Home Vietnam Classic Tours Vietnam Tour Saigon to Hanoi - 12 Days
Vietnam Tour Saigon to Hanoi - 12 Days

Vietnam Tour Saigon to Hanoi - 12 Days

Saigon, Mekong Delta, Hue, Hoian, Hanoi, Halong Bay
From USD
$888 /pp
$1,110
If you are interesting in Vietnamese daily life discovery, the tour surely will meet your demands. From South to North of Vietnam, you will have chance to visit local markets, try some traditional foods and visit some particular destinations in Vietnam, especially Halong Bay, UNESCO World Heritage. Give it try, you will never regret!
Highlights:
 
  • Cruise on the Mekong Delta and feel a tranquil life.
  • Attend a cooking class, learn how to cook traditional cuisine and take the recipe home.
  • Visit Hue Imperial Citadel and discover Hoian Town.
  • Cruise in Halong Bay and contemplate the natural beauty.

Brief itinerary

Day 1
Saigon Arrival

Day 2
Saigon - Mekong Delta (B/L/D)

Day 3
Mekong Delta - Saigon (B/L)

Day 4
Cooking Class - Cu Chi Tunnels - Hue (B/L)

Day 5
Hue City (B)

Day 6
Hue Sightseeing (B)

Day 7
Hue - Danang - Hoian walking tour (B)

Day 8
Hoian Eco Tour (B/L)

Day 9
Hoian - Danang - Hanoi - Street food (B/D)

Day 10
Hanoi City - Handicraft Village (B/L)

Day 11
Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L/D)

Day 12
Halong Bay - Hanoi departure (B)

Day 1: Saigon Arrival
Day 1: Saigon Arrival
Welcome to Saigon, our guide will pick you up at Saigon Airport and take you to hotel for check in. The room is at your disposal from 14.00 onwards. Balance the day as your leisure. Meals on your own and take a sweet night for our tour!
 
Day 2: Saigon - Mekong Delta (B/L/D)
Day 2: Saigon - Mekong Delta (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we will head to Mekong Delta for Ben Tre exploration (130km from Saigon). Reaching Phong Nam Pier, get on boat and float along the Chet Say River to various regional working areas. There give you time to observe a picture of local economy when visiting the brick kilns; coconut activated charcoal factory where coconut shell is put into high heat kiln to produce coconut wood coal; a coconut processing workshop. Certainly, you can try fresh coconut and you will be impressed with the way every single of this versatile nut is turned into daily foods and other products.
 
Subsequently, the boat will give you a deliberate excursion floating through the small canal and witness the local life. Stopping at a peaceful village, let’s pay a walking trip to have an exhaustive look at Delta village life. You should also visit a mat weaving house, where straw mats are woven using a handloom – you can even have a go at weaving yourself.
 
Next, we will board xe loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) or ride bicycle into another village where you can enjoy a verdant picture of farms, rice fields, and vegetable plans. Once satisfied with your eyes, we will stop at a local house and savour a delicious lunch including regional specialties as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp with some cold drinks and beers before taking a short rest.
 
In the afternoon, we will embark a sampan to relax when drifting along narrow canals. Then we will return to Pier, transfer to homestay for check in. Dinner and overnight at homestay.
 
Day 3: Mekong Delta - Saigon (B/L)
Day 3: Mekong Delta - Saigon (B/L)
The morning comes with fresh air for you to enjoy the new day. You can wake up early to cycle around or enjoy a breakfast before we transfer to Cai Lay (95km-trip). Along the highway, you can see a beautiful landscape of immense paddy fields and fruit farms. Arriving Cai Lay, we will relax and take a boat trip around to immerse in the river life here. Afterwards, we will take a riding trip along the quiet village lanes and through some fruits orchards. Stopping at a fruits famer’s home, we will visit the orchard and you also can sample the local fruits. Saying goodbye to the host, we will boat a sampan and float along tropical canals and observethe daily life of inhabitants. After that, we will transfer back to your hotel in Saigon. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel. 
 
Day 4: Cooking Class - Cu Chi Tunnels - Hue (B/L)
Day 4: Cooking Class - Cu Chi Tunnels - Hue (B/L)
After breakfast, we will take a trip through many agricultural villages and observe a rural life: the voracious cows and buffalos, verdant rice fields and particular herbs, spices, vegetables and mushrooms areas. This trip will be even more interesting when we start playing a small game on Vietnamese farms. The game challenges you to become a real Vietnamese farmer, you will have chance to learn how to plant and water some traditional vegetables of locals.
 
Then there will be another funny game: cooking class. We will show all our cooking skills for 3 dishes and 1 dessert and enjoy them together. Moreover, you can achieve nice certificate, recipes, and souvernirs.
 
A lunch will be served to you. Take a short rest before we pay a visit to rice paper village in the afternoon. Here, we will learn how to make and try making rice paper. After that, set out an exploration of rubber tree forest to deeply understand what they support the people life.
 
Our next stop is Cu Chi Tunnel, the historic shelter of Vietnamese soldiers during the war. We will pay a visit to the traps, the mysterious way-in, the network of bunkers and the underground hermitage. Furthermore, there gives you an unique and wonderful chance to use real guns and bullets at riffle range as well as even creep into the Cu Chi Tunnels to understand the historic harsh life of Vietcong guerrillas.
Relaxing with green tea and tapioca as Vietcong in wartime, you will understand more about their former life. Then we transfer back to Saigon airport for flight to Hue. Welcome on arrival and transfer to hotel for check in. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel. 
 
Day 5: Hue City (B)
Day 5: Hue City (B)
After your breakfast, we will catch a cyclo to the Royal Citadel. Once you reach here, you will absolutely agree with us that this World Heritage Site is the not-to-be-missed destination for anyone in Hue. Then we will have a trip by bicycle to deliberately excurse Hue in an extremely astonishing way through local’s home region, immense rice filed and peaceful rural areas and visit a typical garden house built following the precise rules of geomancy.
 
In the afternoon, we will explore Mausoleum of Tu Duc, the fouth King of Nguyen dynasty with the longest reign. Leaving Tu duc Tomb, we will excurse at Dong Ba Market and witness an astonishing daily life of locals. 
 
Transfer back to hotel. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel. 
 
Day 6: Hue Sightseeing (B)
Day 6: Hue Sightseeing (B)
Following your breakfast is a visit to Thanh Tien Paper Flower village located 7 kilometers from Hue City. Reaching Thanh Tien Village, you will have chance to witness some local families making traditional local paper flower. The golden age of the village is a few decades ago when every household live with this job and make it become an indispensable activity in daily life.
 
Specially, the artisans here do not use the chemical industry, saps and leaves is applied to make traditional style dye. That is the secret of flower paper why it can retains lasting colour. Visitors can ask for joining the activity and discover their working methods.
 
Back to your hotel by noon time for a short rest. In the afternoon, we will drive you to Tam Giang Lagoon. Your camera is necessary assistant to help you keep nice moments when you floating along the river.
 
You will have chance to visit some local families and learn about their daily life or even play a game with them to truly experience their lifestyle. Afterwards, there will be a unique chance for you to enjoy the simple local’s meal on boat while contemplating the picturesque landscape of sunset!
 
Transfer back to hotel. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel. 
 
Day 7: Hue - Danang - Hoian walking tour (B)
Day 7: Hue - Danang - Hoian walking tour (B)
Check out the hotel and we will drive to Danang. You will have chance to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam. Lang Co with long white sandy beach will surely make you feel a real day of relaxation. 
 
Afterwards, we will transfer to Hoian via the scenic Hai Van Pass. Here gives you a unique time to contemplate one in many fantastic picturesque sceneries of Vietnam as you look out over the central coastline.
 
Arriving Hoian resort, we will check in for hotel before a stroll to visit Hoian Town. In 16th century, Hoian used to be the national trading center for East-West commercial itinerary. It seems to be the assembly point for diversity of ancient streets and homes. Particularly, the quaint cobblestone streets with more than two-century-old Chinese houses are indispensable subjects to visit and explore.
 
Deliberately walking here, you will see the ancient houses built following the Chinese, Japanese, French and European architectures along the narrow lanes. The 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge built by Japanese merchants in 16th century, the Phuc Kien Assembly Halls, and the local fish market are some indispensable places that you should visit in Hoian. Let’s stop off at a tailor-made shop to get yourself a favourite clothes/suits/dresses done in just few hours.
 
Day 8: Hoian Eco Tour (B/L)
Day 8: Hoian Eco Tour (B/L)
We will come to an anchorage and row boat on the Thu Bon River. Floating on the soft water, you can directly witness the daily activities of local fisherman such as net-casting and fishing. You can even try paddling the basket boat to the water coconut village, the historic sanctuary of Vietnamese militants in war period. You will be served with a traditional Vietnamese meal with a variety of cold drinks like fresh coconut juice, coke, or even beer in some beautiful house made by bamboo and coconut leaves. While you relax during your meal, our regional friends will tell you some enjoyable villagers’ stories and help you understand more about Vietnam history.
 
After a short rest, we will savour the beauty of countryside scenery on the way cycling back to Hoian ancient town.
 
In the afternoon, we will transfer to a pier and get a local boat to sail to island of Cam Kim. We will reach Kim Bong wood carving village. You will have chance to visit the village and join in wood carving activities with local carpenters’ guidance. Then we will cycle to Duy Nghia sedge mat producing village to visit regional families while having a short rest before crossing through some beautiful paddy fields and along rivers to visit Duy Hai village – home of fish sauce artisan.
 
Don’t forget to take a short break for the next experience on local boat to water coconut and bamboo carving village. It may be called the world of bamboo products, including bamboo furniture, even bamboo bicycles. A memorable lunch will be given to you with local family before a short rest to prepare for trip to wonderful green Tra Que organic village across paddy fields and hamlets. There, you will understand more about the herbs and vegetables planting of local people. Savour a particular herb juice to relax before returning to Hoian.
 
Day 9: Hoian - Danang - Hanoi - Street food (B/D)
Day 9: Hoian - Danang - Hanoi - Street food (B/D)
On this day of tour, we will depart to Danang Airport for flight to Hanoi. Welcome on arrival and transfer to hotel for check in. Lunch on your own.
 
In the afternoon at good time, we will visit around the city and satisfy your tummy with Hanoi street foods. The guide will lead you to a local Vietnamese market to learn about the daily trading activities of people. You can sample some ingredients used in traditional cuisine and buy some to take home if you are interested. Your knowledgeable guide will explain to let you know about those kinds of ingredient. Don’t forget to take some nice photos of the colourful landscape here.
 
The tour guide will introduce to you some ideal places to enjoy a local coffee, particularly some lakeside café. You can enjoy your drinks while discussing to understand more about the lifestyle and culture of Vietnam.
 
Driving to Truc Bach lake, you will enjoy a snack of Pho Cuon, a grilled beef and rice noodle roll with fresh herbs, along with several other favorite local snacks. We will have a dinner by trying Hanoi’s Bun Cha to enjoy traditional grilled pork and rice vermicelli noodles with fresh herbs,  greens and crispy spring rolls (nem rán) like true Hanoians.
 
Transfer back to hotel. Overnight at the hotel. 
 
Day 10: Hanoi City - Handicraft Village (B/L)
Day 10: Hanoi City - Handicraft Village (B/L)
In the morning, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closed on Monday and Friday) where the great President Ho Chi Minh rest in peace. We will visit he traditional stilt house and the respected One-Pillar Pagoda, the special pagoda with particular structure. Leaving here, we will transfer to thousand-year-old Temple of Literature, the famous first university in Vietnam. You will recognize that this is a popular place for Vietnamese students to take commemorative photographs when graduating.
 
Lunch at a local restaurant.
 
After lunch time and a short break, we will drive to Bat Trang to visit the traditional Ceramic Village. Visiting around and drop off at a family factory, you will observe the art of ceramic making process by hand. You can visit the Dinh Bang communal house in the heart of village and explore all decisions regarding village matters were made.
 
Transfer back to hotel. Free time at your leisure. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel. 
 
Day 11: Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L/D)
Day 11: Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we will leave Hanoi for a 180-km journey to Halong Bay, one of UNESCO World Heritage site with its 3000 islands located in a background of limestone in Gulf of Tonkin. Coming to Halong, visitors will be impressed with the beauty of natural achievement and many wonderful types of scenery. 
 
You will enjoy an overnight cruise on a wonderful boat floating on Halong Bay and savouring special menu of fresh seafood will absolutely bring you the best moment you have ever had.
 
You will be served with lunch and dinner on boat. Overnight onboard.
 
Day 12: Halong Bay - Hanoi departure (B)
Day 12: Halong Bay - Hanoi departure (B)
You are recommended to wake up early in the morning on this day because that is the most wonderful time for you to contemplate aquamarine water of the bay at its best. Once satisfied with the tea break, you will continue the onboard excursion through impressive limestone surrounding the bay. Don’t forget to take some nice photos of this unique land.
 
Transfer back to Hanoi Airport for your departure flight.
 
End of the tour!
 
Hotel Class
Prices are quoted in US dollars per person for double occupancy
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2 persons
4 persons
6 persons
8 persons
Superior
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Inclusion:
  • Accommodation in a shared twin or shared double room with daily breakfast
  • Internal flight in economy class (Saigon - Hue; Danang - Hanoi)
  • Vietnam visa approval letter
  • Tours and transfers as mentioned by private air conditioned vehicle
  • Boat trips as mentioned in the itinerary (Non private boat of Halong Bay cruise)
  • Local English speaking guide
  • Meals where mentioned (B: breakfast; L: lunch; D: dinner)
  • Entrance fees

 

Exclusion:

  • International flight tickets
  • Vietnam visa stamp fee
  • Other meals than mentioned
  • Other services than mentioned
  • Drinks, other than water on activity days
  • Personal expenses (laundry, telephone, drinks, tip...)
  • Travel insurance

 

Important notes:
 
  • We strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance (covering emergency medical evacuation) for trips to Vietnam.
  • Prices are valid 30 days from the date of offer. After this date, price and conditions may be readjusted.
  • The cost of air tickets is subject to change without prior notice by the airlines.
  • Reservations during peak times (Christmas, New Year, Vietnamese Lunar New Year, National Holidays) may be subject to supplementary charges.
  • Rooms at hotels are available only from 14.00 on arrival day till 12.00 on departure date. A supplement will be added if early check-in or late check-out is desired.
  • Please note that all the above services & tours have yet to be booked, they are proposed for your information only and we will not make any reservations before we receive your confirmation to do so.
  • If one or some proposed service(s) is (are) not available at the moment of booking, we will try to find other possibilities/options or other similar service(s) in order to avoid changes to the program.
 
Visa:
You will require a visa to enter Vietnam. Your consultant will be happy to advise you on visa requirements.
 
Passport:
Please ensure that you have a valid passport with at least 6 months validity remaining after your return date. You will also need at least one blank page for each of the countries you are visiting.
 
Booking Procedure:
Only once you are completely happy with any holiday itinerary we create for you will we ask for a payment. In order that we can secure availability for your booking we would typically require a deposit of 30%.
 
Money Exchange:
The official currency of Thailand is the Baht (THB).
The official currency of Cambodia is the Riel (KHR). 
Unofficially however, US currency (US$) runs the country and is the currency you should bring, mostly in cash - notes should be 2006 series onwards. Clean bills in small denominations are most useful. Notes should be 2006 series onwards. Torn, dirty or old notes, as well as the $2US note will be refused in most businesses. ATMs are available in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap and also dispense in both KHR and US$. 
The official currency of Vietnam is Dong (VND).
Some establishments will accept US currency (USD), but usually only for large purchases and in some restaurants and hotels that cater to tourists. It's not possible to exchange Vietnamese Dong outside the country, so convert or spend all your Dong before leaving.
The most convenient and cheapest way to obtain local currency in is via an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). ATMs are now available in most towns and visa cash advances are available in major banks. The use of credit cards is restricted, mainly to major hotels. Foreign currency notes that are old, torn or faded can be very difficult to exchange; clean bills in small denominations are most useful. Traveller's cheques are unacceptable to change. 
 
Tipping:
If you're happy with the services provided a tip - though not compulsory - is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it's of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry across many Asia destinations. Although can be difficult to source we advise you to carry small notes of local currency each day to make tipping easier. Please note we recommend that any tips are given directly to the intended recipient by a member of your group as our group leaders are prohibited from collecting cash for tips.
The following amounts are per person suggestions based on local considerations and feedback from our past travelers:
Restaurants: Local markets and basic restaurants - round your bill up to the nearest US$1. More up-market restaurants we suggest 10% to 15% of your bill.
Local guides: Throughout your trip you may at times have a local guide in addition to your tour leader. We suggest US$2-US$3 per day for local guides.
Drivers: You may have a range of drivers on your trip. Some may be with you for a short journey while others may be with you for several days. We would suggest a higher tip for those more involved with the group, however, we suggest US$1-US$2 per day for drivers.
Please don't tip with coins, very small denomination notes, or dirty and ripped notes. This is regarded culturally as an insult.
 
Thank you for your interest in Vietnam Tour Saigon to Hanoi - 12 Days. Please fill in your details below and we will contact you by phone or email within 24 hours.
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1. ITINERARY AND ACCOMMODATIONS

This tour is designed with balanced activities and pace. If you want to customize it, you may always change its itinerary and accommodations according to your needs.
DAILY PROGRAM
Your change
Day 1: Saigon Arrival
Day 2: Saigon - Mekong Delta (B/L/D)
Day 3: Mekong Delta - Saigon (B/L)
Day 4: Cooking Class - Cu Chi Tunnels - Hue (B/L)
Day 5: Hue City (B)
Day 6: Hue Sightseeing (B)
Day 7: Hue - Danang - Hoian walking tour (B)
Day 8: Hoian Eco Tour (B/L)
Day 9: Hoian - Danang - Hanoi - Street food (B/D)
Day 10: Hanoi City - Handicraft Village (B/L)
Day 11: Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L/D)
Day 12: Halong Bay - Hanoi departure (B)

2. PARTICIPANTS AND DATE OF TRAVEL

This tour is designed with balanced activities and pace. If you want to customize it, you may always change its itinerary and accommodations according to your needs.
Adult(s)
Child(ren) (2 - 11 years)

3. YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CONTACT DETAILS

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STEP 1: Choose a tour you prefer or complete the CUSTOMIZE YOUR TRIP form OR send an email to info@hellovietnamtravel.com about your desired tour.
 
STEP 2: REPLY from Hello Vietnam Travel with service confirmation. Several email exchanges to finalize your tour program.
 
STEP 3: Secure PAYMENT or deposit via our secured online payment SSL (OnePAY) OR via your bank transfer.
 
STEP 4: Get your Visa On Arrival. Book your international flights. Pack your suitcase and be ready for an exciting holiday with us.

 

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