CTV3: Vietnam Overview Tour 8 days 7 nights

Itinerary in Details
 
Day 1: Hanoi arrival (D)
Arrival at Noi Bai Airport, you will be warmly welcomed and transferred to hotel by private Asia View Travel’s guide with signboard.
We spend the rest of the day to expolore Hanoi city with the 11th century Temple of Literature - the first University of Vietnam, the Restored Sword Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake) and Ngoc Son Temple. Take a cyclo tour  around the 36 streets of the Hanoi old quarter to learn more about simple life of Hanoian. Enjoy water puppet show- a remarkable Vietnamese art form that combines traditional music, fireworks, underwater puppeteers, and elaborate puppets floating gracefully over water Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi. (The first day’s program can be re- arranged according to your arrival time in Hanoi).

Day 2: Hanoi – Halong bay ( B, L,D )
Breakfast at hotel, then 8:30 AM  start a 3. 5 hour drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long City. Comfort stop en route for photos and coffee ( by your own ) before arriving to Ha Long City.
11.30 – 12.15   Welcome you at Hòn Gai Tourist International Port
12.30   Check in Overnight Cruise, welcome drink and program introduction
13.00 – 14.30   The cruise start the journey
Lunch served with local cuisines menu and passing the paramount view at Ha Long such as Kicking Dog Island , Fighting Chicken Islet, Huong Peak, Thien Cung Cave,Dau Go Island…
15.00 – 16.00   Explore Surprise Cave – one of the most famous caves on the Ha Long bay.
16.30 – 17.30   Small boat take you to Titop seaside: visiting islands, climb to Titop Mountain 200m in height to see the whole bay and swimming at Titop Seaside.
18.00   Return to your cruise or relaxation or enjoy sunset on the bay
19.30 – 21.00   Dinner at the restaurant with organised menu
21.00   Free at your leisure like lying on deck or going to catch squid…
Overnight on junk.
 
Day 3: Halong bay –  Hanoi – Danang flight - Hoian ( Brunch )
Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay we have time for an early morning dip with joys and emotions for watching sunrise on sea followed by breakfast. This morning we continue to move around the bay to find more secluded areas. The junk will be near us at all times serving as a back up vessel for those that require it. At around midday we will return to the main harbor before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for a 3.5 hour journey directly to the airport for flight to Danang. The guide in Danang will pick you up, transfer to hotel in Hoian, check in, relax.Hue. The guide in Hue will pick you up, transfer to hotel, check in, relax.

Day 4: Hoian  ancient town (B, L)
Today there are a lot of time to explore  Hoian ancient town, once a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Hoi An’s architecture and relaxed lifestyle have changed little over the years. Take a leisurely walking tour of the ancient town center and visit the sites of former merchants’ homes, a 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, and a Chinese Communal Hall. Believed to have been settled no less than 2,200 years ago, Hoi An was known as Faifo to early Western traders.  Hoi An was one of the major ports of Southeast Asia from the 17th to 19th centuries. Chinese, Japanese, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and other traders had small communities here, and the old wooden houses, bridges and temples that remain are reminiscent of a Vietnam of centuries past. This unique old trading town slowly became isolated due to its river silting up and by destroyed rail lines, leaving it untouched by war and frozen in time. Nowadays, this absolutely charming and relaxed town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Free at leisure. Overnight at hotel in Hoian.

Day 5: Hoian – Hue  (B, L)
After breakfast at hotel, say good bye Hoian and embark on northern bound journey to Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Stop en route at the beautiful Non Nuoc Beach and the Cham Museum, which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. In Danang you will visit the Marble Mountains, five sacred hills containing dozens of Buddhist shrines. The guide and driver will take you over the beautiful Hai Van Pass - Vietnam's geographical and psychological boundary between north and south. The peak of the pass lies perpetually shrouded in clouds.
Arrival Hue in Hue at noon time.
This afternoon we visit the Imperial Citadel and the Purple Forbidden City. This royal residence was built in the 19th century by the Nguyen dynasty, the City was home to the former Emperors of Vietnam from 1802 until 1945. We then take a walk to the bustling Dong Ba Market and pass many fantastic eating spots where visitors have a chance to sample some local delicacies. Overnight at hotel in Hue.
 
Day 6: Hue – Ho chi minh (B)
Breakfast at hotel, we embark on a boat for cruise upstream on the Perfume River, viewing the city and the tranquil villages on the riverbank. We will walk up to visit the Thien Mu pagoda, a nicely located pagoda, overlooks the Perfume River and the beautiful scenery beyond, where you get to learn more about the Buddhism in Vietnam.  One of the most poignant displays here is a car belonging to a former monk, who in 1963, drove to Saigon and set himself alight to protest against the South Vietnamese regime and its treatment of Buddhists. Disembark the board for a visit the elaborate mausoleum of former emperor Tu Duc,  built decades before its occupant's death the tomb was used as a palace retreat before the emperors final resting place. Transfer to the airport for flight to Ho chi minh. The guide in Ho chi minh will pick you up, transfer to hotel in city center, check in, relax.
Overnight at hotel in Ho chi minh

Day 7: Ho chi minh – Tayninh – Cuchi tunnel (B, L)
The head quarter of Cao Dai sect is located in Tay Ninh. This religion was founded in 1923 and now numbers over 2 million members. After breakfast we travel by roads to Tay Ninh to see the ornate temple of Cao Dai and attend the fantastic mid-day service when the followers fill the hall wearing colored robes, a symbol of the curious combination of the Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. We then continue to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were an incredible underground network constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the long struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, plus accommodation and schools, and were used as a military base for the Vietcong in the American war. Transfer back HCM City.
 
Day 8: Ho chi minh departure (B)
Morning  we discover the dynamic city with the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975, and some French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Sai Gon Post Office, War Remnant Museum, free for shopping in Ben Thanh market until transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Say goodbye Vietnam.
 
Thank you for traveling with Asia View Travel.