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ITINERARY:

Day 1: Hanoi - Arrival (D)
You are arrival at our thousand years Capital – Hanoi city. Our guide will welcome you at the airport Noi bai airport and then be transferred to your hotel in the center of city.
After freshen up, we would like to show you of Hanoian daily life with one hour Cyclo (trishaw) ride around the old streets, then we stop at Thang Long Theatre for enjoying 01 hour Water Puppets Show. Enjoy welcome dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Ha Noi.

Day 2: Hanoi full day visits – Night train to Lao Cai (B/L)
Today we would like to show you the major cultural sites around Hanoi city. The first visit to Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature and the first university in Vietnam) then we go to Ba Dinh Square for visiting Uncle Ho’s (Ho Chi Minh President) Mausoleum, His Residence area, and one Pillar pagoda nearby. Next site is Quan Thanh temple and Tran Quoc pagoda. In the afternoon, we will visit the largest and most interesting Museum of Vietnam Ethnology, then go back to the Old quarter for shopping. Overnight on train.

Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa- Hill Tribe villages (B)
Arrive at Lao Cai Train station at about 6.30. Take a transfer to Sapa. Have breakfast at local restaurant and explore Sapa Town. Check in and time at leisure.
In the afternoon, take a drive to visit Lao Chai village – home of Black H’Mong – here you trek through terraced rice fields to villages, meet and talk with locals to learn more about their daily life and habits. You trek through Ta Van village – home of Dzay hill tribe and get on car back to hotel in the town. Overnight in Sapa.

Day 4: Sapa – Hill tribes colorful market – night train to Hanoi (B/L)
We would like to suggest you visit one of the two major and most colorful markets in Lao Cai:
Sunday: Leave Sapa early by car to Bac Ha district for joining Bac Ha market of mixed hill tribes: Flower H’Mong, Dzay, Dzao etc. Lunch in Bac Ha and return to Lao Cai station for night train to Hanoi.
Tuesday: Leave Sapa early by car to Coc Ly colorful market of mixed hill tribes where you have chance to see H'mong and Dzao minority people in their most colorful costumes. Take a boat trip down stream on Chay river with picnic lunch. Enjoy scenic view from river and trek to Dzao, Tay minority village.
Thusday: Leave Sapa at 7:30 driving to Muong Khuong market which is a bit smaller than Bac Ha but also an original tribal one. There is not many foreign travelers get here and you will find yourself lost in the crowd of ethnic people of Flower H’Mong, Tay, Padi etc in their traditional colorful costumes. Picnic lunch and return to Lao Cai station for night train to Hanoi.
Saturday: Leave early in the morning at 6am, driving to Can Cau market, passing Bac Ha Town. The road between Bac Ha and Can Cau is hilly but very beautiful. The products at the market are interesting, and many different groups of ethic minority people represent make the market an unforgettable experience. Back to Bac Ha for lunch. Return to Lao Cai station for night train to Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi - Halong (B/L)
Arrive in Hanoi early in the morning, transfer to a day hotel for freshen up and breakfast. This day, you will visit Halong, a World Heritage Area of outstanding natural beauty. The travel start at 8:30am, after 3 hour and a half, you will arrive at Halong. Embark on a traditional style wooden junk around noon. Lunch with sea food served on boat during your cruise. With 4-hour boat trip, you are cruising around rocks, islets, caves and grottos. You then will visit to the Thien Cung and Dau Go caves - the most beautiful among thousands. Drive back to Hanoi for over night in Hanoi.

Day 6: Hanoi – Hue (B/D)
After breakfast, we transfer to Noi Bai airport for short flight to Hue city. In the afternoon, visit the Imperial Citadel of Hue. Enjoy special dinner at Royal Park Restaurant with Hue Royal formality and Hue Folk songs performed by ladies in Hue Long dresses. Overnight in Hue.

Day 7: Hue – Danang - Hoi An (B/L)
Half day visit Hue with Minh Mang King’ tomb and Thien Mu pagoda. After lunch the car will drive you to Hoi An town, which is about 135km from Hue. You will travel through Hai Van Pass to Danang, the car will stop for the visit to Cham museum where displays an open air collection of Cham sculptures. Many of the sandstone carving are breathtaking. Arrive Hoi An town in the late afternoon. Check in and time at leisure.

Day 8: Hoi An - Da Nang – Cooking Class at Red bridge Cooking School (B/D)
In the morning, you will walk to visit ancient tiny town Hoi an. The visit will includes Japanese covered bridge, some Chinese Assembly Halls, and some typical Vietnamese houses of 18 century. Free time for lunch then.
13:30 Come to the Hai Scout Café at 98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street to meet the Chef. First, we will have a first lesson of buying ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later. After the market visit, you board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. This is a chance to view local river life. On arrival, we explore the cooking school’s herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of Hoi An’s and Vietnam’s well-known dishes, which is the mix of Vietnam and Chinese cuisine. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – each dish is first demonstrated by the Red Bridge chef’s, before you prepare the same dish ourselves. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat exactly what we have cooked. Then our boat will pick you up at Red Bridge School for a river cruise along Hoi An River back to Hoi An Town. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 9: Hoian - Ho Chi Minh City (B)
Leave your hotel early for the first flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Half day city tour including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and bustling China town is should not be missed as well. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta Excursion (B/L)
Leaving the busy city early, you are going to visit typical country side of Vietnam. On arrival at Cai Be, of course, the only way for you to observe the local lifestyle is getting on a boat navigating around the small canals in the delta region. You will see the floating market with sellers and buyers bargaining and exchanging their goods from their boats. Roaming around and observe how the people make the living from fruit trees such as coconut, corn and other local product. Return to Saigon for overnight.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City - Departure (B)
Free time for shopping or optional visit before transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for departure. 

Suggested Hotels:
 

Place/Class	Superior (3* Hotels)	Deluxe (4* Hotels)
Hanoi	Hoa Binh/ Thang Long Opera	Zephyr/ Quoc Hoa
Sapa	Royal View/ Bamboo	Chau Long (new wing)
Hue	Heritage Hue/ Asia Hue	Huong Giang/ Pilgrimate
Hoi An	Hoi An Hotel/ Lotus	Hoi An Beach/ Hoi An Trails
HCM City	Tan My Dinh 2/ Elios/ Le Duy	Grand/ Continental/ Rex

Other hotels will be arranged on request.

Include:
Hotel accommodation as specific or similar
Private car/mini van, private junk in Ha Long
Domestic flights: Hanoi - Hue, Danang - HCM City
Private cooking class in Hoi An
All entrance fees and Hanoi - Lao Cai train ticket (4 berths AC cabin)
English/ French speaking guide. Other languages can be arranged upon request
All meals as per program

Exclude:
International flight and all airport taxes
Drinks, except otherwise mentioned
Insurance
Personal expenses and Tips
Vietnam Visa
 

Customize Your Private Tour
 

Private Asia Tours Co., Ltd specializes in private and personalized travel services and tours in Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos.

Planning your personalized travel on Private Asia Tours is easy and enjoyable. You can always change, modify, or adjust your package details to suit your travel plan, flight schedule and budget before actually making the final purchase. The custom-design service of Private Asia Tours is absolutely free!