Essential Vietnam 9 days / 8 nights

- Private circuit and travel rhythm adaptable according to your desire.
- Discovery of the city Hanoi, one of the most attractive destinations, characterized by a harmony between past and present.
- Visit 3 major UNESCO listed sites: the famous Halong Bay, the Imperial City of Hue and the old town of Hoi An.
- Cruise on a traditional junk and overnight on board in the heart of the legendary Halong bay
- Visit of Saigon, city known for the incomparable energy of a most dynamic economic and cultural center of the country.
- Excursion to discover local crafts and enjoy the superb landscapes of the Mekong Delta (its arroyos, its peaceful green villages and its rice fields as far as the eye can see).

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi

Pass By: Hanoi, Hanoi
Arrival at Hanoi airport. Welcome by the driver then transfer to town.

Installation at the hotel. Free meals and night at the hotel

Meals included:
• Breakfast: No meals
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel

Day 2: Free hanoi

Pass By: Hanoi, Hanoi
You will have a completely free day to enjoy the city at your leisure.

If you wish to continue exploring the city of Hanoi, your guide offers an optional guided tour:

OPTIONAL 40 Euro / pers In the morning, drive to Phu Tay Ho temple (dedicated to the Holy Mother Place Hanh), one of the places of high pilgrimage for the locals. You will thus be able to enjoy a superb view of the West Lake.

Then the end of the morning is devoted to the visit of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnography (closed on Mondays), a precious center for the exhibition and conservation of the cultural assets of the 54 ethnic groups present in Vietnam.

Afternoon, visit the Temple of Literature or the Temple of Confucius, a very important historical and cultural monument of Hanoi and the country. A very beautiful temple, which shows the age of Vietnamese culture. It is also one of the rare vestiges of the royal era that has remained in good condition today. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel

Day 3: Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay: Transfer without guide, English-speaking guide on board on a collective junk

Pass By: Halong Bay, Halong Bay, Quang Ninh Province
Road trip in a collective minibus to the 8th wonder of the world: Halong Bay, literally "Descent of the Dragon into the waves". Arrival around noon, boarding formalities on a beautiful junk for a 2 days / 1 night cruise in the bay. During this cruise, you will discover a multitude of ghostly karst peaks. They emerge from emerald waters, riddled with crevices and caves and hiding unexpected lagoons. The play of lights, clouds and mist creates unreal atmospheres on this majestic seascape. On the program: visit a cave, stop on a small beach and, if the weather is good, kayaking at the foot of the stone giants. Meals and overnight on board.

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodation included: Night on board

Day 4: Bai Tu Long Bay - Hanoi - night train to Hue

Pass By: Hue, Hue, Thua Thien - Hue Province
In the bay, an awakening at dawn is essential! It offers peace of mind like no other in the early hours of the day. It’s a great time to meditate and / or take an early morning bath! The buffet breakfast is served on board, while the junk slowly sets off towards the pier. The return cruise allows you to discover other corners of the bay. Lunch on board. Resumption of the road by shared shuttle for the transfer by night train to Hue.

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast, brunch
Accommodation included: Night by night train

Day 5: Hue visit

Pass By: Hue, Hue, Thua Thien - Hue Province
Arrival in Hue. Welcome by our guide and driver. Breakfast in a local restaurant.

Visit the Imperial Citadel, which was built between 1805 and 1832 by Emperor Gia Long. It covers an area of 5.2 km2. Its architecture is reminiscent of that of the citadels of the east but there is French inspiration there. It includes 3 enclosures: Protection enclosure, Imperial city, Purple city prohibited. Exploration of the main monuments of this world heritage: The Flag Tower, the Porte du Midi, the Pavilion of the Edits, the Palace of Supreme Harmony, the Forbidden Purple City.

The afternoon is devoted to visiting the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. Lying among frangipani and pine trees built on plans drawn up by the emperor himself, this sumptuous tomb remains one of the most beautiful sites in Hue. He exudes tranquility and is a model of traditional Vietnamese art. It is also an opportunity to get to know the history of the Nguyen dynasty.

Then stop to discover the manufacture of the country's traditional conical hats. You will leave the factory with your conical hat.

Free meals and overnight at the hotel in Hue.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel

Day 6: Hue - Danang - Hoi An: Transfer without guide

Pass By: Hoi An Ancient Town, Hoi An 560000 Vietnam
Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:30 am, departure without guide for Hoi An via Danang (called Touranne by the French during the French colonization) passing by the Col des Nuages which offers at its summit a superb panorama on the coast of the center.

Arrival in Hoi An in the early afternoon. Installation at the hotel. Free meals. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An.

Our suggestions:

Stroll through the small and narrow streets to visit the city of Hoi An where we discover the Japanese bridge built in 1593, the popular museum, the Tan Ky house, the chapel of the Tran family, pretty houses of Chinese merchants and notable two centuries old ... Discovery of the Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall built in 1690, which houses a pagoda dedicated to Thien Hau Thanh Mau, goddess of the sea and protector of sailors.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel

Day 7: Hoi An free: Without guide or driver

Pass By: Hoi An Ancient Town, Hoi An 560000 Vietnam
You will have a completely free day to enjoy the city at your leisure.

Our suggestions:

Shopping, beach or excursion, the choice is yours. We recommend An Bang Beach, about four kilometers north of the city. The typical street food of this region will delight you: Crêpes, Sandwich, Cao Lau Noodle…

If you wish to continue discovering the region, your guide offers you the option of visiting the Cam Thanh mangrove, another authentic discovery in the hinterland:

OPTIONAL 56 Euros / pers: Let's spend a day riding a bike and a boat in the Vietnamese countryside, far from the traffic of motorcycles and the noise of the city. We cross from island to island in the Song Thu River Delta using local transportation. We discover how the traditional wooden boats which criss-cross the rivers are made, visit a manufacture of straw mats and basket boats. Continue to pedal in the countryside towards the village Tra Nhieu, far from the tourist trails. Lunch is served with the locals. After lunch, we take the boat for a cruise to the Bay Mau freshwater coconut palm reserve where we take an hour-long boat trip between the coconut palms. We are in the middle of a typical Mekong Delta atmosphere. Then we participate in crab fishing. Night at the hotel.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel

Day 8: Hoi An - Saigon flight: Transfer without guide

Pass By: Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City
Breakfast at the hotel then self-guided transfer to Danang Airport for the flight to Saigon.

Arrival in Saigon, welcome by the guide and the driver at the airport and transfer then installation at the hotel. Free time for personal discovery.

OPTIONAL 25 Euros / pers: City tour with French-speaking guide

We stop at Notre-Dame Cathedral (outside) and the old central post office which is located in the center of a square and therefore well developed and the Dong Khoi street (Ex-Catinat) with all its luxury boutiques and its animation.

Afternoon visit to Giac Lam Pagoda, one of the most beautiful and oldest pagodas in Saigon. Stroll through the heart of the old Chinatown of Cho Lon and visit the Binh Tay market, home to a multitude of colorful multicolored stalls. In this district are concentrated 500,000 Hoas, descendants of the Chinese. They still speak Cantonese and keep their spirit of commerce, the spearhead of the Vietnamese economy. Day and night, its noisy markets, its streets lined with small shops and restaurants with signs in Chinese characters are always full.

Free meals. Overnight in Saigon.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Night at the hotel

Day 9: Saigon - Mekong Delta - Departure flight

Pass By: Mekong Delta, Mekong Delta
Breakfast at the hotel.

Around 8:00 a.m., our French-speaking guide & driver will take you to your hotel, route to Ben Tre via My Tho, a quiet and prosperous city of 100,000 inhabitants, known for its many tropical orchards and its immense rice fields. Visit the Vinh Trang pagoda along the way. Upon arrival at Ben Tre, boarding of a junk boat. This boat will take you on the river to see daily activities of the locals. You will visit the brickyard, a family-run coconut candy factory, taste these candies with honey tea and see how people use all the parts of the coconut. The navigation will continue on the Cai Son river, you will disembark in the village of Nhon Thanh where local families have specialized in making mats with reed. Talk to local people. Then, the ride in a Tuk Tuk "motorized vehicle" through the coconut fields and orchards. Possibility of a visit of the old house. Cruise back to the dock. Road back to Saigon to take the departure flight.

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast, lunch
No accommodation included on this day.