<p>Splendeurs du Vietnam</p>

Hanoi arrival - Visits (D)

Arrival at Hanoi airport, welcome by our French-speaking guide and driver, then transfer and check-in at the hotel. Rooms are only available from 1:00 PM

Depending on your arrival time and while waiting for available rooms, you can make your first visits and discoveries of the city of Hanoi:

Photos in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which dominates Ba Dinh Square and visit his stilt house located in the middle of a botanical garden to better understand the life of a great man whose life was very modest.

The One Pillar Pagoda famous for its original construction and its 11th-century legend.

Then visit the Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius and his disciples, the first University of Vietnam.

Visit Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) which is heart-shaped, it is the center of Hanoi and Vietnam, considered as kilometer 0.

Welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi - Mai Chau Valley / Visits (B,L,D)

Mai Chau - Ninh Binh / Walks / Visits (B,L,D)

In the morning, we will take the mountainous road and a part of the Ho Chi Minh trail, enjoying very beautiful landscapes: terraced rice fields, vegetable and sugar cane fields create a romantic, natural, and long tableau with more than 150 km of journey.

After 3 hours of driving, we will take the road towards Nho Quan to arrive at the authentic village of Tho Ha where we will have lunch with specialties in a local restaurant on stilts.

After lunch, we will take a sampan boat ride on the site of Thung Nham (not impacted by mass tourism), visit the Paradise Cave (Thien Ha), then our walk will lead us to the other side of the village where the famous region of the terrestrial Halong Bay is located with its picturesque landscapes of limestone peaks just like the maritime Halong Bay.

A bike ride or an ox cart ride is ideal for admiring the beauty of this region and especially for meeting the villagers, then we will continue the walk to visit the ancient and famous sacred Bich Dong Pagoda nestled in the mountain (Jade Cave and its 3 temples from the 17th century). We will take the opportunity to admire the panoramic view of this entire magical region, then visit the Thai Vi Temple surrounded by limestone mountains.

Transfer to the hotel. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight in Ninh Binh.

Ninh Binh - Halong Bay / Cruise / Visits (B,L,D)

Towards Halong Bay, we will cross the Red River Delta, a beautiful traditional Vietnamese countryside, with its villages, markets, rice fields, all animated by the daily life of the peasants.

Arrival in Ha Long around noon, embarkation for the 24-hour cruise on Ha Long Bay to fully enjoy its natural beauty.

Seafood lunch on board. An extraordinary landscape, "one of the wonders of the world", nearly three thousand islets and fantastic limestone peaks: turtles, sampan sails, etc. ... scattered in the emerald water over an area of 1,500 km².

Stop at the "Surprise Cave", we are projected into a mysterious atmosphere made of thousands of stalagmites and stalactites, then ascend to the summit of Titov islet or to the beach for a swim if time permits. You can admire the sunset from the upper deck of the junk.

Seafood dinner and overnight on board.

Halong Bay / Cruise - Hanoi / Visits / Discoveries (B,L,D)

Hanoi - Hue / Visits / Discoveries (B,L,D)

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Hue.

Arrival in Hue, meet and greet by the guide and driver to discover the ancient imperial capital of Hue.

We will start the city tour with a boat trip to the Thien Mu Pagoda, located on the banks of the Perfume River.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit the Imperial City with its 3 main walls and stroll through Dong Ba market.

Royal dinner: we will be dressed in the costumes of emperors, queens, princes, and princesses, we will taste imperial dishes accompanied by traditional music (for groups of 10 people or more). Overnight in Hue.

Hue / Visits - Hai Van Pass - Hoi An (B,L,D)

In the morning, we will visit a village specializing in the production of conical hats and incense sticks then we will go to see the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, located amidst frangipani trees and pines. It is not a simple tomb; it evokes more the idea of eternal life than that of death. We continue with a visit to the ancient Tu Hieu pagoda and its magnificent architecture.

Lunch in a local restaurant before taking the road to Danang, passing through the famous Hai Van Pass. We will have a beautiful view of the tens of kilometers of beach on the Lang Co peninsula.

In Da Nang, we will visit the Cham museum (built in 1916) and its famous collection of pieces from the civilization of the Champa kingdom, then head to the Marble Mountains, on the edge of one of Vietnam's most beautiful beaches.

We continue to Hoi An, also known as Hai Fo or Fai Fo, among the most active commercial ports in all of Asia during the 17th to 18th centuries: Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, Indonesians, then French and Dutch rubbed shoulders there. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, this charming city fascinates us not only by the authenticity of its architecture, the romantic landscapes of the river and the beach, but especially by the phantasmagorical light of the lanterns after sunset. Dinner in a local restaurant in town and overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An - Walks / Visits (B,L,D)

A day of visits and discoveries in the suburbs and city of Hoi An:

In the morning, a bike ride to the authentic villages in the suburbs of Hoi An, then a basket boat ride to the nipa palm arroyos to see fishing activities.

We continue the bike rides towards the villages of Cam Thanh and Kim Bong where you will rest at home then attend a family cooking class. Lunch with locals.

Relaxation with traditional foot massages, a nap and return to Hoi An to visit historical sites such as: the ancient traditional Vietnamese houses, the Chinese congregation house, the Japanese covered bridge in the old quarter.

Return to the hotel or stay in town for your personal discoveries

Dinner in a restaurant in town and overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An - My Son Archaeological Site / Visits / Discoveries - Hoi An (B,L,D)

A day of visits and discoveries in the suburbs and city of Hoi An:

In the morning, a bike ride to the authentic villages in the suburbs of Hoi An then a basket boat ride to the nipa palm arroyos to see fishing activities.

We continue the bike rides towards the villages of Cam Thanh and Kim Bong where you will rest at home then attend a family cooking class. Lunch with locals.

Relaxation with traditional foot massages, a nap and return to Hoi An to visit the historical sites such as: the ancient traditional Vietnamese houses, the Chinese congregation house, the Japanese covered bridge in the old quarter.

Return to the hotel or stay in town for your personal discoveries

Dinner in a restaurant in town and overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An - Danang - Saigon / Visits / Discoveries (B,L,D)

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Danang airport for the flight to Saigon.

Arrival in Saigon, meet and greet by our guide and driver for the transfer to the city center.

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Sai Gon), the economic center of Vietnam, is located in the heart of Cochinchina in the Mekong Delta. It is also the largest city, with a population of over 8 million inhabitants.

City tour of the western quarter: Notre Dame Cathedral, a red-brick, Neo-Romanesque building, consecrated in 1880 (Under restoration until 2020). The Post Office, built by Gustave Eiffel, the opera house and the city hall with beautiful architecture, then depart for a stroll along Ex-Catinat Street, photo session in front of the Independence Palace.

Visit the Chinese quarter of Cho Lon (Chinatown) with a visit to Thien Hau Pagoda and the Binh Tay Wholesale Market.

Transfer to the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner at the restaurant and overnight in Saigon.

Saigon - Mekong / Cruise / Walks / Discoveries - Can Tho (B,L,D)

In the morning, head to My Tho, a vast network of thousands of canals that characterizes life in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's largest rice granary. We are in the midst of the greenery of the Delta's fields and orchards, immense rice paddies dotted with lotus ponds.

Embark on a sampan cruise in the arroyos for nautical discoveries.

Taste tropical fruits and fresh honey from the beehives in the orchards.

Lunch on the island with specialties including the famous elephant ear fish.

In the afternoon, a small sampan ride on the small arroyos, where lush vegetation grows on both banks. We will continue our journey to Can Tho, a region considered the most fertile of this delta.

Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Can Tho.

Can Tho - Mekong / Walks / Visits - Saigon (B,L,D)

In the morning, you will enjoy a private sampan to visit the beautiful and authentic Cai Rang floating market on the Mekong. We continue with a cruise along the canals to discover the lively delta life: fishermen with cast nets, boatmen transporting all kinds of goods...

Visit the market, then continue the stroll to an ecological garden of exotic fruit trees to visit it and especially to taste fruits on site.

Disembarkation and visit of a local market by the water, and then the driver will take us back to Saigon with a stop- lunch at a local restaurant en route.

Arrival in Saigon, direct transfer to the hotel. Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight in Saigon.

Saigon - Tay Ninh / Discoveries - Cu Chi Tunnels / Visits - Saigon (B,L)

We will set off for Tay Ninh, home to the largest Caodaism temple, an astonishing, unique religion specific to Vietnam with over two million followers, mainly in the South.

We will have the opportunity to attend the midday mass and see on the altar all the great men of the world: Shakyamuni, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Lao Tzu, even Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, Lenin, etc. The divine eye symbolizes the philosophy "all religions lead to the same path".

After lunch, we continue to the Cu Chi tunnels. Known as the "Iron Triangle" then "Free-Fire Zone", these tunnels allowed Viet Cong-controlled areas to communicate with each other when isolated in American or South Vietnamese areas.

They also served as shelters for the population during air attacks. Viet Cong soldiers lived there in extremely difficult conditions; they are also living witnesses to the patriotism of the Vietnamese. Then return to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

Saigon - Free - Departure (B)

A free day for your shopping and also to check out of your rooms around noon.

Meeting with the driver for transfer to the airport for the return flight.