Pearl Of Vietnam

10 days - Private Tour 

Itinerary of pearl-of-vietnam-tour

DAY 1    Hanoi Arrival    Meals: B 

Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide. The driving distance is approximately 45 minutes.

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. Fast tract service can be arranged upon booking.

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  

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.

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. Next, head for 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. 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    Hanoi - Halong Over Night On Boat    Meals: B,L,D 

Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. The transfer is approximately 3 hours. 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 and you may stop on the way to admire the local scenery. 

Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM 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.

Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and relax at the waiting launch until embark on Paradise Peak cruise at 12.15 (Boarding time)

12.30 : Welcome Drink – cruise briefing, safety instructions, check-in cabins.

Strong believers in the holistic nature of premium service, your Paradise Private Butlersare trained in all areas of service for you to take away with you priceless memories of a professional and efficient but still warm and personal service. Your heavenly journey across Halong Bay commences.

13.00: Seafood Lunch Platter. Enjoy your meal in the elegant dining-room, the private dining of your cabin or even on the balcony for a better view of the amazing landscape that unleashes before your eyes.

Paradise Cruise gives you the chance to see more undiscovered parts of the Bay- not only will you cruise through Halong Bay but you will also pass by many amazing areas. You will pass Luon Cave called the “Tunnel Cave” in English, due to its long 60 meters leading to a tranquil lake; Trong Cave, which enchanting interior is often used for gala-diner and banquet; Ho Dong Tien cave whose mouth, you will see, is right at sea level.

15:00 - 16:30: In the afternoon take to a kayak and paddle your way around while collecting trash from around the bay- you will be given all the equipment needed and staff will be ready and waiting onboard to receive what you’ve picked up and dispose of it properly after returning to shore.

16.30 – 18.00: Continue cruising and sightseeing on the Bay while the Afternoon Tea is served on the Sundeck: A Coffee and Tea brewing demonstration will introduce you to the traditional culture of tea and coffee in Vietnam. Nibbles include cakes and biscuits.

You can request a cooking demonstration with your butler to discover the Vietnamese cuisine. Try making the spring rolls yourself, with the assistance of your butler or the Chef.

18.00 – 19.15: Relax or book on-board Spa Services (refer to the menu in your cabin)
19.30 – 21.00: Dinner À La Carte

21.00 – 23.00: Evening Activities – relax at leisure; choose from our selection of movies to watch in the intimacy of your cabin; try Squid Fishing or book a Beauty Spa service onboard.

DAY 4    Halong - Hanoi - Flight To Ho Chi Minh City    Meals: Brunch  

6.30: Tai Chi session on the Sundeck at the break of dawn
7.00 – 7.30: Light breakfast: Tea, coffee and assorted pastries

7.30 – 8.30: Choose among visiting Luon Cave on a rowing bamboo boat with local people; exploringSung Sot Cave, one of the largest and most beautiful caves in Halong Bay or swimming, kayaking and trekking at Titop Island.

8.30: Breakfast À La Carte

9.45: Cabin Check-out and bill settlement

10.30 : The boat anchors in the wharf.  Time for you to go ashore from the boat and we arrange private car with guide to pick you up upon disembarking and transfer directly to Hanoi airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh. Flight time is approximately 2 hours.  

Arrival Ho Chi Minh international airport, you are transferred to town by private car & guide. The transfer from airport to hotel is approximately 30 minutes. Check in & relax 

DAY 5    Ho Chi Minh & Cu Chi Tunnels – Story Of War    Meals: B 

Morning, meet your guide and transfer about 75 km North-west of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaling over 120 km in length. Its complexity was beyond imagination containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches and emergency exits all aimed for guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Return to the city at noon time for a rest

Afternoon, tour in the city starting with Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. Next, visit Sai Gon Post Office, a fine colonial building which was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Move on to Cho Lon or the city’s China Town where you will visit the Jade Emperor Temple (Phuoc Hai), a rare Taoist structure in Vietnam built in 1909 in dedication to the Lord of Heaven. It’s filled with smoky incense and fantastic carved figurines and still buzzing with worshipers, many lounging in the front gardens. 

DAY 6    Full Day Cai Be Vinh Long – Can Tho    Meals: B    

Today, meet with your hotel to transfer about 136 km to Vinh Long, a riverside town in the vast Mekong Delta, the world’s largest delta. Embark 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. After tour, we drive to Can Tho & check in and free at leisure.

DAY 7    Can Tho - Phu Quoc    Meals: B  

 After breakfast, meet our guide and transfer to the airport for an hour flight to Phu Quoc. Arrival at the airport, meet our guide and transfer about 12km to the city centre.

DAY 8    Free And Easy    Meals: B 

Free at leisure at your beach.

DAY 9    Free And Easy    Meals: B 

Free at leisure at your beach.

DAY 10    Ho Chi Minh Departure    Meals: B  

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