Highlights of Vietnam

Price from 3,533 EUR / person

This active journey from north to south in Vietnam presents you with all the best in the country – whether you want to dive into the country’s history, culture or nature. You will see the well-known highlights such as Old Quarter in Hanoi, the minorities in Sapa, the historic city of Hoi An, and you come very close to the locals with, among other things, an overnight stay in classic post house, participation in cooking school and dinner with locals. All this combined with the most beautiful scenery, lovely food and sweet Vietnamese.

Travel day by day

  Activity Accommodation
Day 1 Departure from home country
Our travels are based on departure from international airports in EU, but if you are interested in departing from other airports, we can of course also help with that.

(- / - / -)
Day 2 History and culture in Ky Son Moon Garden Stilt House
At Hanoi Airport you will be greeted by our driver and driven the 70 km to Moon Garden Homestay. The Homestay, located in Ky Son Village, is an ideal place to experience the culture and history of the Red River Delta residents.

When you arrive at the Moon Garden Homestay, you will enjoy the welcome drink made by the local Tisane. Enjoy a hand-bath with your fingers dipped in a fragrant lime bowl and the traditional herbal hand massage then free time to relax or converse with the host family for local snacks, sharing cultures, and learning about traditional customs. If you want to learn Vietnamese, one of the family members can teach you. In the evening, you watch Buddha worship before dinner is served. Then you can enjoy a foot bath in hot water with ginger, salt and mugwort medicinal herbs before bedtime, giving you a deeper sleep.

(- / - / D)
Day 3 Cycling to ancient village of Duong Lam Hong Ngoc Dynastie
The morning starts with traditional Yijinjing exercises (quiet soft movements), so you are well underway with the day and are ready for today's bike ride. The tour goes to the traditional villages of Ky Son, Tam Son, Van Minh and Cham. Continue to Duong Lam's ancient historic village and the Mia Pagoda.
At the paths back towards Moon Garden you will pass the Ngo Quyen tomb and Phung Hung Temple.

Now you can relax in the hammock in the garden, take pictures or go on further exploration in the nearby surroundings or in Ky Son until it is time to depart for your hotel in Hanoi.

(M / F / -)
Day 4 Old Quarter of Hanoi and dinner at local house Hong Ngoc Dynastie
Guided tour of Hanoi's famous sights. Starting with the Ho Chi Minh complex, which includes the Mausoleum, Museum and One Pillar Pagoda. Later, the trip goes on to the Literature Temple, Old Quarter, Ngoc Son Temple and many more sights. You move partly on foot and partly in cyclo. Along the way you eat lunch at a local restaurant.

In the evening, visit a local family. Here you will learn about Vietnamese traditions, and of course taste well-prepared food from the world-famous Vietnamese cuisine.

(B / - / D)
Day 5 Minority village Nam Cang in Sapa Topas Riverside Lodge
Early in the morning, Topas Mountain Express will pick you up at the hotel in Hanoi, and then head off to Thanh Phu Bridge and Nam Cang, where, after a short walk through the village, you will be heading for a late lunch in the comfortable Nam Cang Riverside Lodge.

In the afternoon we explore a typical village inhabited by the Red Dao people. We are in the more pristine end of the Sapa area, and here the Red Dao women still carry some of the most colorful and richly ornate costumes among all of Vietnam's ethnic groups.

Red Dao especially unfolds their talents in healing baths, natural medicine and embroidery. Along with the local guide, you explore the village and see how the Red Dao produce rice paper, silver jewelry and embroidery.

Back at the lodge you have the opportunity to try one of the healing baths with special herbs that your host has collected in the jungle, which begins just behind the house. A very special and life-giving experience.

Dinner is served at the log's large wooden table or on the terrace overlooking the river.

(B / L / D)
Day 6 Jungle walk Topas Ecolodge
Today we are going to the jungle. Together with the local guide, we go from the morning to the discovery of the untouched nature, which fortunately are plenty of here the Sapa area. We must both experience the wild nature with all the scents and sounds and also meet the people who live in and by nature.

The higher you move up, the wilder and more impressive the landscape, trees alternate with bamboo, dense forest with open pieces. Familiar with the cardamom cultivated right here on the slopes, which is an important spice in many of the local dishes.

The locals you meet up here will often go barefoot, and why not you ... Take a well-deserved break at the little stream that runs out of the mountain, throw your shoes, enjoy the water's ripple and just dip your feet in the cool water. Maybe even a dip.

Today is a day where you are good at enjoying the surrounding nature, listening to the jungle birds and just being in the midst of all the overwhelming greenery.

You eat lunch along the way and are driven back to the lodge during the afternoon.

(B / L / -)
Day 7 Free time on Topas Ecolodge Hong Ngoc Dynastie
Most of the day is at your own disposal in and around Topas Ecolodge. Here is great to be, so maybe it's just what you need - enjoy the facilities of the place, the pool with mountain views, the spa department, relax with a book or go around the area where there is plenty to see. If you want a little further around, you have the opportunity to borrow one of the lodge's good mountain bikes.

You can also take the bus to Sapa, the nearest major city and a tourist and local center in the area. It is also possible to take a half-day trip to the highest mountain in Indochina, Mt. Fansipan (3.143 m.h.) with a newly created cable car.

Topas Mountain Express runs from Sapa at. 14 and from Topas Ecolodge at. 15 and will take you directly to the hotel in Hanoi.

(B / - / -)
Day 8 Cruise in Lan Ha Bay La Pinta
After breakfast, it's time to head for Lan Ha Bay. Lan Ha Bay is the neighboring bay to the more famous and crowded Halong Bay. In Lan Ha you have the same impressive nature, but share the space with fewer people.

You will be driven directly to the sea and the pier, where a smaller boat will take you to the larger ship, which will sail around Lan Ha Bay. The ship will also be your home the next few days, and therefore you get a good introduction to the ship and the safety aboard during the welcome drink.

Along the way to Cat Ba Island, you sail past lots of small islands, through canals and out through the Cat Ba National Park. Hundreds of beautiful limestone cliffs rise up from the sea, birds of prey circles and fishing boats churn back and forth.

After a delectable lunch with everything from the sea, caught right outside, there is a gangway on Cat Ba Island, where a bus takes you to Trung Trang cave in the protected forest in the middle of the island. On a short guided hike in the forest you will be introduced to the national park and the tropical nature.

Then there is the possibility of bathing and kayaking.
Back on the boat, the chefs will introduce you to traditional Vietnamese cooking. Maybe you will learn a few new tricks that can dup home in Denmark…

Dinner is served on board.
After dinner, try the squid fishing or enjoy your free time on the private balcony of your cabin.

(B / L / D)
Day 9 Transfer to Hoi An Hoi An Garden Villa
Wake up in the middle of the bay, breathe in the fresh air, watch the sunrise on the wide horizon and admire the breathtaking archipelago. A short boat trip in smaller boat takes you to a nearby fishing area with really nice opportunities for pictures.

Back on the cruise ship you can enjoy breakfast before heading for the Dark & Bright Cave. To get all the way to the cave you need to sail with a bamboo boat.

The cruise ship serves a delicious fare brunch before their limousine service returns you to Hanoi.

(B / L / -)
Day 10 Hoi An on your own Hoi An Garden Villa
Today you are on your own in Hoi An and here is plenty to look at. The old town is intersected by canals and you can find everywhere traces of the many traders who have visited the city for centuries. Portuguese, Dutch, Arab, Chinese, French - everyone has been here and left their mark. With the many interesting buildings from the different eras, it is natural that the city has the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sailors have been shopping here and got their clothes sewn in Hoi An since the city's heyday. The harbor is sandy to-day, but it still teems with good and cheap tailors who sew on purpose and deliver from day to day. Is it in Hoi An you need to renew your wardrobe?

(B / - / -)
Day 11 Cycling to Hidden Beach Hoi An Garden Villa
After breakfast you will be picked up at the hotel and today's menu is a full-day bike ride. First, the trip takes a local ferry a little up the river, where the first stop is a visit to Cam Kim village, which is especially known for its carpentry and wood carvings. The trip continues along quiet small roads through rice fields to a local market before we take a boat to Cam Thanh village. Here, the brave can try a trip on the water buffalo. The bike ride continues to the peaceful An Bang beach and a delicious lunch at a local family.

The afternoon is for relaxing on the beach, but why not try to catch fish with nets or from the small curve boats? The locals will gladly help you and it is a wonderful experience.

At the end of the day we cycle back to Hoi An

(B / L / -)
Day 12 Saigon Vespa Tour Blue Diamond
Experience the local nightlife and enjoy tasty food and live music as we drive on Vespa along the busy streets of this vibrant city. You are about to see how Saigon comes alive after dark!

Immerse yourself in the cosmopolitan nightlife of this busy city in the evening. Your experienced driver takes you through Saigon's lively streets and past some of the famous highlights of the big city. You will feel like a local when you enjoy an authentic menu of fresh seafood at one of the local street food places. Afterwards, enjoy the delicious Banh Xeo, a traditional Vietnamese salted pancake. We then drive out in the evening again to experience live music at two very different venues. First a visit to a stylish coffee shop with a relaxed atmosphere. Then a lively rock bar where a new generation of Vietnamese enjoys life.

(B / - / D)
Day 13 Cu Chi Tunnels Blue Diamond
Cu Chi is about 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City and on the way there you will see why the Mekong Delta is also called Vietnam's pantry. Here are rice fields and green plantations as far as the eye can see.

You start your visit to the tunnels with a documentary about guerrilla warfare in the Cu Chi district. Subsequently, you walk around the tunnel area to see bomb craters, underground bunkers, deadly traps. In the tunnels you can immediately see how the guerrillas lived, struggled and survived during the war. You can really feel the atmosphere of war.

The many impressions can be settled before returning to Ho Chi Minh City where you can enjoy lunch at a lovely local restaurant.

(B / - / - )
Day 14 Mekong Delta. Cooking Class Coco Riverside Lodge
It is now time to leave the hectic city and venture out into the scenic Mekong Delta. After breakfast our driver will drive you the three hours to Vung Liem out in the delta.

After lunch, the afternoon offers a bike ride. You cycle along quiet small roads, past duck gardens, through rice fields, reed forests and countless small villages. Along the way, you visit a dragon fruit plantation and can also taste the fruit in the garden. You will also visit the local farmer Mr. Cong. Here you will see how he makes the unique and nutritious food-popped rice (a kind of rice popcorn), he will also show you the mix of traditional and modern farming methods used today.

The afternoon ends with a visit to the neighbor. Here, a war veteran will perform traditional Vietnamese music - in torch lighting - the torches are the local Poon Sticks.

The evening will be your introduction to Vietnamese cooking and you will be allowed to try your hand at the kitchen. It is a fun and educational experience and you can take a small piece of Vietnamese culture with you.

(B / - / D)
Day 15 Explore Mekong Delta Coco Riverside Lodge
While enjoying your breakfast, the Vietnamese have already loaded their boats and are on their way to the markets and factories with especially coconuts. The traffic on the river is lively, children sailing to school, the adults at work or to the Cao Dai temple.
On today's trip you can experience at close range how coconuts are processed at the factories.

Lunch back at the lodge when you are back from today's boat trip.

In the afternoon, along with the guide, you cycle out and see how the locals process rice and we also visit the more than 200-year-old Chua Xu Temple, where locals and visitors from other provinces come to pray. The bike tour continues through fields, over canals and with stops in beautiful villages before returning to the lodge.

(B / L / D)
Day 16 Saigon
Stroll around the green area after breakfast. The locals will show you how to use the leaves from the coconut plant for building material and for making torches, the so-called "Poon sticks".

Our driver will drive you to the airport in Ho Chi Minh City and the start of your return journey to Denmark.

(B / - / -)
Day 17 Arrive in Denmark

From 3,533 EUR / adult

From 2,480 EUR / child

+ 554 EUR for solo travellers

The price includes

  • Seat in coach Limousine to/from Sapa and to/from Haiphong
  • Water & snack on excursions in Sapa
  • Bicycle, kayaking & bamboo boat
  • Boat & ferry in Mekong Delta
  • Domestic flight ticket Hanoi – Danang (Economic class)
  • Domestic flight ticket Danang – Saigon (Economic class)
  • Flight from international airport in europe
  • All local transport in private car with driver unless othervise stated
  • Local english speaking guide during excursions
  • Sim-card and phone hot line to local Topas employee in Vietnam during entire
  • Accommodation at indicated hotel (twin shared room)
  • Meals as indicated above (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D= Dinner)
  • All entrance fees to the indicated places
  • Airport taxes and fees
  • Contribution to the Travel Guarantee Fund

The price does not include

  • Drinks and meals not mentioned in the detailed program (approx. USD 5-15 pr. meal)
  • Visa
  • Personal insurance, travel insurance and cancellation insurance
  • Tips for tour guide and driver
  • Personal expenses

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