Honey Moon Tour 14 days

Destination: Hanoi - Ha Long - Whale Island

Details Itinerary:

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide  

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and driven to your hotel.

17.15: You'll be picked up to watch the Water Puppet show an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture.

18.30: Your Welcome Dinner will be served at one of the good local restaurant.

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi City tour (B, L, G)

9.00: You'll be picked up at your hotel to start a Hanoi city tour.

9.30 - 10.30: You’ll visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum where Ho Chi Chi lies in state (closed on every Monday & Friday and October & November). You’ll see the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked. You’ll continue to visit the One Pillar Pagoda and hear the legend of its construction, born from the love of an emperor in the 11th Century.

10.30 - 11.00: You’ll drive to visit the serene Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s West Lake.

11.00 - 12.00: You’ll also call the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and the dedicated to Confucius, it is a serene retreat from the busy streets outside and later become Vietnam’s first university.

12.00 - 13.30: Lunch at local restaurant

13.30 - 15.30: Visit the Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic

15.30 - 16.15: Pass by Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake , also known as Lake of Restored Sword from the legend that surrounds it en-route to one of the city’s fascinating museums.   

16.15 - 17.15: You’ll then take to the streets by cycle ride tour of the Ancient Qurter of 36 streets District. This densely populated corner of the city was once a centre of commerce where goods were sold under the street name of a particular guild. Still a thriving community of sellers today, you’ll see streets name such as Sugar Street, Tin Street and Paper Street. Ancient homes and temples are interspersed with stores in this souvenir hunter’s paradise.

You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 3: Exploring villages around Hanoi (B, L, G)

8.30: Drive and guide will pick you at your hotel to Van Phuc silk village

9.30 - 10.30: You’ll arrive in Van Phuc village, a small village where families have specialised in weaving and dying silk over centuries, once the creators of fine material for the robes of the Royal court.

10.30 - 12.00: Drive to Bat Trang - a village famous for its fine ceramics. You can stroll through the narrow streets to watch the manufacturing process and meet the craftspeople.

12.00 - 13.00: You'll have lunch box in the village.

13.00 - 14.30: You'll then be picked up to drive to visit the Dong Ho handicraft village, famous for its traditional wood-paintings, and spend time in an artist’s house to watch the creative process.  

14.30 - 16.15: You’ll drive to one of a traditional village in the North of Vietnam to enjoy its traditional Quan Ho music performed by villagers in the commune house. The singers have recently been officially designated as part of Vietnam’s ‘living heritage’. 

16.15 - 17.15: You'll visit Dong Ky village where most of the local families produce furniture inlaid with mother of pearl. It’s a good example of how the villagers work co-operatively on different stages of the manufacturing process. 

You’ll return to Hanoi to spend the night.

Day 4: Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D, G)

8.30: 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.

10.00: You'll take a short break at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop.

10.30 - 12.00: You'll continue driving to Ha Long Bay.

12.00: You’ll board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels with sails, a wide transom and rectangular superstructure, that will take you first to the busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Weather permitting, you’ll be able to swim, fish, climb a hill for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape. All your meals will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood.

You'll spend the night on the boat.

Day 5: Ha Long/Hanoi (B, L, G)

7.30: You'll have western breakfast on boat.

8.00 - 8.30: You'll venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan.

8.30 - 11.45: You’ll spend the morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by lunch just before docking to the harbour.

11.45 - 16.15: You’ll drive to one of a traditional village in the North of Vietnam to enjoy its traditional Quan Ho music performed by villagers in the commune house. The singers have recently been officially designated as part of Vietnam’s ‘living heritage’. 

You'll then drive back to Hanoi for overnight accommodation.

Day 6: Hanoi/Nha Trang (B)

Your time will be your own until you'll escorted to Noi Bai airport for your flight to Nha Trang. On arrival, you'll driven to Whale Island to spend the night.

Day 7 to Day 13: Whale Island (B, L, D)

All free days at Whale Island. Whale Island Resort is a ‘get-away-from it all’ hideaway, the only buildings on a sand island 80km north of Nha Trang. It’s small and basic but exclusive and comfortable – a bit more expensive, but as all meals, transfers, the use of sailboards, small catamarans, and equipment and a motor boat for snorkeling are included, it’s good value. You can dive at Whale Island – the coral is considered better than in Nha Trang. There is a pleasant bamboo restaurant and a beachfront bar serving drinks at sensible prices. Accommodation is in simple bamboo bungalows on the beach. Don’t expect resort hotel conveniences – you’ll have to put up with occasional insects and geckoes in your room, no telephones or televisions, and very few people. This is a place for relaxing au naturelle!

Day 14: Nha Trang/Ho Chi Minh City (B)

You'll be free and then be picked up to Nha Trang airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On your arrival at the Tan Son Nhat airport, you'll transit for your international departure flight.

Prices per person in US$:

Valid until December 31, 2011

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation in double room.

• One-way domestic flight tickets: Hanoi - Nha Trang, Nha Trang - Ho Chi Minh City, including domestic flight airport taxes.

• Boats cruise as programme, sharing a luxury cruise on traditional junk in Ha Long Bay.

• Travel by private, air-conditioned car with an experienced, safe driver.

• Experienced English-speaking tour guide as indicated in the itinerary.

• Entry fees for all sightseeing as mentioned in the programme.

• Lunches and dinners, as specified, in the local restaurants and on the boat in Ha Long Bay.

• Government Taxes.

Price do not include:

• International flight tickets and airport tax.

• Visas.

• Dinners except as specified above.

• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

• Insurance.

Hotel list for Five Stars standard

• Hanoi: Melia Hotel (***** modern high-rise building in one of Hanoi’s leafy boulevards in the city centre, uninspiring bland architecture, but high-quality facilities, restaurants, and service, ten-minute stroll from the city centre, Deluxe room)

• Nha Trang: Whale Island Resort (unique resort on the private island)

Hotel list for Four Stars standard

• Hanoi: Silk Path Hotel (**** modern boutique hotel in the old quarter, Deluxe Room) or

• Nha Trang: Whale Island Resort (unique resort on the private island)

Hotel list for Three Stars standard

• Hanoi: Thang Long Opera hotel (*** city centre, walking distance to Hoan Kiem Lake, Innova Superior) or similar

• Nha Trang: Whale Island Resort (unique resort on the private island)

Hotel list for Two Stars standard 

• Hanoi: Nam Hai hotel (*** in the Old Quarter, Standard Room) or similar

• Nha Trang: Whale Island Resort (unique resort on the private island)

Creating Unique Touring Experiences with Gia Linh Travel
  All the touring itineraries on this website have been carefully crafted by our in-country management teams and represent a series of experiences we can certainly recommend. However, we understand that every travel experience should be as unique and individual as each traveler. Our consultants are waiting to hear from you so that we can tailor or custom design a tour to your individual specifications.