Authentic Vietnam Exploration

Start your Vietnam Exploration 17 Day Tour by taking the flight to Hanoi.

Upon arrival at Hanoi airport, after collecting your luggage and clearing the visa process, you will go through the exit where our driver and tour guide will be holding a notice board with your name on it. They will transfer you to your Hanoi hotel while the guide from Incredible Asia Journeys briefs you about your trip. Check in to your room ( the check-in time is 14.00) and have a rest break after your long flight. 

At about 18.00 our guide will pick you up again for a walking tour around the Old Quarter of Hanoi to explore the city with its tree-lined boulevards, unique French Indochinese architecture, and tranquil lakes. We will travel down a narrow road where our guide will introduce to you the different street foods in Hanoi. Take your time tasting these delicious Hanoi specialties influenced by both the French and Chinese food cultures. When you have eaten enough, enjoy a good cup of coffee while watching the busy street life go by. Go back to our hotel and stay overnight in Hanoi. 

Travel to Vietnam means you travel to a country with long history and rich culture. Hanoi City Tour is an important part of any Vietnam Tours for learning more Vietnam’s history and culture. Day 2 of your Vietnam 17 Day Tour will give you a briefing about the history and culture of Vietnam.

08.30 AM: Today you will visit the most popular destinations in Hanoi, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closes on Monday and Friday, September to October), Ho Chi Minh’s traditional stilt house, the One Pillar Pagoda, and the Temple Of Literature - the first University in Vietnam.

Have lunch and visit one of the museums in Hanoi such as Hoa Lo Prison Museum ( known as Hilton Hanoi by American pilots in the war) or the Ethnology Museum (closes on Monday)which is widely considered to be the finest modern museum in Vietnam where visitors can learn about the culture of the 54 ethnic minority groups who live in Vietnam. Enjoy a walking tour around The Old Quarter and the Water Puppet Show – unique in the world. 

Go back to your hotel and stay overnight in Hanoi.

Vietnam Exploration 17 Day Tour will be different from other classic tour as we will visit the less touched destinations where you will not see many tourists and understand more about the local life. Today we will visit Nghia Lo – The mountain area.

08.00 AM: You will be picked up by our guide for the drive to Duong Lam ancient village where people still keep the traditional house for some hundred years. Duong Lam Village is famous for the village with 2 Kings and its famous national heroes.

Upon arrival in the village, your guide will give you more information about the village and know more about the house of Vietnamese people in the Red River Delta. You will walk through special original village entrance gate, which is only one remaining intact. 

Visit one of the most ancient houses in the village to learn about the traditional houses in Vietnam and listen to the history of the village with its famous heroes. You may have a drink at one of the traditional tea shops and talk to the local shop owners who can tell you about the history of the village like an expert. Then we will visit Mong Phu communal house to know about the Vietnamese life thousand years ago.

We will continue to Nghia Lo, stopping for lunch on the way and to take photos of the changing mountain views. Visit the tea fields and local people on the way and arrive in Nghia Lo for your Homestay. Check in and enjoy a night with local people for a unique experience. Communicate with local people with the help of your guide to learn more about the everyday life in this mountainous area. Enjoy a traditional dinner with your new friends. Stay overnight in the Homestay.

Day 4 of your Vietnam Exploration 17 Day Tour, you will visit Mu Cang Chai with the beautiful terrace field in North Vietnam but not all travelers can travel to this place as they may not have much time in Vietnam. That will be the wonderful time for you while travel to Vietnam to visit Mu Cang Chai for its beauty and local culture.

Itinerary: 

08.00 AM: After breakfast, we will say goodbye to our host and start off on our trip to Mu Cang Chai.

On the way, we will visit beautiful terraced fields and travel through Khau Pha pass- one of the 4 longest passes in Vietnam. Then we will visit Che Cu Nha terrace fields.

On the way, we meet and interact with local people in the different villages and continue our drive to Mu Cang Chai.

Check in at the hotel, have dinner and stay overnight in Mu Cang Chai.

Have breakfast and say goodbye to our host in Mu Cang Chai before leaving for Sapa. On the way today there are a lot of nice terraced fields where you will take the best photos. We will stop on the way to talk to local people and to better understand their lives, with the help of our guide.

There are many ethnic minorities in this area and their character and way of life are very different from the Vietnamese people who live in the cities or the on the plains. Don’t  be surprised when even your guide cannot fully communicate with the minority people as some of them may only speak a bit of Vietnamese. Today you will not be traveling through areas that many tourists see. Another highlight for today is traveling through the magnificent O Quy Ho Pass before we arrive in Sapa. We check in at the hotel and overnight in Sapa.

Sapa Trekking Tour is a popular tour for most of the visitors having a chance to travel to Vietnam and Sapa. Being one of the best destinations for most of the itineraries of Vietnam Tours.

Breakfast in our hotel, and enjoy a free morning to explore the town. Check out of the hotel, have lunch, and then have time for a little rest.

In the afternoon, we will trek to Lao Chai and Tavan where the Hmong and Dzay people live with their unique cultures and costumes. Lao Chai village is a peaceful place where you can meet the Black H'Mong minority people and learn about their traditions and customs. Near Lao Chai village is Ta Van village, home to Giay minority. Here, besides meeting and chatting with the local people, you can see huge terraced fields and wooden bridges which may scare you when walking on them.

Check in at our the Homestay and enjoy an evening in Tavan with the local people. You may help our host to cook the dinner and eat a traditional dinner with a nice local host, perhaps enjoying some of the local rice wine. Stay overnight in Homestay.

Today we will visit Cat Cat Village before finishing your mountainous area in your Vietnam Exploration 17 Day Tour and change to other destinations for more relaxing time.

Today we will have breakfast prepared by our host. Then we will say goodbye and head back to Sapa,  continuing on to  Cat Cat village. 

With its French hydro power plant built many years ago. You will have a chance to see a traditional dance and music show there. Back to the town for lunch, then we will drive a long way back to Hanoi on the highway. 

About 18.00: Arriving in Hanoi, check in to the hotel, say goodbye to your guide and driver because the next day you are off to Halong Bay with the cruise ship’s shuttle bus.  Enjoy some free time in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi hotel.

Halong Bay 1 Night Cruise will be the highlight of your Vietnam Exploration 17 Day Tour with time for activities and relaxing time.

08.00 AM:  You will be picked up by our cruise ship transfer bus for the approximately 4-hour drive to Halong Bay. On the way, we will stop for about 30 minutes for a break.

Halong Bay is listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site and was voted as a Wonder of Nature by the New 7 Wonders Foundation. You will have a night staying in this world-famous bay. 

Arrive at the harbor, you will proceed with the check-in formalities

After lunch, the boat will stop at the island where you may join in some different activities such as climbing to the summit for a panoramic view of Ha Long Bay or going swimming in the emerald water. Based on your interest, you may stay onboard and go to the sundeck to enjoy the tranquility of the bay and take beautiful photos ỏ you may kayak among the hidden areas of the bay.

Coming back to the boat, enjoy the happy hours cruise for drinking cocktails & watch the sunset over the bay before having a lavish dinner in the dinning room. In the evening, you may socialize with other guests while tasting some good drinks. 

In the evening you will have a chance to join in some squid fishing activity or you can just relax and enjoy a cocktail on the top deck among thousands of amazing islands scattered throughout the bay. Stay overnight in your comfortable quarters on the boat.

A morning tai chi session on the top deck will be a good start today. You will have a chance to watch the sunrise over the bay before having breakfast in the restaurant. Proceed to explore one of the gorgeous caves in Ha Long Bay and then back on board for a final glimpse of this UNESCO World Heritage Site while cruising back to the dock. 

The last moments in this beautiful bay are coming. Our boat will prepare to come back to the jetty at 10.30am.  Have lunch on boat before leaving around 12.00 noon. End of your Halong Bay 2 day 1 night cruise.

Get back to our car then you will take the transfer back to Hanoi. Arriving at Hanoi Airport you will take the flight to Hue.

Arriving in Hue, our guide and driver will pick you up for the transfer to your hotel for check-in. Stay overnight in Hue hotel.

08.00 AM: We will start the trip in Hue today with the boat trip on the  Perfume River. With a boat trip on the river, you can have a chance to enjoy its poetry and romance.

You will stop to visit Thien Mu Pagoda - one of the most famous pagodas in Hue. We will visit the Imperial City - a walled palace within the citadel of the city and the former imperial capital of Vietnam.

After that, take your time to pay a visit to The Forbidden Purple City and Royal Fine Arts Museum to learn more about the history of the romantic Hue City. Through our guide’ story, you will learn and understand about the Feudalism in Vietnam a long time ago.

Have a break on the edge of the Perfume River and take the transfer to the local restaurant for the lunch before continuing to Minh Mang tomb. Minh Mang is one of the most well-known kings in Nguyen dynasty. Coming here, we will understand more about the dynasty as well as its unique architecture.

Then we will go to Dong Ba market to see more the local life of the local people here.

In the afternoon, we will back to the hotel and have free time in Hue.

Stay overnight in Hue.

After breakfast, you will begin your 2.5 - 03-hour journey to Hoi An. The winding road begins as we make our way up into the Hai Van pass. The breathtaking view from the top of the pass is one of Vietnam’s most impressive panoramic scenes.

Arriving in Hoi An in the afternoon, you will check in to your hotel and then be free to relax at the resort or wander around the colorful, peaceful town. Overnight in Hoi An.

08.30 AM: Have breakfast in your hotel and our tour guide will pick you up with bicycles to travel around to enjoy the scenic and peaceful countryside of Vietnam, which is far away from the noise of the city.

Passing through the town, we will cycle among rice fields on the tranquil roads. We will stop to see Ba Le market, rice fields, cemeteries and schools... before reaching Van Lang fisherman village and Bay Mau water coconut forest. The forest is the hiding place of people and local soldiers during the Vietnam War. Nowadays, this is famous for the diversity of seafood with 7 hectares of mangrove forest, canals, and houses covered in water coconut leaf. 

Arriving in the local family, our host and his family will be very glad to welcome you with a green tea. After that, you will be free to walk around to explore more about this village. Take the chance to interact with the local people there.

We will take a rowing boat trip on the river. With the help of the locals, you can row a boat and learn how to fish in the water coconut forest.

Turning back to the host’s house, we will help them to prepare dinner for all. There are some special dishes that you may have never tasted before such as Tam Huu spring rolls, Banh Xeo (local pancakes), grilled fish in banana leaf, and many other Vietnamese delicacies. If you are interested in, you can learn how to cook it. That will be an unforgettable memory for most of the people who travel to Vietnam.

Have lunch before coming back to our hotel or resort.

Travel to Vietnam, you not only do the tour but also need time for relaxing. Day 13 of your Vietnam Exploration 17 Day Tour is a day for relaxing. Among the destinations of most itineraries in Vietnam Tours, Hoi An is one of the best places.

Today you will have a free day in Hoi An to enjoy the charming town full of ancient wooden homes, silk fabric, clothing, and lantern shops and its pretty beaches. 

Stay overnight in Hoi An.

Transfer to Danang airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City is very important part of any itinerary of Vietnam Tours as travelers may fly into Ho Chi Minh City for starting the trip or it can be the place for flying back home.

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, our driver will pick you up for the drive to the hotel for check-in (14.00 is the check-in time). Then you will have free time in Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

About 8.00 AM: You will have breakfast at your hotel and Incredible Asia Journey’s guide will pick you in your hotel lobby after having breakfast. We will head to Cu Chi Tunnels - a man-made maze with many of bamboo traps with the aim of a place for military practices and hiding from the pursuing of the enemy in the past. You will have a chance to enrich your knowledge by exploring this web-like tunnels system of more than 200km in length. If you wish you may experience going through the tunnels. That will be an amazing experience you never forget in your life.

You will lunch in the local restaurant on the way coming back Ho Chi Minh City for a city tour. We will visit the Reunification Hall - a special national relic for its historical and architectural values. The Hall is known as the former Presidential Palace. We will also pay a visit to the War Remnants Museum, the Old Post Office, Chinatown and Ben Thanh Market - the most famous shopping destination in Ho Chi Minh City. You may buy some small souvenirs there and try on bargaining while buying things.

Around 4.30 pm: We will come back to the hotel. Your time is at leisure.

Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mekong Delta Boat Trip is a must for you when you travel to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City. Mekong Delta always attracts most of the visitors who join in Vietnam Tours or Indochina Tours.

08.00 AM: Today our guide will pick you up at the hotel lobby and take you to the beautiful Mekong Delta where we will explore the unique life of the people who live there.

You will start with a visit to the colorful Cai Be floating market.

In the floating market, there are wooden boats which double as busy shops supplying the local people and river dwellers with a huge variety of fruits and vegetables. Sellers hang up a long pole with a sample of what they are selling hanging on the top to show buyers their products, which is a unique feature of this distinctive market. 

After that, we will stop at some local workshops and learn more they make the coconut candy, rice paste and the popped rice which will surprise you. 

You will also visit the handicraft village around where you will have a chance to see how the fish sauce, soya sauce, rice sheets, cooking salt are made and how the local people sew coconut-leaves for cottage roofs.

Have lunch at the local restaurant and we will enjoy the traditional rowboat to go deeper and discover the local life, daily activities, the typical wooden houses of the area. This area is famous for the palm trees.

You also have a chance to stop to visit a nursery garden where the local people grow the young fruit trees for Mekong Delta. You will know why Mekong Delta is famous for fruits and vegetables.

The cruise will end at around 3.30PM and then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Today we will have free time in Ho Chi Minh City until your driver comes to pick you up for the transfer to the airport for the flight home.

About 3 hours before the flight: Transfer to the airport for the flight back home. End of Vietnam 17 Day Tour and see you again for your next Vietnam trip.