You know those times when you've had such an awesome experience, you just have to tell someone about it? Well this is definitely one of those times. As I go through photos on my laptop I am struck by what an unbelievably beautiful country Vietnam is, and how fortunate I've been to see the major spots in 11 days.
Vietnam by Day
We travelled on a package tour that lasted 10 nights and 11 days and we sure did pack a lot in! From Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi and back, we scaled across the country getting to experience the best that Vietnam has to offer, and what a delight it was!
Vietnam at Night
I travelled with my family – all 8 of us (including my sister's kids) and it was definitely the best family vacation we've ever had. Through a small company we found online,
Vietnam Unique Tours, our holiday was organised by the super-efficient, friendly and professional Miss Jenny. Travelling in a family group, or any group for that matter can be tough. There are a lot of differing personalities, wants and needs of each of those travelling, and Jenny assisted with everything we needed, wanted, and things we didn't even know we wanted but appreciated so much for her thoughtfulness. Nothing was too much trouble for her, we even got to meet up with her in Hanoi near the end of our journey – she's a lovely person!
We met Jenny on our last night in Hanoi :)
She was available to us through call and text, 24/7 during our whole trip – from late check-ins to hotel mix ups, she had us totally sorted – someone anyone would want to have close by when planning a holiday – not just before the trip but during it too.
We travelled in May, and we have to say the tour was really at an affordable price, especially given all the inclusion – a tour bus (all to ourselves) and on-time pick up and drop offs to each transport hub from city to city; 4 & 5 star accommodation; meals at some beautiful restaurants we wouldn't have found on our own; and a selection of amazing cultural day tours.
We had a private tour bus all to ourselves!
Here's a basic outline of our itinerary:
Day 1 – Ho Chi Minh – 2.30pm arrival pick up at hotel, overnight at Nikko Hotel
Day 2 – Visit some famous places in Ho Chi Minh city. Leisure time in the afternoon until 6pm where you will start exploring Ho Chi Minh at night – included a water puppet show (both kids and adults loved it!), a cyclo tour through the city, and dinner on a dragon boat cruise. Finish the evening tour at around 9.30pm, overnight at Nikko Hotel.
Day 3 – Mekong Delta – Visit My Tho and Ben Tre. Take a boat to handicraft villages and experience day-to-day life of the locals in Ben Tre. Flight to Hoi An. Overnight at Vinh Hung Resort in Hoi An.
Day 4 - Visit My Son Sanctuary and famous places in Hoi An. Overnight at Vinh Hung resort in Hoi An.
Day 5 – At your leisure for relaxation time, walking around the town shopping until we transfer you to Hue. Overnight at Imperial hotel in Hue.
Day 6 - Visit some famous and historical places in Hue. Transfer to airport for flight to Hanoi. Overnight at Conifer hotel in Hanoi.
Day 7 - Hanoi city tour. Visit famous places in Hanoi. Having lunch with Vietnamese buffet at Maison Sen Buffet restaurant.
Continue to explore Hanoi then take 1 cyclo for sightseeing in the Old Quarter. Overnight at Conifer hotel in Hanoi.
Day 8 - Cruising through thousands of islands and islets in Halong bay. Visit famous attractions in Halong bay. Overnight on Signature cruise.
Day 9 - Continue exploring Halong Bay's 2000 islets including the Cock- fighting, Human Head Islet while cruising back to the harbour and have lunch onboard.Get on bus back to Hanoi. Overnight at Conifer hotel in Hanoi.
Day 10 - After breakfast, your leisure until we transfer you to airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh. Overnight at Rex hotel in Ho Chi Minh.
Day 11 - After early breakfast,at 6:30am we transfer you to airport for your departure flight at 9.30am
Local Vietnam
You may have heard of how good the food is, and I am not exaggerating it is
soooo good! Fresh, even healthy, the food is so tasty and even if you're not too daring you'll probably go home wanting to cook something new you've learn from the cuisine here.
Going to Vietnam is such a wonderful experience that I encourage everyone even just once to see and learn from their beautiful culture and food!
Vietnamese Cuisine is Amazing!
Would definitely recommend to go through Vietnam Unique Tours if you want the insider knowledge of what's good and what's not, plus the added comfort of knowing someone is there to help you. The Vietnamese are friendly people, but not all have very good English so going on an organised tour package like we did, it was handy having an English-speaking guide on each of our day tours.
This is the first in my Vietnamese related-posts, will link to more about each place in another Weekend Notes post, highlights definitely include Halong Bay but more on that next time.
Hubby and I
