Best of Vietnam Family Holiday

Your family is welcomed by our guide up on arrival in Noi Bai international airport. Transfer to hotel for check in. In the afternoon, enjoy a private walking city tour through Hanoi Old Quarter, visit daily local market. Enjoy the evening water puppet performance. Welcome dinner will be served in Vietnamese restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.

After a breakfast at your hotel, you will be inspired by our Hanoi City Tour, start to visit Ba Dinh Square where President Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of Vietnam in 1945. We visit his Mausoleum; escorted by the soldiers in full regalia. we will continue to learn about his life & job in the Presidential Palace before seeing “Uncle Ho’s” house; the humble dwelling he built (based on a traditional Vietnamese stilt house) and where he lived for the last ten years of his life.

We will then continue to One Pillar Pagoda and the 1000-year old Temple of Literature, the principal Vietnamese Confucian sanctuary, and its historical centre of learning. Made up of five courtyards, this is one of the few remnants of the original city. Lunch will be at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit Ngoc Son temple set on a tiny island on the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake. You’ll hear how it got its name from a legend of an emperor, a magic sword and a giant turtle! Take a breezy cyclo ride through the Old Quarter’s 36 streets, named after the products that were sold from their shops. Today, vendors on Tin and Bamboo Streets still sell the same wares..Your family adventure trip to Sapa begins with an overnight train from Vietnam’s capital city to the border town of Lao Cai. Overnight on train.

The train arrives at Lao Cai train station at approximately 6:00 a.m. There will be a vehicle waiting to transfer us to Sapa. The drive to Sapa is only 33 km but it takes around 1.5 hours.
Once in Sapa, you will check-in hotel (Early check-in subject to availability). Have breakfast at the hotel restaurant then enjoy a free morning to explore around town. In the afternoon there will be a walking tour to the hill tribe villages: Lao Chai and Ta Van Village, home to the H’mong and Dzay hill tribes minority peoples. As you walk to the villages nestled in the valley below Sapa, we will meet some of the local minority people on their way to and from Sapa. Here we have the opportunity to share cultural experiences with the families that live in the area. Overnight in Sapa.

Following breakfast, you will explore Sapa market and then set out on our 3-4 hour trek that will take us along buffalo paths and trails and through several hill tribe villages of Ma Tra and Ta Phin, home to H’mong, and Dzao people. This is an absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people you can meet. We will stop for a picnic lunch on the way to Ta Phin village. You are transferred to Lao Cai for the night train back to Hanoi. Overnight on train..

Arrive in Hanoi around 5am. Pick up from here, transfer to local restaurant for breakfast and morning coffee. Leave Hanoi for Ha Long by private vehicle at 8:30 a.m. arriving at the jetty around 12:30 p.m. Check-in on board, enjoy welcome drink & cruise briefing. Have lunch while cruising to magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay; admire the fascinating formations on the way. In the late noon explore the well- hidden Thien Canh Son Cave. Enjoy relaxing on a white sandy beach at Hon Co Island, swimming or kayaking. after that back to junk for refreshing before having dinner on board. Relax, enjoy fresh air & overnight on board.

In the morning view of Bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee. Have breakfast in the fresh air. we visit Vung Vieng fishing village by a rustic row-boat, meet the local people and visit fish farms. After that back to boat to check out of the cabin. Start cruising towards the harbor while an A la carte lunch is served. Drive directly from Halong to Hanoi airport for your short flight to Hue. Upon arrival at Phu Bai Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. At leisure. Overnight in Hue.

Have breakfast at your hotel, then start at the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. The ancient citadel reflects the pomp and ceremony of the dynastic rulers as well as the scars of many years of turmoil, both ancient and modern (the Royal Citadel was badly damaged in the latter stages of the war) but retains a sense of grace and majesty even today.
From here take a cyclo through dai noi ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake where the Emperors used to come to relax; full of lotus flowers in summer there are many local style coffee shops around the lake where university students come to study.
Continue to visit Thien Mu (Celestial Lady) Pagoda overlooking the Perfume River; constructed in 1601, the 21-meter tall tower is the centerpiece of the pagoda and represents seven reincarnations of Buddha. For lunch, try some best Hue cuisine in the restaurant.
In the afternoon see the tomb of the former emperor Minh Mang which is located in a tranquil setting of gardens and ponds.
Journey on to Khai Dinh’s Tomb which is traditional Vietnamese in design with a European touch making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.
On the way back to Hue, visit Ho Quyen (tiger arena). Built in 1830 during the reign of Minh Mang emperor, the arena was the stage of yearly battles between an elephant and a tiger. The arena is a rarity of Asian architecture and is still intact. Back to hotel and free at your leisure

Breakfast at your hotel, then we will leave the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Hue for Hoi An, We will travel over the Hai Van pass is one of the most scenic hillside roads in Vietnam. When braving the steep winding roads of a paved mountain pass, you will have a chance to discover peace, quiet and history along the way. stop in Danang for a visit to the Cham Museum in Danang is the largest collection of Cham sculpture and artwork in the world. Whenever visiting the museum, you still perceive an individual atmosphere particular to this place, the reverie of reminiscences. We continue to visit handicraft villages on the foot of Marble Mountain before arriving in Hoi An. Once in Hoi An, we will check into our hotel and have some free time to explore. Overnight in Hoi An.

From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in the high grade silk, which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics. Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerous cafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century. We enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200- year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Following the tour there will be free time to shop or relax. Overnight in Hoi An

Have breakfast at your hotel, Leaving Hoi An, we make the 40 minute drive from Hoi An to Danang Airport . From Danang we take the one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City , where you will be picked up by our guide and driver to your central hotel for resting. After that we  take a city tour of Saigon including The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, Remnant War Museum, Giac Lam Pagoda, China town with ancient pagodas and temples, and bustling Binh Tay Market. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

This morning we drive to Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh to observe the midday service. Following lunch we will drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels and then return to Ho Chi Minh City at around 6 pm. Tay Ninh , near the Cambodian border, is home to the unique Cao Dai sect, whose patron saints include Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill to name a few.
The religion is a hybrid of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh has been described as a Walt Disney fantasia of the East. The temple’s exterior is decorated with multi-colored dragons of all shapes and sizes competing for space with a number of religious symbols. Above the main entrance is the all-seeing holy eye, the symbol of the Cao Dai sect. The interior is just as engaging as statues of Jesus Christ, Buddha and the Hindu god, Brahma, stand side by side. The trip to Tay Ninh is combined with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels.
At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250km. from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens.
Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam War must have been like. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Your guide will pick up your family at your hotel at 07:30 and you’ll head off on a 2-hour drive through fertile paddy fields to the Mekong River.
Board a boat for a short trip to an island where you’ll see local residents engaged in production activities such as making rice paper, coconut candy, and rice popcorn. Observe the rice husking process at the local factory.
Head back to the boat and take in the busy Cai Be floating market. See buyers and sellers bargaining and exchanging goods from their boats.
Afterwards you’ll continue on to a local orchard, where you’ll have a chance to taste fresh tropical fruits. Travel along the small canals by sampan, stopping at an ancient traditional house. Take a stroll in the orchard before enjoying a delicious lunch. we will head up to Can Tho City. Overnight in Can Tho.

You wake up to the sounds of the Mekong River welcoming a new day. Take boat trip to join in the Cai Rang floating market – one of the most bustling floating markets in Mekong Delta with hundreds of small boats barging and jostling for space to sell their goods and to experience the Mekong rural lifestyle. After sampling local fruits, our guide will escort the guests back to the hotel through myriad canals. Lunch at local restaurant before return to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

There is no activity planned for today. Enjoy your free time for souvenir shopping until transfer to the airport for your onward flight.