Central Vietnam: Hue, the Hai Van Pass and Hoi An

Arrive in Hue

Phu Bai International Airport to central Hue, then Dong Ba Market

• Welcome dinner
• Nuit : Hue
• Environ 30 min de route

Après-midi

In the late afternoon your guide meets the group for a short walk across the river to Dong Ba Market, the city's main market since the 19th century, where stalls sell conical hats, dried shrimp, sesame sweets and the fermented shrimp paste that flavours much of Hue's cooking.

Soir

Then a welcome dinner together, with dishes the city is known for: bun bo Hue, a spicy beef noodle soup, banh khoai crispy pancakes and small steamed rice cakes. If your flight lands late, we meet you at breakfast instead.

Compris

• Pick-up at Phu Bai International Airport (HUI)
• Late afternoon walk to Dong Ba Market with your guide
• Welcome dinner of Hue dishes

Hue: the Imperial City and the Perfume River

The Imperial City, the tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh, then a dragon boat to Thien Mu Pagoda

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hue
• Environ 1 h de route

Matin

Late morning we drive into the hills south of the city to the tomb of Tu Duc, a lakeside park of pavilions the emperor used as a retreat while he was alive, then the tomb of Khai Dinh, finished in 1931, its inner hall covered in porcelain and glass mosaic.

Après-midi

Lunch together at a garden restaurant, then the afternoon is free to rest. In the late afternoon a dragon boat takes us up the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, founded in 1601, with its seven-storey tower in the low light.

Soir

The evening is free.

Compris

• Imperial City of Hue at opening time, with entry
• Tomb of Tu Duc, with entry
• Tomb of Khai Dinh, with entry
• Dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda

Over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An

Hue to Lang Co, the Hai Van Pass and the Marble Mountains, then Hoi An

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hoi An
• Environ 3.5 h de route

Matin

We leave Hue after breakfast and follow the coast south to Lang Co, a fishing village on a sand spit between a lagoon and the sea. Then we climb the Hai Van Pass, the pass of the sea clouds, where a spur of the Truong Son range runs into the sea at almost 500 metres. It has long marked a climate line between the north and the south, and at the top stand the ruins of a gate built under the Nguyen emperors and a few wartime bunkers. Cloud often sits on the pass, so your guide watches the sky and picks the time; if it is hidden, we stay longer at Lang Co and take the tunnel.

Après-midi

Seafood lunch together near Da Nang, a short stop at the Marble Mountains, then Hoi An by mid-afternoon.

Soir

The evening is free to find your feet in the Old Town.

Compris

• Transport from Hue to Hoi An with your guide
• Lang Co
• Hai Van Pass, weather permitting
• Marble Mountains, Da Nang

Hoi An at dawn and the Old Town

The Japanese Covered Bridge at first light, then the Old Town on foot

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hoi An

Matin

This is the morning to set an alarm for. At about 6 am the Japanese Covered Bridge, built by the town's Japanese merchants at the end of the 16th century and reopened in 2024 after a long restoration, is often empty, if it is open at that hour (we confirm it locally), and the yellow merchant houses along Tran Phu Street take the early light. Your guide walks the quiet lanes with anyone who wants to come, with time for photographs before the shops open. After breakfast we return for a guided walk of Hoi An Ancient Town, a port where Chinese and Japanese merchants traded until the 19th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with entry to a Chinese assembly hall, an old merchant house and the central market.

Après-midi

Lunch together, with cao lau noodles, a dish the town is known for.

Soir

The afternoon and evening are free: rest at the hotel, swim, or see one of the town's tailors.

Compris

• Optional, early: dawn photo walk to the Japanese Covered Bridge with your guide, about 6 am
• Guided walk of Hoi An Ancient Town
• Hoi An Old Town entry ticket
• A Chinese assembly hall, an old merchant house and the central market

My Son at opening, then An Bang beach

Hoi An to the My Son sanctuary and back, then An Bang beach

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hoi An
• Environ 2.5 h de route

Après-midi

Back in Hoi An by late morning for lunch together. The afternoon is free on An Bang beach, about 4 km north of the Old Town: we drive you there, you rent a lounger at one of the beach cafes, swim or walk the sand, and the vehicle brings you back in the late afternoon. Or stay in town if you prefer.

Compris

• My Son sanctuary at opening time, with entry and your guide
• Transfer to An Bang beach and back

Tra Que cooking class and the river at dusk

Hoi An to Tra Que village by bicycle, then the Thu Bon River

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Hoi An
• En bateau

Matin

After breakfast we cycle about 3 km out of town to Tra Que, a vegetable village between two rivers known for its herbs and greens, grown in beds fertilised with seaweed from the lagoon.

Après-midi

A local host walks you through the gardens, you help with watering and planting, then cook dishes such as banh xeo crispy pancakes and fresh spring rolls in an open kitchen and eat them for lunch. We ride back before the midday heat, and the afternoon is free to rest, swim or collect tailoring.

Soir

At dusk we meet at the river: a small rowing boat takes the group out on the Thu Bon as the lanterns come on along both banks, and you can set a candle lantern on the water if you like. Then a farewell dinner together in the Old Town, the last evening of the trip.

Compris

• Bicycle ride to Tra Que vegetable village
• Garden visit and cooking class with lunch
• Rowing boat on the Thu Bon River at dusk
• Farewell dinner

Depart from Da Nang

A free morning in Hoi An, then north along the coast to Da Nang International Airport

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 45 min de route

Matin

Breakfast at the hotel, then the morning is free until your airport transfer: a last walk through the Old Town before the day visitors arrive, a coffee by the river, a final fitting at the tailor, or a swim.

Soir

If you want one more outing and your flight leaves in the afternoon or evening, your guide can arrange a half-day basket boat trip in the water coconut palms at Cam Thanh, just outside the town. We drive you about 30 km north along the coast to Da Nang International Airport (DAD) in good time for your flight. Flights after about midday are the easiest; for an earlier flight we arrange an earlier transfer. Many guests continue south to Ho Chi Minh City or north to Hanoi from here.

Compris

• Drop-off at Da Nang International Airport (DAD)

Activités en option

• Basket boat trip at Cam Thanh. For afternoon or evening flights.