VIETNAM BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE 6 DAYS

ITINERARY:

DAY 1:HANOI ARRIVAL (NO MEALS)

Arrival at Noi Bai International airport, you will be greeted by our guide and driver and transferred to hotel for check in. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR – BO DE PAGODA (B/L/D)

You will take a full day of exploring the fascinating city of Hanoi where old and new things blend together, Vietnamese, Chinese and French cultures mixed together. You will have a pleasant walk around the peaceful Ho Chi Minh complex to visit HCM Mausoleum, HCM’s stilt house and One Pillar pagoda. Then proceed to West Lake and Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. Next is Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam. After lunch, you will continuously visit Bo De pagoda run by lady monk and is home of about 50 abandoned orphans (around 20 infants, 15 high school students, and 15 secondary pupils). Finally, you will take a fascinating cyclo tour through the famous 36 ancient streets of the Old Quarter, followed by Water Puppet Show. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 3: HANOI – TRANG AN - BAI DINH PAGODA (B/L/D)

After breakfast, transfer to Ninh Binh province for visiting Bai Dinh pagoda, which is a complex of Buddhist temples on Bai Dinh Mountain. The compound consists of the original old temple and a newly created larger temple. It is considered the largest complex of Buddhist temples in Vietnam and has become a popular site for Buddhist pilgrimages from all over Vietnam. Here you will also have chance of winessing the biggest buddha statue in the Southeast Asia. Lunch at local restaurant then you will take an excursion to Trang An, about 80km away south of Hanoi. On arrival, you will take a boat to visit cave complex such as Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Nau Ruou in mystery and wildness, see scenery of mountain and rivers – a Ha Long on land of Ninh Binh. Return to Hanoi for your overnight stay.

DAY 4: HANOI – YEN TU PAGODA – HALONG (B/L/D)

Breakfast at the hotel and depart to Quang Ninh. Reach the Yen Tu Pagoda; tour guide will pick you up, deliver general information. Start trekking. Guide will lead you to visit Lan Pagoda, Monastery, Main Hall, Patriarch House, Meditation Hall, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Arhat Hall. The long religious history of this ancient pagoda will be explained this tour. Keep climbing Yen Tu Mountain. Visit Giai Oan stream and listen to the inspirational stories about Imperial Concubines. Continue to visit Giai Oan Pagoda where the number of Holy Mother’s statues is the highest at Yen Tu Mountain. Enjoy set lunch in the restaurant. Enjoy nutritious and signature cuisine and mingle with the magical sounds bouncing from Yen Tu Mountain. Take a cable to visit Hue Quang Towers (Ancient Tower Garden), the ancestor towers that worship the imperial blood of Tran Nhan Tong who had dedicated himself to the Buddha and reached the enlightenment in this solemn area. Pass over Day Dieu ramp to visit Hoa Yan pagoda where the King Tran Nhan Tong used to preach and then visit Mot Mai (One Roof) Pagoda. Take another cable to reach the Statue of Tran Nhan Tong, the biggest statue in Vietnam, 138 tons weight, which was directly cast on the mountain. Climbing down the mountain by foot, get on the car and transfer to Halong. Overnight at the hotel

DAY 5: HALONG BOAT CRUISE – HANOI (B/L/D)

After breakfast, transfer to Halong whalf to get on a small wooden junk and get off to the famous limestone marine landscape. Seafood lunch will be served on board while the boat is cruising. You will have a 4 hour cruise to discover the beauty of Halong Bay. It is enough to see the most popular sights of it. You will not have time to cruise farther to the less travelled area. However, you’ll be able to soak up the natural splendor of Halong, relax on the sundeck and admire the different island and Islets with their differently fantastic shapes. You will stop to visit Sung Sot cave, one of the biggest ones in Halong Bay and climb up to the top of Titop Island to view the entire Halong Bay. Return to Halong pier where our car returns you to Hanoi for your overnight stay.

DAY 6: HANOI DEPARTURE (B)

Spend your last minute shopping or being at your own activities till transferring to airport for your flight home. End of services.