Welcome to Vietnam
Check in: Our trip starts from Hanoi
Round trip flights are not included in the package, so you can choose from where and when you want to fly. This is to give you maximum freedom of choice!
Check-in at the hotel in Hanoi and welcome meeting. We immediately immerse ourselves in the vibes of Vietnam: Hanoi, like many other Asian cities, is a tangle of busy streets, street food stalls in every corner, and scooters whizzing between cars and trucks. The first impact is strong but it takes a moment to get used to: we'll start with the food! We find a typical place where we can delight our palates with some local delicacies and toast the beginning of this adventure!
Accommodation: Peridot Grand Hotel or similar
Included: overnight stay with breakfast
Not included: meals and drinks
Discovering Hanoi
A mix between antiquity and modernity
Good morning WeRoaders! Today we warm up the engines well and get this journey off to a great start. We have enough time available to discover this incredible city and get lost in this place that contains a mix of antiquity and modernity. We can go and visit the ancient pagodas such as the Tran Quoc Pagoda, the old temples such as the one of Literature which became the first National University. There's certainly no shortage of things to do in Hanoi, so it's up to us to choose how we prefer to spend these hours!
One night on the train
To ensure we don't miss out on a bit of healthy adventure in full WeRoad style, in the evening we take a night train which will allow us to wake up directly in Lao Cai . But it's not just any train: on board we will find modern interiors but with a traditional "local touch", wooden panels and everything you need to spend a peaceful night. For one night we will become true locals but without giving up comfort, receiving an unforgettable experience in exchange!
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, berth in the night train and train transfer from Hanoi to Lao Cai
Money pot: any inputs
Not included: meals and drinks
A day of trekking in the northern mountains
Sapa: nature and typical villages
Today we wake up in Lao Cai , the final destination of our train journey. A transfer awaits us to take us directly to Sapa : we are in the far north of Vietnam, not far from the border with China. Here is a town that over the years has become a much appreciated destination for trekking and mountain lovers. Located at the foot of the Hoang Lien mountains - known as the Tonkin Alps - at around 1,650 meters above sea level, Sapa is an authentic triumph of nature and we are ready to explore this area by setting out on a trek among beautiful rice terraces, rolling hills and quiet villages.
We visit the surrounding villages and meet its inhabitants and then venture back into uncontaminated nature. In the late afternoon we return to our ecolodge in Sapa where we can spend the night and taste typical dishes of Northern Vietnam.
Accommodation: ecolodge in Sapa
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, minivan with driver and local guide, visit to local villages and lunch
Money pot: any extra activities
Not included: meals and drinks where not indicated
Trekking: 7.1 km walk/ 3 - 3.5 hours
On the road: direzione Ninh Binh
Admiring the view
Let's face it: after walking a lot, we don't mind this long and comfortable transfer at all! Let's sit back and admire the view that changes as we move away from the mountains... all accompanied by the best music playlist. Which of us will have prepared the most suitable soundtrack for this occasion? We arrive in Ninh Binh in the early afternoon: after checking in, how do you see a bike ride ? It's the best way to discover the area and stretch your legs.
Accommodation: Emeralda Resort or similar
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, minivan with driver
Money pot: any entrance fees and bicycle rental
Not included: meals and drinks
Lets discover Ninh Binh: from Hoa Lu to Bai Dinh Pagoda
Time is precious... the choice is ours!
Today we can choose from numerous enchanting attractions to let ourselves be enchanted by. An option could be the Tam Coc Caves : here stalactites and stalagmites dominate the landscape and nearby it is possible to visit the Bich Dong pagoda from which you can admire a breathtaking view of Ninh Binh. Alternatively, there is also the Bai Dinh Pagoda , which in addition to being a famous Buddhist pilgrimage site, is the largest pagoda in all of Vietnam. Or again, Hoa Lu , the ancient capital of Vietnam, surrounded by high mountains and several temples, including Dinh Tien Hoang Temple.
Accommodation: Emeralda Resort in Ninh Bibh or similar
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, minivan with driver and local guide
Money pot: any extra activities
Not included: meals and drinks
Ha Long Bay: wonder of the natural world
One of the 7 wonders of the natural world
Early in the morning we are already ready for the new adventure of the day. With a transfer of a few hours we reach Ha Long Bay , in the Gulf of Tonkin. This bay is studded with around 2,000 islands rich in vegetation which make it truly magical. Around lunchtime we board a traditional junk, which will become our home for the rest of the day. We begin our splendid navigation in the bay by visiting the Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises), we then climb the approximately 150 steps and enjoy the magnificent view of part of the bay from above. Along the way we can admire numerous formations of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by suggestive colored lights. After a dinner together we continue the night navigation on board the ship.
Accommodation: Paradise Elegance between Ha Long and Lan Ha
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, cruise to Ha Long Bay, transportation, local guide, lunch and dinner
Money pot: any extra activities
Not included: meals and drinks where not indicated
From Hanoi to Hue
Lets go back to Hanoi
Today we wake up early to enjoy the last hours in this authentic natural paradise : after all, it's not every day you wake up in Ha Long Bay. We disembark around 11am and return to Hanoi ; there is no time to waste because we have a flight waiting for us, ready to take us directly to Hue.
Hue
Hue is the hub of Vietnam's historical past. This former imperial capital is an eclectic mix of busy streets and peaceful beauty. Locals say this is a good place to try specialties enjoyed by Emperor Nguyen such as banh khoai royal rice cake… will it be good?! All we have to do is try!
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, minivan with private driver and domestic flight Hanoi - Hue
Money pot: any extra activities
Not included: meals and drinks
Discovering Hue: from the Forbidden City to Bach Ma Monastery
A day in Hue
Today we have the day at our complete disposal and there is certainly no shortage of alternatives! Here there are royal palaces, ancient pagodas and imperial tombs. The pace is slow, the streets are quiet and it seems as if time has never passed! The Forbidden City , which has become a UNESCO cultural heritage site, together with the Mausoleums of the Emperors, the Museum of Royal Arts containing the ancient artifacts of the Nguyen Dynasty, the Pagoda of Heavenly Dames located on the bank of the Perfume River and the Bach Ma Monastery located on the top of a mountain, they represent the most historical thing you can see in Vietnam.
Included: overnight stay with breakfast
Money pot: any entrance fees and local transport
Not included: meals and drinks
Tam Giang Lagoon: full immersion in the real Vietnam
Tam Giang Lagoon
Weroaders, get out of bed: after breakfast we will leave for the beautiful Hoi An but first we will make a stop in the Tam Giang Lagoon for a 100% local experience. We visit the ancient village and learn more about local life before boarding a boat to visit the lagoon and see the fishermen at work. The last stop is a local farm : are you ready for a real zero-mile lunch?
With full bellies we set off again towards Hoi An: recently declared a World Heritage Site, this town has been beautifully restored and preserved, with parts of the town looking exactly as they did more than a century ago. Let's take a walk, what do you say?
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, visit to Tam Giang Lagoon, the fishing village by bicycle, fish barbecue lunch, minivan with driver and local English-speaking guide
Money pot: any extra activities
Not included: meals and drinks where not mentioned
Exploring Hoi An
Cycling and cooking
But do we want to do a bit of sport during this trip or not?! It certainly won't be like doing a marathon but a nice bike ride is everything today ! Ready to ride? We get on our shiny bikes and follow our local guide who will take us to discover the secrets of the countryside surrounding Hoi An. We pass between rice plantations, cultivated fields, small local markets and ancient villages. We conclude the tour with a super fun and interactive cooking class : noodles and dumplings will no longer have secrets for us. We then spend the evening in the streets of Hoi An, which is also known as the "city of lanterns" - we will soon understand why!
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, bike tour with English-speaking guide and cooking class
Money pot: any extra activities
Not included: meals and drinks
We arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, the ancient Saigon
The ancient capital
The ancient capital of South Vietnam, now known as Ho Chi Minh City , is the symbol of a more modern Vietnam , although old traditions mix well with this push towards the future. We are in the most populous city in all of Vietnam so the first impact will be that of being in a city in constant movement! We cannot miss the excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels , the ancient tunnels used during the Vietnam War of the 1960s. Despite the years that have passed, the memory of the war is still very strong: this morning will be an opportunity for us to get to know yet another aspect of Vietnam. We will also have the opportunity to climb into the tunnels - definitely not suitable for those who suffer from claustrophobia, but have no fear: it's all optional and at personal discretion!
Included: overnight stay with breakfast, transfer from Hoi An to Danang airport, domestic flight Danang - Ho Chi Minh City and visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels with local English-speaking guide
Money pot: any extra activities
Not included: meals and drinks
Let's discover Saigon, the ancient capital
Our last day
We dedicate our last day in Vietnam to discovering Saigon again, a city truly with a thousand faces . Today we have some free time to indulge in our last whims: maybe we'll take a trip to the local market to try some street food and make our last purchases before returning? Finally, this evening our last dinner together awaits us: it will be the right time to once again enjoy the flavors of Vietnam and toast our adventure in this magnificent land!
Included: overnight stay with breakfast
Money pot: any entrance fees and local transport
Not included: meals and drinks
Goodbye Vietnam!
Check out and goodbye
We have reached the end of our journey: we must say goodbye and also say goodbye to Vietnam... the sadness is there, but we are sure we will all meet again very soon!
Not included: airport transfer, meals and drinks
End of services. The itinerary may undergo some variations that differ from what is stated above. These variations may not be predictable nor depend on WeRoad’s will, i.e. climate conditions, national holidays, strikes, etc.