Central Vietnam Tour Package: Immersive Nature and Cultural Exploration

Morning
After breakfast, depart for your exploration of Phong Nha Cave, the world’s longest limestone cave. Part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the cave was used as a hospital and munitions store during the Vietnam War. You will access the cave by boat along the Son River and once inside, you will be amazed by the cave’s fine sand beaches, the spectacular milky-white stalagmites, and stalactites.

Continue to visit the historic Tam Co Cave which has a fascinating war-time history.

Afternoon
After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to visit the famous Thien Duong Cave, also known as Paradise Cave. Discovered by scientists of the British Caving Research Association in 2005, the Paradise cave is an ethereal complex of skyscraper-high stalagmites and stalactites that hang like the pipes of oversized church organs. The first 1 km (0.6 miles) is open to visitors and lit with the aplomb of a cathedral, with wooden steps and walkways navigating the uneven floor.

Return to the farm-stay in the late afternoon where you spend the remainder of the day at leisure. Enjoy the comforts of the farm-stay or for those who wish there is the option to cycle around the local villages.

Overnight in Phong Nha National Park.

Morning
You will have the whole morning free at your leisure. Breakfast will be served at the Farmstay and check out of the room at midday.

Afternoon
Your driver will collect you from the Farmstay and transfer you to Dong Hoi Train station to catch the day train (soft seats with air conditioning) to Hue, a Unesco World Heritage site and the former capital of Imperial Vietnam from 1802 to 1945.

The three-hour train journey will be an interesting experience because it allows you to see the stunning scenery along the way and especially crossing Vietnam’s former DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). The DMZ was the former border between North and South Vietnam before the reunification. Historically, it was a narrow band of terrain extending from the Laos border to the coast, five kilometers on either side of the Ben Hai River, roughly on the 17th parallel north of latitude.

Evening
Your private guide and driver will meet you at the train station and transfer you to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the evening will be yours at leisure. Your guide will recommend a good restaurant near the hotel for your dinner.

Overnight in Hue.

Morning
After breakfast, you will explore Hue UNESCO World Heritage Site. With the help of your private guide and driver, you will get to see some of Hue’s important historical sights.

Your day will start with a short visit to Thanh Toan Village where you can see the lively morning market. This is where the locals come to buy their daily food. Nearby are the 300-year-old Thanh Toan bridge and a Cultural Museum where you can visit and talk to the locals.

Continue on to the Hue Royal Complex, former home to the Nguyen Dynasty, the last Monarchy of Vietnam from 1802 – 1945. You will explore the ancient and atmospheric walled Citadel which contains the former Imperial Palace and the Forbidden Purple City.

Wind your way to the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, a captivating museum in Hue that displays a remarkable collection of artifacts from the Nguyen Dynasty, providing a unique window into royal history and culture.

Today you will enjoy an excellent Vegetarian lunch at a local Buddhist Monastery, prepared and served by the nuns. Take the opportunity to learn about the religion Buddhism or just get to know your friendly hosts.

 Afternoon
You will visit the final resting place – called the King tomb of Tu Duc, then head to Vong Canh Hill to watch the sunset over the Perfume River. On the way back to town, you will visit a local workshop where you can see how incense sticks and traditional conical hats are made.

Overnight in Hue.

Morning
After breakfast, depart Hue for Da Nang and Hoi An for four hours along the coast. Today you will enjoy one of the most scenic drives over Hai Van Pass (Sea Cloudy Pass). From the summit, you can enjoy the spectacular view of the coastline and Da Nang city below.

Arrive in Da Nang, you will pause to visit the Marble Mountain, Cham Museum and the white sandy 20-mile stretch of My Khe Beach which was home to American GIs during the war.

Continue to drive and arrive in Hoi An around midday. Check into your boutique resort, just a stone’s throw from the old town.

Afternoon
Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure. Enjoy the facilities of the resort or stroll around the Old town. You will find authentic Vietnamese culture, with paper lanterns lining the streets and delectable riverside restaurants.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Morning
The whole morning is at your leisure. Enjoy late breakfast and the comforts of your hotel.

Afternoon
Your tour guide will pick you up and take you to the Ancient Quarter of Hoi An, where you will embark on a walking tour visiting the major attractions such as Chua Ong Pagoda, Tan Ky Ancient House, Fujian Assembly Hall, and the Japanese Covered Bridge.

Continue to visit the Precious Heritage Museum, home to the permanent exhibition of Réhahn’s Precious Heritage Collection. While transporting you to the furthest reaches of Vietnam, the collection will unveil the rich cultural tapestry of the ethnic tribes

The highlight of the day is the visit to the Reaching Out Tea House, a welcome little oasis of calm in the busy, vibrant Old quarter, owned and operated by the mute and deaf people. Here you will be treated with delicious cakes and incredible tea in the Eastern style.

Move on to the house of a lantern craftsman. There, you can observe the lantern craftsman’s technique before hands-on work through each stage of lantern-making under the guidance of the enthusiastic craftsmen: from bending it into the frame, cutting cloth, gluing, to completing lanterns. Before this trip concludes, you will have your own lantern created by your own hands.

Now, it’s time for your Hoi An street food discovery tour. With your guide, you will weave in and out the tiny alleyways, get to chow down with the locals at stalls you’d never discover on your own. Every day at 4pm, Hoi An’s streets filled with a myriad of street food carts, stalls, and vendors. The street food tour is a great introduction for you to enjoy a few of the Hoi An specialties cooked up by the locals, to introduce you to the faces behind the stock pots and to teach you how the Hoi An locals deal with those condiment trays!

Overnight in Hoi An.

Morning
After an early breakfast, your private guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to My Son Sanctuary – lies in a geological basin surrounded by a ring of mountains, about an hour inland from Hoi An. The indigenous Cham tribes chose this easily defendable location to build the capital of their empire, which grew steadily between the 4th and 13th centuries. Used as a military base by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, My Son was heavily bombed, but many ruins remain standing. In 1999, UNESCO designated My Son a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Upon arrival, you will enjoy a walking tour for two hours around this historic complex. Learn about the original building techniques applied during construction and the traditional materials that were used, such as timber, brick, and stone. You will also look out for the numerous craters that were left here by American bombs from the war in the 1960s and 70s.

After exploring the ruins, you will have a chance to watch the traditional Apsara Dance beside the historic temples. The ladies will give a dance demonstration to the sounds of panpipes and drums, wearing colorful traditional costumes and cone-shaped hats.

Back to your hotel in Hoi An. Stop en route to visit a rice paper workshop to test your culinary skills and learn how to make a delicious local snack. You will then sit back and enjoy your creations with a cup of Vietnamese coffee and engage in a friendly chat with our hosts about the rural way of life here.

Afternoon
Free time at leisure. There’s so much to do in this paradise: explore the local market and try its street food (Cao Lau and White Rose Dumpling), get some tailoring done within 24 hours, join a hands-on cooking class.

The beautiful beach of An Bang is only 5km away from the Ancient Town. You can ride the bicycle there for some swim and relaxing time.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Departure Flight: Guest’s own tickets

Your private car take care you on a private transfer to Da nang International Airport where you board your flight home or travel on to more adventures, we will help you with the planning.