Best of Vietnam - with Wide Eyed Tours

Upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh airport, our driver & guide meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The journey from the airport to your hotel will take approximately 45 minutes and is an entertaining experience full of chaotic traffic, distinctive architecture and overloaded motorbikes.

Ho Chi Minh City, formally Saigon, is a city of bright neon lights, endless shopping and trendy cafes.  Its wide tree-lined boulevards reflect its French heritage, and towering skycrapers announce it has landed squarely in the 21st Century.  As a contrast to this modern backdrop is the chaotic traffic of swarming motorbikes which are generally overloaded or carrying exotic passengers.  This is people watching at its best.

This morning you will be met at your hotel at 7.30am for the journey west from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi.  Once in Vietnam, you must visit this spot. This is where guerilla warfare optimized and exemplified. You’ll learn the clever design of the tunnels and the strategic use of trap doors. Even with B-52 bombers dropping 30-ton loads of explosive, turning the jungle into a pockmarked moonscape, 30 thousand American troops failed to conquered the area! You’ll have a chance to crawl around a portion of the 121 km long, multiple-layered tunnel. You’ll learn how thousands of guerrillas managed to stay underground many days at a time, also their great technique to conceal smoke from their cooking. There’re a lot more to enjoy, even a chance to fire real AK bullets. Lunch at local restaurant near Cu Chi. 

After lunch, we go back to Ho Chi Minh City for a City tour around. With over eight million inhabitants and four million motorbikes, Ho Chi Minh City is truly a city that never sleeps. Despite its modernity, Ho Chi Minh City maintains a strong link to the past and our city tour takes in some of Ho Chi Minh City's most historic landmarks including the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed from materials imported from France (entrance is only permitted when no services are being performed). Then head across the square to the Central Post Office, completed in 1891. A short drive away is the former Presidential Palace, the headquarters of the Ho Chi Minh Government during the American War. Continue to the War Remnants Museum for a vivid perspective of the American War through the eyes of the Vietnamese. (Please note that some of the displays are very graphic.) Experience Ho Chi Minh City's famed street coffee culture while your guide provides a brief language lesson as well as insights into daily life of a Saigonese before returning to your hotel.

The evening is yours at leisure.

(B, L)

This morning you have free time at your leisure unitl our driver meets you at your hotel and transfers you to Ho Chi Minh airport for a short flight to Da Nang. 

Upon arrival at Da Nang, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel in Hoi An where you will check in and relax. 

At 15.30pm our tour guide will meet you at the lobby and move to Hoi An town (15 mins driving) and start an afternoon walking tour. 
We will visit a local market close by. The Local market always has 2 parts: one sells daily necessities like clothes, household items and the other sells foodstuff. The foodstuff part is where we would like you to see. The next stop is Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. The Phuc Kien (Fukien) Assembly Hall at 46 Tran Phu St is dedicated to Thien Hau, goddess of the sea. The last visit of our tour is Tan Ky ancient house. The house is not the oldest in Hoi An yet but its architecture is among one the most typical.

After, we will stop at a boat station to get on the boat cruising along the river with a chance to light the candle on the river. Then dinner at a local restaurant. Back go hotel and relax.

(B,D)

At 8.00am the tour guide will pick you up from the hotel to begin a half day Hoi An Countryside biking tour. 

The tour starts by cycling along level ground to the Thu Bon River to visit a local fishing village.
Ride along country lanes at a peaceful pace viewing local life and pause to see farmers toiling in their rice fields using centuries of farming practices. Peddle your way through palm forests, across bridges and fields of water buffalo.
Take a short break in a local family home at Cam Thanh Village before enjoying 1.5 hours ride on Traditional wooden Boat in the Water Coconut Palm Forest. Learn how to sail the basket boat and spend your time to catch fish and “purple crabs” in the Canal.

We will continue to ride our bikes to Tra Que Organic Vegetable Village where a large variety of vegetable are produced for the local community. At the village, you will be shown the environmentally sustainable practices which the local villagers have used for centuries and is still being used extensively today.
Then we will visit a local family and sit down for a delicious lunch.
After lunch, we ride back to the hotel before you have free time for exploring or shopping.

Optional: 
1.    Hoi An countryside by Vespa (back of the bikes - group tour) – additional cost applies
2.    Hoi An Countryside by Jeep (group tour) – additional cost applies

(B, L)

Today you have a free day at your leisure.

Ask us about doing a Hoi An half day Cooking Class. Additional cost applies.

(B)

At 8.00am our tour guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to Hue. On the way, we stop at Marble Mountain for a short visit, then drive along My Khe beach, pass over Hai Van Pass and stop at Lang Co beach for a while before heading to Hue. Arrive in Hue and leave your luggage at your hotel. 

Then our tour guide and driver will take you to a pagoda for a traditional Buddhist lunch. After lunch, we will take you to begin your visit to Hue’s Citadel and Forbidden Purple City to learn about Vietnam’s emperors and their intriguing histories.  It is here that the emperor lived with his wife, concubines, eunuchs and a flock of staff. The buildings are currently being restored to their former glory, bringing the complex back to life and igniting your imagination. Including: Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam Thanh). After that, embark on the boat drive through Perfume River to enjoy the sightseeing, docking at the Thien Mu Pagoda, and then going to Tu Duc Tomb for visiting. Then back to hotel and relax. 

Optional: Hue city tour by Motorbikes (seat back of the bikes) – no additional cost

(B, L)

At 9.15am our driver will meet you at the hotel and transfer you to Da Nang airport for a short flight to Hanoi. 
 
Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel. Check in and relax. 

At 12.20pm you will be greeted by our guide and driver at your hotel lobby for a safety briefing. 
 
From the hotel we’ll take you to the Hidden Gem Cafe, where you can savor the tastiest, authentic, healthy, and organic dishes of Hanoi. We offer vegan and vegetarian options as well. After lunch, we then begin our adventure!
 
On the first part of our Hanoi Jeep Tours, we’ll expose you to the REAL HANOI and give you a day-in-the-life experience of the city. We’ll take you through parts of the city that other travel companies don’t usually venture into, including maze-like backstreets, tiny alleyways, local homes, schools, random markets, and black marketplaces. You’ll get to experience where and how locals live, work, and play. At Hanoi Backstreet Tours, we don’t just show you the good side, but also the bad and weird sides of your destination. For us, the popular tourist sites are the tip of the iceberg, and the real destinations are hidden in the parts-unknown.
The second part of our Hanoi Jeep Tours takes you to the MUST-SEE places of Hanoi, including the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the Tran Quoc Buddhist temples, the amazing Hanoi TRAIN-STREET, the enchanting French Quarter, the hustling and bustling Old Quarter, the romantic lakes of Hoan Kiem and West Lake, Hanoi Opera House, and the famous Long Bien bridge, etc.

Then back to hotel to relax.

(B, L)

Your Halong Bay Cruise may be subject to change depending on weather conditions or specific tides without announcing to visitors in advance.

All activities are included in the program. Guests can choose to relax and enjoy the scenery on board, without having to fully participate in activities below.

This morning you will be picked up at your hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter and taken to the to V’Spirit Cruises lounge at Tuan Chau International Harbor to complete check-in procedures.

You will then transfer to V’Spirit Cruises by a tender boat and embark on V’Spirit Cruises, and enjoy a welcome drink while listening to a cruise briefing and safety instructions.

Then its time for lunch at The Dawn Restaurant while cruising from Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay. Upon arrival at Lan Ha Bay you will explore Bright cave on a traditional rowing bamboo boat with locals.

Later, join a cooking demonstration to get to know Vietnamese cuisine and create your own special flavours, before enjoying a Sunset party  while waiting for twilight over limestone islands. Take the chance of HAPPY HOUR to have your favourite drinks.

Enjoy dinner at the restaurant. Fine dining setting with degustation experience will create memorable moments for you. 

At the end of the day enjoy evening views of the bay on the top deck, or try your luck with squid fishing.  

(B, L, D)

Start today with a Tai Chi session, enjoy the fresh air and watch the sunrise on the bay, before enjoying a light breakfast on board.

Then its time to explore the Tra Bau area by kayaking, get closer to the rocky islands and admire the stunning nature of the bay. You have chance to kayak pass by a hidden temple of the fishing villagers if weather permits.

Next it’s time for swimming and water activities, immersed in the green water of the Bay with floats.

After swimming, return to the cruise and check-out of your room.

Then enjoy brunch at the restaurant while cruising back to Tuan Chau port and disembarking at Tuan Chau Marina. 

You will then get on the bus and be transfered back to Hanoi, check in at your hotel and relax.

(B, L)

Today you have free time until our driver meets you at your hotel and transfer you to Hanoi airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh. 

Upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh airport, make your own way from the domestic terminal to the international terminal for your flight home departing at anytime. (B)

B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner