Compare Classic Vietnam: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City by G Adventures vs Vietnam Exploration 14 days by Insight Asia Travel
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Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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Duration | 10 days | 14 days |
Price From | $ 804 | $ 1,678 |
Price Per Day | $ 80 | $ 120 |
Highlights |
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Trip Style | Small group tour | Private guided tour |
Lodging Level | Standard | Luxury |
Physical Level |
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Travel Themes |
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Countries Visited | ||
Cities and Attractions |
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Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
Activities |
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Meals Included | 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 1 dinner |
10 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches and 6 Dinners |
Description |
Sail through limestone karsts aboard a traditional junk boat and walk the streets of imperial capitals. From vibrant Hanoi, the natural beauty of Halong Bay, the atmospheric imperial capital of Huế, and the charms of Hoi An to the modern day life of Saigon, experience the energy of Vietnam in 10 jam-packed days. An experienced Chief Experience Officer will lead you to must-see highlights with time in between to do your own thing. |
Starting from Ho Chi Minh city, within two weeks in Vietnam, you can enjoy and experience everything from city life in places like Ho Chi Minh city or Hanoi to rural life in smaller villages in Mekong Delta, learn more about the Vietnam minority groups in the beautiful Mai Chau, discover the historical Hue Citadel or slow down in the Hoi An Ancient town. The Natural world Heritage Halong Bay offer you a wonderful night on the very luxurious traditional junk is really a life-time experience. |
Day 1 Hanoi
Arrive at any time.
There are no planned activities today until an evening welcome meeting. After the meeting, opt for dinner out with the group.
Day 2 Hanoi/Ha Long
Enjoy a Ha Long Bay cruise on a junk boat with visits to a cave and an island lookout. Savour a seafood lunch and dinner.
Drive to Bai Chay harbour, the jumping off point for Ha Long Bay. Thousands of islands with intricate cave systems rise dramatically from the waters. Sail past limestone karst mountains in the junk boat and stop to visit some of the islands and caves. In the evening, devour a seafood dinner, then opt to enjoy a drink on deck under the stars.
Day 3 Ha Long/Huế
Enjoy breakfast and lunch on board before sailing back to the port and return to Hanoi. Enjoy some time in the city before an overnight train to Hue.
Interested in local cuisine? Opt to pre-book the "Hanoi Foodie Culture Tour" activity on the checkout page to include this optional on your tour.
Day 4 Huế
Guided tour of the Imperial Citadel, Royal Tomb and Tien Mu Pagoda.
Arrive early to Hue, once the imperial capital of Vietnam. Start the day with a visit to the Tien Mu Pagoda followed by a visit to the tomb of one of Vietnam’s former emperors. After, opt for a vegetarian lunch at a local nunnery. While in the city, try some local Hue specialties such as banh khoai (Hue savoury pancakes), and banh bot loc boc tom thit (thin rice paper filled with meat and shrimp). Wash it all down with a Hue beer. Opt to pre-book the "Hue Motorbike Tour" activity on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour.
Day 5 Huế/Hoi An
Drive the Hai Van pass. Take advantage of Hoi An's many options over the 2.5 days in town. Opt for a cooking class, riverboat trip, bike ride, beach time, tailor visit or My Son ruins.
Cross the Hai Van Pass (weather permitting), with fantastic views in all directions, before arriving to Hoi An in the afternoon. With three nights here, there's plenty of time to explore all this charming town has to offer.
Day 6 Hoi An
Explore all Hoi An has to offer. Dive into the culture, hang out on the beach or get clothes tailor-made in one of the many shops around town. Enjoy a noodle making demonstration and lunch at Oodles of Noodles, a G Adventures-supported project.
Day 7 Hoi An
Spend a free day exploring all Hoi An has to offer.
Day 8 Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City
Fly from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City with free time to explore this hectic city.
Drive to Da Nang for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City, once the capital of South Vietnam and the country’s commercial centre. Start exploring the small alleys and busy streets, keeping an eye out for laquerware shops and delicious local food stalls.
Day 9 Ho Chi Minh City
Enjoy a guided tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and learn more about the Vietnam War. Use free time in the afternoon to explore sprawling Ho Chi Minh City.
With some free time in the city, opt to visit the Thien Hau and Giac Vien pagodas and stroll through the immense Ben Thanh Market. Also well worth a visit are the Reunification Palace (the residence of South Vietnam presidents before 1975), the city's Chinese quarter of Cholon, and the War Remnants Museum.
Day 10 Ho Chi Minh City
Depart at any time.
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
Day 1: Welcome to Ho Chi Minh city | Meal: D | Overnight: HCMC
Meals: Dinner
Warm welcome upon your arrival in HCMC. Your guide will meet you at the airport for a transfer to your hotel located in the downtown. After check in you will have free time to relax, then your guide see you again for a welcome dinner at the river cruises on the Saigon river.
Day 2: HCMC Free Choice: Sightseeing - Street Food – Dinning
Overnight: HCMC
HCMC is a city full of surprises. The city’s core is still adorned with wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings and offers plenty of reasons to visit, from its blend of historic, attractions to vibrant shopping, dining and nightlife.
You have a whole day to explore the HCMC and its Surroundings. Please select two of the below options ( one choice if you select “Full-day Cao Dai Holysee temple & Cu Chi tunnels” ) to spend your day in the most dynamic city in Vietnam.
Free Choice Sightseeings
Half-day HCMC | Maximum 4 places
Reunification Palace
Municipal Theatre – City Post Office – Notre-Dame Cathedral
War Remnants Museum
Vinh Nghiem pagoda
Hoang De pagoda
Ben Thanh market
Half-day Cu Chi tunnels
Around 70 kilometers northwest of HCMC, Cu Chi Tunnel is right near the so-called “Iron Triangle” of Southern Vietnam. This underground complex is a must-see when you are in HCMC. You are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system or try a shooting range where you can fire a number of assault rifles, such as the M16 rifle or AK-47, as well as a light machine gun like the M60.
Half-day China town & Thien Hau pagoda
The western part of the city is dominated by Cholon (Chinatown), a thickly settled district rife with teahouses and pagodas and the famous Binh Tay Market. Visit the Thien Hau pagoda which features interesting Chinese-Buddhist style architecture and interiors with pagodas, courtyards, altars and paintings. Chinatown is also home to the Cholon Mosque and Cha Tam, a small Catholic cathedral.
Full-day Cao Dai Holysee temple & Cu Chi tunnels
In the morning you drive to visit Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh and observe the midday service. This temple is the cathedral of the Cao Daism religion and home of the Divine Eye, the official symbol of this unique religion. Cao Dai followers worship Jesus Christ, Confucius, Taoism, and Buddha. On the way back you stop to visit Cu Chi Tunnels. Very famous in the wartime with its smart and complicated system including underground meeting room, kitchen, food, weapon caches, hospital. This underground complex is a must-see when you are in HCMC. You are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system or try a shooting range where you can fire a number of assault rifles, such as the M16 rifle or AK-47, as well as a light machine gun like the M60. Back to HCMC. Rest of the
Free Choice Street Food – Authentic experiences
“ Banh mi” “ followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/softdrink
“ Hu tieu Saigon “ followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/
“ Banh canh ” followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/softdrink
“ Banh xeo ” followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/softdrink
“ Com tam” followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/softdrink
HCMC Free Choice Dining :
Vegetarian set-menu at local restaurant
Vietnamese set-menu at French building restaurant
South Vietnamese buffet at local restaurant
Day 3: Mekong Delta Excursion
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Overnight: HCMC
Today you have am excursion to the Mekong Delta. Surrounded by thousands of crisscrossed canals, life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, most of the villages are often accessible by rivers and canals rather than by road. Upon arrival you take a motor-boat to explore the Thoi Son islet, one of the four famous islets ( Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise, Phoenix). Following a village path passing local houses to visit some family-run coconut candy mills then you take a horse-cart from village to village. Enjoy lunch with local special dishes followed by the “Southern Vietnamese folk music”, a very common art activity in the Mekong Delta performed by local people. Back to HCMC. At leisure.
Day 4: Fly to Danang – Hoi An Walking Tour
Meal: Breakfast and Dinner
Overnight: Hoi An
Enjoy your free time until transfer to airport for flight to Danang. Your guide and driver will meet you at the Danang airport for a transfer to your hotel in Hoi An. Hoi An used to be an international trade center by sea on the east area in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was the busiest trading port during the reign of Nguyen as merchants from Japan, China, Portugal, Spain, Holland stopped over to exchange and purchase commodities. In the morning you have a walking tour to explore the Hoi An Ancient town with old houses, narrow streets, moss-grown walls, lantern makers and visit Japanese Covered Bridge, Chinese Assembly Halls, Handicraft workshop and enjoy traditional arts performance. Enjoy dinner with some famous dishes of the town.
Day 5: Hoi An Cooking Class
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Overnight: Hoi An
This morning the cooking class begins with a with a drink at Hai Scout Café followed by a visit the Hoi An colorful market. It is time to get in touch with local sellers and purchase some of the ingredients for your own cooking lesson. Take the Red Bridge boat cruising along the Hoi An river to the cooking school. On arrival, you explore the cooking school’s herb and vegetable garden and learn about some of Hoi An and Vietnam’s well-known dishes. The 2-hour cooking lesson includes a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving . You also have a chance to try some dishes yourselves. Lunch is served included what you have cooked. Relax and back to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 6: Hoi An – Museum of Cham Sculpture – Hue
Meal: Breakfast and Dinner
Overnight: Hue
In the morning you leave Hoi An for Hue. Located in central Vietnam, the World Cultural Heritage Site Hue used to be the Citadel of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1805 to 1945. Stop to visit the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, the world’s largest collection of Cham sculpture by Ancient Cham civilization that ruled Central Vietnam from the second to the thirteenth century. Journey to Hue is travelling over the Hai Van pass where you have a stop for a panoramic view over the Lang Co beach. Free. At leisure. Evening meeting with your guide again for a Hue Royal style dinner, taste some Royal cuisines at local restaurant.
Day 7: Hue full-day tour
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Overnight: Hue
In the morning you have a Dragon boat cruising on the Perfume river to visit the Thien Mu pagoda, one of the oldest and prettiest religious buildings in the country. From there you rejoin your car to visit the king Minh Mang’s tomb and king Tu Duc’s tomb. Lunch at local restaurant then you continue to explore Hue Imperial City including Citadel, Imperial City and Purple Forbidden City . End of the day you visit the local Dong Ba market located on a bank of the Perfume river – a paradise for snapshots of daily activities. At leisure.
Day 8: Fly to Hanoi
Meal: Dinner
Overnight: Hanoi
Today you take an one-hour flight to Hanoi, the one-thousand-year old city and the capital of Vietnam. Your guide will meet you at the airport for a transfer to your hotel located in the downtown. Free time to relax, then your guide see you again for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Your first day in Hanoi is completed by a water puppet show – a unique art performance in Vietnam.
Day 9: Hanoi Free Choice: Sightseeing - Street Food – Dinning
Overnight: Hanoi
Widely acknowledged as one of the loveliest cities in Asia, this one-thousand-year old city offer you its unique images that totally different from other Asian cities. Hanoi still retains a small-town provincial charm and unique intermingle with a French legacy wide, tree-lined boulevards, parks, grand villas and an artistic, café society.
Different people, different interests and tastes. Hanoi Free Choice Sightseeing – Street Food – Dinning offers you the best things that Hanoi has to offer and satisfy you with a personalize discovery and authentic experience. Please select one of the Hanoi city options and one of the Hanoi Surroundings to enjoy the day in Hanoi.
Free Choice Sightseeing of Hanoi city & Surroundings
Full-day city tour ( Maximum 7 places)
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
One Pillar Pagoda
Quan Thanh Temple
Temple of Literature
Bach Ma Temple
Hanoi Ancient House
Tran Quoc pagoda
Sword Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
Vietnam Military History Museum
Vietnam National Museum of History
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
12Vietnamese Women’s Museum
Half-day city tour ( Maximum 4 places & One of Free Choice Hanoi Surroundings
Free Choice Hanoi Surroundings
1. Bat Trang pottery villages
About 13 kilometers south east of Hanoi center, Bat Trang village, established in 14th or 15th century, is famous for ceramic and pottery products of high quality such as vases, bowls, dishes, and many other kinds of ceramic products which have been exported worldwide.
2. Van Phuc silk village:
About 8 km southwest of Ha Noi, Van Phuc silk village is well known for its traditional sericulture, weaving, and silk products for a long-lasting history of more than two thousand years. The village makes more than 2 million meters of silk per year and is an ideal place for silk products & souvenirs
3. Duong Lam Ancient village.
Duong Lam ancient village, some 60km to the west of Hanoi, has a history of about 1,200 years with many houses dating back up to 400 years. One special thing about the village is that most of the buildings here are made of laterite and mud, two materials that are abundant in the area. The village also has its prestige as two of Vietnam’s kings, Phung Hung (761-802) and Ngo Quyen (896-944) were born in here.
4. Dong Ho painting village
Dong Ho painting village, 30 km to the East of Hanoi, or Vietnamese woodblock prints is a distinct Vietnamese folk art. Dong Ho paintings reflect people’s innermost feelings. Dong Ho paintings is made of of bark of a tree called “Dzo. Colors of the painting are refined from various kinds of tree leaves that people can easily find in Vietnam. Dong Ho paintings have about 300 years of history in the north of Vietnam. It is always considered a symbol of traditional culture and aesthetic value of Vietnam.
Free Choice Street Food – Authentic experiences
“ Pho Hanoi “ followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/soft drink
“ Banh Cuon “ followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/soft drink
“ Bun Cha Hanoi “ followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/soft drink
“ Bo kho – Beef Stew ” followed by a cup of Vietnamese coffee/tea/soft drink
Free Choice Dining :
Cha Ca Hanoi in Hanoi Old Quarter area at local restaurant.
Vegetarian set-menu at local restaurant
Vietnamese set-menu at French building restaurant
Vietnamese cuisine a-la-carte at Ngon restaurant
KOTO restaurant. Know One Teach One unique restaurant.
Day 10: Hanoi – Mai Chau
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Overnight: Mai Chau
Depart for Mai Chau valley, an idyllic valley and a world away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. Enjoy the mountainous scenery along the way and the superb panorama of Mai Chau surrounded by a green valley and stilt houses. Afternoon you will have a walk wandering from village to village, learning and get in touch with about local people and try some of the local handicraft.
Day 11: Mai Chau cycling – Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Overnight: Hanoi
In the morning you discover Mai Chau valley by bicycle riding deeper to the remote area on the path and passing paddy fields. Once again there are many perfect chance for photos shot and a warmest welcome by local people. Stop and join in the local market with people from different minorities is worth. After lunch it is time to say good bye and drive back to Hanoi.
Day 12: Hanoi – Halong Bay
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight : Traditional Junk
In the morning you leave Hanoi for Halong Bay via the Red River Delta. Enjoy welcome drink onboard then start cruising through Bai Tu Long Bay while lunch is served. Stop to visit and explore Vung Vieng fishing village by bamboo boat or you can have a kayak around Vung Vieng area. Time to relax, sunbath or swimming at Ban Chan Beach. Back to the junk to enjoy the sunset cocktail while the boat is cruising to Cong Do area docking for overnight. BBQ dinner followed by some activities of board games or squid fishing.
Day 13: Halong - Ceramic village – Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Overnight: Hanoi
Early bird with exercises with Tai chi on the sundeck then enjoy a light breakfast while cruising to Hon Co area. Stop to exploring Thien Canh Son Cave, located at the centre of the World Heritage Area- Halong Bay. Return to the boat for check out and relaxing on sundeck or watching fruits carving demonstration or enjoy the last of the Ha Long Bay scenery over lunch as the boat is cruising back to shore. On the journey back to Hanoi you will have a stop at the Phu Lang ceramic village – one of the most famous ceramic brand dated from 17th – 19th century in the North of Vietnam. At leisure.
Day 14: Departure Hanoi
Meal: Breakfast
Today is the last day of your trip. Enjoy your free time at your hotel or you can do last minute souvenir shopping before meeting your guide for transfer to airport for your flight home. Have a nice journey. Thanks for joining us.