Compare 11- Day Luxury Essential Northern Vietnam Tour by Tweet World Travel vs Finding Vietnam & The Lost Temples Of Angkor by Exotic Voyages

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival

On your arrival in Hanoi our local driver and tour guide will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your hotel.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Our tour guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel at 8am and then we will visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh museum, One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, and the Museum of Ethnology.

The colonial capital city Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental pagodas and temples dating back a thousand years.

After lunch we will take a cyclo tour in Hanoi’s old quarter and experience traditional street life before watching Water Puppet show.

In the afternoon you have the option to visit museums such as the Hanoi Hilton or Hoa Lo Prison, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Vietnam Military History museum, and the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts. Our driver will drop you off at your Hanoi Hotel around 5pm.

Day 3: Dong Ngac Day Tour With Bike

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

This full-day Hanoi Countryside with Bike tour will take you away from the bustling in Hanoi to the peaceful countryside of Dong Ngac, one of the oldest villages in Hanoi. Explore this cultural village to experience the rural living and the stunning scenery it has to offer. You will be visiting the local market and the village's 300-year-old communal house. Join a cooking demonstration and enjoy lunch, before you head to more biking across rural roadway in the afternoon.

Our tour guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and then take a short drive to Dong Ngac village. When we arrive at the village, you will take on an interesting local market tour to buy the ingredients to cook lunch. Then, you will be transferred to a traditional house and be welcomed by our host.

After a short break, we will start biking and venture deeper into the village to visit Dong Ngac communal house, the oldest house in the village. Explore the fascinating history of this House.

At noon, we join a cooking demonstration in our host’s house and enjoy the dishes we have prepared. After lunch we will continue cycling through surrounding villages to Lien Mac to see the beautiful fields of vegetables and flowers and have the chance to chat with some of the local people out caring for their crops.

After returning to the host family home, have a short break and we will then head back to Hanoi. You will be dropped off at your hotel in Hanoi around 5pm.

Day 4: Hanoi - Sapa by Express Bus

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

After breakfast, our driver and tour guide will pick you up and transfer you to Hanoi Bus Station. Today, you will travel to Sapa via Express Bus.

You will arrive at Sapa town mid-afternoon where our local tour guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. We then take a 1.5-hour tour of Sapa town and have dinner before transferring back to your hotel.

Day 5: Sapa - Thanh Phu - Sin Chai

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Our tour guide and driver will pick up you from your hotel at 8Am then transfer to Thanh Phu Bridge where we start our trekking tour through rice terrace fields, mountains and streams.

After lunch in Tay village, we keep on trekking to Sin Chai B village, home of Red Dao People. <

Overnight in Sapa.

Day 6: Sapa - My Son - Nam Toong

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Today we will visit My Son village, home of Xa Pho ethnic minority group. This is known as the smallest group ethnic in Northern Vietnam. We also see embroidery made by Xa Pho ladies. Later, we continue on trekking to Nam Toong for our lunch then to Ban Ho village where we can swim or relax. The awaiting vehicle will transfer us back to Sapa town in the late afternoon.

Approx: 1-hour driving/5 hours walking/ 1-hour lunch

Day 7: Sapa - Hanoi By Express Bus

Meals: Breakfast

Relax in the morning before taking the Express bus back to Hanoi in the afternoon. On arrival back in Hanoi our driver will pick you up from the bus station and transfer you back to your hotel.

Day 8: Hanoi - Halong Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Our cruise bus will pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi around 8am and transfer you to Tuan Chau wharf at Halong Bay (4-hour drive). Upon arrival, join your fellow cruise passengers aboard the luxury boat, built to resemble a traditional junk.

After a safety briefing and cruise orientation by your expert crew, enjoy a complimentary welcome drink and fruit as you relax, checking in to your deluxe single or shared ensuite cabin at your leisure.

Enjoy a delicious seafood feast for lunch, served on board while cruising along beautiful Halong Bay. Listen to your crew describe fascinating seascapes and point out rocky limestone.

On arrival to Vung Vieng we will take a rowboat trip and pass through the local floating houses, a floating school & floating information centre, meet and see the local life, enjoy the magnificent landscape with limestone mountains and sea caves. Luxury kayaks are available for people who want to discover the village by themselves. We then head back to the cruise voyage out to visit to Drum cave (Trong Cave) to enjoy the rest of your afternoon swimming in the emerald waters (weather permits)

Join a cooking demonstration on the sundeck and learn to make the fresh/fried spring rolls and mix fish-sauce before a luxury buffet BBQ dinner.

After taking part in a cooking class, enjoy a sumptuous seafood dinner served on board. In the evening, relax in your cabin or join the optional onboard activities such as night fishing for squid.

Day 9: Halong Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Option to enjoy early Tai Chi session before a light breakfast onboard the cruise ship. After breakfast, we transfer to the Gray Line day boat and visit Lan Ha bay, Cat Ba island.

On arrival to Viet Hai pier we take the bicycle trip along the village paths through rain forests and dark tunnels. Enjoy the wildlife, stunning scenery with rice fields and freshwater before we stop at the village to chat with the locals before a short trek in the Cat Ba National Forest to visit Bat cave.

Next we cycle back to Viet Hai pier and embark to the boat and continue cruising before lunch is served on board.

After Lunch enjoy kayaking in Dark Cave, Light Cave or in the 3-Peach lagoon or have a swim on the beach (weather and tide condition). After that we will cruise back to anchor overnight near Drum Cave.

In the afternoon relax and enjoy sunset or join a cooking demonstration on the sundeck and learn to make the fresh/fried spring rolls and mix fish-sauce before enjoying a luxury buffet BBQ dinner

Evening activities onboard the cruise include: film entertainment in the outdoor bar; Board and card games; or squid fishing on a boat with our crew. You can enjoy the squid cooked with assistance from our chef. We then anchor overnight near Drum cave. Overnight on Grayline Halong Bay Cruise.

Day 10: Halong Bay – Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Relax with a morning tai chi class on the sundeck, following the fluid movements of your instructor as you practice this ancient martial art.

Then unwind and soak up more sun on the top deck, a perfect spot for photographing the natural wonders of the bay as your light breakfast (think pastries, coffee, and fruit) is served on the boat. From there, visit the Cave of Surprises (Sung Sot Cave), located on Bo Hon Island, which is actually an array of linked limestone islets. Upon arrival, climb the hundred stone steps to the mouth of the cave and explore the lit paths inside on a guided walking tour. The cave is the widest grotto in Halong Bay and features multiple stalactites hanging from its high ceiling!

See more stunning sights on your return to the Halong wharf as you enjoy a buffet brunch on the junk. When you arrive back at the Tuan Chau Marina, you'll be met by a vehicle for the four-hour journey back to Hanoi. End your tour with hotel drop-off upon arrival in the capital.

Day 11: Departure Home

Meals: Breakfast

Today, we will transfer you to the airport for your departure flight home.

DAY 1 HANOI

Hotel: Capella Hanoi

Arriving at Noi Bai Airport, you will be welcomed by a local guide who will drive you to Capella Hanoi, the No. 3 Best City Hotel in Asia for hotel check-in. Capella Hanoi is conveniently located near many of Hanoi's top attractions, allowing you to explore the city for the rest of the day.

DAY 2 HANOI

Hotel: Capella Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Go on a walking tour with a story teller, find some local houses to understand more about Vietnamese local life and the development of architecture over the years. Have lunch and free talk with the story teller. In the afternoon, visit Hanoi’s first university - the Temple of Literature, head to the Vietnamese Women’s Museum and travel through the Old Quarter on a cycle rickshaw.

DAY 3 HA LONG BAY

Hotel: Ginger Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, you will be picked up from your hotel by a private vehicle and leave for Halong Bay, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site with 3,000 islands of towering limestone dotting the bay and Gulf of Tonkin. Board the Ginger Cruise at around noon, a beautiful private boat for an overnight.

DAY 4 HOI AN

Hotel: Palm Garden Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Brunch

Enjoy a spectacular dawn over the bay. After that, have brunch and return to Hanoi around noontime, passing a vast expanse of rice fields of the Red River Delta. Go directly to the airport to catch a short flight to Da Nang. Once you arrive, you will be picked up by a local driver and transferred to the hotel in Hoi An. Free to explore the town.

DAY 5 HOI AN

Hotel: Palm Garden Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Visit the bustling fish market at sunrise and have local breakfast while strolling in Ancient Town. Later, ride your bicycle into the Cam Thanh countryside, observe picturesque scenes of the local life before reaching the seaport of Cua Dai to explore a unique method of fishing in “basket boats". Enjoy a lunch carefully prepared by the fishermen.

DAY 6 HOI AN

Hotel: Palm Garden Resort
Meals: Breakfast

Have the whole day to yourself to explore the city of Hoi An, whether it is the beach or the ancient town, the decision is up to you. Let yourself be seduced by the old charm and the serenity of Hoi An.

DAY 7 SAIGON

Hotel: Hotel Des Arts Saigon - MGallery
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, fly to Saigon. Check in the hotel and rest. At 6 pm, go on a Jeep night food tour to try local 'Banh Xeo' and some spring rolls, see famous monuments such as the Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Opera House, and the City Hall. The next stop is District 4, where you will enjoy delicious fresh seafood cooked in a traditional way. Have a drink at a rooftop and admire an incredible view of the city.

DAY 8 MEKONG DELTA & RIVER

Hotel: Hotel Des Arts Saigon - MGallery
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Drive southwest to the Mekong Delta. A traditional boat tour on the Mekong River let you taste local fruits and feel the cold breeze on your hair. Leave your boat for a while to visit local families making traditional and handicraft products. After exploring the island's minor waterways by sampan, explore the once-called floating market in the commercial center. After having a local meal, return to Saigon, and visit the Opera House for the A O art show, a new circus art performance.

DAY 9 SIEM REAP

Hotel: Anantara Angkor Resort
Meals: Breakfast

Visit the 250-km Cu Chi tunnel network, which housed over 16,000 Viet Cong guerrillas this morning. You can also descend into the tunnels to learn about Viet Cong life. After returning to the city, fly to Siem Reap. A local guide will greet you in Siem Reap and assist with hotel check-in. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

DAY 10 SIEM REAP

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Visit Angkor Wat, a bas-relief wonder. At noon, enjoy a cultural and culinary experience in a traditional house. You can also stay in the house for a nap on the sofas or walk through the village and the close-by rice-fields. Explore Angkor Thom's South gate and Bayon, 54 enormous towers with 216 smiling Avalokitesvara faces, in the afternoon. The Elephant Terrace, the king's large audience room, and the raised Leper King Terrace are next. Stop at Ta Prohm monastery on the way home to admire gigantic stone branches.

DAY 11 SIEM REAP

Hotel: Anantara Angkor Resort
Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy your free time in the morning until noon, when it’s time to say goodbye to Siem Reap and get transferred to the airport for your flight home.