VIETNAM CENTRAL RETREAT
Trip Overview
Join us on this immersive journey and create unforgettable memories in the Central Vietnam. Experience local culture through biking, cooking, and crafting traditional lanterns in Hoi An. Continue your adventure in Hue, where you’ll delve into the imperial history and serene landscapes, culminating in a peaceful tea and meditation session at a local pagoda. This trip beautifully blends culinary delights, cultural immersion, and breathtaking scenery.

Highlights
- Exploring the streets, shops, and cafes of Hoi An
- Visiting Tra Que Herb Village, learning how to make Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Pancakes) and colorful lanterns
- Discovering the ancient Imperial Citadel, Palaces and Tombs in Hue
This Tour is Perfect for
- Art and culture lovers, foodies, and history buffs
- Families with children of all ages
- Leisure travel in a relaxed, upscale style
- First and second-time visitors to Vietnam


Detailed Itinerary
Topas Travel creates tailor-made tours for our guests according to their specific requests.
This itinerary has been designed to show you just one of many options
Day 1: Danang arrival. Transfer to Hoi An
Upon arrival in Danang, your guide and driver will be waiting to greet you and transfer you to your hotel in Hoi An.
In the evening, enjoy a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.
Included meals: Dinner
Distance and Activities: 35-40’ drive


Day 2: Hoi An – Biking & Cooking
After breakfast, our guide will welcome you in the hotel lobby. We’ll then head to Cam Thanh Village, a charming area of about 7 hectares, once a shelter for locals and soldiers during the Vietnam War. Here, you’ll take a ride in a traditional local basket boat and enjoy watching the expert skills of the local fishermen as they row. Learn about the daily life of Vietnamese fishermen, their families, and their communities. You’ll even have the opportunity to join the fishermen on the river and try your hand at using a round net or cast net. The fishermen will also teach you how to catch crabs.
Say goodbye to Cam Thanh and cycle through the beautiful rice fields on both sides of the road, enjoying the fresh air and the cool breeze of the countryside. Along the way, your guide will explain the sequence of rice cultivation and how the local farmers grow rice in these fields.
Next, we’ll arrive at Tra Que Herb Village, where you’ll join local farmers in the fields. Your guide will introduce the history of the village and the unique riparian ecosystem of the area. Together with the farmers, you’ll take part in activities like applying seaweed fertilizer, digging, land boarding, making beds, transplanting vegetables, and watering the crops. To relax, enjoy a refreshing footbath made from herbs grown in the garden.
Then, learn how to make Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Pancakes) before sitting down to enjoy your lunch. Afterward, take a moment to rest in a traditional leaf-roofed house while enjoying the tropical breeze that is unique to the countryside.
Next, we’ll cycle to the home of a local craftsman, where you’ll receive a brief introduction to the history, shapes, and colors of the famous Hoi An lanterns, along with the stages of lantern production. Locals believe that hanging lanterns in front of their homes brings luck, happiness, and wealth to the family. Traditionally, these lanterns were made only from silk, and their shapes were quite simple. However, lantern makers have since diversified their designs, now using materials such as cardboard and nylon fibers in addition to silk. You’ll see lanterns shaped like lotuses, diamonds, triangles, and even garlic.
There you will be creating your own lantern, which you can keep as a souvenir of your time in Hoi An.
Afterward, cycle back to your hotel.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3: Hoi An – Countryside and Islands Explorer by Vespa – Explore the roads less travelled
Escape the old town and take backroads to the beautiful islands and villages surrounding Hoi An riding. Explore the magnificent countryside, meet local families and experience colorful village and riverside life in remote communities.
Embark on a journey off the beaten path as you zoom toward an island surrounded by rural landscapes. Cycle along the river to visit an Ancestral House, then head to a traditional boat builder’s yard. From there, we’ll explore local villages, zigzagging through stunning scenery of rice paddies and farmland. Along the way, you’ll stop to learn from welcoming families about the art of mat weaving, local farming practices, and how to make rice crackers and noodles. After a delicious snack, we’ll continue our ride toward the coast, following trails lined with white sand and pine trees.
We’ll then refuel with organic drip coffee at a village café, where you’ll also have the chance to learn about the art of coffee roasting. Next, we’ll stop at the top of Cau Cua Dai Bridge, where you can take in spectacular panoramic views of Hoi An. Afterward, we’ll cycle along the water-coconut palm-fringed trails to enjoy a delicious lunch in a picturesque riverside setting before returning to the heritage town.


Highlights of Day 3:
- Ancestral House
- Boat building yard (seasonal)
- Mat weaving family home
- Rice noodles and crackers family home
- Organic coffee roasting café
- Riverside restaurant
Day 4: Hoi An – Hue
Free at leisure, enjoy your breakfast until your tour guide and driver come to pick you up for a 3-hour drive to Hue.
Take in the breathtaking views of the Hai Van Pass, a scenic coastal road offering panoramic vistas of the sea and mountains. Stop at Lang Co Beach, a picturesque stretch of white sand and turquoise water, for a short break. Then, continue north to Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, known for its rich history, majestic palaces, and ancient pagodas. Explore the Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where emperors once ruled, and immerse yourself in the city’s fascinating cultural heritage.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch


Day 5: Hue’ Heritage, Nature, and People – Tea and Meditation at a local Pagoda
Join us on this immersive journey and create unforgettable memories in the heart of Hue. Step back in time as we explore Vietnam’s imperial past, cycle through a historic village where Mandarin descendants still reside and savor the refined flavors of Hue’s renowned imperial cuisine.
Our guide will meet us at the hotel at 8:30 AM, ready to lead us on a historical adventure. We’ll begin with a visit to Thien Mu Pagoda, one of Vietnam’s most stunning and iconic religious landmarks, built in the early 1600s.
Next, we’ll cross the Perfume River on a local boat and arrive at Thuy Bieu Village, a charming maze of narrow alleys, ancient homes, and lush gardens. However, the village’s true treasure lies in its warm and welcoming people, the descendants of Mandarins. We’ll take a leisurely cycling tour, stopping along the way to meet locals and taste their fresh, home-grown fruits.
After enjoying a home-cooked lunch at a local house, we’ll visit the majestic Minh Mang Mausoleum, the final resting place of one of Vietnam’s most esteemed emperors.
The tour concludes with a comfortable transfer back to your hotel at approximately 2:00 PM.
At 5:00 PM, we’ll pick you up from your hotel for a peaceful Tea and Meditation experience at a local pagoda. We’ll arrive at our designated destination, where you’ll meet the monks and learn about Vietnamese Buddhism.
You’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a serene meditation session. Sitting together with a pot of hot tea, you can relax, inhale the faint aroma of incense, and begin practicing mindful breathing and meditation. This experience offers the perfect chance to visit the pagoda, enjoy the tea, and let your mind unwind. Feel each breath, relax, and connect with the present moment.
At 7:00 PM, we’ll conclude the Tea and Meditation session and transfer you to a local restaurant for dinner. Afterward, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 6: Hue – Hanoi/ Hochiminh city for onward adventure
Free at your leisure until your transfer to the airport for your flight to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, either for a connecting flight or to continue your exploration of Northern and Southern Vietnam.
Included meals: Breakfast
Distance and activities: 30 minutes’ drive
Tour Inclusions
- Local English-speaking guide(s) on excursion days
- All indicated accommodation (Double/Twin room)
- All private airport and land transfer as indication
- Indicated meals (B as breakfast, L as lunch, D as dinner)
- Flight ticket Hanoi – Danang, Hue – Hanoi (Economy class)
- All entrance fees to indicated sites
- Government tax
- Service charge
Tour Exclusions
- Drinks and alcohol
- Vietnam visa – Please refer to Passport and Visa portion in our Term and Condition
- Travel insurance – Compulsory. Please refer to Travel insurance and risks portion in our Term and Condition
- Upgrades to higher standard rooms or single supplements.
- Early check in or late check out at all hotels/boat (Standard check-in time: 2pm, check-out time: 12pm)
- Personal travel items
- Tips
- Other services not mentioned in Itinerary and Inclusions
Essential Information
- Surcharge may be applicable during peak season and public holidays
- This program utilizes comfortable accommodation in the form of carefully curated hotels, lodges, and homestays. Hotels and lodges have been selected with the active traveler in mind, offering standard services and located as close to nature and local engagement as possible. Homestays are simple and equipped with western toilets and amenities such as fans and mattresses. If you have a specific property in mind you wish to stay at, please let your travel designer know so they can work it into your program.
- All bookings are made with and through Topas Travel. By booking a trip with Topas Travel, you agree to the terms and conditions set forth here.
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