Full Moon Festival - Hoi An
Vietnam’s Full Moon Festival is as fascinating as it is beautiful. Join us to celebrate the Full Moon Festival in the charming riverside town of Hoi An, where thousands of locals release beautiful lanterns into the night sky or onto a river filled with their hopes and wishes for the future. There is also tasty Mooncakes to be eaten too!
The Hoi An Lantern Festival is a monthly event that celebrates the full moon. The full moon is one of the most sacred times in the Buddhist calendar. It is said that Buddha was not only born on a full moon but attained enlightenment on a full moon. And so for centuries Buddhists have viewed the full moon as an auspicious time of transformation.
Hoi An Lantern Festival – tour dates
2023: September 23 – October 2
2024: September 11 – 20
Highlights
- Full Moon Festival – Celebrate with the locals and watch as thousands of colourful lanterns are released on the river and into the night sky
- Hoi An – Travel on the famous Hai Van Pass and explore highlights of the UNESCO-Listed city including the Japanese Bridge
- Hanoi – Ride through the old French Quarter on cyclo rickshaws to visit Ly Thai To Park and the Opera House
- Tra Que Village – Take a leisurely bike ride into the countryside, learn how to farm the land and enjoy a fun hands-on cooking lesson
- Halong Bay – Cruise around limestone islets on a deluxe junk boat, kayak, swim and explore the remarkable caves
- Ho Chi Minh City – Explore the city on a guided walking tour and visit the sobering War Remnants Museum
- Hue – Discover the ancient walled Citadel, the iconic seven story Thien Mu Pagoda and the Royal Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc
- Mekong Delta – Cruise the maze of waterways on a sampan, visiting local cottage industries and Dong Hoa Hiep Island
Pricing
Small group tour starting at $2,292* CAD per person, based on double occupancy
10 Days – Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
Your package includes
- Breakfast daily, 4 lunches and 1 dinner
- Lantern making in the home of the Ha Linh family in Hoi An and releasing our lanterns onto the river
- 1 overnight sleeper train Hanoi to Hue in basic 4 berth cabin (or opt to fly – see Add-ons for details)
- Halong Bay Junk boat cruise – opt to swim, kayak and explore caves
- Sampan boat trips in the Mekong Delta
- All relevant transfers and transportation in private air-conditioned vehicles
- 7 nights 4 star and special class hotels and 1 night aboard deluxe junk boat (private en suite cabin)
- Economy class flight: Danang to Ho Chi Minh City
- Guided sightseeing – Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City
- Bicycle ride to Tra Que village and cooking demonstration
- Airport arrival transfer day 1 and departure transfer day 10
- Escorted by an English-speaking Vietnamese tour guide
Not included
- International flights and visa
- Entrance Fees: USD$30-40pp, paid in USD or VND
- Tip for your tour guide.
Day
Day 1
Location(s)
Hanoi
Meals
Description
Welcome to Hanoi, perhaps the most graceful, atmospheric and exotic capital city in Asia. Airport to hotel arrival transfer. This morning offers free time for you to explore the wide tree lined avenues, beautiful lakes and ancient pagoda’s and thriving old city.
Meeting our guide at 2pm we set of on foot to explore Hanoi’s charming Old Quarter known as the ‘36 streets of the old Hanoi’. There is Silver Street, Silk Street, Comb Street, Paper Street and importantly Hang Ma street where we’ll browse and learn about the history and traditions of Vietnam’s Full Moon Festival. There may even be deliciously sweet traditional Mooncakes to be shared.
Accommodation: Sunway Hotel (or similar)
Day 2
Hanoi – Halong Bay
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast this morning we leave Hanoi and transfer to the crown in Vietnam’s scenic crown – the incredibly beautiful Halong Bay. We’ll explore the jade waters studded with karst islands aboard a traditional wooden junk boat and after embarkation there’s time for lunch soaking up the views.
This afternoon we will visit the spectacular Tien Ong Cave which was opened to the public in 2010, with its stunning stalagmites and stalactites. Later this evening back on board, watch a Vietnamese cooking demonstration held on the sundeck before settling down for a sumptuous seafood dinner.
Accommodation: Overnight aboard Bhaya Classic or Syrena deluxe junk boat
Day 3
Halong Bay – Hanoi – Hue
Breakfast
Early birds can start the day with a relaxing Tai Chi class on the sundeck or a traditional massage – the perfect way to start the day. Before heading back to port we’ll explore by kayak the Floating Village of Cua Van, which is home to generations of fishing families. Here we’ll see the traditional and colourful floating wooden houses and the locals going about their daily lives.
On arrival back into Hanoi mid-afternoon we’ll explore the maze of streets in the French Quarter on our very only cyclo (rickshaws), taking in highlights such as the Opera house and Ly Thai To park. We then swap our wheels for a leisurely walk through ‘36 streets of the old quarter’, named after the numerous guilds that once set up shop on a particular street from silk tailors to traditional medicine shops.
Later this evening there’s a chance to freshen up before boarding the train (4 berth sleeper cabin, basic standard) on the ‘Reunification Express’ railway line to Hue.
Accommodation: Overnight on a sleeper train
Day 4
Hue
Breakfast, Lunch
Upon arrival to Hue we embark on a guided sightseeing tour of the 19th-century Nguyen empire capital. We visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, home to the oldest monastery in the city, whose 21m high tower has become something of a symbol for Hue and the citadel. Within the citadel is the Imperial Purple Palace, an exact copy of the Forbidden City in Beijing, with its impressive ramparts, formal moats and imperial palaces, some of which lay in ruin.
In the countryside lies the Royal Tombs of the Nguyen kings, here we’ll view the elaborate mausoleum of Emperor Tu Duc. As the sun sets there’s an optional cruise in a long boat along the gentle Perfume River, beautifully illuminated at night.
Accommodation: Mondial Hotel (or similar)
Day 5
Hue – Road of the Ocean Clouds – Hoi An
Breakfast
Today we take the scenic Hai Van Pass (Road of the Ocean Clouds), which offers magnificent views of beaches to one side and lush hills to the other. En route we stop for a walk along China beach, featured in Francis Ford Coppola’s movie ‘Apocalypse Now’. Perhaps enjoy a refreshing swim in the sea before continuing our journey south along the coast to Hoi An.
The charming, old-world trading port of Hoi An with it cobbled streets, traditional homes and tiny shop houses is a perfect place to lose yourself in a by gone era. Boutique restaurants, hip cafes along the waterfront, delightful craft shops and artisans including some of Asia’s best bespoke tailors (whose services come at a nominal price), all can be found here.
On a short walking tour of the enchanting historical town, we’ll visit the Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Hall, 200-year-old Tam Ky house, former merchants’ homes and the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge.
Cruise the city the way the locals do, by vintage Vespa and enjoy lots of tasty Vietnamese Cuisine. Book early with your reservation consultant, as numbers are limited.
Accommodation: ÊMM Hotel / Thanh Binh Riverside hotel (or similar, 3 nights)
Day 6
Hoi An (Full Moon Festival)
Breakfast
Today marks the height of the Full Moon Festival and we will be celebrating with the locals. This morning we ride by rickshaw to a local home on the outskirts of Hoi An where we will learn about the family’s long tradition of lantern-making and handcraft our own lanterns for tonight’s festivities. Heading into town we explore the local market stalls and authentic lantern shops before free time to visit one of the many great tailor shops, take a row boat down the river or spend the afternoon relaxing by the hotel swimming pool.
Tonight we make our way to the water’s edge with hundreds of locals to release our lanterns and enjoy the spellbinding spectacle of hundreds of sparkling lights sailing down river and lighting up the night sky.
Day 7
Hoi An – Excursion to Tra Que
Breakfast, Lunch
A leisurely bicycle ride into the countryside, leads us to Tra Que village this morning. Here we discover age old farming practices and learn about traditional medicine. It’s a fun hands on experience today as we don conical hats and test our farming skills in the fields. Then we watch an entertaining cooking demonstration and help to cook up a tasty lunch.
Day 8
Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh City – Can Tho
Breakfast, Lunch
Early morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Drive to the Mekong Delta. Often referred to as the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam, the fertile Mekong Delta is famous for its abundant harvests of tropical fruits, flowers and rice, as well as it fantastic views while boating along the canals. Taking our sampan from Cai Be we cruise through the maze of waterways watching the hubbub of daily life on the river. Passing colourful trading boats, house boats and children swimming we stop to visit some of the local cottage industries that produce popcorn, coco candies and paper along the way. Lunch is served today in a traditional wooden home on Dong Hoa Hiep Island.
Accommodation: Iris Hotel / Victoria Hotel (or similar)
Day 9
Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City
Breakfast
Early today we visit the ever lively Cai Rang floating market. Watch as melons, pineapples, fresh greens, sacks of rice and children’s toys get tossed from one sampan to another at great heights and speed before driving back to Ho Chi Minh City. Once called the Pearl of the Orient, modern Ho Chi Minh City is a thriving metropolis on the move. Sleek sky scrapers, gourmet restaurants, designer malls and swanky bars and spas are scattered between ancient pagodas, colonial era landmarks and lively street markets. On our walking tour of the city we see the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office before visiting the sobering War Remnants Museum. Evening at leisure.
Accommodation: Muong Thanh Centre / Lotus Central Hotel (or similar)
Day 10
Ho Chi Minh City
Breakfast
Today offers free time in Ho Chi Minh City till your departure transfer to the airport. Opt for a relaxing foot massage, shop for souvenirs at Ben Thanh Market or visit the grand Independence Palace, with its secret bunker and military command centre beneath!
*Hotel rooms are subject to availability and are confirmed by the supplier at time of booking; they may be replaced by other hotel rooms of similar category at the sole discretion of the supplier.
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*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change and availability.