Vietnam Ultimate Experiences & Lavish Lifestyle – 18 Days

Brief Information

Tour Route: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Nha Trang – Danang – Hoi An – Hue – Hanoi – Halong Bay
Duration: 18 Days/ 17 Nights
Date: No fixed departure dates. You may go whenever you wish.
Start/ End: Saigon/ Hanoi

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Saigon Arrival
Day 2: Saigon City Tour by Jeep
Day 3: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels by Speedboat
Day 4: Saigon – Cao Dai Temple (Optional)
Day 5: Saigon – Nha Trang
Day 6: Nha Trang Relax & Revelry
Day 7: Nha Trang Relax & Revelry
Day 8: Nha Trang – Danang
Day 9: Danang – Hoi An
Day 10: Hoi An Walking Tour & Cooking Class
Day 11: Hoi An – Hue
Day 12: Experience the Royal & Local Lifestyle
Day 13: From Captial to Capital
Day 14: Hanoi City Tour
Day 15: Hanoi – Halong Bay by Private Seaplane
Day 16: Halong Bay – Hanoi
Day 17: Hanoi Hidden Corners (Optional)
Day 18: Hanoi Departure

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Saigon Arrival

On Saigon arrival, you will be welcome by our guide and driver, then transfer to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is your leisure to explore the most vibrant city in Vietnam.

Day 2: Saigon City Tour by Jeep

In spite of being a modern metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) still retains its fascinating connections with the past. After breakfast, enjoy a city tour to admire Saigon’s historic relics and landmarks from the unique vantage point of a vintage Jeep with the chauffeur.

It starts with a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed by French in the colonial period. Then head across to the Central Post Office, another French constructing completed in 1891. Then travel to the Reunification Palace, the headquarters of the puppet Saigon government during the American War. End the tour with a visit to the War Remnants Museum for a vivid perspective of the American War through the eyes of the Vietnamese.

Day 3: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels by Private Speedboat

Today, travel to the ingenious Cu Chi tunnels, a great network of connecting underground tunnels used by the Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during the Vietnam War. They also served as a living place, supply routes, communication, housed hospitals, weapons caches, and food. A visit to this legendary underground system will give you a better understanding of the tunnels’ history, the hardship inside the tunnels and the reason why small Vietnam can defeat powerful America.

Day 4: Saigon – Cao Dai Temple (Optional)

Today, feel free at leisure to relax at the hotel or join in an interesting journey to Cao Dai Temple. Head to Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh province in the morning. This complex is home to both the Great Temple and administrative buildings, featuring astoundingly elaborate architecture colored in an eye-catching, vibrant palette. Both the exterior and interior of the temple are decorated with religious iconography, which you can admire in exploring the place. Step into the vaulted halls of the Great Temple to see one of 4 daily monk prayer sessions to learn more about the practices of Caodaism, a unique religion in Vietnam.

Day 5: Saigon – Nha Trang

After breakfast, travel to the airport for a flight to Nha Trang. Then reach to Ninh Van Bay for resort check-in. Relax and revelry at the resort for the rest of the day.

Day 6 & 7: Nha Trang Relax & Revelry

These two days, enjoy a lavish lifestyle at one of the most luxurious resorts in Southeast Asia by swimming at dreaming beaches, relaxing at stunning villas, wonderful spas, and state-of-the-art restaurant and bar.

Day 8: Nha Trang – Danang

Today, farewell the resort of heaven and transfer to the airport to take a flight to Danang, the youngest and most energetic city in Vietnam. After check-in, you are free to explore the brilliant city of bridges.

Day 9: Danang – Hoi An

After breakfast, head to Marble Mountain where you will witness some sacred statues and stone sculptures. Then stop at Cham Museum which is well-known not just for its great collection of Champa era artwork and artifacts, but also for being the only museum in the world specifically dedicated to Cham history. After lunch, continue your travel to Hoi An ancient town. After check-in and a short rest, feel free at leisure to wander around this town filled with history and culture.

Day 10: Hoi An Walking Tour & Cooking Class

With its beguiling riverside and pretty architecture, Hoi An is small enough to explore on foot and soak up its rich heritage of tradition and culture. Used to be an important port and trading town, Hoi An is a melting pot of Chinese, Japanese and French influences. You can see the Japanese Merchant Houses, the famed Japanese bridge, the Chinese temples, and old tea warehouses. Motorized traffic is prohibited which has cemented Hoi An’s status as one of Vietnam’s most pleasant and prized towns.

Next, participate in a private cooking class with one of the most famous chefs in town who will present and instruct you on the traditional cuisine of Hoi An as well as how to make them. After the lesson, enjoy the dishes you have cooked.

Day 11:  Hoi An – Hue

Today, embark on an incredible drive from Hoi An to Hue. Stop en-route at Hai Van Pass for incredible vistas of mountains, clouds, and sea. On Hue arrival, feel free at leisure to relax at the hotel or explore this romantic city.

Day 12: Experience the Royal & Local Lifestyle

After breakfast, explore Hue city which served as an imperial capital to the Nguyen Lords, a feudal dynasty which reigned Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. With splendid tombs of emperors, old pagodas and the historical relics of the citadel, the city still retains its royal charm. First of all, visit the Hue Imperial Citadel, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see its astonishing architecture and gardens while listening to your guide’s explanation of the events and the intrigue of the former royal court. From there, take a dragon boat trip to visit Thien Mu pagoda, Hue’s best-preserved religious construction and the symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism.

In the late afternoon, visit a local house where your dinner is prepared and interesting family stories are shared. You will have a chance to see a traditional family of three generations preserving their family customs, ancestral worship, and the value of family ties in Vietnamese perception. Afterward, enjoy the cozy meal of local specialties while listening to more family stories.

Day 13: Hue – Hanoi

Today’s morning is your leisure after a long journey yesterday. In the afternoon, take a flight to the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi City.

Day 14: Hanoi City Tour

After breakfast, explore the charming Hanoi of colonial buildings, scenic lake, and tree-lined boulevards. First, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, which is built to house the preserved body of great president Ho Chi Minh. Next, visit One Pillar Pagoda, the iconic Buddhist temple built in 1049 owning the shape of a lotus blossom on a single stone pillar. Before lunch, continue to visit the picturesque Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university built in the late 11th century.

In the afternoon, ride along famed Hanoi old quarter and get a wonderfully eclectic glimpse into Hanoi street life. Before traveling to the scenic Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword). On riding around the lake, you will hear the legend in the 15^th century about the origin of its name. Stop at Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) accessible by the gorgeous wooden The Huc Bridge.

Day 15: Hanoi – Halong Bay by Private Seaplane

After breakfast, leave the elegant mix of culture and modernity behind and venture to the stunning scenery of Halong Bay, another iconic image of the S-shaped country that you may only see previously through photographs. With thousands of islands along the archipelago sculpted by the elements and time, you look into the emerald waters that make up the Gulf of Tonkin without reservation. Cruising through the charm of rising limestone karsts with the mist in your face will eventually bring you to Sung Sot Cave, also known as Surprise Cave.

The colors of the rock walls change with the reflected light bringing bright green and even purple hues draping across the deep grotto. The ceiling hovers about 90 feet tall and leads to a variety of halls. One such hall features stalactites that dangle in a variety of shapes and look as though they melted from the stone; there is nothing but natural majesty to captivate you. In the evening the boat will anchor along a quiet cove where the sound of the tide brushing against the rocks will lull you to rest.

Day 16: Halong Bay – Hanoi

The morning washes the night away and the sun at dawn brings hues of pink and red to the sky. The aroma of a light breakfast of fresh pastries mixes with the scent of fresh-brewed coffee and the sweet smells of the sea. The grandeur of the strong rocks draped in brush and rising over the water’s surface is never less than stunning. At noon, the cruise ship docks along the bay then the vehicle will bring you back to Hanoi.

Day 17: Hanoi Hidden Corners (Optional)

Today, you are free to explore the city of 1000 years old by venturing around the Hanoi Old Quarter, enjoy street food, visit old houses at hidden corners only known by locals. Or you can simply relax and revelry at the hotel after a long trip.

Day 18: Hanoi Departure

After breakfast, you are free to relax at the hotel or explore the city before transferring to the airport for your flight home. Trip ends.