14 DAYS VIETNAM PANORAMA BY LUXURY TRAIN WITH SAPA SOJOURN

Transfer: Airport to Accommodation

Upon arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to your accommodation. The rest of the day is free at leisure for you to rest or explore the surrounding landmarks at your own time.

A Glimpse of Saigon

Discover the Independence Palace, once serving as home-office of the Presidents of South Vietnam, and learned how the Vietnam War came to an end. Visit Quan Am Pagoda, one of the city’s oldest pagodas which is dedicated to the Boddhisatva Guan Yin. If time permits, we can also make a stop at the Binh Tay Market where you can rub shoulders with the locals as they purchase clothes, souvenirs and food items.

Train Embarkation

This late afternoon, you will be transferred to the train station. Our train representative will welcome and escort you to your VIP lounge before you join your fellow travellers in the restaurant for a sumptuous dinner as the train sets off for your adventure.

Sacred Mountain & Ancient Champa Legacy

Today’s journey brings you into a prominent pilgrimage site among the Vietnamese Buddhists, the Ta Cu Mountain. Scale up to the top where you will be rewarded with a visit to the Linh Son Truong Tho Pagoda and a bird’s eye view of the city. Visit the Fish Sauce Museum to uncover the secrets behind the centuries-old production technique that gives this Vietnamese condiment its pungent aroma. After lunch at an oceanfront restaurant, you will visit the historic Poshanu Cham Towers at a hill overlooking Phan Thiet before returning to the train.

Phu Yen’s Coastal Gems

Admire the stunning Gothic architecture of Mang Lang Church and visit the Phu Tan Mat Weaving Village, where generations of artisans have perfected the ancient craft of weaving mats from rush grass. After a delicious lunch featuring fresh local ingredients, you will return to your train cabin as Phu Yen’s countryside fades into a tapestry of rolling fields and distant mountains. This evening, joins us in the dining car with a curated dinner under a canopy of stars amidst the glow of soft lightning.

Hoi An: Ancient Town & Countryside

Hop onboard a jeep tour across Hoi An’s countryside into Au Lac Wood Art where skilled artisans will guide you through the intricate process of woodblock painting, as well as Thanh Ha Pottery Village to experience the art of making your own ceramic. After lunch at a local house, we will visit the UNESCO-listed ancient town of Hoi An, browsing through stalls of shimmering silks, handicrafts and spices. Visit the Phuc Kien Chinese Assembly Hall, the Phung Hung Ancient House or the Tan Ky Ancient House, the Japanese Covered Bridge, as well as the many handicraft shops and art galleries hidden within the alleyways.

Hue’s Royal Heritage

Rise early for a gourmet breakfast as the train ascends through the Hai Van Pass overlooking the shimmering East Sea. Thereafter, hop onboard a nostalgic rickshaw into the UNESCO-listed Imperial Citadel, once the heart of the Nguyen Dynasty. Leaving the citadel, let us whisk you on a van to Tu Duc Mausoleum and the Incense Village where artisans will invite you to try your hand at crafting incense or weaving conical hat using lotus leaves! Returning into your train, watch as the train glides through the Perfume River and mossy pagodas into your next destination.

Into the World’s Largest Natural Cave

Let us take you on an adventure into the UNESCO-listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. This national park is considered to house the world’s largest natural cave passage. Glide on a boat journey across the Son River’s subterranean formations of stalactites and stalagmites. Enjoy a home-styled dinner set amidst rice paddies. Time permitting, you may also participate in a Vietnamese cooking class to pick up some traditional culinary techniques.

Ninh Binh: Limestones & Legacies

Amidst the emerald waters of the UNESCO-listed Trang An, we will board a sampan ride across the magnificent limestone peaks of Ninh Binh. Our journey continues into Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Dinh and Le dynasties with its many temples and ruins.

Train Disembarkation & Transfer: Hanoi to Sapa

Upon disembarkation in Hanoi, you will be picked up for your transfer approximately 6 hours to Sapa.

Sapa Full Day Hike

Follow the downhill path from Y Linh Ho Village, passing through the houses of friendly H’mong families. If you are feeling adventurous, you may attempt the uphill buffalo path trek taking you further out of the tourist trail. Alternatively, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll along the Muong Hoa River. Continue to Lao Chai village, where you will trace a small path across the rice field into a hamlet to visit a grandma who is the only craftsman left in the community. Learn how she utilises beeswax to make H’mong’s indigo clothes. Thereafter, we will take you into Ta Van village, the land of the Dzay people, for a leisurely walk blessed with views of Hoang Lien Son mountain range, river and rice terraces.

Half Day Fansipan

Board a scenic ride on the world’s longest three-rope cable car system, bringing you near to the top of Fansipan at 2,800 metres above sea level in just 15 minutes, where you can walk up the remaining 350 metres into the summit for a view of the surrounding mountains. Thereafter, take the cable car back to Sapa town.

Sin Chai Village

If you are feeling energetic, set off for a trek to Sin Chai village, home to over 60 Black H’mong families. Visit a primary school and an authentic H’mong house. Here, you can gain insights into the stories of these families and how they immigrated into these mountains.

Transfer: Sapa to Hanoi

Today, you will be transferred approximately 6 hours to Hanoi. The rest of the day is free at leisure for you to rest or explore the surrounding at your own pace.

Best of Hanoi

This tour will take you into the Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Stilts House, the Presidential Palace, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Tran Quoc Pagoda and the Temple of Literature. For the museum buffs, we can also arrange a visit to either the History Museum or the Ethnology Museum. After a one-hour cyclo tour of the Old Quarter and the Hoan Kiem Lake, we will stop by a vintage coffee shop for a tasty serving of Vietnamese coffee before concluding the night with a Water Puppet Show.

Transfer: Accommodation to Airport

You will be transferred from your accommodation to the airport for your onward journey.