Vietnam Family Holiday: 16-Day In-depth Exploration Tour Package

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, Sonasia’s guide & driver will pick you up and transfer directly to the hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi.

Vietnam's capital races to make up for time lost to the ravages of war and a government that as recently as the 1990s kept the outside world at bay. Its streets surge with scooters vying for right of way amid the din of constantly blaring horns, and all-around layers of history reveal periods of French and Chinese occupation – offering a glimpse into the resilience of ambitious, proud Hanoians.

This morning, starting the city tour exploring the city of Hanoi, visiting the One-Pillar Pagoda, the tranquil Temple of Literatures and the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh lying in state. 

In the afternoon, we will join a cyclo tour exploring the Hanoi's elegant French Quarter.

In the evening there is the chance to witness a remarkable performance of traditional water puppetry (optional activity). 

Set on a flooded stage, the stories tell tales of legendary heroes and everyday life, with dragons and unicorns often sharing the stage with fireworks and naval battles, alternatively head out to sample the delights of Vietnamese cuisine at a local restaurant.

Hemmed in by hills and set in a tranquil valley, Mai Chau is a world away from the hectic pace of life of Hanoi. The 4-hour journey provides a glimpse of rural life in the north of the country passing through villages surrounded by paddy fields. 

On arrival, check-in to our hotel with fine views of local villages distantly related to the tribes in Thailand, Laos and China, lunch is included at the hotel. 

This afternoon head out on a biking tour along rice terraces of the Mai Chau Valley dotted with stilt houses. The ride provides opportunities for panoramic views of paddy fields, spectacular karst cliffs and verdant valleys around you, a truly spectacular setting. 

On the way home, pass by Van Village, home to the White Thai people. Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at our comfortable eco lodge featuring a swimming pool to cool off in after an afternoon of cycling.

After breakfast, drive to Xam Khoe Village and set off on a walking tour to Buoc Village populated by the Thai ethnic minority people, the terrain is mainly flat, sticking to the valley floor traversing the network of banks separating rice paddy fields. 

Enjoy local hospitality in a simple stilt-house as a home-cooked lunch of regional specialties such as Goi cuon (spring rolls) or Pho (Vietnam's national dish, a light beef or chicken broth flavored with ginger and coriander, to which are added broad, flat rice noodles, spring onions and slivers of chicken, pork or beef) prepared by a local Thai family. 

Short drive back to Mai Chau with a stop en route to explore the magnificent Van Mai Valley.

This morning is left free to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Drive to Ninh Binh in the afternoon. Whilst the town itself is fairly unremarkable, the area around Ninh Binh is beautiful, known for its impressive cave formations and network of waterways, lakes, temples and towering limestone peaks.

Arrive around noon, enjoy delicious lunch served at the bungalow’s restaurant with Vietnamese cuisine.

In the afternoon, we will board a sampan boat rowed by a local for about 1.5 hours.  Known as “Halong Bay on land”, the boat trip is a nice journey along the river with the peaceful scenery of limestone mountains, rice paddy if traveling during harvest season.

After that, visit a local family in Tam Coc. They are a traditional Vietnamese family with three generations living together. Here you will get the chance to see the house architecture and their daily life and their handicraft job of making traditional embroidery.

You have ample time to relax or stroll around the village before having dinner with Vietnamese cuisine while sharing the experience you have during the day with the host family, then stay overnight at the bungalow.

After breakfast at the Bungalow, take a bike to Mua Cave, which is one of the most alluring places to view in Ninh Binh.

Hiking up to the peak of Ngoa Long Mountain to take your amazing views of the Tam Coc, Ninh Binh area.

In the afternoon, you will continue the ride to explore the rice fields and limestone mountains with a unique route.

Continue the tour and board a small sampan to visit Thung Nham bird park, discover the most features of this area with more than 50.000 birds of 40 species flying to inhabit every day.

Departure to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, visit the temple of King Dinh. Under the introduction of our local guide, you will get to know more about the Vietnamese history.

Before the dust falls, cycling back to the host family for free time relax with afternoon tea break.

Overnight at the bungalow.

Leaving Ninh Binh after breakfast, we drive to the Gulf of Tonkin and the breath-taking scenery of Ha Long Bay. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visually impressive landscapes in South East Asia, Halong Bay is the setting for an overnight cruise. 

Boarding just after midday, set sail towards Bai Tu Long Bay. Lunch is served shortly after embarking, there is ample time after lunch to sit back and admire the towering limestone islands topped by rainforest that Halong Bay is so famous for. 

We make a stop to visit a Vung Vieng fishing village by rowing boat or kayak, the choice is yours. The rest of the afternoon is spent further exploring the bay scattered with hundreds of islands and dotted with caves and grottoes. 

Dinner is served on board, a chance to sample fresh sea food and regional dishes, we anchor overnight in Bai Tu Long Bay. There are between 10-18 en-suite cabins on board with a restaurant, bar and sundeck area. All bedding is provided.

Please be aware, the boat may not be exclusive to our group and consequently we may be sharing with other tourists.

Wake up early to admire the sun rising over the bay around 0630, if the weather is clear it is well worth making the effort.

A light breakfast of pastries, tea and coffee we disembark to visit the hidden Thien Canh Son caves with numerous stalactite and stalagmite limestone formations in an impressive cavern. Returning to our boat, continue to cruise in the bay. 

Brunch is served on board. Returning to Hon Gai harbor, rejoin our vehicle and drive back to Noi Bai International Airport to take the flight to Hue, the ancient capital of the last dynasty of Vietnam.

Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in town.

Overnight in Hue

After breakfast, seek out many of the highlights of this former imperial capital of Vietnam including a visit to the Royal Palace with its Terracotta Warriors guarding the entrance and the Thien Mu Pagoda, home to the oldest monastery in the city. 

We also visit Mr Cu's house who was a national champion kite flier for Vietnam who shows us how to make traditional Vietnamese kites which you make and decorate with symbols such as dragons, birds and peacocks. Once assembled, we fly them at the nearby Citadel.

Free for the rest of the day to fly your kite.

Overnight in Hue

Journey to Trieu Son village, located by the Perfume River on Hue's outskirts for a guided walk and boat ride. 

First stop is Sinh village where we meet a local family that specializes in making wood paintings. 

Later in the morning, take to the open road on a leisurely cycle ride around the village and along countryside lanes to Thanh Tien village, famous for paper flowers. 

Criss crossing an intricate network of paddy fields, we arrive at Tien Non village where we board our cruise boat, taking us back to Hue (total cycling distance is approximately 6km). 

An included martial arts lesson is our next stop with a visit to a dedicated martial arts school that practices the Vietnamese art of Kinh Van, Vietnam's equivalent to Kung Fu, based upon defense techniques from the actions of a tiger, cobra, and bird. 

The owner's ancestors were chosen to guard the Vietnamese king; knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation to our host, who has been entrusted with teaching this ancient art. 

At mid-afternoon, travel over the Truong Son Mountains and through the Hai Van Pass as featured on the TV programme, Top Gear, to the historic merchant seaside town of Hoi An.

Upon arrival, check in your hotel. Overnight in Hoi An

The morning is free to wander through the historic heart of this World Heritage Site, taking in the wonderfully preserved buildings of what was once one of the busiest trading outposts in South East Asia. 

Discovering this delightful town, we recommend an early morning visit to Hoi An's fish market which presents the perfect setting for some great photographs. Wander through Hoi An's historic collection of traditional wooden houses and Chinese temples. 

This afternoon you could hire bicycles and explore the surrounding countryside, experience a gentle river cruise, or grab the chance to visit some of Hoi An's famous tailor shops. Alternatively take a 20-minute taxi ride to the nearby coast to spend the day on the beach.

In the morning, drive to Danang to take the flight to Ho Chi Minh City, where we will explore old Saigon, and discover 'Secret Weapons Bunker'.

In the afternoon, we will experience a different side of Ho Chi Minh City, away from the major sights where we take a walk through Old Saigon's back alleys. 

We make our way to District 3 by cyclo and turn off the main thoroughfare and into the maze of narrow streets of this bustling district. 

Our walk takes us past ramshackle shopfronts, through local markets selling anything from colorful fruit to bootleg DVDs, and past houses, churches and schools, all squeezed into the small buildings that line the narrow alleys. 

It is a fascinating inter-connected community here that is a stones-throw from the city center yet feels a far cry from the modern buildings and throngs of tourists. 

We stop at a local stall for a traditional Vietnamese coffee (brewed coffee served sweet with condensed milk) where we can also sample 'Banh Mi' - a Vietnamese take on the humble French baguette - freshly baked and packed with a combo of traditional and more exotic, aromatic ingredients. 

The walk ends the so-called 'secret weapons' bunker'. A small unassuming 'tube house' nestled in a quiet neighborhood hides a trap door in the floor, concealing a basement stocked full of rifles, grenades and ammunition. The bunker played a key role in the TET Offensive of 1968, it was the base from which the Viet Cong's "Team 5" launched their assault, and its location was only revealed after the end of the war. 

We have some time to explore the house and bunker, filled with decommissioned weapons and photographs, news clippings and memorabilia from the wartime.
Transfer to your hotel late afternoon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city

After breakfast, this morning drive to visit the infamous Cu Chi tunnels. First constructed by the Vietnamese during their colonial war with the French, the tunnels were later greatly expanded and went on to achieve notoriety during the Vietnam War, when they served as an underground command base for 10,000 Viet Cong troops. Exploring Cu Chi gives some idea as to the conditions that the Vietnamese had to endure (the tunnels are narrow and can be quite claustrophobic). 

The afternoon allows for more time in the city including an optional visit to the waterpark, a great way to cool off from the mid-day sun.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city

This tour begins at 08:30. Arrive at Ben Tre city to get on a boat in Phong Nam bright and early to start exploring coconut’s homeland. Follow the flow of water down Chet Say River. Observe life on the river like how locals transfer goods and agriculture products by boat along the Mekong Delta.

Visit a coconut workshop where guests enjoy how sweet coconut candy is. Stop at the other places to learn how many handicraft products can be made from coconut. Interact with locals to see how bricks are handmade from clay and mats are woven from sedge.

Conclude the tour with a cycle (or moto cart ride upon availability) to a local restaurant for a local style lunch. After lunch, hop on a sampan and row along a coconut palm canal to cruise back to Hung Vuong Jetty.

Be transferred via an air-con vehicle to Mekong Home, located about 30-minute drive from Ben Tre Town.

Take a rest for a while then depart with a member of the family for an introduction to the local fishing villages.

Try to cook pancakes with rice milk, coconut milk and some other local ingredients for dinner. Indulge in a lemongrass and ginger foot bath, a local therapeutic method to relieve the pain and fatigue of the legs.

Overnight at the Mekong Riverside resort & Spa.

Enjoy breakfast while breathing in the fresh air of rural surroundings.

Then, transfer by ferry to take a short cycle around the small village to experience a tailor-made countryside loop to Oc Islet.

Travel along quiet roads and rural laneways, passing fields and farms with lush green coconut forest in the backdrop. Stop often for photos or to observe scenes of daily life.

During the ride, visit small local handicraft village where guests learn all about coconut specialty. Watch as skilled workers make coconut stemmed baskets and coconut coated buttons.

Have the chance to interact with a workshop owner on different braiding techniques. Stop at a fish farm, to learn more about two species of catfish raised in freshwater ponds. These catfish are the two main species of fish production in Vietnam.

Return to Ho Chi Minh City and arrive around the late afternoon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

You are free to stroll around the town for your own exploration before taking the departure flight