Vietnam family tour 11 days

Arrival at Noi Bai Airport, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.
Today is free at your leisure to rest or exploring your own the Old Quarter of Hanoi.
It is very nice to walk in the "quarter of 36 corporations" and get lost in the innumerable alleys of old Hanoi!
The old quarter was name "quarter of the 36 guilds" because each of its streets was (or is still) a craft cooperative, or guild. There are, for example, Hang Gai (Hemp Street), Hang Ga (Chicken Street), Hang Bac (Silver and Gold treet) and so on. This place, full of history, is a place of trade and commerce unique in South East Asia.
Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast at hotel, start your journey to the highlights of Hanoi at the Ho Chi Minh Complex. This famous site contains the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh.
 
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum) is the centerpiece of the Ho Chi Minh Complex, consisting of the Mausoleum (closed every Monday and Friday), the Presidential Palace , the House on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda. On foot, you go from one site to another by passing over this imposing rectangular square which allows you to step back in front of the impressive mausoleum.
Note: The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is usually closed for one month between September and December of each year when the remains of Ho Chi Minh are sent to Moscow for restoration. In this case, the visit of the Mausoleum of Uncle Ho is done only outside.
 
Next, head onward to the Temple of Literature, which is well known as the first university of Vietnam. Constructed in 1070, the gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past.
For lunch, you are invited to discover one of the Hanoi specialties in a typical restaurant.
In the afternoon, you change the atmosphere by visiting the Museum of Ethnology (closed every Monday).
The Museum of Ethnology is certainly one of the most interesting in Vietnam. Created in November 1997 at the time of the Francophonie summit, it became a must-see attraction of Hanoi. Vietnam is a multi-nationality country with 54 ethnic groups. The Viet (Kinh) people account for 87% of the country’s population and mainly inhabit the Red River delta, the central coastal delta, the Mekong delta and major cities. The other 53 ethnic minority groups are scattered over mountain areas (covering two-thirds of the country’s territory) spreading from the North to the South.
 
We continue to visit the Restored Sword Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake) and Ngoc Son Temple.
 
Relive Hanoi of the 50s with a cyclo tour (Duration about 1h00). Allow the rhythm of the pedals, discover the buzzing alleys of the ‘36 streets’ area - a place with unique charm and incessant activity: craftsmen, shopkeepers, tinsmiths, jewelers, calligraphers, carpenters, rattan or leather, notice also vendors of fans, votive objects, lacquers, silks, mats, paper, pipes, etc.
 
Enjoy a water puppet show for a look at traditional performance art in Vietnam
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

Breakfast at hotel, then 8:30 AM head towards Mai Chau. The ride from Hanoi to Mai Chau takes about four hours and promises to be a scenic one. Arriving at Mai Chau around noon, enjoy a freshly lunch prepared by a White Thai family in Pom Coong village.
Situated in the heart of Thai territory, Mai Chau is the transition from the Red River Delta to the northern mountains of Vietnam. It thus enjoys a karstic relief traversed by numerous rivers. Visit Mai Chau will give you the opportunity to discover a beautiful valley landscape where the diversity of ethnic minorities is enriched with a beautiful craft of colorful fabrics and wicker objects. The region also offers many activities such as hiking, mountain bike rides, motorbike tours, etc.
Afternoon, start your journey to discover the gorgeous surroundings and ethnic minority tribes with a relaxing walk in Thai village of Pom Coong.
Our hosts for this evening will be the White Thai minority people and we will stay in one of their traditional stilt houses. Dinner in warmly atmosphere.
Overnight at homestay in Mai Chau.

After breakfast we start a lovely walk to Lac village and Van village. Get to know the local hill tribe people and their culture while passing through charming valley of lush rice paddies.  We will encounter the local villagers going about their daily business tilling the fields, logging or herding the buffalo.
We enjoy lunch in Mai Chau before we heading back to Hanoi in the afternoon.
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

After an early breakfast at hotel, transfer to Halong passing through the beautiful landscapes of the Red River Delta.
Along the way, you will be able to observe Vietnamese country life: farmers working in the rice fields, buffaloes grazing along the road, bands of ducks, small towns with colorful houses and overloaded shops ...
Arrival in Ha Long around noon. On board your junk. You will be in your air-conditioned cabin equipped with a private bathroom (hot water, cold water, toilet). A lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself.
 
Halong Bay includes 2000 limestone islands and islets. Most of them  are uninhabited and pristine because of the stiffness of the peaks. This set creates a spectacular marine landscape to Halong Bay, which was listed on UNESCO World Heritage Site in  1994. According to Vietnamese legend, these peaks would have appeared after a dragon's tail beat in the sea to defend Vietnam against the Chinese invaders.
 
The cruise one night on board will be one of the unforgettable moments of your stay. You can swim from the boat and enjoy the meals prepared by the crew.
Overnight on board the boat in Halong Bay. We advise you to go to bed early to enjoy the magnificent scenery of sunrise over the Bay the next morning.
 

Depending on the season, you can enjoy an early morning bath before breakfast on board and admire the sunrise from the upper deck or from your cabin.
The vessel continue to cruises slowly through the magnificent rock formations and back towards the port. A brunch will be served before disembarking your junk or lunch will be organized in a restaurant (depending on the program of the junk).
Return to Ha Noi. We transfer directly to the airport for flight to Danang.
Upon arrival at Danang airport, the guide in Danang will pick you up, transfer to hotel in Hoian for check in. Overnight at hotel in Hoian.
 

Breakfast at hotel. You have a full day exploration of Hoian and its surroundings.
Begin with a bike ride to the villages of Tra Que and Cam Thanh. During the walk, you pass immense rice fields in the middle of nature.
Then, walk through the villages where you will be put in contact with the local inhabitants who work in the gardens. You can participate in gardening activities such as fertilizing the land with river algae in the company of market gardeners. The fishermen will take you to the discovery of their traditional fishing techniques and their coconut forests by a cruise in «Thung chai» - Rowing boat.
Lunch with the inhabitant and taste the typical dishes prepared by the host family. Before leaving the host family, relax with foot massage with herbal medicines, a traditional therapeutic practice.
For the rest of the journey, you will visit the old town of Hoian, the charming town preserved by Unesco: Phuc Kien Assembly Hall which is dedicated to the goddess of the sea and the protector of sailors, the Japanese bridge built in 1593, Tan Ky House - a 200 year old ancestral house, the market and its harbor which were very animated in the 15th century...
Overnight at hotel in Hoian.
 

Today you are free to relax or discover Hoian at your own paces. You might like to take a boat ride with one of the local women across the Thu Bon River. Perhaps you would like to hire a bicycle and head off on a scenic ride to Cua Dai beach, about 4 km away. There's even the chance to improve your culinary skills with a Vietnamese cooking lesson.
Overnight at hotel in Hoian.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight to dynamic Ho Chi Minh city.
Upon arrival, the guide in Ho Chi Minh city will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.
Ho Chi Minh City is the most modern, lively and westernized city in Vietnam. The city was marked by various occupations of the colonial era. Because of its ideal geographical position, close to the Mekong river delta, Cambodia and Laos, it has always been a very commercial city and hardly ever sleeps.
Your discovery of the capital of the South cannot be made without a visit of the colonial structures: the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall.
Then you go to the east of the city, where located the Chinatown of Cholon, to discover the area’s markets, shops and the Cantonese Thien Hau Pagoda - dedicated to the goddess of the Sea. Enjoy this unique, lively and colorful atmosphere.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh city

In the morning, depart from your hotel and drive approximately two hours to Ben Tre –a gateway to the Mekong Delta.
Upon arrival in the town of Ben Tre, you will board a small boat. This trip provides a look at a wide variety of the life and scenery on Vietnam River from the peaceful Delta.  On the way you will see daily activities of local people along the river as fishing, water transfering…….. You will stop at brickwork to see how to make bricks in handy traditional style by printing and baking. Visit one of plenty of coconut processing workshops located along canal. Turn on natural scissors creeks where they look smaller and smaller to go to village. Take a walk to family workshop making sleepmats and enjoying some fruits.
You continue your discovery of the surroundings by bike, pass by green rice fields and vegetable plains to be able to touch on real life and find out about tropical culture from Peasants. Enjoy lunch at a riverside restaurant.
Afternoon, you take rowing-boat along water palm creek, then boat back to the Pier.  You will transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving in the late afternoon.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Free until transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Note that  hotel check-out time is 12 noon, and check-in time for international flights is usually minimum two hours prior to departure.