Day 1: ARRIVAL IN HANOI (D)

Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, hotel check-in, enjoy a rickshaw ride. Dinner. O/N in Hanoi

Day 2: HANOI (B-L-D)

Full day city tour Hanoi: visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, HCM’s house and garden, the One Pillar Pagoda, 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)

Transfer to Halong Bay, explore some hills of Pinus Latteri on the way. 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

Day 4: HALONG BAY – HANOI – NIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI (B-L-D)

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

Transfer to Hanoi railway station, get on the night train to go to Lao Cai. Overnight on train

Day 5: LAO CAI – MOUNTAIN MARKET – SAPA (B-L-D)

Early arrival in Lao Cai, transfer to a colourful hill tribes’ market of Muong Khuong or Coc Ly or Cao Son. Transfer to Sapa. Dinner. Overnight in Sapa

Day 6: SAPA (B-L-D)

Soft trekking to villages: Y Lin Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van of Back H’mong and Day peoples

Another walk to visit the Cat Cat waterfall and village of the Black H’mong group. Have a look at the local Cunninghamia lasiolata on the way. Overnight in Sapa

Day 7: SAPA – LAO CAI – HANOI (B-L-D)

Morning visit a conifer nursery and botanical museum in Sapa.  Transfer back to Lao Cai, stop to visit Ta Phin village of the Red Dao group on the way – more exploration of conifer trees: Cunninghamia lasiolata, Fokienia hodginsii at the village. Boarding the night train back to Hanoi. Overnight on the train

Day 8 :  HANOI – HUE (B/L/D)

Early morning arrival in Hanoi, go to observe the Hanoi people doing exercises around the Hoan Kiem lake.

Flight to Hue, the former Royal city, a World Cultural Heritage. City tour visit the Royal Citadel of Hue, Dong Ba market. Overnight in Hue

Day 9: HUE (B-L-D)

Full day enjoy Hue’s typical features: peaceful, traditional and beautiful.

Activities: enjoy a lovely boat trip on the Perfume River to the beautiful Thien Mu pagoda, Tu Duc tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb. Take an excellent motorbike trip with drivers to interesting traditional villages and beautiful sceneries around Hue. Overnight in Hue

Day 10: HUE – HOIAN (B-D)

Transfer to Hoian, a World Cultural Heritage site. Visit the Cham Museum and Marble Mountains in Danang. City walk in Hoian: visit a museum, a Chinese temple, an old Chinese merchant’s house, the famous Japanese pagoda bridge, and many beautiful shops. O/N in Hoian.

Day 11: HOIAN – MY SON HOLY PLACE (B –L-D)

Excursion to My Son Holy Land, the former Religious capital of the Cham people, World Cultural Heritage Site with the scenic landscapes and mysterious Cham arts and architecture

Bike ride through the countryside or free time for shopping and relaxation. O/N in Hoian.

Day 12: HOIAN – DANANG –  DALAT (B-L-D)

Morning relaxation in Hoian. Flight to Dalat via HCMC. Free and easy in Dalat

Day 13: DALAT (B-L-D)

Full day exploring the conifer trees with a local Vietnamese expert at Bi Dup national park: 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 14: DALAT (B-L-D)

Visit Ta Nung conifer forests, a conifer nursery in Dalat, old conifer trees in the park of Dalat Sofitel where there is chance to see more of the above species. Overnight in Dalat

Day 15: DALAT – HCMC (B-L-D)

Touring around Dalat: Tuyen Lam Meditation Hall, Datanla waterfall, explore more conifer trees at these places. King Bao Dai’s summer palace, the Valley of Love, impressive XQ embroidery factory, Dalat market.

Flight to HCMC

Day 16: 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 17: HCMC – CU CHI TUNNELS – CAO DAI TEMPLE (B-L-D)

Excursion to the colourful Cao Dai Holy See of Cao Dai religion in Tay Ninh, a combination of 5 religions (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Catholicism, and Islam) and the impressive Cu Chi tunnels system of the most violent battlefields in the Vietnam War. Overnight in HCMC

Day 18: HCMC – MY THO – HCMC (B-L-D)

Excursion to My Tho. Visit the colourful Vinh Trang Pagoda. Take a wonderful boat ride on the Mekong River, visiting local houses and workshops of coconut candies, bee farm, fruit gardens, sampan ride through small canals. Lunch with the Vietnamese Southern style (elephant ear fish, big headed prawn, spring rolls, etc). Saigon River Dinner Cruise. O/N in HCMC

Day 19: HCMC – DEPARTURE FOR HOME SWEET HOME (B)

Departure flight home

Inclusions:

• Hotel accommodation with breakfast (based on twin sharing)
• All meals indicated in the program (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
• All ground transport on tour with A/C vehicles , trishaw, bike, motorbike, boats, trains, domestic flights
• All entrance fees for sightseeing
• Hiring Vietnamese experts of conifers in Dalat
• Local English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean speaking guide
• Portable water in the car

Exclusions:

• International and domestic flight tickets to and from Vietnam
• Visa for Vietnam
• Personal Insurance
• Any extra drives to other places not indicated in the program to see more conifers
• Personal expenses such as other meals, drinks, tips
• All other accounts not mentioned in the above inclusions