DISCOVER VIETNAM — 12 DAYS

4 photos

Included/Excluded

Round-trip economy class flight with Turkish Airlines
Internal flights: Da Nang – Saigon and Hue – Hanoi (20 kg baggage allowance)
Accommodation in the 5-star hotels listed in the program
1 night in a private cabin aboard a private junk boat
Meals as mentioned in the program
Boats, rowing boats, and bicycles
Entry tickets and cable car to the Golden Bridge
Air-conditioned transport
French-speaking guides throughout the journey (except during free time)
Entrance fees to monuments

Meals not mentioned in the program
Personal expenses, travel insurance, and tips for guides and drivers
Visa fees

Tour Plan

1 Arrival in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport arrivals and transfer you to the hotel for a shower.

Stroll along Dong Khoi Street, visit the Cathedral and the Central Post Office, and view the Reunification Palace from the outside. Visit the FITO Museum of Traditional Medicine. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Saigon, a small Khmer port in the 13th century, quickly came under heavy French influence (French fortifications from 1789), then colonization in 1859. The streets, urban layout, buildings, and even some names come directly from this strong influence. More recent history has also left a deep mark on the city: the war against the US. From Rue Catinat — opened by the French in the 19th century — to the Presidential Palace abandoned in haste by the Americans on April 30, 1975.

Overnight in Saigon. Included: French-speaking guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, 5-star hotel.

2 Saigon → My Tho → Cai Be

From My Tho, "the land of coconut," enjoy a boat ride through a maze of rivers, canals, and creeks (arroyos) to discover local life. Continue on foot and then by tuk-tuk to visit handicraft workshops and taste local products. Lunch in an orchard with a regional specialty — "elephant ear fish".

In the afternoon, a small boat ride in the shade of coconut palms along the Cai Coi River. Drive to Cai Be. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Included: French-speaking guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, rowing boats, tuk-tuk, Mekong Riverside Hotel.

3 Cai Be → Cu Chi → Saigon

Drive to Cu Chi (2h30). Visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels — located 60 km from Saigon city center, this complex 250-km network of underground tunnels was dug day and night by locals and resistance fighters during the Vietnam War. The tunnels were used by NLF (Viet Cong) combatants as hideouts, communication routes, supply lines, hospitals, food storage, and armories.

Lunch at a local restaurant. Drive back to Saigon. Dinner cruise on the Saigon River to admire the economic heart of the country.

Overnight in Saigon. Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, boats, breakfast, lunch, cruise dinner, 5-star hotel.

4 Saigon → Flight to Da Nang → Hoi An

Transfer to the airport for the Saigon – Da Nang flight. Upon arrival in Da Nang, 40 km drive to visit the ancient town of Hoi An.

Afternoon: Walking tour of the charming old town of Hoi An (formerly Faifo), long inhabited by the Cham and Vietnamese peoples and frequented by merchants from around the world:

Phuc Thanh Pagoda — the oldest in Hoi An (1454)
The Japanese Bridge — a covered bridge built in 1593 connecting the city's two districts, with a small pagoda topped with yellow and green tiles in the middle
Fujian Chinese Clan Temple — built in 1792, dedicated to Thien Hau, the protector goddess of fishermen and sailors

In late afternoon, a small boat excursion on the Thu Bon River is the perfect way to enjoy the day's most beautiful moment. Arriving at the fishing village of Cua Dai Beach, you'll board a boat to sail to the mouth of the Thu Bon River. At this time of day, you'll capture beautiful images of hundreds of fishing boats heading out for the night's catch.

You'll have the chance to meet local fishermen and try fishing — or even rowing a traditional round basket boat. After returning to the main boat, enjoy a fabulous sunset over the Thu Bon River. Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Hoi An. Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, 5-star hotel.

5 Hoi An → Golden Bridge → Ba Na Hills

Drive toward Ba Na: visit the Golden Bridge (Cau Vang) — opened in June 2018 and located in the forest above the Ba Na hills outside Da Nang. The bridge draws visitors thanks to its striking structure, held aloft by two giant hands.

45 km transfer to the cable car station, then 25 minutes by cable car up to see the Golden Bridge. Discover Ba Na Hills. Buffet lunch.

Return to the hotel around 3:00 PM, arrival around 4:00 PM — free time at the beach. Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Hoi An. Included: French-speaking guide, entrance fees, cable car, breakfast, lunch, 5-star hotel.

6 Hoi An → Hue

Drive to Hue crossing the famous Hai Van Pass (Cloud Pass) — beautiful scenery and photo opportunities.

Afternoon: Visit the Minh Mang Mausoleum, conical hat-making workshops, and incense stick production. Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Hue. Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, 5-star hotel

7 Hue → Flight to Hanoi

Morning sampan boat ride on the Perfume River with a visit to Thien Mu Pagoda. The Perfume River runs through Hue and owes its name to the spring fragrance released by the fruit trees growing along its banks. Boarding takes place at the foot of Thien Mu Pagoda, where medicinal herbs were also once cultivated.

Visit the Imperial Citadel: the Noon Gate, the Palace of Supreme Harmony, the Temple of the Nguyen Emperors, the Royal Theater, and more.

Then transfer to the airport for the Hue – Hanoi flight.

Overnight in Hanoi. Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, 5-star hotel.

8 Hanoi → Mai Chau → Pu Luong

Drive to Pu Luong, passing through the capital of the White Thai ethnic group at Mai Chau. We'll take the road crossing the plateau famous for its orange and sugarcane plantations along the Black River.

Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, continue through Muong and White Thai villages on the edge of the Pu Luong Nature Reserve. Rest and walk among the Thai villages to admire the terraced rice paddies.

Overnight in Pu Luong.

45 min walking — bring hiking shoes
Vehicle: 6 hours

Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, ticketing, lunch, Pu Luong Retreat Hotel.

9 Pu Luong → Ninh Binh

Drive to Halong on Land (Tam Coc / Ninh Binh) — 3h30 drive.

Bike ride through the villages of the inland Halong Bay. Visit the Thai Vi Temple, dedicated to the Tran kings and generals, and the Jade Pagoda, where the film Indochine was shot.

Late afternoon: rowing boat ride to admire the landscapes of limestone karst peaks. Local lunch.

Overnight at the hotel in inland Halong Bay. Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, breakfast, lunch, 5-star hotel.

10 Ninh Binh → Halong Bay

Departure for Halong Bay — a UNESCO World Heritage site — crossing the rice fields of the Red River. Arrival in Halong around noon, welcomed by the crew at the pier. Board for a 24-hour cruise aboard a junk to discover one of the world's most spectacular bays.

Around 1:00 PM, a welcome drink will be offered, followed by the crew's introduction and safety briefing. Then seafood lunch on board as your junk sails deeper into the bay, amid extraordinary karst landscapes.

In the afternoon, visit Luon Cave by rowing boat. Weather permitting, you can swim at Ti-Top Island. At the end of the afternoon, return to the boat and free time as the cruise continues toward the night's anchorage point.

Demonstration of traditional Vietnamese cooking on the upper deck. Dinner on board. Various evening activities (fishing, dancing…) depending on the weather.

Overnight aboard the junk.

Boarding around 12:30 PM
Vehicle: 3h30 drive

Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, lunch, dinner, traditional junk.

11 Halong → Hanoi

We recommend waking at dawn to enjoy the calm and magical atmosphere of Halong Bay — if the weather is good, you'll be rewarded with a magnificent sunrise. Tai Chi initiation before breakfast on board.

The cruise continues to explore Halong Bay's most beautiful and peaceful corners. Visit one of the bay's most stunning natural caves — Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave). Return on board for brunch as the junk heads back to the pier.

Disembark and drive to Hanoi. Cyclo (rickshaw) ride through the narrow alleys of Hanoi. Evening water puppet show.

Dinner and overnight in Hanoi. Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, brunch lunch, 5-star hotel.

12 Hanoi → Return Flight

City tour where you'll discover Hanoi — a subtle blend of colonial architecture and modernity that gives the city a charming provincial feel.

You'll discover from the outside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh Square. A short walk through the park containing Ho Chi Minh's House and Office, the former Palace of the Governor-General of Indochina, and the One-Pillar Pagoda.

Continuing through the political district, visit the Quan Thanh Taoist Temple and the Tran Quoc Pagoda (Defense of the Country, 6th century). Visit the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong to honor scholars and writers. Dedicated to Confucius, it is a rare and well-preserved example of traditional Vietnamese architecture.

Transfer to the airport for the Hanoi – Casablanca flight.

Included: vehicle, French-speaking guide, entrance fees, lunch.