The World Heritage Sites of VietNam 14 days 13 nights

Arrive in Hanoi and transfer to your hotel in town. The rest of day is at your leisure.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Depart the hotel to visit the Temple of Literature, or Quoc Tu Giam. Built in 1076, The Temple of Literature was Vietnam's first university and was established within a temple to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The grounds of the university, which functioned for 700 years, have been well-preserved.

The next stop is a visit to Hanoi’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. The Citadel was constructed on a Chinese fortress dating back from the 7th century and rebuilt in the 11th century by the Ly Viet Dynasty.

We also visited The One Pillar Pagoda, which was founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049. This structure is one of Vietnam’s smallest but most iconic temples. Close by is the mausoleum of the historic father figure of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, and the former presidents house on stilts where he lived from 1958 to 1969.

From there head into Hanoi’s Old Quarter, also known as the ‘36 streets’ area. Take a walking tour through charming Hang Be Market and around Hoan Kiem Lake. This bustling area of narrow streets and alleys is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers and is a must see in person.

In the evening, catch a Water Puppet show, a uniquely North Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Depart in the morning for Ninh Binh, the site of Vietnam’s first capital, Hoa Lu. Visit the temples dedicated to Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang of the Dinh Dynasty (968-80), and Emperor Le Dai Hanh of the Le Dynasty (980-1009).

After visiting Hoa Lu climb the surrounding limestone karst hills for a spectacular view of the valley.

After lunch, visit Trang An Landscape Complex which was listed on UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2014. Trang An is a spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys. The enormous limestone karsts jutting out from the green rice fields lend its name, ‘Halong on Land’.

Should you feel adventurous, climb up to Bich Dong Pagoda on nearby Ngu Nhac Mountain, dating back to 1428 and comprising three structures: Ha, Trung, and Thuong Pagodas.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Start the day with a visit to the remote Ho Citadel, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011, situated in nearby Thanh Hoa Province. Ho Citadel remains consist of the Inner Citadel, La Thanh Outer Wall and the Nam Giao Altar, which are designed for a centralized imperial city in order to show a concept of royal power. The use of large stone walls with traditional feng shui principles are the main characters that represent the almost intact Ho Citadel.

Transfer back to Ninh Binh in the afternoon and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Consider a walk or bicycle ride through the rice paddy fields that surround your hotel to soak up the beauty of the countryside, or if time permits make an optional trip to Cuc Phuong National Park – Vietnam’s first national park established in 1962.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Depart Ninh Binh in the morning for Halong Bay, perhaps Vietnam’s most famous and most popular UNESCO World Heritage site. The name ‘Ha Long’ means the dragon descending into the sea and owes its origins to a Vietnamese myth.

Arrive at the Halong Bay jetty around noon and proceed with check-in formalities before boarding a boat for your unforgettable overnight cruise on Halong bay. After your welcome onboard, a lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself.

In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.

Overnight on board the boat in Halong Bay.

Experience the sunrise over the emerald waters of Halong Bay.

Mid-morning the boat will return to shore.

Disembark and transfer to Hanoi Airport for the mid-late afternoon flight to Danang in Central Vietnam.

On arrival in Danang, transfer to the nearby historic Hoi An town. Hoi An was a major Asian trading port from the 15th to the 19th centuries. The ‘Hoi An Ancient Town’ was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. While the architecture has been regulated to remain intact, the town has come alive with modern cafes, shops and entertainment making it a favorite destination for international visitors.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Head out in the morning to another of Central Vietnam’s UNESCO World Heritage sites – the temple complex at My Son Sanctuary.

My Son was the homeland of the grand Champa Kingdom who built dozens of red brick towers during the 7th – 13th centuries. The sanctuary is situated in an impressive location surrounded by hills, around 35 km inland from the coast at Hoi An. Whilst not as spectacular as the great Angkor complexes in Cambodia, the remaining structures are atmospheric enough to conjure images of the majesty of the Champa Kingdom.

Return to Hoi An : You will be escorted to the Japanese bridge, TanKy old house, assembly hall… to contemplate their special architectural features.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Start the day with a half day cooking class -  Guided tour of Hoi An’s colorful central market, boat trip on the Hoi An River, herb garden walk, 2 hours hand on cooking class, and finish with lunch.

After the cooking class, you will depart from Hoi An for a 3-hour drive through Hai Van Pass to Hue, the former citadel of the very last Nguyen Dynasty.

Overnight in Hue.

This morning after breakfast, do a city tour to explore the UNESCO World Heritage listed ‘Complex of Hue Monuments’.

Boat trip to Thien Mu pagoda: you get on the dragon boat. You will cruise along the Perfume River about 30 minutes. After that, the boat will stop at another boat station. Here you can freely visit Thien Mu pagoda,which is the oldest pagoda in Hue city.

Then visit Minh Mang King’s Tomb: Considered as the most majestic of all Nguyen Dynasty royal tombs, Minh Mang Tomb is a complex of 40 constructions: palaces, temples, pavilions, etc. Many say that it’s a perfect combination of man-made and natural beauty in Hue, where architecture fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape.

Afternoon, visit  Khai dinh tomb and Imperial Citadel where Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945 with numerous of attractive places to see like Flag Tower, Noon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, and Forbidden Purple City. Thai Hoa Palace.

The tour ends by shopping at Dongba Market - Dong Ba market is the biggest and most significant central market of Thua Thien Hue province and the adjacent regions.

Overnight in Hue.

After breakfast, pick you up at your hotel in Hue city depart for Paradise Cave- a miracle in the heart of the World Heritage Site – Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.. On the way, stop for sightseeing at La Vang Church, where Virgin Maria appeared in 1798. Our car will drive through Hien Luong Bridge, Ben Hai River (latitude 17 division from south to north of the country for 20 years from 1954 to 1973).

Please note that our tour will not stop at these places but our tour guide will brief about Vietnam War History.

Have lunch at a local restaurant in Phong Nha town.

Then, We continue to transfer to Paradise Cave. Paradise Cave and begin to explore the glamor of Asia’s longest and largest dry cave. You travel on a buggy, pass through dense forest for about 2 km, then climb about 500 rocky steps, and you’re in.. Paradise. Begin your journey to  explore the magical Heaven –the Eden on earth with special stalagmites, stalactites system with sparkling, mysterious beauty, out of human beings imagination.

Reach to Dong Hoi for overnight at hotel .

In the morning transfer to Dong Hoi Airport and on to Ho Chi Minh City.

In the afternoon, take a tour of some of the main sites, including the Reunification Palace, the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, the Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall.

Visit the War Remnants Museum where exhibition halls display imagery of both the French and ‘American’ wars.

Continue to the Jade Emperor Pagoda located on the fringes of district 1. Dating from 1909 and built by Cantonese Buddhists, this quiet oasis was designed using feng shui principles showcasing ornate statues and effigies.Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure and experience some of Saigon’s nightlife.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Depart from Saigon to Cu Chi tunnels (about 50km). As you know, Cu Chi tunnels is one of the most famous historical Vestiges of Vietnam’s national liberation War. Its network consists of over 200km of tunnels linked to each other like a Cobweb. You go inside the tunnels which have the kitchens, food and ammunition storage caches, medic-care chambers (a small clinic), meeting room, commanding chambers ..etc. You discover the tunnels by entering inside it, about 15 m, 30m, 60m and 100m long belong to your health. At the end of the tunnels, you can eat Cassava (called Khoai Mi), which was the main food for Vietcong people during the war.

Say goodbye to the Cu Chi tunnels, back to Saigon.

Take the afternoon at your leisure and explore other parts of the city.

In the evening, Enjoy dinner cruise on SaiGon river.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

After breakfast, transfer to My Tho – The first bustling town of Mekong Delta. Boat cruise along the Mekong River to visit the orchards on the Thoi Son islet. Enjoy tropical fruits of the season, visit Honey-bee farm and Coconut Candy Workshop; Continuing by hand-oared sampan ride along the canals. Lunch. Visit Vinh Trang Ancient Pagoda before driving back to HoChiMinh. 

Overnight at hotel.

Free at leisure in morning time. At the appropriate time, you'll transfer to the airport to catch your flight home. Have a nice flight and see you next time !