Vietnam Overnight Cruise

Overview:

Our 10-day journey features two traditional cruise trips, and sightseeing tours of Vietnam’s two premier cities, Hanoi and Saigon. In the north, you’ll feel like royalty as you sail into the pure majesty of Ha Long Bay aboard your wholly private luxury wooden vessel, sumptuously modelled after the Royal Court Junks of former Emperors, while in the south, your beautifully crafted private river cruiser will glide into the lush waterways and swirling rural impressions of the Mekong Delta.

Highlight:

• Visit Hanoi: Charming and historic Capital of Vietnam
• Overnight on cruise in Ha Long Bay – UNESCO Nature Heritage site
• Interaction with the local people who call the bay home
• Visit the most beautiful cave in Ha Long Bay
• Kayaking among the dramatic karst formations
• Explore bustling and hustling Ho Chi Minh City
• Discover floating market, one of important life style of people in Mekong.
• Visit ancient houses, delightful flower gardens and enjoy tropical fruit.
• Explore local traditional coconut candy and rice paper, pop-rice manufacturing workshop.
• Walk or cycle on the footpaths of the countryside to explore local people’s daily activities.
• Contemplate beautiful scenery on Mekong River, savour foot massage on board.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive Hanoi
Meals: NA/Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
You will be warmly welcomed upon arrival Hanoi airport and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon you will take a private walking city tour to visit local markets and Hanoi’s Old Quarter, known for its 36 streets and former craft guilds. In the evening you will enjoy a water puppet performance.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour
Meals: Breakfast/Accommodation: hotel in Hanoi
Today you have a full day to explore the capital of Vietnam. You will visit main attraction site in Hanoi like: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Stilt house, One Pillar Pagoda; the Presidential Palace); the Temple of Literature; the Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda & West Lake; and the most attraction museum in Hanoi is the Ethnology Museum or History Museum. Later in the afternoon enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese Art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture.

Day 3: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner/Accommodation: on Cruise
After breakfast, you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you’ll board a private wooden junk that takes you through Bai Tu Long Bay area. You’ll then continue your cruise to the bay’s most deserted areas with opportunities to swim at quiet sandy beaches [weather permitting] or visit one of the least visited caves. The route is designed to avoid busy areas and includes a very quiet location for your overnight stay. For your three-day Ha Long excursion, you’ll board one of the Princess Junks, among the best wooden boats on the Bay. They’re based on the model of the old Chinese court vessels with three barge sails, a wide transom and rectangular superstructure. Each boat has only one cabin, so you’ll be the King and the Queen on board.
The cabin is air-conditioned and has windows overlooking the bay. The floor area of the cabin is about 10 m2. The cabin is furnished with two twin beds or a double queen size bed. The interior panelling, floor and furniture are of hard wood. The cabin has a wardrobe, pillows, white cotton sheets, and an en-suite toilet and shower with a good selection of high-quality toiletries. All meals, usually based on fresh seafood, will be provided on board. Kayaking is available and included in the price.

Day 4: Ha Long Bay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner/Accommodation: On Cruise
After breakfast, you’ll continue your cruise to visit a fishing village where you’ll have an opportunity explore the village and hidden lagoons in a kayak. After BBQ lunch on a wild sandy beach, your time will be your own to relax or continue exploring the bay by kayak. You’ll stay overnight in a very quiet location of the Bay.

Day 5: Ha Long Bay – Hanoi – Flight to Saigon
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch /Accommodation: hotel in Saigon
You’ll wake in the fresh air of the bay for a swim or you can relax on the sundeck. After breakfast, you’ll continue your cruise to visit a fishing village where you’ll have an opportunity to explore the village and the hidden lagoon in a rustic rowing boat. The route will end at a Pearl Farm where you can see the whole process of producing high quality pearls. You’ll then cruise back to dock around noon whereupon you’ll be picked up to return to Hanoi for flight to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

Day 6: Cu Chi Tunnel – City Tour
Meals: Breakfast/Accommodation: hotel in Hanoi
We depart from your hotel to visit Cu Chi – a byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used during the war. You’ll be able to get an idea of what it would have been like to live, sleep and eat in the underground passages and bunkers during the fierce battles above and below the surface.
Return to the city for lunch at a tasty restaurant in the city center. In the afternoon, you’ll discover the Reunification Palace – a blend of traditional ritual and modern architecture, served as the presidential palace of South Vietnam until reunification in 1975. The building now functions as a museum, offering tours of the former state rooms, presidential office and library, living quarters of the president’s family, and underground war rooms. Our next destination is Binh Tay market and its surrounding area – known as Cho Lon or China town. The market is always busy, crowded and messy with small aisles selling all manner of goods, our main point is not for shopping but to enjoy the authentic Chinese atmosphere that has existed here for hundreds of years. There’s also time to visit Thien Hau pagoda before heading back to your hotel.

Day 7: Ho Chi Minh City – Caibe – My Thuan – Sadec
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner/Accommodation: on Cruise
8-8.30am: Pick you at Hotel in HCM then transfer to Caibe
11.00-11h30: boarding LE COCHINCHINE boat. Enjoy welcome drink.
LeCochinchine continues sets sails to Caithia while lunch is served on boat.
Embark on a lovely cycling excursion on the bank of the peninsula browsing several verdant villages. Visit of the gardens and orchards, local houses and ample opportunity meet with people and get insight into Delta life . Visit Cao Dai Temple on the way to Mythuan.
Continue our cruise toward Sadec, a nice and quiet town overlooking Mekong river.
Visit the lively Sadec food market and primary school headed by Magueritte Duras.
Walks along the village path and get yourself acquaintance with rural activities as farmers farm their fields: rice fields, and vegetable farms, fish farms.
Back to our boat for a cruise downstream. Relax on boat while sipping an aperitif. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 8: Cai Thia – Vinh Long –Tra On
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner/Accommodation: on Cruise
Breakfast on board on the Mekong. Visit Binh Hoa Phuoc island and go for walk through the islets, sampling native fruits viewing local handicraft production and meeting the local people. Transfer to a local boat for an extensive visit of Cai Be Floating Market, the mazes of waterways, local pop-rice and sweets production. Visit of old houses, delightful flower gardens and local coconut candy and rice paper manufacturers. LeCochinchine continues its cruise to Cochien. Lunch served on board. Embark on a pleasant walk on the footpaths of the countryside to discover tropical fruit orchards and the local people’s activities. Visit a cottage industry, a local farm; and sample seasonal fruits. Boarding back, complimentary drink as a welcome back on board. Open bar and rest on the deck enjoying the sunset. The crew will serve dinner while the Le Cochinchine is cruising Mang Thit River.

Day 9: Tra On – Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch/Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon
Breakfast on board. The morning bobbling commotion of Mekong river life comes to life for another lovely day our boat set sails to Cantho through tributary and canals. Transfer to Cai Rang Floating Market: one of the most bustling floating markets in the Mekong Delta. We go for a walk along the canals and the palm-shaded creek to see local houses and green orchards, shipbuilding yards, rural and water activities in full swing. Boarding back at noon, with a welcome-back drink.
11 h00: Disembark in Cantho then transfer back to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City Departure
Meals: Breakfast /Accommodation: NA
Your time will be your own until your private car and driver arrives to take you to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your international departure flight. Tour ends.