Family Adventure in Vietnam
Gifted with a staggering abundance of flavourful food, fascinating culture, untouched nature, and disarmingly friendly people, Vietnam has more than earned its rep as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. This fun-focused family trip packs as much of the good stuff into 12 days as humanly possible – including cruising Halong Bay, exploring the Imperial Citadel, and even a boat trip to a floating market – yet still offers more than enough time to relax. Don’t forget to pack your smile; you’ll be needing it often here.
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Day 1 - Hanoi
If you have time take a walk-through Hanoi's Old Quarter – a maze of streets, each one traditionally devoted to a different product or industry.
In the early evening you have the opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards.
Airport Transfer transport - Noi Bai International Airport – Hanoi
Accommodation
- Golden Silk Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Day 2 - Hanoi
Enjoy a guided cyclo tour of the Old Quarter before seeing a Water Puppet Theatre performance. Opt to visit a museum or do some shopping.
Hanoi Cyclo Tour - Take a seat on a cyclo for a tour of Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter. Let the driver navigate through the bustling streets and start taking some photos or just use the tour to help get familiar with the area.
Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre Performance – Hanoi - Watch a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show with beautiful live music and intricate puppets dancing in a water stage.
Accommodation
- Golden Silk Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included
Day 3 - Hanoi/Ha Long
Halong Bay cruise, cave visit and island lookout. Seafood lunch and dinner.
Private Vehicle transport - Hanoi – Ha Long, 4h - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Halong Bay Overnight - Cruise through majestic Ha Long Bay on a traditional wooden junk boat. Enjoy your time afloat eating fresh seafood, exploring Sung Sot cave or opting to kayak. Spend a peaceful night anchored in the bay under the stars.
On rare occasion Halong Bay is closed to tourist vessels by the government authorities due to extreme weather conditions. Should this occur, an alternate activity will be provided.
Accommodation
- Halong Bay Overnight Cruise
Meals Included
Day 4 - Ha Long/Huế
After an early lunch on board we head back to Hanoi with time for shopping or further sightseeing until the overnight train to Hue.
Private Vehicle transport - Ha Long – Huế, 3h-4h - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Overnight Train - Hanoi – Huế, 13h-14h - Experience overnight travel like a local. Sit back and get some well-earned (and likely much-needed) rest en-route to your next stop.
Accommodation
- Basic Overnight Train (beds) transport
Meals Included
Day 5 - Huế
We arrive in Hue mid-morning and take a tour of the Imperial Citadel which also contains the Forbidden Purple City. Afterward, there is free time to explore the city.
Opt to pre-book the "Hue Motorbike Tour" activity on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour (please note that riders must be at least 12 years old).
Imperial Citadel Tour - Huế - Tour this one-time capital city and UNESCO World Heritage site. See the walled fortress and former palace, which has many palaces, gateways, courtyards, and gardens to explore. The Forbidden Purple City (modelled on China's Forbidden City) inside the citadel was once home to the imperial family and was significantly damaged during the Vietnam War.
Optional Activities
Tien Mu Pagoda Visit - Huế
Visit Tien Mu, one of the tallest and, perhaps, most elegant pagodas in Vietnam, at seven storeys high. Take a step back in time touring this historic temple - built more than 400 years ago along the north shore of the Perfume River, it has been the site of many political protests.
Hue Motorbike Tour - Huế
Grab a helmet, hop on a motorbike driven by your experienced local guide, and get ready for a crash course in authentic Viet culture. Spend the next four hours exploring the stalls of a local market, making a Vietnamese conical hat, sipping on fresh green tea with a local family, learning to plough and make rice, and seeing the most iconic local sights. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
Meals Included
Day 6 - Huế/Hoi An
This morning take a scenic drive to Hoi An. After arriving enjoy free time to explore the city.
Private Vehicle transport - Huế – Hoi An, 4h - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Enjoy the afternoon at leisure, explore the pagodas, temples, tombs and more than 1,000 old houses of this historic city. If you’re in the market for a lantern, this is the place to shop or visit the nearby beaches.
Accommodation
- Thanh Binh Riverside Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included
Day 7 - Hoi An
Enjoy a noodle making demonstration and lunch at Oodles of Noodles, a G Adventures-supported project. Afterwards enjoy some free time to explore Hoi An.
Enjoy the afternoon at your leisure, perhaps explore the pagodas, temples, tombs and more than 1,000 old houses of this historic city. If you’re in the market for a lantern, this is the place to shop or visit the nearby beaches.
Oodles of Noodles Demonstration and Lunch - Hoi An, 2h-3h
Try some of the oodles of noodles (more than 26 types!) available in the city in this tasty cooking class. Run by our G for Good partners, STREETS International, this class was developed exclusively for G Adventures. Former street youth that are part of this hospitality training program, will help you prepare and cook a number of different types of noodles. This program helps these youth practice their English, increasing their skill-set and opportunities available to them in the tourism industry. Enjoy your yummy creations while learning more about the local cuisine and this initiative which empowers street youth through skills and employment training.
Accommodation
- Thanh Binh Riverside Hotel (or similar) accommodation
Meals Included
Day 8 - Hoi An
Enjoy a free day to explore. Optional activities include taking a cooking class, riverboat trip, bike riding, heading to the beach, visiting the tailors or the UNESCO World Heritage listed My Son ruins.
Enjoy a full day of free time, enjoy exploring the pagodas, temples, tombs and more than 1,000 old houses of this historic city. If you’re in the market for a lantern, this is the place to shop or visit the nearby beaches.
Accommodation
- Thanh Binh Riverside Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included
Optional Activities
Mỹ Sơn Excursion
Travel approximately one hour from Hoi An to arrive at My Son. Tour these Hindu temples built between the fourth and 14th centuries; the site is widely accepted as one of the most important Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia. Learn about the architectural style and history of a site that’s often compared to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Burma.
Hoi An Cooking Class
Take a cooking class to learn more about Vietnamese food and its distinct flavours. Tour the local market to buy fresh ingredients before preparing some popular regional dishes. Enjoy your creations when you're done!
Day 9 - Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City
A short flight takes us to Ho Chi Minh City, the sprawling metropolis that once was the capital of South Vietnam and remains the country’s commercial centre.
Plane transport - Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh City, 1h - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Ho Chi Minh City Cyclo Tour, 2h
Take a city tour on a cyclo (cycle rickshaw) – a great way to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Ho Chi Minh City while keeping your hands free for that camera action.
Accommodation
- Eden Star Saigon Hotel (or similar)
Meals Included
Optional Activities
Reunification Palace Visit - Ho Chi Minh City
Wander the historic halls of the Reunification Palace (Independence Palace), a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City. This former home of the South Vietnamese president during the Vietnam War became the location of the end of the war when a North Vietnamese tank pushed through the palace gates on April 30, 1975.
Dam Sen Water Park Visit - Ho Chi Minh City
Get away from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City at this nearby water park. A lush setting and refreshing water make Dam Sen the perfect place for the whole family to cool off and have some fun—splash around or take a ride down one of the slides.
Thien Hau Pagoda Visit - Ho Chi Minh City
Visit the Thien Hau Pagoda, a beautiful temple in the Chinatown district of Ho Chi Minh City. Learn more about the customs associated with this 19th-century monument – it is dedicated to the goddess Thien Hau (the 'Lady of the Sea') who is worshipped in Chinese communities throughout Asia by those who depend on the sea for their livelihoods.
Giac Vien Pagoda Visit - Ho Chi Minh City
Find this hidden pagoda behind some small alleyways – it’s a rare treat of a monument that has been spared the over-restoration that has been done to so many temples. Tour the inside of this 18th-century pagoda to see nearly 100 carvings of divine beings.
Benh Tan Market Visit - Ho Chi Minh City
Wander the bustling aisles of this energetic market known for its abundance of dried and fresh produce, jewellery, textiles, liquor, and tobacco products. Be fancy (and efficient) and have a one-day suit made. Feel free to bargain!
Day 10 - Ho Chi Minh City/Mekong Delta
A boat trip through small villages shows a different side of Vietnamese life. Be amazed at how the locals rely on the Mekong for everything!
We spend the night in a small village in the delta—a great chance to interact with the locals.
Private Vehicle transport - Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta, 2h30m - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Mekong Homestay - Mekong Delta
Get ready for a change of pace in Vietnam’s “rice basket”. Explore the complex waterways of the Mekong Delta on a boat tour. Afterwards, take a short xe lam (tuk-tuk) ride to a nearby community for a homestay. Relax in a hammock, explore the area by bike, and get to know the local way of life. This evening savour a traditional southern Vietnamese dinner.
Accommodation
- Mekong Delta Homestay (or similar)
Meals Included
Day 11 - Mekong Delta/Ho Chi Minh City
Return to Ho Chi Minh City; free afternoon. Option to visit War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, and Ben Thanh Market.
Private Vehicle transport - Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh City, 2h-3h - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.
There are plenty of war-related spots to visit including the Reunification Palace (where the tank that ended the Vietnam War sits), the War Remnants Museum, Ho-Chi-Minh Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels. For shopping, head to Dong Kohi Street and Pham Ngu Lao Street, or if you’re tired of walking, take a river cruise.
Accommodation
- Eden Star Saigon Hotel (or similar) accommodation
Meals Included
Optional Activities
Benh Tan Market Visit - Ho Chi Minh City
Wander the bustling aisles of this energetic market known for its abundance of dried and fresh produce, jewellery, textiles, liquor, and tobacco products. Be fancy (and efficient) and have a one-day suit made. Feel free to bargain!
War Remnants Museum Visit - Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi
Visit the War Remnants Museum, a gut-wrenching but worthwhile experience that includes three storeys of exhibits and military hardware. Learn about the devastation that occurred in Saigon during the Vietnam War, a period that greatly contrasts the joy and liveliness of the Vietnamese people today.
Reunification Palace Visit - Ho Chi Minh City
Wander the historic halls of the Reunification Palace (Independence Palace), a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City. This former home of the South Vietnamese president during the Vietnam War became the location of the end of the war when a North Vietnamese tank pushed through the palace gates on April 30, 1975.
Day 12 - Ho Chi Minh City
Your Vietnam family adventure ends today, you are free to leave and transfer for a flight back to the UK at any time.
Meals Included
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