial city still visible today in Vietnam, time has passed, but it retains its beauty of original Vietnamese-Chinese architecture. You visit sumptuous monuments of the complex including: the Porte du Midi, the Palace of Supreme Harmony, the Eastern and Western pavilions, the Reading Pavilion, the Royal Theater, the private palaces of the Queen Mother, the Palace of Longevity, the Tea and Boat pavilions, the Pavilion of Benevolence, the Gate of Virtue…

Then you visit the pretty Heavenly Lady Pagoda perched at the top of the hill which dominates the Perfume River. 

Lunch in a good local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you head towards the Imperial Mausoleum of Minh Mang – a sumptuous tomb surrounded by frangipani trees and pine trees built to plans drawn up by the emperor himself. Then you visit the Khai Dinh mausoleum.

At the end of the afternoon, you take a beautiful walk to visit the Dong Ba market where you will find products testifying to the skill of the women of Hue, such as their talent for making the famous conical hats!

Free dinner and overnight at the hotel in the heart of Hue city.

Breakfast at the hotel, then departure by private car for Da Nang, traveling through beautiful scenery along Vietnam’s central coastline. Several stops are planned along the way, including one at the Hai Van Pass, which offers a stunning view over Lang Co Beach – one of the most beautiful bays in Vietnam.

Arrival in the ancient town of Hoi An around midday. You first enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then stroll through narrow, charming lanes lined with lovely ancient houses – remnants of a prosperous period in the country’s foreign trade history. With its outstanding architectural and historical value, Hoi An, formerly known as “Faifo” was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. During this walk, you visit some of Hoi An’s most remarkable landmarks, such as the Japanese Covered Bridge, Chinese temples, ancient houses, and the traditional handicraft quarter.

In the afternoon, you are taken to a lantern – making workshop in Hoi An’s old quarter, where you can create your own lantern. The rest of the day is free for your personal exploration of this former port town. Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel in Hoi An.

Breakfast at the hotel, departure by private car to explore there “holy land” by My Son, the most important archaeological site of the Cham kingdom and their civilization. From the end of the 6th century, the Chams built towers and temples dedicated to kings and Brahmanical deities. My Son became the religious and political center over the centuries, and subsequently the capital of the Cham kingdom.

More than 70 architectural works of brick and stone rise in the heart of encroaching nature. These buildings were all decorated with sculpted friezes and other delicate ornaments, specific to Cham art, which offer us a new insight into the glorious history of this little-known civilization. The method of construction of the towers still remains a mystery with a unique architecture.

In December 1999, the My Son site was included on the list of World Heritage sites by UNESCO.

Lunch at a local restaurant, then return to Hoi An, the rest of the day is free to rest or do your final shopping. Free dinner and overnight at the hotel in Hoi An.

Breakfast at your hotel then we ride our bikes in the Vietnamese countryside, far from the noise of the city, transport and tourist trails.

From village to village, you will cross immense rice fields taking winding and peaceful paths, towards the Van Lang fishing village and the Bay Mau water coconut forest.

About 7 hectares, surrounded by a mangrove forest, canals, and houses covered in coconut leaves. During the Vietnam War it was the shelter for local people and soldiers and nowadays this place is famous for providing the most seafood products.

Along the way, you stop at several key locations : the local Ba Le market, rice fields, cemeteries, schools…

Arriving at the village, you will be warmly welcomed at Mr. Han‘s where you will meet his family spanning 3 generations, you will also have the opportunity to taste green tea and stroll through the village. Later, the fishermen will take you to discover their traditional fishing techniques and their coconut forests by a cruise in “Thung chai” – (Basket boat).

Back to Mr. Han for a moment oftent with a foot massage with medicinal herbs. It is a traditional therapeutic practice. With this moment of relaxation, you will witness preparing lunch with his family which will include for example: crispy pancakes, Hoi An spring rolls, Tam huu (Pork – Shrimp – Herbs tied with chives), grilled fish in a banana leaf, etc. Subsequently, you can taste the dishes you have prepared.

After relaxing in the shade of the water coconut trees, you will take your bike back to Hoi An.

The rest of the time is free to rest. Free dinner and overnight at the hotel in Hoi An.

After breakfast at the hotel, you leave by private car to explore the Cu Chi tunnels, it is an immense network of 200 km of underground galleries and narrow tubes dug by hand by the Viet-Cong to take refuge and defend themselves against the “American war machine”. The visit to this tunnel system explains how the Vietnamese with their rudimentary weapons were able to fight against the modern weapons of the Americans.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Return to Saigon via a very pleasant country road. The rest of the day is completely free for your personal discovery.

Free dinner and overnight at your hotel in Saigon.

Breakfast at your hotel, then departure by car to My Tho in the Mekong Delta (the rice granary of Vietnam).

You stop on the road to visit Vinh Trang Pagoda – the national historical relic. The specific character of this pagoda is the combination of architecture from Western civilization and Asia.

Arrival at My Tho, boarding the boat for a beautiful stroll on the Tien River crossing four famous islets, each named after a sacred animal in Vietnamese culture: Long (the Dragon) – Lan (the Unicorn) – Quy (the Turtle) – Phung (the Phoenix). Along the river, you cross the fish cages to arrive on Unicorn Island where you visit the bee garden to discover the taste of honey directly from the honey boxes raised by locals. You also visit the orchid garden and taste chocolate made from cocoa beans. You also taste fruits and listen to folk music “Don Ca Tai Tu” – intangible cultural heritage of the world in the garden of Mr. Nam Chanh.

Back to the boat, you cross the canal and visit the artisanal coconut making workshop: you will see how people use all parts of the coconut and you will taste these sweets (specialty of Ben Tre). Pursuit, you do a Lambro ride “motorized vehicle”, winding under the cool shade of coconut trees on the village road to the garden restaurant where you have a good lunch with local dishes.

Then you perform the rowing boat ride between two rows of coconut trees which will take you through preserved and romantic landscapes.

The car then takes you for Can Tho crossing extensive landscapes of the Mekong Delta. Arrival in Can Tho late in the afternoon. Free dinner and overnight at the hotel in the town of Can Tho.

After breakfast at the hotel, you take a private boat on the Mekong River to participate in the original Cai Rang floating market. It is one of the most typical markets in the southern regions of Vietnam.

You sail among local boats which transport a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from the regions. This image makes the market more lively, lively and friendly.

We leave the market and continue the ride by boat to the tropical fruit orchard. You have the opportunity to taste the fresh fruit. Then you visit making rice noodles (Hu Tieu) – a specialty well appreciated in the Cai Rang floating market.

Disembarkation and lunch in a local restaurant. Return to the city of Saigon, arriving there in the afternoon. The rest is free time for your personal discovery. Free dinner and overnight at your hotel in Saigon.