Taste the Flavors of Vietnam

Upon your arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon), our private tour guide will meet you with the welcome signboard and will escort you to your hotel in the downtown. 

Check in your hotel and the rest of the day is on your own leisure.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

** Please note that the standard check in time at the hotel is 14:00. If your arrival time is earlier, an early check in at the hotel will be subject to the availability **

In the morning, you will be privately transferred by your guide and driver to northwest of Saigon to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. The tunnels were constructed during the “American war” and used by the Viet Cong. Today, some of the remaining tunnels have been opened to tourists, offering a unique insight into what underground life must have been like during the war.

Upon arrival at the historical site of Cu Chi you will watch a brief introductory documentary and then begin our sightseeing, walking on the dirt paths through the bush. You will also have the chance to crawl through some of the tunnels if you wish. Back to Saigon.

In the afternoon you will be met again and embark upon an exploration of this Metropolitan City. Pass by the Rex Hotel, City Hall and the Opera House before visiting the colonial Post Office, renowned for its architecture, and the Ben Thanh Market. Later stop at the Reunification Palace and the moving War Remnants Museum to learn more of Vietnam’s turbulent past. Return to your hotel for a short rest.

This evening, experience the local nightlife and enjoy tasty food and live music as we ride pillion on vintage Vespas along the busy streets of this vibrant city. 

18:00. Meet your Vespa driver and immerse yourself into the cosmopolitan nightlife of this busy city by night. Soak up the energy of this urban metropolis at a top ranking stylish venue of Saigon in central city location where we sip on our first drinks and try out some tasty snacks while watching the sunset Saigon. Your expert driver will then zoom through the busy streets of Saigon as you check out some of the famous highlights in this bustling city. Feel like a local as we feast on authentic, fresh seafood dishes, eating streetside and then enjoy the local favourite that is the delicious Banh Xeo, a traditional Vietnamese savoury pancake. We then ride off into the night again to experience live music at a live music venue where a new generation of Vietnamese flaunt their style. Bring a healthy appetite and a sense of adventure as our guides show you their city by night.

22:00. Either your Vespa driver can drop you off back at your hotel, or once the tour ends you can stay in town and make your own way back to your hotel.

Have breakfast at the hotel then travel on your private vehicle along pretty country roads to the Mekong Delta region. This area is popularly known as the “rice bowl” of Vietnam, famous for its vast rice fields, orchard farms, coconut trees and numerous waterways...

After approximately 2 hours driving, your will arrive at My Tho. From here, board a motorized boat and sail down the river passing by Dragon Island, Phoenix Island, and Turtle Island. Stop at the famous Unicorn Island to visit a natural beekeeping farm where you can taste the local honey and some local wines as well. Take a walk through the village and row along the coconut canal to see daily local life in the Mekong Delta.

Continue your motor boat trip to Ben Tre province to visit a handmade coconut candy workshop. Switch to a smaller motor boat to travel along the lush, green canals.

Stop at a local Vietnamese restaurant for some traditional food. Later on, enjoy various types of tropical fruits at the orchard garden and listen to traditional music. 

At the end of the tour, our local boat will take you back to My Tho. 

Travel on your private vehicle back to Saigon.

Upon arrival, check in your hotel for a relaxing time.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

After breakfast at hotel, take a private transfer to the airport for a flight to Danang, a coastal city in central Vietnam.

Upon arrival, you will be picked up by our private tour guide and vehicle, then be transferred to Hoi An for a check in at your selected hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An.

In the morning, meet your private tour guide at the hotel lobby, and take a bike ride through the paddy fields of Hoi An rural until reaching Van Lang fisherman village to visit Bay Mau coconut water forest, home to a rich and diverse ecosystem featuring birds, fish, crabs...

Visit a local house comprising a 3 generation family to taste a cup of green tea and stroll through the village. Take a basket boat to explore the natural beauty and tranquility of Bay Mau coconut forest. And learn about the locals' techniques of balancing their basket boats on the water and traditional fishery.

Back to the local house for a foot bath with medicinal herbs and traditional therapeutic foot massage before preparing lunch with the host family. Lunch will feature many local delicacies, such as Tam Huu spring rolls, Banh Xeo local pancakes, grilled fish in banana leaf and others.

After lunch, travel to Hoi An ancient town by electric car. Embark on a 2-hour walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the ancient town, visiting the Tan Ky house, the 400-year old Japanese Covered Bridge, the Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation and the markets.

Visit to the home of a local lantern maker. You will get a brief introduction about the history, shape, and color of lanterns and the many stages of making them. You will then be shown how to decorate and make your own lantern which you can keep as a souvenir.

Check in your hotel for a relaxing time.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Have breakfast and enjoy your whole free day at the hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast at hotel, travel with your private tour guide to Danang to visit Marble Mountains, a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngu Hanh Son ward, south of Da Nang City. The 'mountains' are named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of them have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of one of the peaks. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains.

Continue our visit to Cham Museum, built in 1915 according to the motifs of ancient Cham Architecture. The museum displays an intensive and diverse collection of Champa sculpture dating from the 7th to the 15th centuries.

Have lunch at a local restaurant in Danang.

In the afternoon, head to the northward of Danang to Hue, the former imperial capital in central Vietnam.

Upon arrival, check in your hotel for a leisure time.

Overnight in Hue.

After breakfast, meet your private tour guide at the hotel lobby, then start your day with a visit to Thanh Toan Village to see the bustling morning market where locals buy their daily groceries. From the market, walk to the nearby 300-year old Thanh Toan tile-roofed bridge and a museum displaying agricultural and fishing tools.

Continue to the Forbidden City, the former home of the Nguyen Dynasty (Vietnam's last dynasty) from 1802 to 1945.   

Have lunch at a local Buddhist monastery prepared and served by the nuns in the monastery.
     
In the afternoon, visit one of the impressive royal tombs (the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc), Thien Mu Pagoda and Tiger Arena.   

The next stop is An Hien garden house, one of the most typical examples of Hue garden houses that still retains its original features.

Back to the city center to visit Dong Ba market, a popular local market with plenty of photo opportunities, bustling fruit and vegetable stalls and local handicrafts.

Check in your hotel for relaxation.

Overnight in Hue.

After breakfast at hotel, take a private transfer to Phu Bai airport for a flight to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

Upon arrival, your private tour guide in Hanoi will escort you to your selected hotel in the downtown for a check in.

Free to explore the surrounding on your own arrangement.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of Hanoi's morning. Your private tour guide will escort you on a day of exploring Hanoi, including a visit to the Ho Chi Minh complex on the site where he declared Vietnam’s independence in 1945. Nearby, we will visit House 54, Stilt House, Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda.

Continue our visit to the Museum of Ethnology to learn about the cultural diversity of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities. Established in 1997 by the Vietnamese government, the museum offers a fascinating insight into the diverse cultures, customs and lifestyles of the 54 ethnic groups living in Vietnam.  

Have lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we visit the Temple of Literature. Originally built in honor of Confucius by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong in 1070, a university was added to the grounds six years later. The university provided education for the royal family and the children of the nobility, also known as "mandarins. The university remained here until Emperor Gia Long moved the capital from Hanoi to Hue in the 18th century. 

After that, start a walking tour (food on foot) through the narrow alleys of the Old Quarter and explore many other streets selling Hanoi specialties, as well as tasting some local Vietnamese dishes such as Omai, Nom, Banh Cuon...

This tour also includes visiting some of our special historical sites such as Dong Xuan Market, Ma May Ancient House. Stop by a coffee shop where we can enjoy special Egg Coffee and watch everyday life go by.

Finish the tour and return to your hotel on foot.  

Overnight in Hanoi.

08:00. Meet your private tour guide at the hotel lobby and take a short transfer to a local village in Hanoi rural. 

Upon arrival, meet your local host and visit a fresh market where you will be given an explanation on how to choose the best ingredients used for the cooking lesson. Also take a stroll around the market to admire the colorful and the variety of agricultural products.

Walk to the vegetable fields nearby where local farmers grow from exotic fruits to common vegetables. Feel free to ask the local people about the cultivation techniques and their daily activities if you want to.

Head back to the host residence for the cooking class. The host will give you the guidance on how to cook some Vietnamese dishes using the fresh vegetables and fruits that you have just encountered at the market. Once the lesson is over, sit down and enjoy the delectable meal while listening to the interesting family customs in the past and at present. 

After a home-hosted lunch, return to your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter Streets by private vehicle.

Check in hotel and enjoy your free time for the rest of the day.

Overnight in Hanoi.

08:30-08:50. A limousine bus will pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi and travel to Tuan Chau Harbor in Halong city.

12:00. The crew members of Peony Cruises will welcome you at No.34, Tuan Chau Marina, Quang Ninh. 

12:30. You will be taken aboard our support vessel and travel from the wharf via the bay to board our luxurious craft, Peony Cruises. Itinerary briefing is announced during this time.

13.00. Welcome fresh drinks, wet towels and a special lunch of fresh food and an assortment of appetizing delicacies will be served. You will be enchanted when decadently dining on our luxury junk. Life just doesn't get better than this! We then set sail for Lan Ha Bay - A member of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays.

Enjoy the delicious luncheon of fresh seafood and an assortment of appetizing delicacies while cruising along Lan Ha bay with the breathtaking scenery.

15:30. Visiting Tra Bau area where has known as an area famous for its unspoiled, poetic natural beauty and attractive seascape of Lan Ha Bay. This is the best time for kayaking to discover the truest beauty of the limestone islands.

Immerse yourself in the emerald green water of the bay or enjoy the Jacuzzi pool on the Peony Cruises.

17:30-18:30. Joining us for Cooking demonstration to learn how to make one of the most famous Vietnamese cuisines, the spring rolls. Or reach the top deck of cruise where the guests can admire the magnificent sunset over the Gulf of Tonkin.

Enjoy a Happy Hour time – BUY ONE GET ONE FREE at the bar. It is an ideal time for photography enthusiasts to capture the greatest moment of sunset over Lan Ha Bay.

19.30. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served by our skillful chef. This is a delightful meal in an intimate romantic setting.

21:00-22.00. Relax and sip the exotic cocktails and drinks at the sky bar (with surcharge). Indulge yourself with spa service (optional) or simply relax on the top deck just under the cover of a brightly illuminated sky.

Or try to get your luck at the squid fishing on the main deck.

Overnight on board.

** Please note the itinerary is subject to change without notice, in accordance with the weather and other operating conditions **

06:00. Begin the day full of energy with the Tai Chi session and enjoy the sun just rising up beyond the horizon.

06:45-07:15. Breakfast is served while cruising back to Gia Luan jetty. (Breakfast time may be adjust and follow the real itinerary)

07:30-09:00. You will join the tour of Cat Ba World Biosphere by transshipment. It takes 30 minutes to transfer from Gia Luan to Trung Trang – one of the most impressive caves in Cat Ba island, Vietnam. The limestone cave has thousands of talactites in various shapes, offering geological values with a typical cave ecosystem.

09:30. Return to the main boat from the cave and the guests will do the cabin check out. Luggage is placed outside of the cabin.

Lunch is served at the restaurant. Settle the bar bill by the desk at the restaurant (if any)

10:30-11:00. Disembark the Peony Cruises and transferred back to Block 34, Big Bay group terminal, Tuan Chau Marina. Relax and wait for the luggage.

12:00. Meet the limousine bus for a return to Hanoi.

14:30-15:00. Drop off at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter Streets.

Check in hotel for a relaxing time.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Hotel breakfast is included. Check out time is 11:00 am. 

Free time until your private driver arrives to take you to the airport for your departure flight. 

End of services.