Vietnam Family Adventure
12 days, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
Itinerary Notes
Family adventures are designed for groups travelling with children between the ages of 6 and 17. Your group must have a child in order to book a Family tour, and anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The itinerary has been designed with the needs of the whole family in mind.
Itinerary
Day 1Hanoi
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
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.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Arrival Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
After picking up your bags exit the baggage hall and look for your driver. This area can be busy but keep an eye out for a driver holding a G Adventures sign with your name on it.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Golden Silk Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Day 2Hanoi
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
Watch a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show with beautiful live music and intricate puppets dancing in a water stage. The price listed above is for a VIP seat.
Accommodation
Golden Silk Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Hanoi/Ha Long
Halong Bay cruise, cave visit and island lookout. Seafood lunch and dinner.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Halong Bay Overnight Cruise
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 Overnight Cruise (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Ha Long/Huế
Continue on the cruise of Halong Bay to Man's Head Island and Tortoise Island. Visit Luon cave by small bamboo boat. Overnight train to Hue.
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
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Overnight Train (beds)
Stretch out and get some well-earned rest en route to the next stop.
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 5Huế
Guided tour of the Imperial Citadel. Opt to visit to the Royal Tombs and Tien Mu Pagoda.
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
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 - Day 5 HideShow
Thien Mu Pagoda Visit
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
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, admiring the view of the Perfume River, learning to plough and make rice, creating your own incense sticks, and seeing the most iconic local sights. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
Accommodation
Asia Hotel Hue (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 6Huế/Hoi An
This morning take a scenic drive to Hoi An. After arriving enjoy free time to explore the city.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
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
Belle Maison Hadana (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 7Hoi 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.
Free Time
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.
Your G for Good Moment: Oodles of Noodles
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
Belle Maison Hadana (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 8Hoi 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.
Free Time
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.
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Mỹ Sơn Excursion
38USD per personTravel 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. Please note this optional activity is a half-day and includes a guide, transportation, and the entrance fee.
Hoi An Cooking Class
35USD per personTake 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!
Accommodation
Belle Maison Hadana (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City
Morning flight from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Cyclo city tour of Central Saigon.
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 center.
Plane
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
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.
Optional Activities - Day 9 HideShow
Dam Sen Water Park Visit
4USD per personGet 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.
Benh Tan Market Visit
Wander the bustling aisles of this energetic market known for its abundance of dried and fresh produce, jewelry, textiles, liquor, and tobacco products. Be fancy (and efficient) and have a one-day suit made. Feel free to bargain!
Giac Vien Pagoda Visit
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.
Thien Hau Pagoda Visit
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.
Reunification Palace Visit
2USD per personWander 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.
Accommodation
Eden Star Saigon Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 10Ho Chi Minh City/Mekong Delta
Take a boat trip along the Mekong Delta, later enjoy a homestay and traditional dinner with a local family.
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
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your Local Living Moment: Mekong Homestay
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:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 11Mekong 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
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
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.
Optional Activities - Day 11 HideShow
Benh Tan Market Visit
Wander the bustling aisles of this energetic market known for its abundance of dried and fresh produce, jewelry, textiles, liquor, and tobacco products. Be fancy (and efficient) and have a one-day suit made. Feel free to bargain!
War Remnants Museum Visit
2USD per personVisit 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
2USD per personWander 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.
Accommodation
Eden Star Saigon Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 12Ho Chi Minh City
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.