Vietnam has a shape like the letter S extending from North to South. To discover the quintessence of the country, Vietnamdrive would like to introduce this 8-day-7-night tour to the main cities, including Hanoi, Halong Bay, Da Nang, Hoi An, Saigon, and Mekong Delta.
The highlights of this program include the incredible landscapes, indigenous culture, and tasty local food.
Start from Hanoi and End in Saigon (and vice versa as requested)
Vietnamdrive welcomes you to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, where you will start your journey in a beautiful country.
Depending on the arrival time, this day can get longer or shorter. The suggestion is to give you more time to rest for a long flight to Hanoi.
Surely, Vietnamdrive will pick you up and transfer you from Noi Bai airport to a lovely hotel in Hanoi City Center.
Activities recommended to do today are walking around Hoan Kiem Lake, visiting Ngoc SonTemple and The Huc Bridge right here, enjoying a unique performance of Water Puppet for around 30 minutes, taking part in a street party at Bui Hien Beer Street in the Old Quarter.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Today, you will join a group to explore Halong Bay on a 4 or 5-star cruise. Of course, you have a private cabin on the beautiful cruise to stay overnight. If you want to book a private cruise, please tell us to arrange this service!
Ha Long is as beautiful as a fairy garden, created by rocky islands and an immense sea. The cruise will take you lost in the paradise on earth in a 2-day-and-1-night cruise on the bay.
Ha Long Bay is one of the seven natural wonders of the world recognized by UNESCO. With the Ha Long tour, you will admire the magnificent and magical caves, islands, sea, and white sand beaches.
Let’s start!
8:00 am: The car will pick you up at your hotel in the city center to depart for Ha Long Bay. The car stops to rest in Hai Duong province for about 30 minutes, and you are free to have a cup of coffee, shop, and enjoy mung bean cakes, which are Hai Duong specialties.
At noon: Arrive at Tuan Chau, Ha Long wharf, check in the boat, and rest.
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Have lunch at the restaurant on the cruise. You can enjoy local dishes with the flavors of the sea. We see the majestic natural landscapes of Ha Long Bay from the cruise: Hon Dinh Incense, Fighting Chickens, and Rock Dogs.
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm: The boat moves to visit Sung Sot cave, one of the most beautiful caves of Ha Long Bay. Listen to the guide introduce the history of the cave, admire the scenery of the most magical and beautiful stalactite system in the bay, and take lovely pictures to share with your relatives and friends.
3:45 pm-4:30 pm: We return to the ship to prepare for the journey to experience the beauty of Ha Long Bay by kayak, an exciting experience to spend time on the seawater, or you may like to relax and enjoy the sea view on the yacht.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: You are free to rest, relax, enjoy the sunset party with wine and fruits, watch the sunset on the sea, and capture memorable moments of the bay dusk. The cruise continues to the sleeping point near the Titop.
7:00 pm: Have dinner at the restaurant on the cruise. After dinner, you are free to experience various activities on the yacht full of fun, such as night squid fishing, listening to music, playing games, or dancing. Overnight on the cruise.
7:00 am: You wake up early to breathe fresh air, watch the sunrise on the bay, and freely participate in sports activities on the deck to create a refreshing spirit for a new day. Enjoy breakfast at the onboard restaurant.
8:00 am – 9:00 am: The boat moves to the fishing village area, where fish and pearls are grown. The group takes time to learn methods to produce and collect sea pearls and shop for souvenirs made from pearls as gifts. Note: a few cruises have different routes, so you can visit a fishing village and see the life of local people instead of seeing growing pearls.
9:30 am – 10:00 am: You pack your luggage and check out, join a cooking class (optional) where you can test your cooking skills right at the restaurant on the cruise under the support and guidance of professional chefs, or relax on the deck and save memorable moments in the journey with beautiful photos.
10:45 am- 11:30 am: Have lunch on board while the ship moves to the port.
12:00 pm: The boat docks, you get on the bus to depart for Hanoi.
Relax in Hanoi until the driver picks you up at Noi Bai Airport to fly to Da Nang City. The flight time will be confirmed after Vietnamdrive books your air tickets.
The representative of Vietnamdrive will welcome you at Danang airport to transfer to Hoi An City, an ancient town with a colorful night.
Take your time to explore Hoi An at night and have dinner, on your own budget!
Overnight in Hoi An.
When traveling in Hoi An, you have a lot of activities to choose from to discover the beauty of people’s lives, culture, history, and architecture here. With limited time, Vietnamdrive will choose typical attractions and featured activities so that you can have valuable moments in this place.
8:00 am, Visit My Son Holy Land.
My Son Sanctuary is located in Duy Phu commune (Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province), about 70 km from Da Nang City and 45 km from Hoi An to the west. This complex in a valley about 2 km in diameter, surrounded by hills and mountains, consists of many Champa temples from the 7th to 13th centuries.
In 1885, the My Son temple complex was discovered and covered with trees. In 1999, UNESCO recognized My Son Holy Land as a world heritage site. This place has also been listed as a national monument of typical importance in Vietnam.
Coming to My Son, you will discover the unique way of building ancient temples and have the opportunity to admire the mysterious architecture, along with the Champa dance.
12:00 at noon – 1:00 pm: Return to Hoi An and stop by a lovely restaurant to enjoy Hoi An-style food.
2:30 pm: You and your guide ride a bicycle on the streets, onto the village road, to the peaceful village scene. This way is a nice thing to understand the life and scenery of Hoi An.
Do not forget to take photos at Chua Cau – Japanese Covered Bridge, one of the historical and cultural symbols of the old town. Stop by Tan Ky ancient house to hear about the old life of the first people here and see the old architecture of the unique longhouse in Hoi An.
Relax with a cup of Vietnamese coffee and watch people pass by. Let life go by quietly!
Besides, you can make a beautiful suit or dress with a fast and professional tailoring service in Hoi An. Do not miss it!
In the evening, you are free to relax or go for a walk.
9:00 am, checking out of the hotel, put your luggage in the car. We will move to Ba Na Hill to visit the famous Golden Bridge.
Travel by cable car to the top of Ba Na. On the cable car, you will capture the majestic natural beauty. And our straightforward point is the Golden Bridge.
After taking pictures and walking on the bridge in the air, you can walk through the French village to the top of Chua mountain to send wishes for peace and luck.
Return to the center of Da Nang for lunch (today can be later than usual), watch the Han River flowing through the city, and enjoy coffee.
The car will take you to Da Nang International Airport to catch a flight to Saigon.
A representative of Vietnamdrive will pick you up at Tan Son Nhat airport and take you to your hotel in the center of Ho Chi Minh City.
Relax and overnight in Ho Chi Minh.
About 100 km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh is an ideal stop for a trip to discover Cao Dai Temple, a small religion in Vietnam. However, it has a unique ceremony and beautiful building of the temple.
At 8:30 am: from Saigon, we depart to Tay Ninh. Although moving a long way, you can know a remote culture at the typical temple with its ceremony.
11:30 am – 12 noon: Noon is the right time to visit Cao Dai because this moment is to start the ceremony of Cao Dai followers, so you will be able to witness firsthand the solemn and beautiful ceremonies. A small note to you: when going inside, you must leave your shoes outside, so ask for permission to take a panoramic photo, but you do not take pictures of people with the background of the Holy Eye.
12:30 pm – 1 pm: You can have lunch (optional) with specialties of Tay Ninh such as beef dishes. After that, you prepare to return to the Cu Chi area to explore the tunnels.
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: you reach the Cu Chi tunnels and buy tickets to visit the underground life. The tunnel system includes a clinic, living rooms, a kitchen, a storage room, an office, and private sections. Cu Chi Tunnels is about 200 km long and has a ventilation system hidden under the bushes. However, we explore a short distance.
During the resistance war, thousands of Cu Chi people lived in this tunnel with quite complicated roads. You will experience life underground and enjoy the local dishes of the residents living in the former tunnels.
5:00 pm: Drive back to the city center and have dinner with pancakes or Pho, which are the famous local foods in Ho Chi Minh City.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Mekong Delta attracts tourists through the rivers, green gardens, and the gentle smiles and hospitality of the locals. Today, we take a one-day tour to discover Ben Tre – Vietnamese Coconut Land – for a fun trip.
With this tour from Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre, you have the opportunity to learn about “Dao Dua” on Con Phung Island and the traditional occupations of the locals, such as making milk puffs, making coconut candies, crafting handicrafts and souvenirs.
8:30 am. The guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel in HCMC to Ben Tre.
Cruise on the Tien River to visit the fishing village along the banks of the Tien River and admire the scenery of four islets: Long (Dragon), Lan (Unicorn), Quy (Turtle), and Phung (Phoenix). We stop at one famous islet Con Phung (Phoenix Islet), and learn more about life in this area.
A boat takes you down the Tien River to Ben Tre, cruising in Rach Xep – one of the most beautiful natural coconut water canals in Ben Tre. Visit the Que Dua eco-tourism site, visit lush green orchards, enjoy fruits at local houses, and listen to folk songs.
Take a ride by bicycle on the village road to admire the daily life of the people of this land. Stop at Ben Truc tourist spot, enjoy honey tea in the garden, and explore Southern canals by rowing boats.
Continue to Con Phung to visit and admire Dao Dua architecture, handicraft production facilities, coconut candy production facilities – famous specialties of Ben Tre, wine-making villages, making rice paper.
At noon, you have lunch with local specialties.
Afternoon, we return to the boat dock. Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda – a typical temple of Tien Giang Province.
Depart for Ho Chi Minh City.
Today, we will take a ride around 2 hours on Cyclo to go through busy streets in District 1 of Saigon. Stop at Ben Thanh Market to walk inside it to see the busy trading life and buy souvenirs.
Continue going to the central post office and Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. After that, stop at a coffee shop to relax and enjoy Saigon coffee.
Come back to your hotel and relax. On time, our car will pick you up at Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your flight.
End the 8-day tour in Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City!
See you again!
Thank you very much, Vietnamdrive! We didn’t have much time to arrange the tour, and Ms. Golda assisted us in planning an exciting 8-day tour in Vietnam. Everything went smoothly, the guide was enthusiastic, and the food was tasty. Typically, our driver Mr. Minh in Danang City is friendly and knowledgeable. Our trip was interesting. We are happy to recommend you to friends when they want to visit Vietnam.
