Bustling Hanoi offers a charming blend of new and old. The French-colonial era has left a legacy of beautiful buildings, with the Old Quarter a fascinating area to explore on foot. Sample Hanoi’s unique cuisine, shop for locally produced crafts and soak up the abundance of history and culture on offer in the city’s compelling sites and monuments. Hanoi has always been a symbol of culture and a source of pride throughout the history.
- Explore the Arts, Culture and History in southern Vietnam
- Take a boat cruise to discover the Mekong river and floating market
- Pedal your bike through tranquil paths, through village and experience local ferries
- Easy cycling and kayaking as your ability
- Meeting local friendly people and visiting local families to understand their lifestyle\
- Tasting fresh regional fruits and local cuisines
Itinerary in brief
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City Arrival (D, G)
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City orientation (B, L, G)
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City – My Tho – Can Tho | Cycling +55km (B, L, G)
Day 4: Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City | Cycling +35km (B, L, G)
Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City – Danang – Hoi An (B, G)
Day 6: Hoi An Life – Kayak and Biking (B, L, G)
Day 7: Hoi An free day (B)
Day 8: Hoi An – Danang – Hanoi (B, DP)
Day 9: Hanoi Orientation (B, L, G)
Day 10: Hanoi – Halong (B, L, G)
Day 11: Bai Tu Long Kayaking (B, L, G)
Day 12: Bai Tu Long p- Halong – Hanoi (B, L, G)
Day 13: Hanoi Departure (B, DP)
Itinerary
Arrive at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City, meet the local guide and he/she will tell you his/her stories about Ho Chi Minh city and Vietnam.
Enjoy a performance of traditional Water Puppetry and dinner at local restaurant.
You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City
Your guide shows you around Ho Chi Minh City. Visit the Reunification Hall – an early colonial masterpiece constructed to accommodate the Governor – general of Indochina. Visit the Fine Arts Museum to see the differences between pre- and post-reunification artworks and learn how politics led to Vietnam’s 90’s art market boom.
After lunch, you’ll also call in at the Jade Emperor Temple. It’s one of the best Taoist temples in Vietnam, with superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and somewhat incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries. Later, the Museum of War Remnants provides a very partial, but riveting, perspective of the ‘American War’: not for the squeamish!
You’ll then return your hotel for freshen up or wander around the huge Ben Thanh market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City, is packed with every conceivable commodity. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.
At 08:00 am, you will be met at your hotel and start a drive to Tan An. Tan An is the capital city of Long An Province in Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, here you take your bike and start pedaling through tranquil paths villages to villages. You visit vermicelli workshop and visit Vinh Trang pagoda then having lunch at local restaurant/family en route.
You will have car/van drive Cai Lay to cycle bike to Cai Be, then continue to Vinh Long by through An Binh island. Upon arriving Vinh Long, you have transfer to Can Tho for overnight.
Early in the morning, you embark a boat cruise to discover the bustling and vibrant floating market of Cai Rang – one of the last authentic floating markets in Indochina. You continue the cruise further from the floating market into zig-zag canals around Can Tho to enjoy the tranquility and peaceful life along the river. Afterward, you take your bike to continue the journey towards Dong Binh into the lush green, jungle canopy and Khmer pagodas located in one of the most scenic areas in the Mekong Delta. It would be a surprise and delight as our group is welcomed by a local family where lunch will be served. This is an unforgettable experience and a great way to end your 2-day biking in Mekong Delta.
After lunch, you might want to take a shower at the local family before taking the drive back to Saigon. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Free time until you have car drive to Tan Son Nhat airport for a short flight to Danang. A local guide in Danang will meet and take you to Hoi An. Check in your hotel and a break then the local guide will show you the Ancient Town and explain its considerable significance in the history of Vietnam.
Overnight in Hoi An.
The local guide will meet you at your hotel with the bicycles. You start a gentle ride through the rice paddies in Cam Chau and Cam Thanh. There is a short refreshment break at a local house for a seasonal drink and a talk with its friendly host. The cycling route leads you to the kayak station where the next part of the adventure will begin. Here you will have some briefing on safety rules and the area you will be padding.
You will have a guided-paddle to the mangrove forest where most well grown Nipa palms (locally known as cocopalm), a mangrove ecosystem unique to Hoi An. There is a great opportunity to see special fishing traps, fishing boats and observe the river community at play. Interact with the fishermen and women who still use traditional fishing methods and who live on the river. The paddle leads you to a peaceful village of Duy Vinh, where you have time to take a stroll around to meet its friendly villagers, learn from their traditional craft of sedge-mat weaving and interesting temple of local fishermen.
After around one and a half hour paddling, you’ll back to our station where you will have time for some refreshment before getting back to your hotel.
A free day in Hoi An for you to enjoy the beach, ride bike around Hoi An town.
Hoi An town is three kilometres from Cua Dai Beach - part of what was once known as China Beach and used for rest and recreation by American GIs during the Vietnam War. The beach is composed of white sand fringed with palm trees and overlooks the South China Sea. Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage, is an ancient trading port. The original traditional street pattern still exists.
Breakfast at hotel and leisure time until you leave Hoi An to Danang airport. You take a flight from Danang to Hanoi. Upon arriving Noi Bai airport, you have driver met and transferred to hotel in Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.
You’ll have the whole day to explore Vietnam’s capital city. Your guide will take you to the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century. Followed by a visit to the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s Ho Tay (West) Lake. The excellent Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups will provide you their life, culture and traditional costumes.
The centre of Hanoi, including Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ngoc Son temple and the bustling Old Quarter, is a magnet for visitors – it’s noisy and hectic, but definitely a ‘must-see’ attraction. The Old Quarter is a maze of shopping streets and restaurants with a hotchpotch of architecture - traditional tube houses, religious buildings, artisans’ workshops and cottages, colonial houses and modern concrete edifices. Let’s visit a traditional coffee shop for a taste of Vietnam’s local iced coffee, ‘Ca phe sua da’.
Around 08:00 AM, you’ll leave Hanoi for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you’ll board a wooden junk that takes you first through Ha Long Bay to Bai Tu Long Bay while your on-board lunch is served.
In the afternoon, you will paddle kayak to discover the most breathtaking natural scenery of limestone islands and islets, Swimming, Sunbathing, and Relaxing. Later, you get back to the cruise and enjoy the Happy hour and try the cooking demonstration at sundeck while the boat is cruising to the area to anchor for overnight.
Dinner and overnight onboard.
You may want to wake up early in the morning for Tai Chi exercise. Having light buffet breakfast then you take the day cruise boat. The boat heads to Vung Ha area, the most seclude area in Bai Tu Long Bay, thence you enjoy kayaking, swimming, sunbathing or just relaxing.
You have lunch on boat and visit Thien Canh Son Cave. It is time the cruise gets you back to the mother boat. You join the mother boat on time to continue the happy hour.
Dinner and your overnight stay on boat.
After a light breakfast, you will transfer to Vung Vieng Fishing village by tender. Here, you have a rowing boat rowed by the fisherman to explore Vung Vieng fishing village and learn about the local fishing life.
You board the mother boat for the cruising back to the harbor as time you have lunch. Upon disembark at the harbor, you meet again your driver and transfer back to Hanoi, arriving at your hotel in late afternoon. The remainder of the day will be your own free time.
Free time until your driver meets at your hotel and take you to Noi Bai airport for your international departure flight.
Prestations incluses
Includes
- Accommodation in chosen hotels (Twin/Double share)
- En-suite and air-con cabin on cruise
- Travel in appropriate air-conditioned vehicles with an experienced safe drivers
- English speaking local guide(s) (or other language as your requirement)
- All entrance fee as mentioned in the programme
- Boat trip as itinerary
- Mtb Cannondale/Trek of 27.5″ wheel size with water cage & helmet for Mekong delta biking
- Kayak as itinerary and experienced guide
- Snack, fruit and water while cycling in Mekong Delta
- Drinking water during the tour
- VAT and other taxes
FAQs
(1.1) FIT – An initial deposit of 20% is required at the time of booking.
(1.2) Leisure groups – An initial deposit of 20% is required at the time of booking.
(1.3) Incentive and MICE groups – An initial deposit of 20% is required at the time of booking.
(1.4) In some circumstances it may be necessary for us to request additional deposits due to the contracture requirements of our suppliers. SKY ASIA TRAVEL will advise you of the complete conditions attached to any deposits required at the time of confirmation.
(1.5) In the event of the non-payment of any requested deposit, we reserve the right to cancel the reservation.
(1.6) Note that if many extra services are booked after initial confirmation, Cashel Travel may require extra payments.
(1.7) Please note initial deposits (20%) are non-refundable
Following the receipt of the initial deposit, the client will be furnished with a confirmation of the tour details. The client shall immediately notify in writing if any errors are noted. SKY ASIA TRAVEL shall not be responsible for any errors not so notified.
+/ Full payment must be received 45 days prior to the tour/programme commencement date unless credit facilities agreed.
+/ In the event of the non-payment by due date we reserve the right to cancel the reservation, and in such event all deposits received shall be non-refundable.
+/ In the event of billing errors we reserve the right to re-invoice the correct amount.
+/ Amendments: In the event of cancellation of individual participants which results in changes in number of passengers within the group, SKY ASIA TRAVEL might apply a charge.
Travel insurance and medical precautions are essential. We do not give specific advice on these matters as we are expert in neither, and individual circumstances differ.
We advise you to tell us the name of the company and its contact details so that we can give notification on your behalf if you are unable to do so in the unlikely event of an accident occurring.
If you are intending to engage in any activity that could be considered ‘hazardous’ in any way, you should check your insurance carefully to make sure that you will be covered in the case of an accident.
You can send your request via the form below.
Package name: Biking and kayaking the wonder Vietnam 13 days
