Discover the ethnic minorities villages and the natural beauty
Explore the floating markets and traditional craft villages in the Mekong River Delta.
Enjoy rafting along the river.
Experience a homestay in the local villages.
Trek in the valley of rice terraces.
Try traditional local food and specialities.
DO YOU KNOW? THIS IS A PRIVATE TOUR AND AUTHENTIK TRAVEL COULD CUSTOMIZE IT TO FIT YOUR TRAVEL PLAN AND EXPECTATION!
Detail Program
Day 01 :
Saigon arrival (-/-/D)
Our Authentik Travel’s tour guide and driver will welcome you at airport and transfer to Hotel in the city center.
Get some first briefing information about our country and enjoy a welcome dinner in a finest local restaurant.
Overnight in Saigon
Day 02 :
Saigon - full day city tour (B/-/-)
After your breakfast, Enjoy a full day Saigon city tour.
Meet our tour guide and driver at your htoel to enjoy a full day city tour.
Visit the Reunification palace (or the war memorials Museum), Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office inspired by Orsay Station in Paris.
Then, transfer to Cho Lon District to discover its old quarter, Binh Tay Market and the colorful Quan Am pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in the city. Its architecture and decorations have remained since its construction.
Return to Saigon city for a walk in the city center visiting sites like the former Catinat streets, the Opera house, City Hall as well as Ben Thanh market.
Overnight in Saigon.
Day 03 :
Saigon - Ben Tre (B/L/D)
Our tour guide and driver meet you at your hotel for your transfer to Ben Tre, a beautiful region in the Mekong Delta River, famous for making coconut candy.
Arrive at Hung Vuong pier, then take a boat trip on the Ben Tre River to discover the daily local life.
Stop to visit the brick kiln of Mr Tu Lo and discover the craft methods of making bricks.
Next, visit the coconut factory and meet Mr Vo Van Ba. He is a man passionate about traditional music and has spent all his life making a collection of fifty folk instruments. Here, you can attend a show to appreciate his passion.
Continue your boat trip on a canal to Nhon Thanh Village. This will be an opportunity to taste the fresh fruits.
Take a bike ride (or Tuk tuk) on a small path through the villages and enjoy views of the coconut ranges, rice fields and vegetable gardens. A lunch of Elephant fish ear is served in the village. A short walk will help you to discover the local life in depth. This is followed by a boat ride on the small canal shaded by the wild palm trees.
For those who wish to ride a bike, you can go to Mr Sau Khanh’s house to admire his collection of ancient objects, then continue through the rice fields and meet the locals and join them in their work.
Dinner and overnight in Ben Tre.
Day 04 :
Ben Tre - Cho Lach - Tra Vinh (B/L/D)
After breakfast, transfer to Cho Lach and Tra Vinh with a stop to visit a Bonsai garden on the way. Cross the Mekong River by Ferry. Arrive at the Cau Ke villages of Khmer people. It belongs to Tra Vinh province.
Check into the homestay.
Lunch is served at the homestay, then enjoy a bike ride through Ba Mi village. Visit the surrounding area and meet the local farmers who work on the garden (vegetable or fruit garden). This is an opportunity to witness the local life and the hospitality of the people in this region. Continue to visit the cathedral and Ba Mi School (closed during the summer holiday)
End your bike ride with a visit to Khmer pagoda before returning to the homestay for refreshments.
Enjoy dinner and stay overnight at Sounsia homestay.
(Note: there are 1-2 motorbikes for those who cannot ride bike)
Day 05 :
Tra Vinh - Sa Dec - Long Xuyen (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the homestay. Take a bike ride through the nursery fields. Continue to visit some Khmer villages, Canh Dai, Tra Khao, and Giong Lon, then depart by car to Huynh Ky's family house, dated back to the beginning of the 20th century, which has preserved a mixture of oriental and western architecture.
Transfer to Long Xuyen via Sa Dec where we visit Kien An Cung pagoda, and visit Huynh Thuy Le's house from the novel by Marguerite Duras “ L’Amant – the Lover”, Discover the local market in Sa Dec which is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish.
Continue to Long Xuyen, visit Cao Dai temple and a crocodile farm on route.
Stay overnight in Long Xuyen.
Day 06 :
Long Xuyen - Saigon (B/-/-)
In the morning, transfer to the animated and authentic floating market and village in Long Xuyen on a small tributary of the Mekong River Discover the daily activities of people living by the river.
Enjoy a boat trip to Cu Lao Ong Ho where there is a small museum about our president Ton Duc Thang.
Take a bike ride on the island and enjoy the beauty of the peaceful landscapes.
Travel by road to Saigon via Sa Dec. Enjoy a visit to Sa Dec flower garden.
Arrive in Saigon and check in to your hotel.
Overnight in Saigon.
Day 07 :
Saigon - fly to Hanoi (B/-/-)
Enjoy your breakfast at hotel and transfer to airport for flight to Hanoi.
On arrival, get a pick up to hotel. Check in at your hotel (after 12:00pm) or leave your luggage at the hotel and enjoy a walk in the old quarter. The city was built in the 10th century by the villagers near the Red River Delta. You can see the special architecture in the houses with their narrow width and deep length. You will be able to discover some popular streets such as Ma May, Hang Ma, Hang Dong, Hang Bac and Hang Gai and for tourist sites stop at Dong Xuan market, the biggest market in the northern Vietnam, Bach Ma temple (White horse temple) and the traditional ancient house at 87 Ma May Street. Head back to your hotel.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 08 :
Hanoi city tour (B/-/-)
Today, we discover the wonders of the capital of Vietnam, filled with timeless charm. Start by visiting Van Mieu (Temple of Literature), the first University of Vietnam built from the 11th century by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong. Continue to visit Chua Ha (Ha Pagoda), known as a sacred place to pray for luck in love, especially for your future spouse.
After that, transfer to the Ethnology Museum (closed every Monday) which offers a deep insight into Vietnamese culture through traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments and traditional houses of many minority ethnic groups. Enjoy a special water puppet show in the museum garden. Lunch is served in a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, discover the Ho Chi Minh complex including the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's House on stilts and the fish pond.
For those who are interested in visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, it is only open in the morning and closed every Monday and Friday. Sometimes it is necessary to queue for a couple of hours to go inside the mausoleum.
Transfer to the old quarter to visit Hoan Kiem lake (Restored Sword Lake) and Ngoc Son temple in the middle of the lake.
Return to your hotel in the late afternoon.
Day 09 :
Hanoi - Mai Chau (B/L/D)
At 8.00am, meet our Authentik Travel tour guide and driver, then depart to Mai Chau where the Muong people live.
On the way, we will visit a Muong village at Cau Trong. Continue to the Thung Khe pass which offers a splendid panoramic view of the valley before arriving in Mai Chau town.
Mai Chau is a beautiful valley, located 150km away from Hanoi. It is great place with harmonious landscapes, green mountain ranges, rice terraces, villages, White Thai ethnic people and their houses on stilts.
Arrive at around 12:00pm and enjoy lunch with delicious traditional food from the village. Relax then discover the valley by bike or on foot to Na Phon, through the rice fields and villages. Discover the local culture and the locals daily life. On the way, see the rural work on rice fields, weaving craftsman, encounter the locals, and visit a Thai family. All of these make up the authentic life of the locals in this region.
Go back to the village for dinner and enjoy a homestay at the village (stay at the house on stilts for a comfortable authentic experience with basic equipment.
Included: clean mattress, pillow, mosquito net, blankets, outside WC)
Option: you could attend a traditional dancing show while tasting local alcohol (On request)
Day 10 :
Mai Chau - Pa Co - Hang Kia - Cun Pheo - Mai Hich (B/L/D)
Depart from Mai Chau to Pa Co. It is possible to visit a local market in Pa Co on Sundays.
Pa Co is located 35 km from Mai Chau, close to the Moc Chau plateau. This is a place home to the Hmong ethnic people living in the hills.
Start trekking from Pa Co to the Hang Kia commune through the green Hmong villages. This ethnic group previously cultivated poppies. However, nowadays they cultivate maize, manioc, and groundnuts.
Discover the local life in the Hmong village and visit a family, school and dispensary while surrounded by plum hills, primitive forests, and rice terraces.
Enjoy a picnic lunch then trek down the slopes to reach Cun Pheo Valley in the afternoon. Meet our driver and transfer to Mai Hich.
Overnight in Mai Hich homestay.
Day 11 :
Mai Hich - Eo Ken - Chieng Lau - Don village (B/L/D)
Enjoy your breakfast at the village and transfer to Eo Ken, 30km away from Mai Hich.
Arrive in Eo Ken where the Muong ethnic group lives. Walk down the slope and enjoy the spectacular view of Pu Luong Nature reserve, rice field terraces and mountains. Visit a Muong ethnic family in Eo Ken village and discover their authentic life.
Continue walking through this beautiful landscape and cross a stream to reach another village, Hang Village. Have lunch at a local family home or enjoy a picnic.
In the afternoon, transfer to Chieng Lau Village a beautiful rice field area with bamboo water wheels, and walk through the fields to the village and encounter the locals to discover their life, culture and customs.
Another highlight of the day is taking a bamboo raft along the river which will give you an exceptional moment of relaxation after walking.
Transfer to Don Village for dinner and stay overnight.
Day 12 :
Don - Bang - Kho Muong Village - Uoi village (walking 15km) (B/L/D)
Have breakfast at the homestay then enjoy a day of trekking to discover the Pu Luong Nature Reverse and its inhabitants.
Start from Don Village and cross the rice terraces to Kho Muong village, the most remote village in Pu Luong, located in the valley and surrounded by the beautiful lime stone mountains and rice terraces. Kho Muong is home to a Thai ethnic group. Have your camera ready to capture the breathtaking scenery of rice terraces and encounter the locals en route.
Lunch will be served in the homestay at Kho Muong Village.
In the afternoon, continue following the trails in the forest and the manioc field to reach Uoi village, a beautiful village home to another Thai ethnic group who still preserve their thatched houses. Keep walking to Lan Ngoai Village before transferring back to your accommodation.
Day 13 :
Pu Luong - Scared fish - Hanoi (B/L/-)
Enjoy breakfast then start a new day by trekking down to the splendid valley of the rice terraces.
On the way, encounter the ethnic people who colorize the rice field with their traditional clothing. Your camera should be ready for some wonderful and unique photos. You will pass through some villages such as Uoi, Lan Ngoai, Du, and Leo.
They are home to the friendly Thai ethnic group who live in houses on stilts. A memorable encounter is guaranteed whenever you visit their house.
Meet our driver for a transfer to Hanoi. On the way, visit the sacred fish stream in Cam Luong. This place is well known for a special kind of fish in the stream. It is called a sacred fish for the many mysterious stories created around this special creature.
Arrive in Hanoi in the late afternoon.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 14 :
Hanoi departure (B/-/-)
Enjoy your last minutes in the capital of Vietnam before transfer to airport for your flight to next destinations or flight home.
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