VIETNAM CLASSIC AND RELAX FOR FAMILY
15 days

Destinations: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc

Vietnam has fascinating destinations, soaring mountains, fertile deltas, busy cities, and long sandy tropical beaches that will sweep you off your feet. Highlights of this tour include a cyclo ride, a water puppet show in Hanoi, a boat trip among thousands of island and islet in Halong Bay, ancient pagoda and temples and wonderful biking trips. With so much to see and do, this two-week holiday in Vietnam will keep the whole family entertained.

 Full Itinerary of family-trip-to-vietnam

DAY 1    Hanoi Arrival    Meals:

Arrival Hanoi airport, warm welcomed by our guide & driver then transfer to the city. Hanoi or “River-bound City” as its name literally means is Vietnam’s capital with a thousand-year-old history dating back to 1010. The city’s fascinating beauty which is characterized by unique cultural relics, ancient streets of antique houses, elegant French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and romantic lakes has made it one of the most charming cities of Asia.

DAY 2    Hanoi Full Day City Tour    Meals: B    

Morning, start a full day city tour beginning with Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November) and the rural style house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars. 

Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History or the Museum of Ethnology. Go to Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Next, take a one-hour cycle tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

DAY 3    Full Day Ky Son Tour    Meals: B,L    

Today you will travel out of the city to Ky Son village in Son Tay Town, 35km west of Hanoi. Arrive at Moon Garden Homestay, enjoy welcome drink with local fresh green tea then free time to explore around the village. You can join in preparing your lunch with the family. After lunch, treat yourself with a hand spa in fragrant lime water and traditional herbal hand massage. Then, free time for relaxing or chatting with locals about their life and customs. If possible, you can learn some Vietnamese words.

In the afternoon, you will have two choices of a 6km ride or a long ride of 12 km round trip. Option 1 is cycle to discover Ky Son, Van Minh and Cham farming communities. You can stop over at some local house, visit kindergarten, and observe local daily life and their farming work. If possible, you can help them in some activities like plowing, transplanting seedlings…. Option 2 is a long ride with local guide to discover Ky Son, Tam Son, Van Minh, and Cham farming communities, Duong Lam ancient village and visit Mia Pagoda, Mong Phu Communal House... On the way back, stop at the tomb and temple of Ngo Quyen, a national hero of Vietnam. Return to the Moon Garden for happy hour, enjoy a traditional foot spa and taste some of the local products such as traditional dessert, maize, sweet potato, cassava, peanuts depending on season. Then transfer back to hotel in Hanoi for overnight.

DAY 4    Hanoi - Halong    Meals:

Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3 hour drive away. On the way, you will see some rural areas of the Red River Delta with plenty of chances to take photos of Vietnamese farmers working in paddy fields. Stop half way to visit a handicraft workshop of fine clothes and embroidered paintings.

Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk when your journey across Ha Long Bay starts. After the welcome drink is served, start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view. Ha Long Bay meaning Descending Dragon Bay in Vietnamese as legend has it that it was where a holly dragon landed down from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2.

After lunch, the cruise will continue with up close famous sightings of the bay, you can go swimming on a quiet beach or take part in the cooking demonstration, have dinner after, go fishing and spend a night on board.

DAY 5    Halong Cruise    Meals: B,L,D    

In the morning, refresh your mind and body with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck or enjoy the morning view of the bay while the ship begin cruising. Have breakfast onboard while the ship towards Bai Tu Long Bay.  Take a tour of Vung Vieng floating village by traditional bamboo boat, visit the Captain’s Bridge and the Engine Room onboard before savor a delicious lunch while the ship continues cruising to Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island. Here, you join a guided biking or hiking excursion in the Cat Ba National Park and visit Viet Hai fishing village. Another option for visiting the island is to use the electric cart available (at a bit of extra cost). After that, kayak & swim in the Viet Hai Lagoon.

Back to the cruise to enjoy an extended Happy Hour (buy 1 get 1 free). Try the barbeque buffet in the restaurant while the boat is at anchor. End the day with a drink at the bar or go squid fishing on the deck or join our kitchen staff for the fruit carving sessions.

DAY 6    Halong - Hanoi - Da Nang - Hoi An    Meals: Brunch    

Start the day with a Tai Chi lesson on the sundeck or enjoy the breath-taking views of the bay while the cruise leisurely in Halong Bay. Visit the famous Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave. Go back to boat for check out, have a buffet brunch while cruising back to the shore. Disembark in Tuan Chau and return to Hanoi. Free at leisure until meet our guide to transfer to airport for flight to Da Nang. Arrive at Da Nang airport, meet our guide & driver then transfer to hotel in Hoi An for check in.

DAY 7    Hoi An Full Day Cooking Class & Biking Tour    Meals: B,L  

In the morning, meet our guide at hotel for a biking tour to a craftsman’s home to learn about how to make a lantern. You will have a brief introduction to the history, shape, and color of the lanterns as well as the many stages of making them. You can make your own lantern and keep it as a souvenir. After that you will learn to cook traditional Hoi An food, have lunch and relax. After lunch you will be shown how to decorate and pack the lantern, before saying goodbye to your host and returning to hotel by bicycle.

DAY 8    Hoi An - Hue - Half Day Biking To Vi Da Village & Flykites At Ngo Mon Gate    Meals: B

 Morning, transfer to Hue via the Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass). Enjoy a stunning headland-and-bay panoramic view from the pass, which for miles hugs the mountainside along the shoreline and overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Afternoon, start a biking tour along the gentle Perfume River toward Vi Da village. The ride offers lots of chances to see local life. Visiting Vy Da village, visitors not only enjoy the elegant features of Hue coffee but also learn more about ancient architecture. Interesting to be sitting in the house antique chest, under the trees, drinking a cup of tea, watching flowers bloom, hear the birdsong, perhaps everyone feel is the quiet space, space for each person, space for you - looks like the space, later afternoon come back Hue city and enjoy one more activity fly kites contest. Our guide will prepare each person a kite and transfer to Ngo Mon for flying a kite, you manage kite by solid string and balance it on the sky. That is fantastic emotion to experience. People who control kite highest will be the winners. 

DAY 9    Hue - Full Day City Tour    Meals: B  

 Morning, meet our guide at your hotel and take a full day tour of Hue City, the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam for the 1802-1945 period and the last refuge of Vietnamese feudalism. The city’s beauty is characterized by a natural scenic landscape and an extensive variety of historical relics. Begin with Hue Citadel, a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site which is a 520 ha fortress-like grand complex built in the early 1800s and featuring three enclosures separated by heavy ramparts namely Kinh Thanh Hue (Civic City) as the outer, Hoang Thanh (Royal City) as the middle and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden City) as the inner. Continue to Khai Dinh Tomb, the burial site of Vietnam’s second-to-last king, and the most elaborate compared to other kings’ tombs. The tomb shows a vivid European influence in architecture despite its Asian style. 

Afternoon, take a boat cruise along the Perfume River to enjoy the open view of the river and its surroundings. Stop along the way and land on shore to visit two prominent historical landmarks namely the Minh Mang Tomb, where the 2nd Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was buried, and Thien Mu Pagoda, an active Buddhist monastery overlooking the river from a vantage point with its origin dating back to 1601. Last, stop for shopping at Dong Ba market, which is the city’s traditional commercial center. 

DAY 10    Hue - Ho Chi Minh - Half Day City Tour    Meals: B  

 You are free until transfer to airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Arrive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, welcome by our guide and transfer to your hotel. Ho Chi Minh City formerly named Saigon is the largest city and economic center of Vietnam always bustled with activities of modern life. It is where businesses converge and shoppers indulge themselves into unlimited choices. However, the city also carries with it a rich historical legacy in contrast with its dazzling glamor.

Take a half-day city tour to visit the War Remnants Museum which features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam War with the both the French and Americans and the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975. Last, stop for shopping at the French-built Ben Thanh Market which dates back to 1870 and whose main entrance clock tower has become a city’s symbol.

DAY 11    Full Day Mekong Delta (Vinh Long)    Meals: B,L    

Morning, pickup at your hotel to transfer about 136 km to Vinh Long, a riverside town in the vast Mekong Delta, one of the world’s largest delta. Take a boat cruise to lively Cai Be floating market where sellers and buyers bargain and exchange goods from their boats. Proceed through a fascinating maze of shady canals to Hoa Binh Phuoc Island. Beautiful landscape of zigzag canals, lush vegetation, peaceful villages and activities of rural life will make you a delightful sight. There on the island, visit some local farmers’ homes, interact with warm-hearted hosts and learn about their trades of bonsai gardening, tile and ceramic production and rice paper and coconut candy making. 

DAY 12    Ho Chi Minh - Phu Quoc    Meals: B    

Meet our guide & driver at the hotel then transfer to the airport for flight to Phu Quoc Island.

Arrive Phu Quoc, check in hotel then spend time at leisure.

DAY 13    Free Day In Phu Quoc    Meals: B  

Free day at leisure.

DAY 14    Free Day In Phu Quoc    Meals: B    

Free day at leisure.

DAY 15    Phu Quoc - Ho Chi Minh - Departure    Meals: B  

 Meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to airport for flight to departure.