Family trip VIETNAM
TOUR OPERATES: Family trip VIETNAM
Day 1: Departure
You fly to Ho Chi Minh City , where you arrive the next day and your family trip Vietnam starts. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, has about 8.5 million inhabitants and is busy and noisy; it is the commercial center of the country. It seems like everyone is on the road here, somewhere to go on a bike or a moped. Everyone is busy building, carpentry or acting. Delicious food is sold on the street and in the numerous small restaurants, where you must of course eat with chopsticks .
Day 2: Arrival of Ho Chi Minh city
Depending on the time of arrival you can start today to explore the city. There is a lot to see in Ho Chi Minh City. Pay a visit to the cathedral, the Town Hall, the Opera and the post office designed by Gustav Eiffel . Cholon, 'big market', is the district where most of the Chinese live and where countless Chinese temples and houses can be admired. Light an incense stick in the Giac Lam pagoda, which seems to bring good luck. Dong Khoi is the most sophisticated street in the city, with stores of famous brands such as Gucci, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana. There is a wide choice of restaurants, the nicest are perhaps the local eateries, where no one speaks English . With hands and feet you come a long way.
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City / Tay Ninh and Cu Chi Excursion
Day off. You can opt for an optional day trip to Tay Ninh and Cu Chi. In Tay Ninh you visit a colorful temple of the Cao Dai religion. This extravagant structure was once described as an oriental fantasy in the style of Disneyland, with dragons and snakes in technicolor . The tunnels of Cu Chiwere used by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War to resist the Americans. Descend into the tunnels and experience how people have lived, suffered and fought here.
Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City - Da nang
Day off. There is plenty to do in Ho Chi Minh City. For a panoramic view, go to the Bitexco Financial Tower, the highest building in the city.
At the end of the day you leave with the night train to Danang; you sleep in the comfortable ' soft sleeper' class.
Day 5: Danang - Marble Mountains - My Khe beach - Hoi An
Your train arrives early in the city of Danang. On your way to Hoi An you stop at the Marble Mountains , a sacred rock formation that is interlaced with caves and caverns. You also stop at the beach of My Khe, where you can just go into the blue sea.
Hoi An is experienced by many (young) travelers as one of the most attractive and fun places in Vietnam. We take plenty of time on this family trip Vietnam . Visit the market, with baskets full of exotic fish, shrimps, vegetables or fruit. Numerous historic houses and other buildings are witnesses from a glorious past; the decor still looks the same as centuries ago. The ancient Chinese temples are also still in use. The center of Hoi An has been placed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO . In Hoi An your hotel has a swimming pool. Nice to wash off the Vietnamese heat from you.
Day 6: Hoi An / Excursion Gro village Tra Que
Day off. In Hoi An you can organize your time during your Vietnam family trip as you wish. You can eat delicious in Hoi An. Try Cao Lau , a delicious local dish of noodles, crispy vegetables, herbs, croutons and peanuts.
Really on a journey TIP
You can opt for an optional excursion to the village of Tra Que, where you can experience the daily life and work of the local farming community. Here you go by bike from Hoi An to a local farm. You can view the fields and help the farmers on the land. Depending on the time of the year you help fertilize the land with the local lake, raking, sowing, weeding, harvesting or watering.
Day 7: Hoi An / Excursion My Son and Cooking Course
Day off. Fans of excavations can visit My Son , which also adorns UNESCO's World Heritage List. The eponymous excavations are about thirty kilometers from Hoi An. With a rented car this place is easy to reach. My Son was the political and religious center of the Chamvolk that ruled Vietnam from the 4th to the 13th century. Although here too the war has left its mark, it is still an interesting and atmospheric place to visit. For this trip to My Son you need at least half a day. Remember: My Son is not interesting for many children.
Really on a journey TIP
During an exotic cooking course of half a day (optional) you learn with your traveling companions the intricacies of the local cuisine and enjoy your self-prepared meal. Maybe you make delicious Vietnamese spring rolls.
Day 8: Hoi An / Workshop making lanterns
Day off. One will take a bike ride through the countryside or take a boat trip on the river, another will relax on the nearby Non Nuoc sandy beach .
Really on a journey TIP
In the center of Hoi An you can see many decorated houses, usually cheerful yellow with dark shutters and red lanterns. You can take part in an optional half-day workshop, where you learn to make traditional Vietnamese lanterns . By bike you go to the workshop of a lantern maker. After he has explained the steps in making a lampion, you can try it yourself and make your own souvenir.
Day 9: Hoi An - Danang - Hanoi
Depending on the final flight, you will fly from Hanoi to Hanoi in the morning. The different lakes, spread through the capital, determine the image. The old colonial villas give Hanoi an unmistakable French touch . You can opt for an optional sight seeing per cyclo (a kind of bicycle rickshaw). The ride with this traditional form of transport gives you an impression of the street scene of Hanoi. You can also visit the Water Puppet Show (also in Ho Chi Minh City). This traditional Vietnamese theater form is, as the name implies, no ordinary puppet theater: the puppets move on the water!
Day 10: Hanoi - Mai Chau valley / Excursion Xa Linh
You drive to the Mai Chau valley, a picturesque valley with rice fields , surrounded by karst mountains. You stay in the village of Poom Cong, where the White Thai hill tribe lives in pile dwellings. In a beautiful natural setting you get acquainted with their traditional way of life. The Witte Thai are famous for their beautiful embroidered clothing, they have been doing terrace-making for centuries.
Really on a journey TIP
In the afternoon you visit the village Xa Linh, where the hill tribe of the Hmong lives. Just like the White Thai, they are known for their traditional folklore. Here you can take a nice walk (2 to 3 hours) through the mountains. (If you do not want to join, you can stay behind in Poom Cong).
Day 11: Mai Chau valley
Really on a journey TIP
You sleep in the Mai Chau Valley for 2 nights at the people's home, in a simple 'homestay' . De Witte Thai are very hospitable and provide food in the evening. Our children can possibly help with cooking. After dinner (included in the travel price, drinks are exclusive) you can often get acquainted with the traditional dances and songs of the Witte Thai.
Day 12: Mai Chau valley - Ninh Binh
You drive to Ninh Binh, a small town in a beautiful landscape. The pictures are worthy of a Chinese pen drawing . Rice fields, huge bamboo pollen and small rural villages are interrupted by the steeply rising round and pointed limestone mountains. Water buffalos poodle carefree in a refreshing mud bath . Farmers carry their products back home on the shoulder yoke.
During your Vietnam family trip in Tam Coc and Hoa Lu you can make an optional trip by boat and bicycle . Your tour then leads over creeks and canals, through three caves (!) And along green fields and small villages. In the village Hoa Lu you can visit two ancient temples, Dinh King and Le King.
Day 13: Ninh Binh - Halong Bay
The unique nature reserve of Halong bay consists of about a thousand vegetated rock islands of limestone, which rise from the sea. You board a junk that sails through the fairytale seascape . You have lunch and dinner on board (included in the fare), you moor at an island where you can walk to the top for a beautiful view, lovers can kayak and of course you can swim at a sandy beach. Your overnight stay on board during your Vietnam trip is certainly a unique experience!
NB: It is possible that due to bad weather conditions an overnight stay on board is not allowed. In that case, we deviate to a hotel on the coast.
Day 14: Halong Bay - Hanoi
In the morning you wake up in the unparalleled natural beauty of Halong Bay . You sail further along the islands and pay a visit to a cave in one of the karst rocks. At the end of the morning you are back on the mainland and you travel back to Hanoi.
In Hanoi you can organize your time yourself. The city center at Hoan Kiemmeer consists of narrow streets, each with its own specialty. It is not difficult to think of what you can buy in Rice street, Silk street, Cloth street, Paper street and Oil street. You can also visit the market. The merchandise ranges from vegetables, fruits, rice, flowers, herbs and handicrafts to dogs, parrots and snakes .
Day 15: Departure Hanoi
Even today you can still wander through Hanoi. Worth seeing are the one-pillar 'One Pillar Pagoda' and the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu) dedicated to Confucius. Of course you can not miss the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum , here is the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh. In one of the restaurants you can enjoy your last meal in Vietnam, for example from a delicious bowl of ' phó ' (noodle soup).
Depending on your final flight time you will be taken to the airport of Hanoi. You fly back home.
Day 16: Arrival
You will come home again, the reminisce of this beautiful Vietnam family trip can begin!
If you have Dutch or Belgian nationality, you will need a visa for Vietnam for this trip.
On the website of our partner Visumloket you will find all information about the necessary travel documents (such as passport), visa, the visa procedure to be followed and the location of the embassy. Begin 4 to 6 weeks before departure of your trip with the application.
It is also possible to book only the land arrangement of this tour. You then arrange the international flights yourself and the transfer on arrival and departure. With the other participants you then make the journey according to program. This gives you the freedom to compose your own trip and choose the flight that suits your travel plans.
On the booking form you can also indicate whether we have to arrange an additional night on arrival for an additional fee. The transfer on arrival can also be arranged by Koning Aap on an individual basis.
We need a minimum number of participants for all our trips. Keep this in mind before you book your own tickets.
In all cases, it is your responsibility to be present at the starting point of the journey on time. In addition, we are not responsible for sporadic changes in the departure dates of our group trips. For some periods the price of the land arrangement may deviate from the rest of the year, for example festival trips. When the price of the land arrangement is adjusted, this is mentioned under the 'latest news'.
Transport
During this two-week Vietnam tour, use is made of a private bus. Because you have your own transport throughout the journey, you can - in mutual consultation - stop at any time and at any place to take photos or try a local snack (if time permits). The bus is not available on 'free days'.
Of course there are plenty of opportunities to get to know other means of transport such as the train (from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang), the boat (Halong Bay), a domestic flight (Danang to Hanoi), the cyclo (bicycle taxi) and the bicycle (almost everywhere for rent).
Travel distances
Ho Chi Minh City airport to hotel: 7 km / ½ hour
Ho Chi Minh City to Danang: 977 km / 15 hours (night train)
Danang to Hoi An: 25 km / ¾ hour
Hoi An to Danang: 25 km / ¾ hour
Danang to Hanoi: 653 km / 1 hour (domestic flight)
Hanoi to Mai Chau: 250 km / 5 hours
Mai Chau to Ninh Binh: 200 km / 4 hours
Ninh Binh to Halong Bay: 300 km / 4 to 5 hours
Halong Bay to Hanoi: 175 km / 3 to 4 hours
Hanoi hotel to airport: 40 km / 1 hour
NB: The mentioned 'bare' travel time per day is highly dependent from traffic, road conditions and weather. The time is of course approximately.
Accommodation
During our travels to Vietnam you will stay mainly in hotels with double and triple rooms (often a double room with an extra bed) with shower and toilet. In the selection of our hotels, we particularly paid attention to location, hygiene and atmosphere. The hotels or guesthouses are generally located in the center of the place where you are staying. Your stay is based on bed and breakfast.
You travel with the night train from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang. You sleep on comfortable reserved berths in the airconditioned second 'soft-sleeper' class. In an exceptional case you can also switch to the 'hard-sleeper' class. Breakfast is not included in the night train.
In the Mai Chau valley you will sleep in Poom Cong, a village of the White Thai mountain tribe. You stay in a simple 'homestay', so with people at home (very atmospheric!). You sleep with several people in a room. The owner provides sheets, blankets, pillows and mosquito nets. The bathroom is shared in the homestay. Breakfast (2x) and dinner (2x) are included in your travel sum.
In the beautiful Halong Bay you stay overnight on board the junk, with which we explore the area. In good weather you can put the mattresses on the roof and sleep under the stars. It is possible that due to bad weather conditions an overnight stay on board is not allowed. In that exceptional case, we deviate to a hotel on the coast.
Some of the planned hotels have a swimming pool; nice to wash off the Vietnamese heat! This applies to accommodations in Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An. In exceptional cases it may happen that other hotels without a pool have to be used. If this occurs, we will try to find a suitable alternative. Of course there are many more swimming possibilities, sea and beach are often close by (My Khe, Hoi An and Halong Bay).
Most hotels use a ' check in & check out'time of noon. To make your stay more comfortable, we arrange some 'day rooms' for the group in Hanoi (day 15), as it is possible that you will only leave at the end of the afternoon / evening to the airport. You have the opportunity to refresh yourself. The use of the shared day rooms (an average of 4 people per room) is until 6 pm.
Wifi is pleasant for many travelers to keep in touch with the home front via 'social media' . The planned hotels have wifi, sometimes for a fee, sometimes only in the lobby of the hotel. Please note that the quality and speed of the internet connection are not optimal everywhere. No Wi-Fi is available on the boat in Halong Bay.
Two parents with one child, one parent with two children or three children from one family are divided into a triple room. Triple rooms are available in the planned hotels. Sometimes it is a double room with an extra bed or mattress. Please note that the room may be less spacious. On the boat in Halong Bay the same is true for families with children up to 10 years old. This is unfortunately not possible for children from 11 years (local regulations); an extra single room will then be used.
All our group tours are carried out on the spot by Dutch-speaking (or in the case of our trips in Southern Africa African-speaking) travel guides. King Monkey makes high demands on the tour guide; after all, a journey stands or falls. Important criteria in selecting our travel guides are: (obviously) extensive travel experience, experience in dealing with groups and - preferably - active knowledge of a local language. Special training courses prepare the tour guides for what the participants expect from them. Our employees learn what the King Monkey travel formula stands for. They are not only instructed from our office, but also follow a multi-day course where they are presented with many (sometimes difficult) practical cases. A great opportunity to exchange essential experience. At some destinations local Dutch speaking tour guides are deployed by our local agents. These tour guides are also trained on site by the agency. We evaluate the functioning of our travel guides after each trip on the basis of evaluation forms completed by participants. In this way we always have an overview of how our people operate in the field!
