DAY 1: HANOI ARRIVAL - HANOI CITY TOUR (L; D) 17/12/2016
AM: Driver & guide pick up at the airport with your flight AK from Malaysia. We will take 45 minutes to drive to the main attractions in Hanoi. The first destination is the Museum of Ethnology - the place where 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam is presented. Lunch in the local restaurant. After lunch, we are going to visit Ho Chi Minh historical Complex; visit to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside only) and his residence relics 50 years ago with the House on Stilts & Presidential Palace to understand why Vietnamese people worship him and the human beings respect him: the nationalist! The journey would bring you to the One Pillar pagoda - the unique 1000 years old pagoda in the area. The visit will continue to the Temple of Literature, which is known the place worshiping Confucius and as the first university in our country 1000 years ago.
Late afternoon, Visit Ngoc Son (Jade) temple & Restored Sword Lake. Shopping in Hang Gai Street, Hang Dau Street; Shopping in Dong Xuan market & Have a Water puppet show in Thang Long water puppet theater.
6.00 PM: Start to visit the city Old Quarter and a special Hanoi Food tour. (Private tour)
The main stops are at the most Only-One-Dish-famous shops or restaurants owned by families who have been making certain famous traditional dishes in Hanoi for years. These famous dishes of Hanoi culinary experience will come one after the other during the walking tour in this Hanoi National Heritage area. The experience will not only bring you the real local Hanoi dishes but also the special way of enjoying it as a part of the daily culinary life in Hanoi! The journey will bring you down to the local market to learn about Vietnamese cooking and eating habits. This industrialized haste and busy life creates a lot of fast foods. Hanoians are lucky to be able to eat delicious home-cooked meals in a busy city at any time! The walking takes you down to some smaller walkways and alleys which you would not normally enter. It is time we find "A City Inside A City".
21. 00: Finish the tour at your hotel in Hanoi. Overnight in the hotel in Hanoi! Have time to rest at the hotel.
ACC: Hanoi Golden Cyclo Hotel 4* Superior Room (Double/Twin)
DAY 2: HANOI - TAM COC PRIVATE TOUR (B; L; D) 18/12/2016
08:00 - 08:30 AM: Private driver & guide pick up at your hotel inside the Old Quarter. Starting drive to Ninh Binh Province
10:30 Arriving at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. Visit King Dinh and King Le’s temples - the 2 temples dedicating to 2 kings of Vietnam.
12:00 Arriving in Tam Coc Wharf. Have lunch with Vietnamese Cuisine.
13:30 Getting on Sampan boats through caves and visiting countryside landscape
15:30: Back to Tam Coc Wharf to chill out. Get on country road around village to visit Bich Dong pagoda.
16:30 Getting back to Hanoi
18:30 Saying goodbye to you at your hotel. Have a special local buffet in the 200 dishes restaurant. Stay overnight in the hotel in Hanoi.
ACC: Hanoi Golden Cyclo Hotel 4* Superior Room (Double/Twin)
DAY 3: PERFUME PAGODA PRIVATE DAY TOUR(B; L) 19/12/2016
7.30 AM: Departure at your hotel in Hanoi to depart to Perfume Pagoda for 2 hours road trip. Upon arrival, take a 1h30' Sampan row to Trinh Temple (Ngu Nhac Linh Tu). Later follow Yen stream to ThienTru harbor, visit Thien Tru Pagoda - Buddhism ancient architectural at Le Dynasty (17th century) and then have lunch in the local restaurant in the area (best possible).
After lunchtime, get a small walk to the Cable Station and get a 10 minutes drive to the Huong Tich cave Pagoda on the top of the mountain. Then you will walk down along the 3 km path to the harbor. Enjoying the pagoda scenery on the site. Come back by row-boat trip and 2 hours road trip to Hanoi and arrive at about 18h30.
ACC: Hanoi Golden Cyclo Hotel 4* Superior Room (Double/Twin)
DAY 4: HALONG BAY CRUISE (B; L) 20/12/2016
8.00 am: Shuttle Bus pick up at your hotel in Hanoi for the cruise. Today, we will pass over 100 miles to reach to Halong city with countryside scenery on the side. Upon your arrival to Halong Cruise Harbor, get welcomed and check in the cruise. Have lunch on the cruise and follow the cruise itinerary and activities for the day.
Stay overnight on the cruise cabin!
ACC: Halong Aclass Stellar Cruise 4* Deluxe Cabin.
DAY 5: DEPARTURE 21/12/2016
AM: Follow your cruise itinerary. Have breakfast and Lunch on the cruise (Some cruises replace with Brunch). Check out the cruise at noon time and get back to the shuttle bus to get back to Hanoi.
Have private transfer to the airport following your flight. Upon arrival get picked up by our private driver to the hotel in Saigon. Stay overnight in Saigon
ACC: Saigon Thien Tung hotel 3* Superior room (Double/twin)
DAY 6: HO CHI MINH CITY TOUR(B; L) 22/12/2016
AM: After breakfast at the hotel, start to visit the city main tourist attractions with the Independence Palace, War Remnant Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Post Office, Have lunch in the local restaurant.
After lunch, visit Thien Hau Temple, shopping in Binh Tay Market. Visit Becamex Tower to have the best view of the city & have free time to do shopping in Ben Thanh Night Market. Stay overnight in the hotel in Saigon.
ACC: Saigon Thien Tung hotel 3* Superior room (Double/twin)
DAY 7: MEKONG DELTA DAY TOUR (B; L) 23/12/2016
6.30 AM: Depart for Cai Be by car/van via Trung Luong Express Highway, stopping to take photos in Tan An town overlooking the picturesque flat rice fields.
9.30 AM: On arrival in Cai Be, set off by motor boat to visit the Cai Be floating market and watch the locals trading fruit and many other commodities on board their vessels. Visit a small family business to see how coconut candy and crispy rice popcorn are made. Then wander into the small villages to visit the orchard and fruit plantation, accompanied by traditional southern Vietnamese folk music.
11.30 AM: Keep cruising to a series of small canals to experience the charms of the Upper Mekong Delta. Arrive in Tan Phong island, join to a cooking class. Enjoy your cooking experience and learn how to prepare special Vietnamese dishes. Food cooked by yourself and fresh river food served in the heart of the garden. Relax on the hammocks to get back your energy.
14.00 PM: Cycle around the village path with fruit orchards and bonsai garden. Meet the local islanders to learn more about the local daily life in the Mekong delta.
15:00 PM: Take a boat ride back to Cai Be, meet the van for the trip back to Hochiminh city.
ACC: Saigon Thien Tung hotel 3* Superior room (Double/twin)
DAY 8: CU CHI TUNNEL HALF DAY TOUR - DEPARTURE (B; L) 24/12/2016
7.00 AM: Drive to Cu Chi tunnels, the first of impression is watch of short introductory video showing how they were constructed, then spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels. Also on display are various mantraps, the remains of an American tank and numerous bomb craters made by 500 pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers. For those interested there’s even the opportunity to fire off rounds from an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range Crawling under Cu Chi tunnels Crawling under Cu Chi tunnels. Back to HCMC for lunch.
After lunch, Airport transfer following your flight. End of services.
