Itinerary

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1. DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN HANOI

   Welcome to Hanoi – Vietnam. Upon arrival to Noi Bai Airport, you are warmly greeted by Goway Asia Travel’s team and then take you to hotel in downtown for check-in. The rest of the day is yours to relax or exploring Old Quarter area on your own.
   Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.
   Meals included: No meals.

2. DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR

   After breakfast, pay your respect to the nation’s founder at the Ho Chi Minh Complex and Ba Dinh Square, an important point of pilgrimage for the Vietnamese. Explore the nearby simple cottage on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked during his humble beginnings as a revolutionary. Gain insight into the prewar history of the country at the Governor’s Residence, also known as the Presidential Palace, an excellent example of Hanoi’s classical French architectural heritage, and Ho Chi Minh refused to live in the opulent structure for symbolic reasons, opting to build a traditional Vietnamese stilt house on the grounds instead. Stop by the iconic One Pillar Pagoda - a unique Vietnamese architecture reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond and hear the legend of its construction. Before have a lunch, we stop to visit the first place named Tran Quoc Pagoda, a Buddhist relic and national heritage lying on the West Lake.
   Afternoon, continue with the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius. Move on to the famous Hanoi Train Street, a little area hidden amidst the hectic and narrow streets where trains pass every day, hurling through the residential street, mere couple steps away from blocks of houses on two sides. Sip a cup of Vietnamese coffee at a tiny café by the train track while your guide is present about the local culture & history.
   Later, hop on a cyclo, one of the most typical vehicles in Hanoi, is a human-powered transport with a seat at the front for passengers and the driver at the back. With this an hour leisurely ride, which is perfect chance for photos and slow-moving sightseeing, you will have a great chance to have the local closer touch. The rest of day, enjoy Water puppet show - one of Vietnamese traditional performance.
   Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.
   Meal included: Breakfast.

3. DAY 3: HANOI - HALONG BAY

   After breakfast, your private tour guide will pick you up and take you through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta to the legendary Halong Bay where you will board a cruise that is your home for the evening. The limestone karsts and tropical islets rising up from the emerald waters of the bay provide an ethereal backdrop for your leisurely cruise.
   Upon arrival at noon, you will embark on a cruise in the must-see Halong Bay. This world-famous bay is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam, with its giant rock islets covered in luxuriant vegetation overlooking the waters. Halong Bay includes some 1,900 islands and islets of rocky peaks, often uninhabited and unvisited.
   This scene creates a spectacular marine landscape, which earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 1994. You will be served lunch and dinner aboard with excellent and freshly caught seafood from the bay. At the end of the day, you will have the chance to enjoy a night fishing session on the boat.
   Overnight on cruise.
   Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

4. DAY 4: HALONG BAY - HANOI - FLY TO HO CHI MINH

   Start the day with calming Tai Chi session on the sun deck. We will pass beautiful spots while having a light breakfast. In this morning, you are free to choose to explore a cave on an island or just spend your time soaking up some sun. After checking out from your cabin, we have a brunch on board. Around noon, we arrive back at Halong harbor. It's time to say goodbye to Halong Bay and head to Hanoi airport.
   You will catch the short flight to Ho Chi Minh city.
   Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, you will be picked up by your local guide & driver and taken to your hotel in center. Check in & free for the rest of day.
   Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
   Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch or Brunch.

5. DAY 5: HO CHI MINH CITY - HISTORICAL TOUR & CU CHI TUNNELS

   This morning we take a drive to visit Cu Chi Tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250km. from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam American must have been like. Return the city at noon time for your lunch.
   In the afternoon, we stop at the site where the famous Buddhist Thich Quang Duc self- immolated in June 11th, 1963. After his funeral, where his remains were finally reduced to ashes, Quang Duc's heart had not burned, was instead retrieved, enshrined, and treated as a sacred relic. His self- immolation triggered the uprising, which later led to the fall of President Diem regime. Another tour inclusion is the Reunification Palace, a former residence of Indochina Governor General and later of the President of the Republic of Southern Vietnam. The historical building reminisces the fall of Saigon regime in April 30th 1975. Subsequently, the next worth visiting building is the former US embassy where the last American helicopters fled.
   To round off the trip, we stop at a central city café where you’ll have a coffee while enjoying the city vibrant life.
   Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
   Meals included: Breakfast.

6. DAY 6: HO CHI MINH - MEKONG DELTA DISCOVERY

   Drive to Ben Tre, approximately 90 minutes from Ho Chi Minh city, where you’ll board a boat that cruises along a branch of the Mekong River. After a short ride, you’ll disembark and set out on a light walk through a small community to visit a brickwork factory where bricks are made by hand. Your boat trip continues to My Long village where you’ll depart to walk through the hamlet to see how rice paper is made and taste rice cake. Following the Cai Son canal, you’ll wind through a coconut jungle, visit a coconut workshop, have a look at the stages of coconut processing from husking to prizing out the peel by hand. Next, set down a small waterway and stop at a buzzing bee garden, enjoy some fruits, honey tea and listen to local music. Visit a candy mill and enjoy some sweet treats before a walking to visit a farmer's house where traditional sleeping mats are made. From here, you’ll have the choice to either bike on rural tracks, ride on a xe loi (motor cart) through a range of coconut groves and vegetable patches, or to simply relax at leisure. Now on a row boat, head along a canal lined with shady palm trees and stop for lunch at the local restaurant. As the tour comes to an end, head back to the main pier in Ben Tre by motorboat to meet your driver, and then return to your hotel.
   Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.
   Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.

7. DAY 7: HO CHI MINH CITY - DEPARTURE

   Today is free at your leisure for last minute shopping or sight-seeing before driving to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport to catch your departure flight home or travel on to next destinations!
   Meals included: Breakfast.