15 Day Vietnam Highlights Tour: North to South by Air

Our driver will pick you up at Noi Bai airport in Ha Noi and then transfer you to the hotel. You are free to discover Ha Noi at night. You will cover all meals within your own budget.

You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then around 08:00 – 8:30 am: Leave Hanoi city for Ha Long International Cruise Port in Bai Chay town, Ha Long city. Refresh at the lounge.

12:00 – 12:30 pm: Embark on a 3-star cruise. Enjoy a welcome drink and receive a brief introduction about the cruise and safety guidelines. Check-in to your cabin.

1:15 pm: Have lunch while cruising in the magnificent Ha Long Bay, admiring the fascinating nature, then anchor at the Ti top Island area.

3:00 – 4:00 pm: Join a guided visit to Sung Sot Cave (also called Amazing Cave), one of the biggest and most beautiful caves in Ha Long Bay.

4:00 – 5:00 pm: Climb to the peak of Ti Top Island for a panoramic view of the bay. Descend and relax on the beach, and swim in the crystal-clear water.

5:20 pm: Return to the cruise, enjoying the sunset while relaxing during Happy Hour until dinner time at the bar.

6:00 pm: Enjoy Happy Hour with various discounted drinks. Take part in a cooking demonstration and food décor with our Chef.

7:00 – 9:00 pm: Dinner is served. Private dinner is available upon request.

9:00 – 10:00 pm: It’s time to join squid fishing with the crew, sing karaoke, or simply relax in your cabin.

Overnight on the cruise.

 06:30 am: Welcome the new day with an amazing dawn on the Legendary Gulf of Tonkin. Refresh your body and soul with a Tai-chi lesson on the sundeck.

07:00 – 08:00 am: Take in the morning view of seascapes with a cup of tea or coffee, and have breakfast while enjoying the charming labyrinth of Karst.

08:00 – 09:00 am: Join a guided tour to explore hidden parts of the bay, such as Luon Cave. You can share a sampan with other tourists and a local rower or take a kayak on your own.

09:00 am: Return to the cruise for a shower.

09:30 am: Check out of your room. The cruise will weigh anchor to continue on the picturesque route toward Bai Chay Bridge for photos.

10:50 am: Enjoy lunch.

11:30 – 11:45 am: Disembark. The cruise ends.

12:00 – 4:30 pm: Transfer back to Hanoi City, and the trip finishes at the hotel around 4:30 pm

You are free to enjoy dinner with your own budget.

You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then around 7:30-8:00 am: our driver and tour guide will pick you up to travel to Ninh Binh.

10:20 am: Visit Hoa Lu ancient capital, a significant relic of Vietnam’s past. Learn about the formation of the first capital located in Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh, and explore the unique architecture found in the famous temples of King Dinh and King Le, who made significant contributions to this ancient land.

After visiting Hoa Lu temple, you’ll take a bicycle to explore Trang An village.

12:20-12:30 pm: Enjoy a buffet lunch at a local restaurant and relax.

2:30 pm: One of the highlights of the trip is taking a boat tour from Trang An wharf, providing a satisfying experience in Ninh Binh. Row your bamboo boat to explore numerous grottos with beautiful stalactites and enjoy the wonderful landscapes of Trang An Tour.

4:00 pm: We will transfer you to Mua Cave by our tourist bus, or you have the option to take a bike ride, allowing you to cycle through the villages in Ninh Binh and observe local life.

Upon arrival at Mua cave, start climbing nearly 500 stone steps to reach the top. Experience the fresh air and admire the panoramic view of beautiful Tam Coc.

5:20 pm: The trip ends, and we will return to Hanoi city.

7:00-7:25 pm: You will be dropped off at your hotel in Hanoi.

 You are free to enjoy dinner with your own budget.

6:30 – 7:00 am: The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel or our meeting point, and you’ll depart to Lao Cai city. You’ll be traveling on the new Highway Noi Bai, and the journey will take around 5,5 hours.

12:00 am: Arrival in Sapa Town. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

1:00 pm: Arrival in Sapa – 3 options as below:

OPTION 1: The bus will take you to the gate of Lao Chai Village (surcharge for entrance fee) to start trekking to Ta Van. You’ll explore the local ethnic minorities’ life and admire the spectacular natural scenery with the terraced rice fields.

OPTION 2: Your guide will take you around Sapa center and climb the Ham Rong Mountain (surcharge for entrance fee) – one of the spectacular and wonderful peaks of Sapa.

OPTION 3:Visit Fansipan Mountain by cable car (surcharge for cable car). As you know, the cable car in Sapa is the world’s longest and highest cable car. It runs up from sleepy Sapa Town in Lao Cai Province to the peak of the 3,143-meter Fansipan Mountain, known as Indochina’s rooftop. Enjoy the view from the highest point of this incredible mountain. The lush green and subtropical vegetation make this mountain really beautiful.

5:00 pm: Come back to Sapa town, have dinner, and overnight at the hotel.

07:00 am: Have breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 am: Trek from the hotel to explore Cat Cat village of H’mong – a colonial French discovered area and a renowned resort for officials from the early twentieth century. Learn about the culture, customs, and unique people here with traditional crafts such as weaving, carved silver, and hand-forged agricultural tools.

12:30 pm: Enjoy a meal at a local restaurant in Sapa Town.

3:00 pm: The driver will take you back to Hanoi. End of the tour.

You are free to enjoy dinner with your own budget.

You will have breakfast at your hotel. Afterwards, the private car driver will take you to Noi Bai Airport. Along the way, the driver will make a stop at a local shop for a light lunch. Once you arrive at Noi Bai Airport, you will take a flight to Hue Airport. Upon arrival at Hue Airport, our driver will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel for room check-in

02:30-3:00 pm: Next, we will visit Ru Cha mangrove forest, named after the dense growth of mangrove trees in the area.

04:00 pm: Our guide and driver will take you to Chuon Lagoon (Tam Giang Lagoon). Upon arrival, we will:

Board a boat and receive an introduction to the Tam Giang Lagoon system.

Venture deep into Chuon Lagoon, passing by floating houses and capturing stunning sunset photos on the lagoon. Each moment on the Tam Giang Lagoon will be truly memorable.

05:00 pm: You will have the opportunity to participate in a program that lets you experience the life of a fisherman on the lagoon through activities such as beating the water, pulling fishing nets, and catching fish.

Next, you will have the opportunity to experience kayaking (fees to be paid on your own budget) on the expansive lagoon and indulge in a refreshing swim in the crystal blue water. Prepare yourself for capturing some breathtaking photos and enjoy a cool swim under the warm sunshine.

05:30 pm: We will make a stop at a local house or restaurant where you can savor the local specialty dishes or seafood (light meal) and engage in friendly conversation.

06:30 pm: We will board the minivan and return to your hotel, marking the end of the tour.

The Paradise tour departs on even days

Paradise Cave is a must-see attraction during your visit to Vietnam, particularly if you have an appreciation for natural landscapes. Extending an astounding 31 kilometers deep into the limestone karst, Paradise Cave holds the distinction of being the longest dry cave in Asia. It was first discovered by scientists from the British Caving Research Association in 2005.

One of the most captivating aspects of this cave is its natural and primitive features, along with its unique and intriguing stalactite formations. The cave has been equipped with a lighting system that illuminates the formations, allowing visitors to fully appreciate their beauty and capture stunning photographs. Despite being a dry cave, the limestone formations within Paradise Cave exhibit an awe-inspiring and breathtaking spectacle

07:00 am: Our driver and tour guide will pick you up from your hotel or meeting point to kickstart the journey.

08:00 am: The drive to La Vang Holy Land will take slightly over an hour. Once there, you will have approximately 20 to 30 minutes to explore the area before we continue our journey. Our car will then transport you to Hien Luong Bridge and Ben Hai River, which symbolize the ideological and physical division between North and South Vietnam during the war. This brief stop will provide you with an overview of the Vietnam War’s historical significance. Without delaying too much, we will proceed directly to Paradise Cave, ensuring that your time is utilized efficiently

08:45 am: We head to Paradise cave. On the way to Paradise Cave, we will stop at local restaurant for lunch.

11: 30: Have lunch at a local restaurant

12:30: We keep going to Paradise Cave. After going 2000 meters on transferring by golf car through the old forest with many kinds of valuable and rare of plants you will have an opportunity to discover the Cave with its great structure and the stalactites and stalagmites inside.

12:45 – 3:00pm: Visit Paradise Cave. Our guide takes you inside the Paradise Cave, the glamour of Asia’s longest dry and beautiful cave, the Natural Wonders of the World with the beauty of nature given to human.

3:15pm: The car drives you back your hotel in Hue.

8:30 pm: Finish full day. Thank you very much

You are free to enjoy dinner at your own budget.

The Phong Nha Tour departs on odd days

Phong Nha is well known for its stunning caves in Quang Binh province. It has been recognized by UNESCO as a natural heritage site due to its cave system and biodiversity, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. The caves were first discovered in 1899. Phong Nha Cave has become one of the most mysterious caves that you should not miss when visiting Vietnam.

07:30am: Our car will pick you up at your hotel or the designated meeting point. After a 60-kilometer drive from Hue, we will visit Lavang Holy Land, a sacred place in Hai Lang, Quang Tri.

08:30am: We will then continue our journey to Phong Nha. Another 40 kilometers ahead, we will reach Hien Luong Bridge and Ben Hai River, a historical relic site that divided Vietnam into two parts: the North and the South, at the 17th parallel. We will make a bonus stop here for 10-15 minutes, allowing you to easily take photos before we proceed to the cave.

12:00pm: Upon arrival in Phong Nha at noon, you will have lunch at a local restaurant.

1:00pm: The boat will take you inside Phong Nha Cave, and you will begin exploring the beautiful cave. Phong Nha Cave has been voted as one of the most stunning caves in the world for several reasons: its longest underground river, its most beautiful underground lake, its highest and widest entrance, its most beautiful and widest dry cave, its most beautiful sandbank and reef, as well as its most spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, and longest water grottos.

3:00pm: You will then board the car and return to Hue.

6:00-7:00 pm: We bid you farewell at the hotel.

You are free to enjoy dinner within your own budget.

You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then around 8:00 am- 8:20 am: Our driver and tour guide pick you up and start the tour. Get on the dragon boat; go along the Huong River to enjoy the fresh atmosphere and peaceful beauty of Hue on the way to Thien Mu pagoda, the oldest pagoda here.

After visiting Thien Mu pagoda, we get on the minivan and go to the Citadel to see the living, working, worshiping and relaxing areas of Nguyen Kings’family, the last royal family in Viet Nam. Then, we have a 5-min walk from the palace to royal museum to know more about the king’s life through royal objects exhibited there.

The last stop in the morning is Dong Ba market

Lunch time at the restaurant is a great time to enjoy the best Hue traditional foods.

In the afternoon, we will visit two royal tombs Minh Mang and Khai Dinh with traditional architecture and French-influenced style respectively.

We will take a 10-min trip on minivan to Thuy Xuan conical hat village to visit a local family who produce the traditional hat and incent.

You can have many photos taken with creative decoration from colorful incent sticks made by people here.

4:30 pm: we get on minivan to come back to the hotel. We finish tour

You are free to explore dinner with your own budget.

After your breakfast, our open bus picks you up to take you to Da Nang city.

Then check-in hotel.

You have lunch with your own budget.

Around 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: We will pick you up from your hotel, and together we will join the group to visit Marble Mountain. The historical story behind the name “Marble Mountains” According to Cham legend, one day a dragon flew to Non Nuoc beach and laid an egg there. After a long time, the egg hatched and a beautiful girl stepped out of the egg. The egg shell was broken into 5 pieces that became the five magical mountains as we see today. In the 19th century, Marble Mountains had been named “Ngu Hanh Son” by Minh Mang (the second King of Nguyen Dynasty) according to the theory of five essential elements of Eastern (water, wood, fire, metal and earth). Vietnamese Government keeps this name until now and it becomes a famous destination in Da Nang.

4:30 pm: We will visit a Stone Carving village where you will have the opportunity to explore a local craft village and witness skilled carvers creating their beautiful sculptures.

5:00 pm: Next, we will proceed to Marble Mountain and ascend to the Water element to visit Tang Chon cave (Động Tàng Chơn) and the oldest Linh Ung pagoda in Danang.

5:30 pm: We will return to the coach and proceed to Hoi An Ancient town.

6:00 pm: In Hoi An Ancient town, we will explore the Japanese Bridge (Chùa Cầu) and ancient houses.

Hoi An was a bustling international trading port, where the ships from Japan, China, and the West converged during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, Hoi An Ancient town stands as a remarkable example of a traditional port city in Southeast Asia that has been exceptionally well-preserved, boasting a myriad of ancient architectural gems.

7:00 pm: We will dine at a restaurant, where you can savor delicious dishes such as chicken rice, wonton, and Cao Lau.

7:45 pm: After dinner, you will have some free time to leisurely stroll through the enchanting streets adorned with flickering lanterns.

8:30 pm: We will return to your hotel in Danang city.

You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then around 7:30 am to 8:00 am: Our bus and tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in Da Nang city. You will join our group to visit Ba Na Hills, a tourist area blessed with a favorable climate and natural beauty. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the tranquility of European culture and enjoy exciting attractions that never cease.

From 9:30 to 9:45 am: You will have the opportunity to experience the cable car system, which offers breathtaking views from the highest point of the most modern cable car system in Southeast Asia. Ba Na Hills’ cable car system holds the Guinness World Record for being the longest single-cable car, stretching 6,771.61 meters. Additionally, it features the world’s longest unconnected cable, measuring 11,587 meters, and the world’s heaviest cable bunch weighing 141.24 tons. After the cable car ride, you will visit France Village, Linh Ung Pagoda, the Flower Garden, and the Golden Bridge. From this vantage point, you will enjoy a panoramic view of Danang city.

11:45 am to 12:00 pm: Enjoy a buffet lunch at Arapang, a restaurant located on Du Dôme Square. This spacious venue can accommodate up to 4,000 guests and offers a wide selection of over 90 buffet dishes.

1:00 pm: You will have free time to enjoy the various games and attractions at Fantasy Park. As the largest indoor recreational area in Vietnam, Fantasy Park offers a multitude of indoor games suitable for families and children.

2:30 pm: Board the cable car to return to the main bus. The bus will then transport you back to the center of Da Nang. From there, a small bus will pick you up and bring you back to Da Nang city around 5:30 pm.

You are free to enjoy dinner with your own budget.

You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then around 10:00 am, our driver will pick you up and take you to Da Nang airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh airport, our driver will be there to pick you up and take you to the hotel. Along the way, you can have lunch at a restaurant with your own budget. Afterward, the driver will take you to the hotel.

In the afternoon, you are free to explore Ho Chi Minh City and have dinner at your own expense.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

After your breakfast, our driver and tour guide pick you up at hotel and take you to visit Independence Palace, also known at the Reunification palace, was built on the sight of the former Norodom palace. The Independence palace is a widely known landmark of Ho Chi Minh City and was designed by the architect Ngo Viet Thu. Continue seeing the beautiful structures from the French Colonial times such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Central Post Office. Followed by the remarkable site of the War Remnants Museum the museum has a vast display of the both the Indochina wars.

Have lunch at local restaurant.

Depart for Cu Chi tunnel; the trip will take approximately one and a half hours bus driving. Upon arrival, before exploring the tunnels, you will have some short introduction followed by introductory video about how the tunnels were constructed and how the people survived in the harsh conditions of the war time. Then, spend your time to explore the remaining area and tunnel systems which included the special constructed living areas with kitchens, bedrooms side by side with other martial facilities like storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers helping whoever lives inside the tunnels meet their basic needs. Besides, there are also many hidden trap doors and dangerous traps within the maze-like tunnels for security purpose during the war. Afterward, special tea and cassava (guerilla’s food during the war) will be served

Break time for relax or time for those who want to try the real shooting gun (personal fee)

Return to hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

You are free to enjoy dinner with your own budget. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then our driver and tour guide pick you up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and start the trip to My Tho. Upon arrival, visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, which dates back to the late 19th century. Then, board the sampan and cruise down the river around the four beautiful islands known as Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise islands.

Stop over at Unicorn Island, go for a walk on the village paths to contemplate orchards, enjoy tropical fruits, and listen to Vietnamese folk music performed by the local people. Visit the fruit plantation.

Be rowed in a small sampan through the Thoi Son canal and treat yourself to the beauty of the countryside. Visit the family business and bee-keeping farm, enjoy honey tea, and watch the coconut candy workshop.

Have lunch at a local restaurant, followed by a break time.

In the afternoon, you have the option to go cycling around Tan Thach village and meet the local people to experience their daily life in the Mekong Delta. Alternatively, for those who do not want to join the cycling trip, relaxing on hammocks to enjoy the cool breeze is also available. Proceed to Can Tho City and overnight in Can Tho.

Have breakfast at the hotel. You can take a leisurely boat ride to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong River (Bassac River) and then visit Cai Rang Floating Market, the most vibrant floating market in the area.

In the very early morning, the river has become a busy commercial site where hundreds of boats packed with fruits, vegetables, plants and foods…line along the river and are ready for trading. Sellers will hang samples of what they are selling on the top of a long pole on their boats so that buyers can see from a distance what sellers are selling.

After the Cai Rang market, Next, you will roam through the village, see a rice noodles making shop.

Have lunch at restaurant.

After your lunch, we will come back Ho Chi Minh city. Finish your tour. Thank you very much.

You can explore our website to select the perfect program for yourself: https://hivietnamtravel.com/