Hanoi, Hue, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City: 15-day sightseeing tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Hanoi takes a whole day, flights arrive at different times, and the coordinator helps with visa formalities right at the airport. A guide speaking Russian meets and accompanies to the hotel. After a long journey, accommodation and time to freshen up and recover.

2. Day 2

   Hanoi reveals itself through movement: first rickshaws take you through the old quarters, then a walk on foot along the same guild streets, among them the silver Hang Bac and the old house at 87 Ma May. At the Lake of the Returned Sword, a wooden bridge and a temple, and along the way, stops for photos: the statue of the emperor, Dong Xuan Market, St. Joseph's Church. The day ends with a welcome dinner at a restaurant. The pace is packed, but without haste, the city sets its own rhythm.

3. Day 3

   From Hanoi to Ninh Binh province, two hours by car. The main impression of the day is a boat from the Trang An pier: oars silently carry you over clear water along limestone cliffs, past caves with speaking names, Darkness, Light, Whisper. Inside the caves it is cool and dark, outside it is sunny, and this alternation is confusing. After lunch, Hoa Lu, the ancient capital, and Mua Cave. Return to Hanoi.

4. Day 4

   The road to Halong Bay takes about two and a half hours, and now a cabin on the ship becomes home for one night. The cruise goes along the bay, lunch is fresh seafood right on board. On this day, the Dark and Bright Caves, followed by a closed lake. The night landscape of Lan Ha Bay remains in memory as a separate frame: water, cliffs and silence.

5. Day 5

   The morning begins on the upper deck with a tai chi lesson, slow movements under the open sky. After a light breakfast, kayaks along Tra Bau Bay, the water almost level with the side. Then the cabins are vacated, lunch, and a transfer to the airport, a flight to Hue. There a guide meets you, and in the evening, accommodation at the hotel. The day is a turning point: from water to city, from ship to land.

6. Day 6

   Hue is the former imperial capital, and here everything speaks of the past: the citadel, the library, the theater, the museum of the emperors, temples and halls of the mandarins, the pavilion with the bell. On this day, the two most famous tombs, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh, each a separate architectural world. Thien Mu Pagoda stands by the Perfume River, and there is free time to walk along the embankment. After lunch, a transfer to Da Nang over the Hai Van Pass, where the mountains seem to fall into the sea. The day is long and packed.

7. Day 7

   Morning, sea and beach, a rare opportunity not to go anywhere. After lunch, Hoi An, one of the oldest ports of Southeast Asia, where merchants from distant countries once stopped. The city greets with a mixture of styles and unhurriedness. The program includes the covered Japanese bridge-temple built in the 16th century, Phuc Kien Temple and the old houses of Chinese merchants with collections of antiquities. The pace is calm: this is a day of walks, not transfers.

8. Day 8

   Da Nang shows itself from a height: first the Marble Mountains, cliffs of whimsical colors, and inside caves with rock temples and pagodas created over centuries. At the foot, Non Nuoc village, where stone carvers work on sculptures. Then the statue of the goddess Quan Am: its height is sixty-seven meters, and inside it are seventeen floors, on each of which are Buddhas with different facial expressions; nearby Linh Ung Pagoda and an observation deck. The finale of the day is Ba Na Hills: a cable car, Wonder City with an amusement park, pagodas and the famous bridge with hands supporting the sky. The day is very packed.

9. Day 9

   Early rise and transfer to the airport, a flight to Nha Trang. On arrival, immediate check-in. Then independent rest by the sea, without a program and without a guide. This is a breather day after packed transfers.

10. Day 10

    From Nha Trang to the western part of Khanh Hoa province. In Yang Bay Nature Park, a show of the local Raglai tribe, swimming in a waterfall or mineral baths, feeding bears and extreme crocodile fishing. In good weather you can ride an ostrich, and for lovers of excitement, cockfights. Lunch in nature, optionally and for an extra charge, foot and body massage. On the way back, a temple of the Cham people of the 7th century. The finale of the day is the I-Resort hot spring: mud baths, a pool with hot mineral water, hydromassage and massage under a waterfall.

11. Day 11–12

    Two days in Nha Trang pass without a program, free time and rest by the sea. You can simply do nothing: this is the part of the route where you do not need to go anywhere. Nights at the hotel, breakfasts included.

12. Day 13

    From Nha Trang to Da Lat, a city built by the French at the end of the 18th century, at an altitude of 1500 meters. The air here is fresh, the streets are drowned in greenery, and this is felt immediately. Along the way, Datanla Waterfall, Truc Lam Pagoda, where you can get acquainted with the life of the monks, and the Crazy House in the form of a tree. In the center, the Lake of Love, and the mosaic decoration of Linh Phuoc Pagoda sets it apart from other temples. There is time to buy souvenirs, tea, coffee, wine. In the evening, a flight to Ho Chi Minh City, meeting and accommodation at the hotel.

13. Day 14

    The day is dedicated to the Mekong Delta. Along the way, the Dong Tam snake farm, then in My Tho a transfer to a boat and a journey along the Tien River. On Con Phung islet, a traditional Vietnamese lunch. Then a water trip through quiet villages to Ben Tre, agro-farms, where they treat you to honey and fruits, and also introduce you to local music and show how coconut caramel is made. On the way back, a stop at a restaurant in My Tho. In Ho Chi Minh City, a sightseeing tour of the historical part of Saigon: Dong Khoi Street, the Opera House, the municipality building, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Ben Thanh Market. In the evening, a boat trip with dinner on a boat along the Saigon.

14. Day 15

    After an early breakfast, a transfer to the airport and departure home. The trip ends, but the route remains in memory as a series of very different pictures: from the northern cliffs to the southern canals.