Authentic Vietnam Discovery

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.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Exploring the Temple of Literature or Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, the outstanding Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, visiting the French Quarter, and discovering the Hanoi Old Quarter

9:00 AM: Get picked up by tour guide to the Temple of Literature which was built under the Ly dynasty in the 11th century for worshipping Confucius and teaching Royal children. Enjoy a walk in the garden to the city’s symbol Khue Van Cac. You will then visit the World Heritage "stone steles” which shows the names of outstanding students. Continue to explore the Quoc Tu Giam which is considered the first national university of Vietnam.

The next stop is the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (closed every Monday) which offers a deep insight into Vietnamese culture through traditional costumes, tools, musical instruments, and traditional houses of many ethnic groups. To fully explore this interesting museum, it takes you around two hours. 

In the afternoon, visit (outside) Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum before continuing the day with a walking tour in the Hanoi Old Quarter. Start with a small pagoda named Ba Da quietly located in a small alley - only a few steps from the Hanoi Great Cathedral, built by French colonialism in the 19th century. Your tour guide takes you to typical streets of Hanoi, such as Lan Ong Street, which sells traditional medicine, and Lo Ren Street, where metal items are produced. Stop to visit the Dong Xuan Central Market - the largest in Hanoi. Continue walking to the famous area for night activities and street food - Ta Hien Street, where you can see the vibrant streets with a lot of amazing local foods and drinks. Try to taste some for an unforgettable experience.

Return to the city center and take a break before attending the water puppet show, a unique performance that originated in the 11th century. These shows depict the daily life, culture, and beliefs of the Vietnamese people through puppets moving on water. The performance often includes traditional music as well.

Come back to the hotel. End of the day​

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)

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.
 

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 Van Long. 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.
Continue to Van Long, an international nature reserve and stop again to visit Chau Son Monastery located in the romantic countryside of Nho Quan District, inspired by Gothic styles and built with red bricks in 1939. It is remarkable for its tranquility.

Arrive in Van Long in the late afternoon and check in to your homestay where you will meet a typical 3-generation rural family. Be welcomed to their home with a cup of tea and learn about their idyllic local lifestyles through intimate conversation.
 

After breakfast at homestay, enjoy a 15km bike ride ( or by car) and walk through the villages. A journey along the dyke will offer you gorgeous landscapes of rice fields, a river and limestone mountains. There are several stops for you to take beautiful photos or encounter the locals then walk to discover Thung La temple, dating back to the 11th century. Meet Mr Tuong, the temple guardian, and enjoy an authentic conversation as well as a 20 minute drum show. 

Later, take a sampan boat trip along the stream and among the limestone mountains to discover the beauty of Van Long Nature reserve. If lucky, you might get to see white monkeys and egrets on the cliffs.
After the boat trip, visit an embroidery village and take part in an embroidery course under the instruction of local craftswoman, Mrs Lam. She will proudly explain the techniques of her traditional craft. This will be a good opportunity for you to practice on fabric like a real craftsman.

Overnight at Hotel in Ninh Binh.

After breakfast, we will depart for Halong via Nam Dinh and Thai Binh province. These are famous for the extensive rice fields as far as your eyes can see will follow you along the way.
12:00 - Embarkation at Hon Gai port, relax with a welcome drink.
13:00 – Enjoy a seafood lunch on the boat while cruising in to the bay through the enchanting landscapes of Bai Tu Long Bay ( Small Dragon Bay).
15:30 - Take part in activities according to the boat such as: visit Thien Canh Son cave, go kayaking, take a bamboo sampan ride to the Vang Vieng fishing village or simply just relax on the boat.
18:00 - Return to the boat, shower and take a rest.
19:00 - Enjoy a delicious dinner on the boat.
Stay overnight in a private cabin (with air conditioner and shower)
 

You are advised to get up early to enjoy the fresh air and sunrise in the beautiful scenery of Bai Tu Long.
Breakfast on the boat.
08:30 - Enjoy activities. Either visit the cave or embark a small bamboo sampan to visit Vung Vieng Fishing village, one of the spectacular floating villages in Halong. Encounter the locals and fishermen’s farm as well as a floating school (depends on the boat’s activity schedule)
09:30 - Return to the boat and check out of the cabin.
10:00 - Cruise back to Hon Gai port. On the way back, we will enjoy lunch on the boat. Last look at the legendary bay where dragons once descended.
11:45 - Arrive at the pier and transfer back to Hanoi and directly to airport for flight to Hue. On arrival get a pick up to hotel

Overnight in Hue.
Note: The Cruise’s activity schedule will be dependent on each cruise and tide. It is adjustable.

Transfer to the pier by the Perfume River bank to embark a Royal boat trip to the villages in the East of the city. This is an opportunity to discover the local life on the both sides of this poetic river.

Upon arrival in Tien Non village, disembark for a bike ride (or  motorbike) in the countryside through three villages: Tien Non, Thanh Tien and Sinh village.  The trip will immerse you into the daily rhythm of life in the villages.
In Tien Non Village, meet the villagers working on the fields and vegetable gardens. Then, visit a family worship house in the village.

Next, reach Thanh Tien village, an artificial paper flower village dating back 400 years. Besides the rural works, they make paper flowers for the New Year festival to offer their ancestors the best wishes. Visit Mr. Hieu’s family, one of the well-known artisans in the village to learn how to make paper flowers under his instruction. 

Keep going to Sinh Village, a cradle of 400 year folklore prints in Hue. Meet Mr. Phuoc who will explain the techniques of traditional prints. You will find beautiful souvenirs on this trip.
Finally, take the boat back to the city.

In the afternoon, visit Thien Mu Pagoda,  one of the oldest pagodas in Hue, dating back to 1601. This is the spiritual highlight of the city and well known for its majestic octagon tower and beautiful view of the Perfume River.
Then, continue to the most anticipated site in Hue, Hue citadel, the only vestige symbol for what was once the imperial city of Vietnam. It is inspired by the fortification of Vauban. The city is composed of three parts: Kinh Thanh (the Capital city), Hoang Thanh (the Imperial city) and Cam Thanh (the Forbidden City). The most beautiful sites in Hue are concentrated in this area including the flag tower, the South gate, the palace of supreme Harmony, the Dynasty temple area and the settlement area. 
Back to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Drive to Hoi An via Mandarin Road and Sea Cloud pass (Hai Van Pass). Stop on top of the pass to enjoy the breathtaking view of the ocean and Da Nang city. 
Arrive in Hoian at noon. Lunch is on your own.

Enjoy a city tour in Hoian ancient town which is listed in the Heritage of Humans.
Some real treasures that need to be discovered are Hoian Museum, Japanese bridge, China Town, Quan Thang ancient house, the local market and the old busy port of the 15th century for the international boats from China, Netherlands, Japan, and Poland.
Finally, visit the Thang Loi silk factory, known as a good establishment in Hoian to have tailor-made silk clothes.

In the evening, Embark on a small boat in Hoian town then depart to Thu Bon River which was once a very busy exchange place for a lot of international ships throughout the 15th century. The boat trip will take you along the river. This is a good chance for you to appreciate the landscape of the peaceful village by the river bank and admire the fishermen’s activities on the river. Enjoy the sunset in the late afternoon from April to November.
Overnight at Hoian.
 

Depart from your hotel in Hoian town either by bike or by boat to Kim Bong Village by the Thu Bon River.
Start a discovery in Kim Bong. This village has long been known for its wood carving. At first, the artisans inherited the techniques from the northern Vietnamese. Later, from business exchange, they could successfully adopt the know-how of Chinese and Japanese sculptures and cultivate their own style.

Stroll around the village to understand their daily life and visit a carpenter's workshop to admire their talent. It is possible to buy some wood products for your souvenirs.
After that, you can enjoy a 5km bike ride or motorbike taxi (if you choose not to ride a bike) from Kim Bong to Tra Nhieu. This is a real immersion into the countryside in the center of Vietnam. 
The trip will allow some unprecedented meetings for instance, Ms Duoc with the mat weaving, Mr Kha with the bamboo sampan basket making and Mr Huynh Ri with his craftsman shipyard.
A countryside landscape of palm and rice fields, buffaloes and farmers in the fields will surround you along the way.

Arrive in Tra Nhieu, then set off on a boat trip on the Thu Bon River to Cam Thanh Village.
Enjoy some green tea at Mr Day's fisherman family then re-embark the bamboo sampan basket to go crab catching in the water palm tree forest. This is a relaxing moment after hours of biking.
Lunch at Mr Day.

After lunch, enjoy a nice walk in the village to discover how they make nipa for roofs and their daily activities.
Return to your hotel by 15:30
 

Free in the morning, then meet our driver for a transfer to airport for a short flight to Saigon.
On arrival, get a pick up to hotel.
Overnight in Saigon.

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.

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.

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)
 

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.
 

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.

Enjoy your last minutes in the most vibrant city in Vietnam before transferring to airport for your next flight or flight home.

Tour ends.