HAPPY TRIP AS YOUR FAMILY
14 days 

Destinations of happy-family-vacation

Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho, Phong Nha – Ke Bang
This cross-country Vietnam tour is all about for your beloved family. A cyclo tour through the famous Old Quarter will reveal the most elegant French colonial architectures, the Temple of Literature offers a true serenity of the first national university. Up north for experiencing culturally diverse of ethnic minorities and year-round cloud-shrouded mountains landscapes or down at sea for an overnight on a traditional junk boat in Ha Long Bay. In the former capital city of Hue, cycle along the gentle Perfume River and get deep insight to rural life. The peaceful ancient town of Hoi An with its exquisite architecture and inhabitants’ colorful lifestyles will get you imagining how it became a convergence point of Asian cultures. Down south and be deeply touched in Ho Chi Minh City, see a stark contrast of a prosperous present and a painful yet glorious war-ladden past. Enjoy the Mekong Delta with its vast landscape of flat islands, coconut-lined waterways and warm-hearted farmers. All promise to be a memorable journey!

Full Itinerary of happy-family-vacation

DAY 1    Hanoi Arrival    Meals: D  

 Welcome to Vietnam! On arrival at airport, our guide and driver will meet you then transfer to hotel for check in.

Your visa should be pre-arranged, or be sure that your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to custom desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival.

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.

Take pleasure in watching a traditional water puppet show followed by traditional Vietnamese dishes at a local restaurant.

DAY 2    Hanoi – Bat Trang Ceramic Village    Meals: B,D  

The city tour begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s 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.

In the afternoon, continue the tour to the southeast of Hanoi for visiting a traditional handicraft village of Bat Trang renowned for its ceramic products. Watch artisans forming, painting and glazing their products. End of the day with one hour cyclo ride through the crowded streets of the Old Quarter. Dinner at HOME restaurant 

DAY 3    Hanoi – Lao Cai By Train    Meals: B,D 

Your English speaking guide and bike will be waiting for you at the hotel. Getting up early at 5:00am, you will visit Ba Dinh historical square and have a chance to see the flag pulling ceremony with a parade and the national song, which is hugely popular amongst the locals. You will be biking about 10 kilometers

Today you will take a walking tour to the French Quarter to explore the legacies left in Hanoi from the French colonial culture. After visiting the most popular Buddhist pagoda on Quan Su Street, continue to Nha Tho Street to take a close look at the neo-gothic St. Joseph's Cathedral, the oldest church of Hanoi built in 1886 and resembling the Notre Dame de Paris. Walk the streets of Trang Thi, Hai Ba Trung, Hoa Lo and Tran Hung Dao and observe buildings that are footprints of colonial French architecture. End of the tour by sipping a cup of Vietnamese coffee.  Time at leisure for dinner

Evening, you will meet your diver then transfer to the train station for a night train to Sapa about 380 km North of Hanoi. 

Note: we can also tailor-made tour with private transfer through the new highway instead of night train 

DAY 4    Lao Cai - Sapa    Meals: B,D  

Arrive at Lao Cai station, welcome by our diver and continue approximately one hour drive by car to Sapa town. At a 1,500 m elevation with a pleasing cool climate Sapa is compared to the Alps in Europe and used to be a French health resort. It boasts an amazing landscape of terrace paddy fields, lush vegetation, blooming flowers, foggy winding roads and cloud-shrouded mountains as well as elegant French architectural structures dating back to the early 1900s. The town also features cultural diversity, which is enriched by the indigenous tribal ethnic minorities inhabiting its surrounding areas and the French influence.

After check in hotel, you will be picked up to visit Silver Waterfall (best viewed in the rainy season from May to November). Take a walk by the fall, and enjoy great views of the surrounding jungle-covered mountains of the Hoang Lien National Park. Continue by car about up to Heaven’s Gate, the region’s vantage point which offers a full view of Fansipan Mountain dubbed as “the roof of Indochina” rising 3,143 meters into the sky. Dinner at local restaurant 

DAY 5    Sapa    Meals: B,D  

Today we will leave the town for Lao Chai village, a settlement of the Black Hmong ethnic minority. From your car, you can catch a fully magnificent view of cascading rice terraced field of Muong Hoa valley. Arrive at Lao Chai, you will discover sighting fields, streams and interact with villagers and learn more about their daily life. Afterward, take a walk from Lao Chai to the nearby Ta Van village which is clusters of rural houses embraced by the wavy curves of the terraced paddy fields of Giay minority. Here you will take a rest and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by locals.

In the afternoon, continue to hike through bamboo forests with a break near a waterfall before entering Giang Ta Chai village, home to Red Dao ethnic minority people. Explore the village and observe villagers in their daily life activities. You will be picked up and return to Sapa by car. Dinner at local restaurant 

DAY 6    Sapa – Lao Cai – Hanoi    Meals:

Leave Sapa early morning to travel by car about 2.5 hours through winding mountain roads to Bac Ha Market. Arrive to discover the big outdoor market known as the venue for largest fairs in the region. Watch the colorful market lively with minorities of various groups buying and selling assorted goods including handicraft, working tools and livestock. Have lunch at a local restaurant. Continue to travel by car about one hour to Trung Do village, a settlement of the Tay ethnic minority people. Take a leisure ride on a cart pulled by a water buffalo around the village and observe hospitable villagers with their peaceful lifestyle. From the village, board a boat to cruise down the Chay River and enjoy sighting the magnificent mountainous landscape along the way.

Disembark and refresh with a cup of tea before returning by car to Sapa then transfer about one hour to Lao Cai railway station for night train to Hanoi.

DAY 7    Hanoi – Halong    Meals: B,L,D  

Arrive in Hanoi early morning. Our guide and driver will pick you up at the station. Time for relax before transfer by car about 160 km or 3.5 hours to Ha Long Bay. 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 around noon and check in aboard the booked junk right 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. The bay cruise will continue with up close sighting of Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island, Sail Island, a visit to Sung Sot Cave and swimming stop at Titov Beach. Relax and enjoy the bay at sunset, have dinner, after that you can join night activities like squid fishing at 09:00 PM. Spend night on board.

DAY 8    Halong - Hanoi - Da Nang - Hoi An    Meals: Brunch  

Early risers can refresh with a Tai Chi exercises demonstration on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Have tea and breakfast while continue exploring the bay and visit some of its major highlights. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi for flight to Da Nang. Fly from Hanoi to Da Nang. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Arrive in Da Nang, welcome by our guide and transfer to Hoi An about 40 minutes. Hotel check-in and time at leisure 

DAY 9    Hoi An – Larntern Making    Meals: B,D    

Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan…

Begin your Hoi An tour with your guide and bike are ready at your hotel then cycle through old streets to a lantern making family. Colorful lanterns are an unmistakable part of Hoi An’s visual identity as the craft of lantern making has been passed down to present town dwellers from generations of their ancestors. Observe and learn how to make lanterns in the traditional way under the guidance of friendly and skilled hosts. You will practice all production steps including whittling bamboo into splints and bending them into a frame, cutting fabric to size and gluing it to the frame to complete a lantern. Next continue to a Hoi An cooking school, where you will learn to cook traditional Vietnamese food, have lunch and relax. After lunch, you will be shown how to decorate and pack your lantern and keep it as a souvenir. Say goodbye to the host and ride back to the hotel. Dinner at full moon restaurant 

DAY 10    Hoi An – Hue    Meals: B,D  

Morning, we transfer about 2.5 hours to Hue via the Hai Van 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. 

Hue, the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam for the 1802-1945 periods marking the end of Vietnamese feudalism, is known as a city of poetic beauty. It exemplifies a unique blend of a scenic landscape characterized by the Perfume River and surrounding mountains and an extremely rich historical legacy typified by numerous relics such as citadel, tombs and pagodas. You will take a bike tour along the Perfume River and observe local life. Cycling toward to Vi Da village where you can enjoy Hue coffee and learn more about ancient architectures. 

Later afternoon, if time permits us, we will get back to the city and take part in kite flying activities. Kite flying is a traditional festivity art and also a favorite pastime of inhabitants of Hue. You will be provided with a kite and instruction how to maneuver it with tactics of keeping it in balance in the sky by a handling string. It will be a special experience to fly your own kite up high in the sky in front of the old Hue Citadel. Dinner at Royal restaurant 

DAY 11    Hue – Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park    Meals: B,D  

Morning transfer 200 km by car to Quang Binh province to visit its top natural icon, the Phong Nha – Ke Bang national Park. The park recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site is one of the two world’s largest limestone regions characterized by primitive tropical forests, rock formations and complex cave systems connected by long underground rivers all aged around 400 million years. Ride a boat along a meandering and mountain-flanked river to Phong Nha Cave, the park’s second largest cave system that was discovered in 2009 by the British Caving Association. Enter the cave through its half-submerged entrance and start to discover what is said to be speleologists’ heaven on earth. Return to Dong Hoi for lunch before driving back to Hue. Dinner at Vuon Y Thao Restaurant

DAY 12    Hue – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)    Meals: B,D    

In the morning, transfer to airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive at Tan Son Nhat International airport, welcome by our guide and transfer to hotel for check in.  The distance is approximately 30 minutes

You will start the tour begin with a visit to Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica built by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and Saigon Central Post Office. Continue to Cholon – the city’s China town then Jade Emperor Temple (Phuoc Hai), a rare Taoist structure in Vietnam built in 1909. Move on to the City Hall and take a leisurely stroll down to the colorful Dong Khoi Street full of fancy shops, stylish café, restaurants and art galleries. Stop for sipping a cup of Vietnamese coffee at a rooftop café.In the evening, aboard a boat cruising through Saigon River and have dinner onboard 

DAY 13    Ho Chi Minh - Ben Tre Mekong Delta    Meals: B,L    

Leave Saigon at around 8AM then transfer about 85km to the South for the picturesque little province of Ben Tre, particularly famous for its coconut candy and quite waterways. 

On arrival, take a Xe Loi ride through Huu Dinh village with lush sceneries of fields and gardens. Continue a short walk to Huu Phuoc Bridge where you will board a boat sailing through small canals. A welcome drink of fresh coconut and tropical fruits will be served. 

Stop over at a brick factory where locals still use traditional brick making method by hands. Then return to your boat to cross An Hoa River where you will take a sampan ride along narrow canals. Visit a local house and enjoy fresh fruits and tea before heading to a rice noodle factory which produces Hu Tieu noodle, one of the most popular breakfast dishes in the Southern.

Switch to a bike then cycle on village roads; stop at a local house with the traditional family business of sampan boat building. Continue riding to My Long for a call on a former soldier who survived after 2 years fighting the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh. Spend time chatting with him and enjoy crispy rice paper, the famous specialty of the village. Back to your bike and head to a local riverside restaurant. Have lunch and relax. After lunch, visit a nearby house which is renowned for sticky rice maker in the village. Here you can feed his tock of catfish and stroll around the fruit garden.

Back to the pier and cruising to Ben Tre city where your car waits for you for the drive to Ho Chi Minh.  

DAY 14    Ho Chi Minh – Departure    Meals: B    

Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to airport for flight departure