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FOLLOW THE COAST

By train, by car and a flight with Vietnam Airlines, you will travel along the over 1700 kilometers long coastline from Hanoi to Saigon. You will have plenty of time to explore the cities along the way at your own pace. Additionally, three extensive excursions are included in this trip.

 
 


DAY 1  HANOI
We will personally welcome you at Noi Bai Airport and take you to our family guest house, located outside the busy tourist center but situated in a cozy neighborhood near West Lake.




DAY 2  HANOI
At 8 am you leave our family guest house for the Red River. After a short walk you reach what is popularly called 'Banana Island'. That is not without reason because the walk continues along narrow paths surrounded by banana plants. But besides that, you will see - depending on the season - corn, tomatoes and morning glory, among other things. After you have crossed the island you reach the more than a kilometer wide river. If you wish, you can take a refreshing swim here. Then you'll reach the famous Long Bien Bridge. Famous because it was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Via this bridge you walk to Hanoi's Old Quarter where you will be introduced to local culinary specialties during a food tour. Afterwards you will visit a performance in the famous Water Puppet Theatre. You can then choose to stay in center of Hanoi or walk back to our guest house via Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum.

MEALS: B




DAY 3  HANOI - HALONG - HALONG BAY
You will be picked up in Hanoi at 8 am and travel by comfortabel bus to Halong. Around noon you will board a junk boat and visit Titop Beach and the Sung Sot Cave. You will have a cooking class and learn how to make nem (Vietnamese spring rolls). After dinner, there is an opportunity to go squid fishing. You will spend the night on board

MEALS: B, L, D





DAY 4  HALONG BAY
You will depart on a smaller boat to Lan Ha Bay, where you can kayak and swim. Lunch will be served on board, and in the afternoon, there is more opportunity to explore this bay. At the end of the afternoon, you will return to the 'mother ship' where you will spend the night again.

MEALS: B, L, D





DAY 5  HALONG BAY - HALONG - HANOI
If you are able to wake up early during your vacation, then Taichi in the morning on the sun deck might be your thing. After lunch, you return to the city of Halong where you will get on the bus back to Hanoi.

MEALS: B, L





DAY 6  HANOI - BAC HA
At 9 am you will embark on the first day of a seven-day car journey. As the day progresses, the landscape becomes increasingly mountainous, and after a while, you will pass through the first ethnic minority villages of Tay and H'mong. You will arrive in Bac Ha around 5 pm.

HOTEL: Bac Ha Lodge Retreat
MEALS: B





DAY 7  BAC HA - CAN CAU - BAC HA
In the morning, you will visit the Saturday market of Can Cau, an exceptionally colorful market visited by people from the Flower H'mong minority. Oxen, pigs, dogs, and corn wine - with an alcohol percentage of more than fifty percent - are the main commodities. In addition to the local population, the market is also popular among Chinese traders. In the afternoon, you will have plenty of opportunity to explore the local area. A few kilometers from your hotel lies the village of Ban Pho, where you can see how corn wine is made - and you'll almost certainly be invited to toast with the distillers - and how cast-iron agricultural tools are crafted.

HOTEL: Bac Ha Lodge Retreat
MEALS: B





DAY 8  BAC HA - SAPA
The day begins with a visit to the Sunday market in Bac Ha. This market is larger than the one in Can Cau and, in addition to various ethnic groups, you will see many "ordinary" Vietnamese. After the market visit, you will depart for Sapa.

HOTEL: Sapa Cloud Hotel
MEALS: B





DAY 9  SAPA - SON LA
For two days you will travel through the most beautiful - and highest - part of Vietnam. Although it might seem like a "long haul," you won't be bored for a moment. Not only will the mountain landscape, waterfalls, and rivers with their rickety suspension bridges (monkey bridges) fascinate you, but also the everyday life: a scooter loaded with live pigs, children riding water buffaloes by the roadside, and chickens narrowly escaping the car's wheels.

HOTEL: Mường Thanh Luxury Hotel
MEALS: B





DAY 10  SON LA - MAI CHAU
You will arrive in Mai Chau in the afternoon, where you will spend the night in a traditional stilt house with the Tay people

MEALS: B, D





DAY 11  MAI CHAU
When you wake up in the morning, you will look out over the dewy rice fields where women have already started working in the early hours. You discuss today's program with your tour guide: an extensive trek, a light walk or cycling are possible

MEALS: B, D





DAY 12  MAI CHAU - HANOI
In the valley where Mai Chau is located, you can take a morning walk before returning to Hanoi.

MEALS: B




DAY 13  HANOI - DONG HOI
In Hanoi, you can use the day to catch your breath after the exertions of the past few days and to do some shopping in the Old Quarter. In the evening we take you to Hanoi station for the night train journey to Dong Hoi.

MEALS: B




DAY 14  DONG HOI - PHONG NHA
Upon arrival we will take you to your hotel. Before checking in, you can take a walk and have breakfast.

HOTEL: Phong Nha Lake House





DAY 15  PHONG NHA
At 9 am you will depart from your hotel to the stunning Paradise Cave - Asia's longest dry cave. After lunch it takes about an hour to reach Phong Nha Cave by car and boat. You'll wander around here for a few hours before returning to your hotel.

HOTEL: Phong Nha Lake House
MEALS: B, L




DAY 16  PHONG NHA - HUE
After breakfast you will travel by car to Hué in four hours. There is plenty of room for coffee and photo stops along the way.

HOTEL: Asia Hotel
MEALS: B



DAY 17  HUE
Many cultural treasures of the former capital were lost during the Vietnam War - the Vietnamese understandably refer to it as the American War. Thanks in part to extensive restoration work, Hue still exudes a 'royal' atmosphere. A boat trip offers an excellent opportunity to explore the surroundings of Hue. Day of leisure.

HOTEL: Asia Hotel
MEALS: B




DAY 18  HUE - DANANG - HOI AN
After breakfast you will travel by car to Hoi An. You follow the coastal route with the highlight - literally and figuratively - the Hai Van Pass ('Cloud Pass') with a wonderful view of the ocean and Danang. You will arrive in Hoi An around noon.

HOTEL: Loc Phat Hoi An Villa
MEALS: B



DAY 19  HOI AN
Hoi An is a town that has retained much of its charm despite a boom in tourism. It is the ideal place for shopping. Very few leave this place without having a tailor-made suit, an evening dress or traditional Vietnamese clothing made. If you indicate your wishes and measurements in the morning, you can already put on your handmade order in the evening. In addition to tailor-made clothing, you can also buy beautiful woodwork here.

HOTEL: Loc Phat Hoi An Villa
MEALS: B





DAY 20  HOI AN - DANANG - SAIGON
We will take you to Danang Airport for your flight with Vietnam Airlines to Saigon. Upon arrival, we will bring you to your hotel.

HOTEL: Little Saigon Boutique Hotel
MEALS: B



DAY 21  SAIGON
Despite having spent three weeks in Vietnam already, you might still experience a culture shock when walking through the Chinese district of Cho Lon in Saigon. Busy, dirty, and noisy are commonly used terms for the former capital of South Vietnam. And yet, Saigon undeniably has its charm. The best way to immerse yourself in the bustling mass of scooters, cars, and vendors is to use a cyclo: the Vietnamese version of a rickshaw. Those who want to escape Saigon for a day can visit the Cao Dai sect in Tay Ninh and the Cu Chi tunnels from which the Viet Cong made life difficult for the Americans during the war.

HOTEL: Little Saigon Boutique Hotel
MEALS: B



DAY 22  SAIGON
Day at leisure.

HOTEL: Little Saigon Boutique Hotel
MEALS: B





DAY 23  CAN THO - SAIGON
With private car, boat, and tour guide, you will explore the Mekong Delta for three days; you will depart at 8 am from Saigon towards Cai Be. There, you will board at 10:30 am for a journey through the local floating market. After a walk through the village, a boat trip through a maze of canals will take you to one of the many islets to enjoy the fruit that the Mekong Delta is so famous for. After another boat trip to Vinh Long, you will travel by land to Can Tho.

HOTEL: Fortune Land
MEALS: B




DAY 24  CAN THO - CHAU DOC
Visits to two floating markets are on the schedule today: Cai Rang in Can Tho and Phong Dien. After visiting the Thot Not bird sanctuary and having lunch, you will depart for Chau Doc. From Sam Mountain, you will have a beautiful view of the Mekong Delta as it stretches into Cambodia.

HOTEL: Chau Pho Hotel
MEALS: B, L





DAY 25  CHAU DOC - SAIGON
After visiting the Muslim minority in Chau Doc, you will return to Saigon.

HOTEL: Little Saigon Boutique Hotel
MEALS: B



DAY 26  SAIGON
We bring you to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your return flight home.

MEALS: B



Included:
- Good hotels, including breakfast ()
- Overnight in our family guest house ()
- Overnight in a local home stay ()
- An English-speaking tour guide ()
- Private car with driver ()
- Participation in a join-in tour (approx. 15 participants) to Halong Bay ()
- Transport and transfers as stated
- Meals as stated (B, L, D)


Not included:
- Flights to and from Vietnam
- Visa
- Insurance
- On-site expenses for meals and sightseeing, and personal expenses


Price per person (group of 2 people): USD 2.408,00
Price per person (group of 4 people): USD 1.888,00