Blending authentic adventure activities such as cycling, Vespa tours and cave exploring, this journey to central Vietnam is not to be missed. Venture from Hoi An to the ancient capital of Hue then to Phong Nha - Quang Binh. You will not only visit all of these famous destinations but also witness and experience the local life and unique cuisine
Upon your arrival at Da Nang Airport, our local guide and driver will greet you and transfer you to your accommodation in Da Nang, a journey of approximately 30 minutes. Once you reach your hotel, you’ll have the rest of the day to relax and enjoy at your leisure.
Notes: Hotel check-in is available from 2:00 PM. Early check-in is subject to availability and may incur an additional charge.
8:00 AM: Pick up from hotel then short drive to Hoian ancient town. When arrival visit Cam Pho - one of the oldest communal houses in Hoi An. It was built in the shape of Chinese character means the country for worshipping and trading business and cultural exchange between locality and Chinese, Japanese traders.
Have a short waking to the Hoi An city’s symbol - the Chua Cau or the Japanese Covered Bridge, built in the 17th century to allow the Japanese quarter to be accessible from the Chinese neighborhoods. The bridge’s original style has been carefully preserved for the last 400 years.
Continue to Quan Thang ancient house - one of the most authentic old houses in Hoi An with the lively and fine architecture and sculptures were made by craftsmen of famous Kim Bong carpentry village in the oriental style. The house offers a good look of Hoi An family's daily life.
Follow itinerary to Phuc Kien or Fujian Assembly Hall, built since 17th century, is the gathering place for residents, traders and visitors from a specific area in China called Fujian. It is also a religious site to honor the deity Thien Hau. Spend a visit, you will admire the colorful fountains in the courtyard, the ornate gates surrounding the property and the beautiful carved dragons in the main room.
Have a break for lunch (by your own) then in the afternoon visit Hoian center market where is the best place to see the local daily life. Situated on the riverside, the large market is packed with stalls where you easily find a huge variety of food at extremely cheap prices. There is also a great fresh vegetable, meat and fish market which is worth visiting.
Have a short walk to Thu Bon river to embark on a small boat cruise along Thu Bon River which was once a very busy exchange place for a lot of international ships throughout the 15th century. The boat trip will take you along the river. This is a good chance for you to appreciate the landscape of the peaceful village by the river bank and admire the fishermen’s activities on the river. Enjoy the sunset in the late afternoon (from April to November).
End of the day, transfer back to your hotel.
Free in the morning on the beach or leisurely walk in the old town. At 1:30 PM Setting off your hotel in Hoi An, we head out west along the banks of the Thu Bon River, first stopping at a bustling local fish market before heading into the rice paddy rich countryside and local villages, stopping to meet a local family producing local rice crackers.
Crossing a bridge over the Thu Bon River and passing through more quiet villages and then into beautiful farmlands, where we take a break for a local specialties while surrounded by seasonal vegetables in the picturesque fields of corn, eggplants, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and herbs (location is seasonal).
As the sun starts to go down, we set off through the rice paddies, passing duck farms, visit a local mat weaving family and then ride along by the prawn farms and over the river to visit a charming family home where they produce the local & potent favorite brew – rice wine. It’s then a short ride over the Cam Kim Bridge into Hoi An as the sun begins to set on this beautiful heritage town.
End of tour at your hotel.
Set a free & easy day. You can be lazy on the beach with family and friends or leisurely walk around the old town, find yourself a gift from this beautiful town or create your own journey ...
8:00 AM: Pick up from hotel then travel to Hue by passing Da Nang along the sea road. Once you arrive in Da Nang, stop to visit the Cham Museum which preserves the most important Cham culture collections in the world. Then, walk to My Khe beach where you can enjoy the view of giant Goodness of Mercy statues in the Linh Ung Pagoda. Take photos of fishermen by the beach then continue driving along the coastline to Hue ancient capital. Make a stop at top of the Hai Van pass to enjoy the breathtaking view of the ocean.
Arrival in Hue, have a break for lunch then visit the Emperor Minh Mang's tomb, an architectural masterpiece that harmoniously highlights the nature and imperial religious works. The tomb was planned during Minh Mang’s reign (1820–40) but built by his successor, Thieu Tri with the effort of ten thousand workers and artisans.
Continue to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in Hue, dating back to 1601. This is the spiritual highlight of the city and well known for its majestic octagon tower and beautiful view of the Perfume River.
End of the day, check in your hotel in Hue.
Pick up at your hotel then travel to La Chu Village, which is 9km to the north of Hue city and well known for its vegetable and aromatic herbs such as onions, chives, coriander and basin.
Arrive at the gate of the village, and then take a bike ride. First stop to visit a family making votive papers which are offered for our traditional worship. Continue to a small local dailymarket to visit the meat, spices and fresh vegetable stalls, accompanied by the genuine smiles of women who rarely see foreign tourists. After that, visit the vegetable fields where you can meet and talk with the villagers who are always happy to take a picture with you. You will totally immerse yourselves into the typical landscape of the Hue countryside between vegetable fields, rice fields, banana trees, rivers and lotus ponds. Visit a family who specialize in making Banh Bot Loc, a kind of cake made from rice powder mixed with shrimps. Make conversation with the host and try to make some local specialties. It will truly be a memorable day.
At noon, enjoy a lunch in a family restaurant in the middle of rice field. Then, macerate your feet in warm waterwith traditional medicinal herbs while soaking up the picturesque rice field landscape.
Transfer back to city center, visit the most important sites in city - Hue Citadel, the only vestige symbol for what was once the imperial city of Vietnam. It is inspired by the fortification of Vauban. The city is composed of three parts: Kinh Thanh (the Capital city), Hoang Thanh (the Imperial city) and Cam Thanh (the Forbidden City). The most beautiful sites in Hue are concentrated in this area including the flag tower, the South gate, the palace of supreme Harmony, the Dynasty temple area and the settlement area.
End of the day, stay in your hotel in Hue
8:00 AM: After breakfast at the hotel, travel to Quang Binh province, the narrowest part of Vietnam and famous for the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park which is listed on the World Heritage in 2003. Covering 85,754 ha of outstanding geological and ecological value, the site will let you immerse into sumptuous landscape of karst plateaus and rainforests by surveying its spectacular underground caves and rivers and discovering its abundance of endemic species.
On the way, stop to visit the well-known 17th Parallel. According to the agreement of Geneva, this historical site was the border of the Communist in the North and the Non Communist in the South of Vietnam. Visit the museum, flag tower, the Ben Hai River and the Hien Luong Bridge to learn more about the special history of this land.
Continue to the famous Vinh Moc Tunnel. Local people dug in 2 years (1965 - 1967) to create the system of 1.7 km long and 10 to 23 m deep tunnel which was used as bomb shelter during the Vietnam War. The site is evidence for the heroism of the Vietnamese people.
Arrival in Phong Nha national park around 4:00 PM, check in your accommodation and free walk in the town.
Have breakfast at hotel then travel to the Paradise cave (Thien Duong cave). New surprises are waiting for you. Discovered in 2005, with 31.4 km long, 60 m high and 30 to 100 m wide, it is considered as the longest in Asia. After a short walk in the forest, you begin the discovery of this terrestrial paradise through the different rooms that amaze you with the grandiose stalactites and stalagmites both mystical and extraordinary.
Enjoy lunch at local restaurant then have a short transfer to discover the cave of Dark Cave (Hang Toi) with the series of sports activities. You will make the zip-line to enter the cave that unveils so many fossil prints. Finally, its bath of thermal mud available will help you to revitalize prodigiously.
Return to your accommodation in late afternoon.
Enjoy breakfast then have a short transfer to explore Phong Nha Cave. Discovered in 1994, this famous cave is well-known for its underground river and its system of fantastic stalactites and stalagmites. From the pier, you take the boat following the Son River to the gigantic gate of the grotto. Enjoy a leisure walk to admire the natural masterpieces by crossing some secret corners: Bi Ki Cave, Celestial Palace.
After lunch spend 2-hour hiking on well-marked trail lead through the botanic forest and one of the highlights is modestly sized but picture-perfect Thac Gio Waterfall. The tropical forest is beautiful, and different species of plants are marked with signs. Keep your eye out for orchids and birds. The hike is especially refreshing during the cold months of December to February.
In the afternoon, transfer to Dong Hoi city to catch the night flight (or train) to your next destination