12 Days Best Cultural and Heritage Vietnam Tour

Hanoi is well known for its history, architecture, charm, tranquility, and cuisine. Our first visit was to the most well-respected sites, the Ho Chi Minh Complex and Ba Dinh Square, important pilgrimage points for many Vietnamese. The area surrounding the complex is a traffic-free zone filled with botanical gardens, monuments, memorials, and pagodas. It includes the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, and the One Pillar Pagoda.

Then, visit the 11th-century Temple of Literature, Hanoi’s first University. From here, continue to Bun Cha Huong Lien, the famous local spot where President Barack Obama dined with Anthony Bourdain.

In the afternoon, we drive approximately 25 minutes to the Ethnology Museum. The museum provides an insightful glimpse into the country’s lengthy history, with more than 15,000 photos and 10,000 objects and artifacts depicting a historical perspective of the lives, activities, customs, and habits of the 54 recognized ethnic groups of Vietnam.

End your day by walking through the Hanoi Old Quarter. The streets of this district are bustling with scooters, bicycles, cyclos, and cars zipping around pedestrians. The best way to enjoy the charming colonial architecture is to wander with your guide leisurely and stop for a cup of Vietnamese coffee or a local snack from one of the many compelling street vendors.

Your Vietnam Beach vacation begins with a trip to Halong Bay, a collection of almost 2000 islands and jungle-clad limestone pillars in the Tonkin Gulf. Called “Bay of Descending Dragons” in Vietnamese, the archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a world-famous travel destination.

Leave the hotel and proceed to Halong. En route, you will pass through wonderful scenery, tranquil villages, and buffalo on fields.

Upon arrival, enjoy a welcome drink and a delicious freshly caught seafood lunch while sailing out of the Bay, passing amazing-shaped mountains. Enjoy the seascape from the sundeck or even in your private cabin through a glass window. Take swimming and kayaking and visit the island's caves for more experience. In the late afternoon, we take part in a Vietnamese cooking demonstration by the onboard chefs and enjoy the seafood feast for dinner as stars emerge from behind those jungle-clad limestone pillars.

Spending the night on board in the elegant cabin and handicraft wooden interiors with air-conditioning. Or there is an option of night fishing before an overnight stay aboard.

Rise early to catch sunrise over Sung Sot Cave while taking part in a Tai Chi class with the boat’s Tai Chi guru.

Enjoy a light breakfast and sitting on the upper deck, you can relax while taking in the breathtaking beauty of the rocky islands rising from the emerald water of the bay. Then, you can explore Sung Sot Cave, swim and relax. Cruise back to the jetty while brunch is served as you are cruising through the bay and observing more fascinating rock formations.

Return to Hanoi, with time to relax or grab a last minute bargain before our late afternoon flight to Hue. Arrival Hue, you will transfer to hotel for check-in.

Today, we visit Hue's oldest 19th-century Pagoda, Thien Mu (Heavenly Lady) Pagoda, which is famous for its Buddhist Centre teachings.

Boarding our dragon boat from the base of the Pagoda, we cruise down the Perfume River, watching local fishermen while passing through the banks of Hue’s town. 

We will continue by visiting the Hue Citadel, Vietnam’s former imperial capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, you will discover the history of Vietnam during this period, the daily life of the Royal family, and the typical architecture of this Imperial construction.

Being the former royal capital, Hue's surrounding countryside contains several of the tombs of the former Nguyen Emperors, where you will get to see the Minh Mang Tomb.

Before returning to your hotel, stop at the Dong Ba Market to shop.

After a relaxing morning, we set out on our spectacular drive to Hoi An.

We pass through Lang Co fishing village, set within beautiful blue lagoons, before heading up and over the spectacular Hai Van Pass, where we stop at the highest point to immerse ourselves and gaze at the stunning scenery at 980 meters above sea level.

Arrival in Hoi An town - the historic and quaint nature of UNESCO World Heritage Site Hoi An is perfect for exploring. 

The rest of the afternoon is free at leisure for you to enjoy the peaceful ambiance of this quaint ancient town or spend some time with the skillful tailors, treating yourself to tailor-made clothes, which Hoi An is renowned for. 

My Son Sanctuary was an imperial city during the Champa dynasty, between the 4th and the 12th centuries.

We travel about 50km from hotel in Hoi An to My Son sanctuary, in a valley roughly two kilometers wide. It was the site of religious ceremony of kings of the Champa dynasty, and was also a burial place of Champa royals and national heroes. The My Son temple complex is one of the foremost temple complexes of Hinduism in South East Asia and is the foremost heritage site of this nature in Vietnam. Though the complex has been destroyed over time, we still see many majestic ancient ruins of temples in the area. We also visited a silk handicraft village along the Thu Bon River on the way back to Hoi An. 

After lunch, transfer to a local fishing village. Learn about the daily life of Vietnamese fishermen, their families, and their community. Board the boat and commence cruising on the Cua Dai River. Join local fishermen on the river and enjoy the hands-on experience of round-net and cast-net fishing. Enjoy basketboat dancing on the round boat (THUNG CHAI) by our crews.
Learn how to make origami creations from reeds of palm leaves, such as grasshoppers, birds, rings, sunglasses, bracelets….etc.

We return to our boat and transfer to visit Hoian's ancient town. We stroll around the tiny lanes of Hoi An, visiting the 400-year-old Japanese Bridge, 300-year-old Chinese temple, 200-year-old Vietnamese former merchants' house, and the local fish market … Around the town, we can see numerous art galleries and tailor shops, and we can get some made-to-order clothes if you like.

Breakfast at the hotel: our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel and then transfer you to Bana Hills Station. You have a chance to ride on a modern system of cable cars, which helps you get a birds-eye view, which is very miraculous and attractive while enjoying the feeling of flying in the blue sky amidst the clouds and wind. You will visit some old French villas en route and the suspension bridge, Nui Chua & the Mountain Peak (at the height of 1,487m). We will then enjoy lunch while taking in the spectacular views.

In the afternoon, you can walk to the summit of the mountain at 1487m—the highest point of Bana Mountain—visit Bell Tower, Nghinh Phong Tower, and Golden Hand Bridge and take beautiful photos of the mountain and Danang city.

After a relaxing morning, we take a flight to Saigon. 

Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport, you will be met by a Tour guide and Driver and transferred to the hotel for check-in. 

Tonight is free at leisure to explore this bustling city of Saigon.

With over eight million inhabitants and four million motorbikes, Saigon is a city that never sleeps.

This morning, we set a half-city tour with your guide on hand to offer their own insight into everyday life in Vietnam. Famous landmarks include the colonial-era government quarter, with its vibrant yellow French-style post office. Continue to get off the tourist track to experience the local life of bustling Saigon. Learn about Vietnamese and Chinese communities as you travel to Cho Lon, one of the world’s largest and oldest Chinatowns.

Afternoon, you are traveling out of town to see the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, where thousands of Viet Cong soldiers lived during the Vietnam War. It's possible to enter a few of the tunnels if you are comfortable with narrow spaces and see exhibitions and videos of the tunnels when they were in use.

If you have time in the evening, head to a trendy restaurant or cocktail bar or try street food near central Ben Thanh Market.

Today, we head to the Cai Be floating market to explore the typical Vietnamese life of the Mekong Delta.

Upon arrival at the Cai Be land market, visit the rice factories in An Cu Village and go to Dong Hoa Hiep to visit the ancient house. Afterward, you will go to the Cai Be floating market and handicraft workshop by boat. After leaving these places, you will go to Tan Phong Island to take the rowing boats along the tiny canals. Passing through Mekong Ecolodge to take a short break, you will take the bicycles to start exploring and doing some activities with the island's locals.

You will go straight to the local family to learn how to make jack-leaf cakes, which are known as the specialty on this island. You will join hands to make cakes and enjoy them. You will be free to lie down on the hammocks under the shades of a 200-year-old milk fruit tree to enjoy the atmosphere there. You will also have the experience of going over the Monkey bridge, which is popular in the Southwest of Vietnam. Surely, you will have unforgettable memories here.
 
Say goodbye to the local people. You will keep going to them to learn how to knit water hyacinths. With their guidance, you can use water hyacinth to knit a beautiful hat by yourself. Have lunch at the local restaurant.
 
Late afternoon you are participating in cooking class and dinner with what you’ve cooked.

In the late afternoon, the family would love to show off their skills in whipping up your dinner, giving you a creative cooking demonstration. Enjoy the dinner that you have just cooked.

After breakfast, we cycle through the traditional villages with many ancient traditional houses, set amongst a peaceful atmosphere of fruit trees and bonsai gardens, and witness the unusual yet fascinating process of coconut candy, the bang conical hat, and rice paper in the making. 
 It is the typical cultural lifestyle of the South–Western region.

Cycle back to the Mekong Ecolodge for check-out and freshen up before our return journey to Saigon. Then, you will be directly transferred to the Airport for your departure flight.