Central Vietnam’s adventure

Central Vietnam is the heart of the nation, attracting and astonishing tourists with its well-preserved historical sites, welcoming locals, and charming natural beauty. If you wish to discover Central Vietnam, this trip is one of the most perfect choices for you.

Join us to build up memories and find out the real essence of the ancient city Hue and Hoi An, explore Phong Nha National Park and the surrounding area with diverse nature and culture!

• Theme tour: Adventurous explorer
• Kids friendly: Yes
• Destination: Most popular

• Escape from the hustle and bustle to enjoy relaxation times in Chay Lap Farmstay
• Immerse yourself in the scenery of Paradise Cave
• See the most important Heritage sites of Hue and learn about Vietnam’s feudality
• Enjoy the charm and peaceful of Hoi An

Day 1: Arrival in Dong Hoi. Dong Hoi- Phong Nha

Day 2: Phong Nha National Park and Paradise Cave

Day 3: Phong Nha- Hue

Day 4: Hue’s Heritage, Nature, and people

Day 5: Hue- Bach Ma- Hoi An

Day 6: Hoi An– Full Day Hoi An walking tour and jeep tour

Day 7: Hoi An- Departure

Meal: Breakfast/ Accommodation: Chay Lap Farmstay

Pick up from Dong Hoi train station, time for refreshment, and breakfast at a local restaurant before heading to Chay Lap Farmstay.

Spend your day for relaxation in Chay Lap FarmStay, where you can escape from the hustle and bustle and experience garden farming, biking on your own.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch/ Accommodation: Chay Lap Farmstay

After breakfast, we will discover the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National park. We’ll start with a light trek to its botanical garden. Located in the center of the park, the garden is home to Gio waterfall, Vang Anh Lake, a prototype exhibition house. The 3 km route on the natural pathway gives you a closer look at the park’s plant nursery and precious and rare plant areas. Then, we’ll board a small motorboat to the Phong Nha cave. It takes about 20 minutes on the river to reach the spot, pristine and beautiful. We turn off the boat’s engine when entering the cave. You’ll also have the chance to get off the boat and stroll around. We will have lunch at the local restaurant.

Afternoon, we transfer to Paradise cave. Discovered in 2005, it is 31 km long, 100 to 150 meters high. Impressive. The amount of walk will depend on your preference; we just make sure to provide you enough to get a striking feeling of grandeur. We then get back in the car and drive back to your hotel.

Spend the second night at Chay Lap Farmstay.

Meal: Breakfast/ Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

We will have breakfast at the resort and enjoy the morning here.

15.00 pm: picked up at your hotel and driven to Dong Hoi station where you will catch the train to Hue (SE7: Dong Hoi – Hue: 16:40-19.50). Enjoy the landscape on the way.

19.50: Pick up from the Hue railway station to your hotel.

Overnight in Hue.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch/ Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

Our guide will meet us in our hotel at 8:00 am to travel back in time with our visit to Hue’s citadel, a great introduction to Vietnam’s History, the Imperial times, the Mandarin culture, and the former feudal system.

Afterward, we will visit an artist who has reinvented the tradition of working with bamboo to produce paper using quite innovative techniques. We will be introduced to his art at his workshop and then enjoy an easy-paced visit to the Thien Mu pagoda, one of the most beautiful religious buildings in Vietnam, built in the early 1600s.

We will cross later the Perfume River on a local boat and reach Thuy Bieu village to have lunch at a local house. The village is a real maze of narrow alleys that will lead us to beautiful ancient houses with impressive gardens. However, the real treasure of Thuy Bieu village is its people, descendants of the Mandarins. We will enjoy a gentle walk around and stop by at different places where we will be able to meet the villagers and taste some of their fruits.

On our way back to the city center, we will visit emperor Tu Duc’s tomb and climb a little hill so that we can get a scenic view over the Perfume River before returning to our hotel.

If you are keen on cycling, it would also be possible to do the whole trip by bike. Just inform your Handspan travel consultant about your preferences!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch/ Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

8:00 – You are picked up at your hotel and we hit the road. We travel either from Hue to Hoi An or vice versa. The day is divided into three parts, each of them will immerse you in a different travel atmosphere and they will together bring this day to become a memorable travel experience.

The first part is the road between Hue and Bach Ma. A very nice countryside lane built on a strip of land between the sea and coastal lagoons among the largest in the country. Pine tree forests, sandy dunes, fishing systems, herds of cows, kids on bicycles… this is a dive into typical Vietnamese countryside. It is rural and charming.

The middle part is your exploration of Bach Ma National Park. At the entry of the park, we hop on the rangers’ vehicle and they drive us 19km father to the starting point. Breathtaking sceneries while we are driving up, opportunities to stop either now or later, on the way down. Get off from the van, we take our first step to a single trail to Rhododendron waterfall and continue on the Five Lakes Cascade trail through the evergreen forest (6km in total). Enjoy your picnic lunch by one of its crystal-clear pools (weather permits).

The last part is the drive between Bach Ma and Hoi An, you’ll cross Lang Co Bay and then up the Hai Van pass. We will indulge some stops to take pictures and enjoy the views. The trip ends at your address in Hoi An around 17:00.

Note:

-The trekking in Bach Ma National park is at a moderate level, which is suitable for most hill walkers and generally involving trekking at moderate altitude, on fairly difficult terrain. Please keep in mind that we are on a private journey so feel free to tell your guide about your preferences.

-Trip can be conducted from Hoi An to Hue with the same time table.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch/ Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

08.00 – Pick up from your hotel by our tour guide. We will spend the afternoon visiting the Hoian ancient town. Recently named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Hoian is a trading outport dating back to the 16th century. Because of its location on the Thu Bon River, Hoi An became a magnet for merchants from all over the world. Today its streets display a rich mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and European architecture and culture. Explore the small town on foot. Here the streets, historical temples, centuries-old shopkeepers’ houses, and artisans’ quarters evoke an earlier time, when silks and brocades, ivory, fragrant oils, fine porcelain, innovative weaponry, and raw minerals were hawked by enterprising merchants and manufacturers. Visit Tan Ky House, a late 18th-century merchant’s residence. The Tan Ky family, very successful silk, tea, and rice traders originally from China lived here for seven generations and amassed quite a collection of paraphernalia. The house itself is a fine example of combined Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese architecture, typical of the older houses in Hoi An. The Fujian Association, also known as the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation, was founded as a place where minority Fujian Chinese could hold meetings. Later it became a temple for the worship of Thien Hau, goddess of the sea and protector of fishermen and sailors. We will have lunch at a restaurant in town.

Afternoon, we will be pick up by our stylish American army jeep for an exploration of the Hoian countryside. We’ll start with a ride around the town toward Cua Dai bridge to cross Thu Bon river and get to Cam Kim island. The ride through the breathtaking scenery of rice paddies and farmland and enjoy the cooling breeze. Meeting local families is a must-do to see the real way of life in Vietnam. On this trip, we stop at a few friendly local families and learn how they make fish sauce, mat weaving, farming, boat making. We will also stop by a local drop-coffee and learn the art of coffee roasting. Later, we’ll get on a boat and make our way to the coast to Thu Bon river mouth and visit Cam Thanh village, home to the large water coconut palm mangrove. We finish the morning with a unique river trip on the local „Coracle boat“ through the canals and coconut palm mangrove. Return to your hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Meal: Breakfast/ Accommodation: Not any

Time will be on your own until our driver arrives and takes you to Danang airport, in a good time for boarding your departure flight. End of our services.