Day 1: ARRIVAL IN HANOI (D)

Upon arrival in Hanoi, meet our guide at the airport, then go to check in a hotel, enjoy a wonderful rickshaw ride in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi

Day 2: HANOI (B-L-D)

Full day city tour Hanoi: visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Ethnology Museum, the Temple of Literature, the Fine Art museum, walk in the charming and interesting Old Quarter, enjoy the unique water puppet show.

Overnight in Hanoi

Day 3: HANOI – HALONG BAY  (B-L-D)

Morning check-out the hotel, go to Halong Bay, explore some hills of Pinus Latteri on the way. Upon arrival in Halong, check-in a junk and start cruising around the beautiful bay. Enjoy delicious seafood meals, magnificent grottos, water activities of swimming, kayaking, fishing, etc.

Overnight aboard in Halong Bay

Day 4: HALONG BAY – HANOI (B-L-D)

Morning continue the beautiful boat trip on the Bay. Enjoy a great seafood lunch on the boat

Afternoon: Drive back to Hanoi, check in a hotel and relax

Overnight in Hanoi

Day 5: HANOI – HA GIANG (B-L-D)

After breakfast, check out the hotel and transfer to Ha Giang. Stop on the way to see some conifers: Pinus Latteri, Pinus Kesiya, Cunninghamia lasiolata, etc.

Check in a hotel, have dinner at a local restaurant

Overnight in Ha Giang

Day 6: HA GIANG – DONG VAN (B-L-D)

Full day transferring to Dong Van town bordering with China. Stop in Quang Ba and Yen Minh to see many conifers species on the mountains, on the hills or at a nursery: Taxus chinensis, Xanthocyparis vietnamensis, Pinus Kesiya, Pinus Latteri, Podocarpus neriifolius, Podocarpus pilgeri, Nageia wallichiana, ect. You will be impressed by the stunning mountainous landscapes.

Check in a hotel and have dinner at a local restaurant

Overnight in Dong Van

Day 7: DONG VAN – HA GIANG (B-L-D)

Morning visit a nursery in Dong Van, then explore more conifers on the hills.

Enjoy a nice walk to the market and old town of Dong Van, then take an excursion to Lung Cu hill which is marked as the Northern tip of Vietnam.

Transfer back to Ha Giang

Check in a hotel have dinner at a local restaurant

O/N in Ha Giang

Day 8: HA GIANG – HANOI (B-L-D)

Morning check out the hotel and transfer back to Hanoi

Check in a hotel, relax, or enjoy shopping in the Old Quarter

Overnight in Hanoi

Day 9: HANOI –  DALAT (B-L-D)

After breakfast, free morning till check-out and take morning flight to Dalat at mid-day. Upon arrival at the Lien Khuong airport, transfer to Dalat, have lunch and Check in a hotel

Afternoon city tour in Dalat, visit Long Phuoc pagoda, Dalat colorful railway station, Dalat market, XQ fine embroidery gallery.

Overnight in Dalat

Day 10: DALAT (B-L-D)

Full day exploring the conifer trees with a local Vietnamese expert: Pinus kesiya, Pinus latteri, Pinus dalatensis, Cunninghamia lasiolata, Keteleeria evelyniana, Pinus krempfii, Dacrycarpus imbricatus, Dacrydium elatum, Nageia wallichiana, Podocarpus neriifolius, Cephalotaxus mannii, Taxus wallichiana

Overnight in Dalat

Day 11: DALAT (B-L-D)

Morning visit the peaceful Golden Valley and a conifer nursery in Dalat.

Afternoon visit Tuyen Lam Meditation Hall by cable car (1 way), Datanla waterfall, the Summer Palace of King Bao Dai, and explore more conifer trees at these places

Overnight in Dalat

Day 12: DALAT – HCMC (B-L-D)

Morning check-out the hotel, transfer to HCMC with a visit at the Pongour Waterfall

Arrival in HCMC, check in the hotel and rest till dinner at a local restaurant

Overnight in HCMC

Day 13: HCMC (B-L-D)

Full day city tour HCMC: China town, Thien Hau temple, the Reunification Palace, the War Museum, Notre Dam Cathedral, Central Post office, the Ben Thanh Market, a lacquer ware factory etc.

Overnight in HCMC

Day 14: HCMC – CUCHI TUNNELS – CAO DAI TEMPLE (B-L-D)

Full day excursion to the Cao Dai Holy See, an intricate construction and interesting religion that mixes 5 other religions together: Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Catholicism, and Islam.

In the afternoon, visit the Cu Chi tunnels, one of the most violent battlefields in the Vietnam War. You will learn about Vietnamese characteristics and history.

Overnight in HCMC

Day 15: HCMC – MY THO – HCMC (B-L-D)

Morning transfer to My Tho city located on the Mekong riverside, visit the colourful Vinh Trang Pagoda, then take a wonderful boat ride on the Upper Branch of the Mekong River, visiting local houses and workshops of making coconut candies, fruit gardens, boating through small canals. Have a lovely lunch with the Vietnamese Southern style in a garden.

Drive back to HCMC for relaxation.

Dinner and Overnight in HCMC

Day 16: DEPARTURE FOR HOME SWEET HOME (B)

Free time for shopping or relaxation till departure time

End of service

Inclusions:

-         Accommodation at the hotels as indicated, in superior twin sharing rooms, including breakfast, service charge, and taxes.

-         All meals as indicated in the itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)

-         Private modern A/C van, bus, boat trips, trishaw ride

-         Entrance fees for sightseeing and show

-         1 domestic flight

-         Hiring Vietnamese experts of conifers in Ha Giang and Dalat (including their fees, lunches)

-         Water and wet tissues on route

Exclusions:

-         International flight tickets to and from Vietnam

-         Visa for Vietnam 

-         Personal insurance

-        Personal expenses on other meals, drinks, tips, shopping, etc.

-         Any extra drives to other places not indicated in the program to see more conifers (still discussable)

-         Things not mentioned in the inclusions