Vietnam's Every Aspect in 12 days

Your Vietnam adventure begins with your arrival in Hanoi. Your private driver will meet you at the airport, holding a signboard with your name. He will escort you to your accommodation right in the heart of the city, with the fascinating Old Quarter at your fingertips. You can easily explore the city at your own pace or relax at the hotel after the flight.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Have breakfast at the hotel and get ready for your Sapa exploration. You will be transferred to Sapa by limousine bus. Upon arrival in Sapa have lunch and check-in at the hotel. Later you will visit Ta Phin village. Located in a large valley, surrounded by high mountains, covered by pine trees and forest, Ta Phin commune is home to the Red Dzao and Black Hmong ethnicities. Despite living close to each other for decades, these two ethnic people are very different. The Hmongs are cheerful and open-minded, while the Red Dzaos are economical and reserved. 

Take a short drive to the center of the valley, where you will enjoy an easy walk following the village path around the valley, paying a visit to Hmong hamlets scattering from the bottom of the valley to higher mountain slopes. From high elevation you will enjoy the great view of the valley stretching under your feet. Continue your walk to the Red Dzao village, where you will meet a group of women making handicrafts, including embroidered clothes and handbags. Later you will be transferred back to Sapa.

Approx: 1.5 hours walking.

Overnight in Sapa.

The day is devoted to a beautiful hike through the breathtaking scenery of Sa Pa valley. Start the walk with a picturesque road where you can admire the rice terraces hidden behind the mist of the morning, a truly awe-inspiring sight. 

Follow a small track crossing the Muong Hoa River and pass well-tended rice terraces on your way to the Black Hmong village of Lao Chai. Continue walking through the colorful rice terraces, and you will reach the village of Ta Van Giay. As you continue your trek along the Muong Hoa River, you will cross a small suspension bridge, roughly 2km from the settlement. Here you can discover a fascinating collection of rock carvings. These engravings depict some beautiful images of man, stilt houses, and some beautiful decorative patterns. 

Have lunch in a local house.  After lunch, continue your walk through the bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic minority village. After taking a rest nearby a waterfall to refresh, you start climbing uphill to a road where the car is ready for your journey back to Sapa.

Approx: 1-hour driving and 4 hours walking.

Overnight in Sapa.

Today you will leave the busy life behind to enjoy a nice walk in a quiet non-touristic area. Have breakfast at the hotel and meet your guide and driver. Head northwards of Sapa with several stops for viewing the magnificent landscapes of Fansipan, Sin Chai valley, and flower and vegetable farms. Then follow a narrow road for half an hour drive getting through the wild region with thick rain forest covering walled-up mountains. On the way, you will pass several waterfalls before arriving at Ban Khoang, a village of the Red Zao ethnic peoples who live their unique way of life and well maintain their traditional values. The village looks prosperous thanks to the combination of wet rice cultivation on the terraced fields with cardamom farming under the shade of trees in a thick forest. Spend over an hour walking to explore this remote village for a better understanding of local life. Leaving Ban Khoang and process along the road for about 10km to Ta Giang Phinh valley the home for the Black Hmongs who live in small villages scattering along a peaceful stream.

Enjoy a picnic lunch on the bank of a stream before walking along the village path, which connects the villages to each other to witness the daily activities of locals such as plowing and harrowing the fields, growing, harvesting rice and vegetables, or doing some house work. In leisure months men often gather to build new houses or repair parts of old ones while women stay home making their traditional costumes. The walk ends in mid-afternoon when you will head back to Sapa by car.

Approx: 2 hours driving and 4 hours walking.

Overnight in Sapa.

Have breakfast at the hotel and have some leisure time, until you will be transferred back to Hanoi by limousine bus. The rest of the day is at your leisure. 

Overnight in Hanoi.

In the morning, check out of the hotel, and get picked up by the Cruise team. Take the most scenic route to reach Halong Bay, taking you across the Red River Delta with emerald green rice paddies stretching for as far as the eyes can see. 

On arrival at Halong, you will board the cruise and enjoy the fantastic views of limestone rocks and the karst grottoes. Have an utterly delicious seafood lunch and enjoy the time at the sundeck exploring the Bay. 

The cruise will stop in a secret place where you will spend time kayaking or swimming, so you can explore the karst grottoes closer. Towards the evening, you will return to the boat for an early dinner, followed by some time at leisure. You can optionally attend the activities taking part on the boat or just relax.

Overnight on cruise.

Rise early today to view the dawn at the Wonder of the Nature World with breakfast served in the dining room. A Tai Chi class on the sun deck will awake your mind and muscles. 

Then head off to visit the limestone cave full of stalagmites and stalactites. Then return to the boat to check out and enjoy the brunch while the cruise is sailing back to the harbor. Later you will be transferred to your accommodation in Hanoi. 

Overnight in Hanoi.

Relish the remaining moment in Hanoi before your private driver escorts you to the airport to take the flight to Hue. When you arrive at Hue airport, your driver will pick you up and transfer you to your accommodation. The rest of the time is free at leisure. 

Overnight in Hue.

Start your day by exploring the idyllic destinations in Thien Mu pagoda – a historic temple, the symbol of Vietnam in the Nguyen Dynasty before arriving in Thuy Bieu Village. Upon arrival in the village, enjoy a welcome drink at the local house. Then take a cycling trip around the village to see the daily life of the local people. Stop to visit an incense-making, joss-paper making, and paper-painting family workshops to see countryside paintings of young local artists.

After biking around the village, you will be back to the local house to have a foot massage before cooking your lunch under the instruction of our chef. The chef will teach you to cook some famous local foods such as fig salad mixed with shrimp and pork, Banh Ram It (a patty of super-crunchy deep-fried stick rice topped with stir-fried shrimp and pork), and Banh Khoái (a pan-fried crepe that is typically stuffed with shrimp and pork). Enjoy the meals you cooked for lunch and take some rest before driving back to your hotel.

Overnight in Hue.

Relish the remaining moment in Hue before your private driver escorts you to the airport to take the flight to Ho Chi Minh. When you arrive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, your driver will pick you up and transfer you to your accommodation. The rest of the time is free at leisure. 

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Today you will explore the most remarkable places of Ho Chi Minh city in military-style by Jeep.

Have breakfast at your hotel before your guide and driver pick you up to begin your Jeep adventure. Drive through Saigon streets towards the Independence Palace/ the Reunification Palace. The palace is a symbolic destination of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, when the North Vietnamese Army tank number 843 crashed through the gates of what was the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam.

Next, you will admire the Museum of American War Crimes/ the War Remnants Museum is the most popular museum in Ho Chi Minh City. It gathers a collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam’s wars.

After the Museum, you will see Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office, which are the best highlights of old Saigon architecture and are located next to each other right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.

And then, Jeep will take you for a drive along famous roads in Saigon as Dong Khoi Street, and Nguyen Hue Street, and head to Ben Thanh Market, a lively market in District 1, where your guide can help you barter for goods. And then, Jeep goes to Bui Vien Street and back to your hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Relish a healthy breakfast on the final day of your trip to Vietnam. Complete the hotel check-out formalities, after which you can visit the local markets to buy souvenirs for your loved ones. Later your private driver will transfer you to the airport to take your flight back home.

Trip Ends.