Description
This tour gives an excellent introduction to Vietnam. We cover some classic highlights of Vietnam from Saigon through Vietnam’s coastline ending at Hanoi. Explore Hanoi, temples, pagodas and imperial citadels, visit fine old merchant houses or seek out some some of the world’s best warm water beaches.
Overview
This tour gives an excellent introduction to Vietnam. We cover some classic highlights of Vietnam from Saigon through Vietnam’s coastline ending at Hanoi. Dive into the thick of things in Vietnam where old school meets the new and lush countrysides and pristine beaches go hand in hand with bustling wet markets, charming old towns and and trendy young cities.
Explore Hanoi, temples, pagodas and imperial citadels, visit fine old merchant houses or seek out some some of the world’s best warm water beaches.
- Indulge in the history, culture and cuisine of Vietnam
- Discover why Hoi An is considered to be an outstanding UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Bike through coastal Vietnam’s trails and swim in the azure blue sea
-
Duration
9 days / 8 nights
-
Start
Saigon | 13:00hrs
-
Finish
Hanoi
-
Hotels
Country Inns
-
Bicycle
Included
-
Support Vehicle
Included
-
Group Size
Min 6, Max 16
Itinerary
The morning is free for you to explore the city. Post-lunch, 13:00hrs, our guide meets you at your hotel for a walking tour to explore some of the most popular sites (Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Opera House, Continental Hotel, The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office, The War Remnants Museum). This walking tour gives an excellent introduction to the city’s history and provide you with plenty of opportunities to soak up the unique mix of chaos and tranquility that is modern-day Saigon. We convene tonight to celebrate the start of our awesome journey on a bike.
If you arrive early then we recommend to see China town (Cho Lon in Dist 5), Thien Hau Pagoda, Landmark 81 building, Jade Emperor Pagoda on your own.
Meals: Dinner
Today we take an early morning flight to Hoi An.
Later take the bikes for a ride out of the town and main roads to Tra Que village where we meet the locals working on their herb and vegetable gardens and watch and learn how the Vietnamese farm organically.
We continue our cycle ride through rice paddies, stop to chat with local farmers along the way and see how friendly their water buffalo are when we have the chance to take a ride with them. We stop at the beautiful water palm area and visit a local fisherman and his family for snacks and chat to them about their lives. We then experience a ride on the traditional bamboo basket boat amidst the famous coconut palms where the Viet Cong used to hide during the War. Finally, we enjoy a leisurely cycle back to the centre of Hoi An.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance Cycled: 20km / 12mi*
Another day on cycles today. We take the bikes for a ride into Hoi An and the surrounding area. We ride right across Hoi An and continue along the Thu Bon River through shrimp and coconut farms where the VC lived during American War. We continue to Cua Dai beach. From here we get on a local ferry for a 10 minute ride to Duy Hai Fishing Village(island). And a short distance away is the lovely town of Thuan Tinh, set among rice fields and coconut groves. We will visit a strawberry garden, meeting the local villagers, and will have the chance to sample strawberry tea and perhaps buy some homemade strawberry wine. If you don’t mind creepy crawlers, we can also witness live silkworms in various stages of maturity. Next we’ll check out Thanh Ha ceramic village and then we’ll take a one hour boat journey back to Hoi An and have lunch. The rest of the afternoon is yours to do with as you wish – beach, shopping, exploring – whatever!
In the evening, we enjoy a culinary class with our local associates.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance Cycled: 30km / 18mi
Take take an early morning shuttle and arrive at the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hué, gateway to Central Vietnam.
Today take your bicycle out for a leisurely loop around the imperial town of Hué. Ride past the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, Mausoleums and the merchant’s houses along the banks of the Perfume River and through quiet lanes with lush gardens.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 25km / 15mi
Today enjoy your evening at leisure.
In the evening, take an overnight train to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast
Our representative picks you up at station and transfer to hotel. Arrive and settle into your hotel. Late morning, Walk the busy streets of Hanoi visiting some of the cultural and historical highlights of Hanoi. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, which was constructed nearly a millennium ago, and is delicately elevated in a pond. Also visit the Temple of Literature, dating back close to a thousand years, is a wonderfully preserved piece of ancient Vietnamese architecture and stands to honour the scholarly achievements of the country’s academics and philosophers. Continue exploring the area around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, old quarter including Ngoc Son Temple, which sits perched on a little island in the lake.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A quick ferry journey amidst spectacular limestone mountain scenery brings us to Halong Bay. Enjoy the stunning sunset over the limestone mountains.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After hearty breakfast, get onboard a smaller boat and take a journey to the more remote and secluded parts of the Lan Ha Bay waters and islands. Trade your boat with a kayak and explore the lagoons, the coral reef, beaches and limestone peaks.
Ferry back at Hai Phong and shuttle to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Travel onwards as per your plans.
Cancellation Policy
Life is unpredictable and we understand that sometimes you have to cancel or change your trip dates and it is our endeavor to make it as easy as possible for you. However, please understand that we plan everything including guide fees, permits, accommodation, and ration in advance. Therefore, any cancellation means inconvenience and certain losses to the people involved in various stages of the program. Keeping that in mind, our cancellation charges are as below,
- Cancellations prior to 30 days from the start of the event: Full refund as cash.
- Cancellations between 30 days and 15 days to the start of the event: 50 % refund as cash.
- Cancellations less than 15 days to the start of the event: No refund.
- Cancellations will be accepted only by email.
Note: We reserve the right to cancel a program before departure in the event of logistical problems arising due to natural calamities, strikes, wars or any other circumstances that make the event inadvisable. In this case, we will refund 50% of the event fees.
Gallery
