Vietnam Sky 2 Sea - Grand Discovery: Hanoi – Real Coffee Farmer – Quy Nhon City-Saigon – Mekong Delta (13 Days)

DETAILED ITINERARY

PART 1 – HANOI (Days 1–3)

DAY 1: ARRIVE HANOI – OLD QUARTER (Meals: Dinner)

• Arrive at Noi Bai Airport and transfer to your hotel in the heart of the city.
• Explore the Old Quarter – the historic 36-streets district.
• Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple.
• Evening: street food tour (banh cuon, bun cha, banh mi) and a traditional egg coffee.
• Overnight: Hanoi.

DAY 2: HANOI – NINH BINH (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• 06:30–07:00: Departure for Ninh Binh.
• Visit Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam.
• Local lunch at a family restaurant.
• Afternoon: Trang An boat trip – rowing through limestone caves and river valleys.
• 18:00–19:00: Return to Hanoi. Dinner at a local restaurant.
• Overnight: Hanoi.

DAY 3: SLOW HANOI (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch)

• Morning: Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university.
• Walk through the French Quarter with its colonial architecture.
• Visit a local market.
• Vietnamese lunch at a traditional restaurant.
• Afternoon: free time to relax or explore at your own pace.
• Overnight: Hanoi.

PART 2 – REAL COFFEE FARMER (Days 4–10)

DAY 4: HANOI – BUON MA THUOT – WORLD COFFEE MUSEUM – AKODHONG VILLAGE (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• Morning: Transfer to the airport for the flight to Buon Ma Thuot.
• Arrive and transfer to the city centre for lunch at a local restaurant. Enjoy unique traditional rustic dishes of the indigenous Ede people, such as bamboo-tube rice, grilled chicken, and forest vegetables. 
• 14:00: Check into the hotel and rest.
• Afternoon: Visit the World Coffee Museum and AkoDhong Village.
• Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant. Free time to explore the coffee capital at night.
• Overnight: Buon Ma Thuot.

DAY 5: THE 5-STEP EXPERIENCE – BECOMING A COFFEE FARMER (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• Morning: Transfer to the coffee farm to begin the journey of becoming a coffee harvesting farmer.
  • STEP 1: COFFEE HARVESTING
    • Listen to instructions on the coffee harvesting process.
    • Receive tools and labour protection gear.
    • Move into the garden to harvest coffee.
• Lunch at the coffee farm, followed by a rest break.
• Afternoon:
  • STEP 2: COFFEE SORTING
  • Guided sorting of coffee beans: ripe berries, damaged berries, preservation methods and preliminary processing.
• 16:30: Return to the hotel to freshen up and rest.
• Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant. Free time.
• Overnight: Buon Ma Thuot.

DAY 6: ROASTING, GRINDING AND FINISHED PRODUCTS (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• Morning: Transfer to the Coffee Roasting Workshop for Steps 3 and 4.
  • STEP 3: IDENTIFICATION & SORTING OF GREEN COFFEE BEANS
    • Recognise different types of green coffee beans.
    • Sort beans by size and batch, and learn how to preserve raw beans.
• Lunch at the workshop, followed by a rest break.
• Afternoon:
  • STEP 4: ROASTING & GRINDING – FINISHED GROUND COFFEE
    • Process and roast coffee beans into finished ground coffee.
    • Learn to identify roasting machines, pre-process beans, prepare the machine, roast and grind.
    • Smell and taste the finished ground coffee.
• 16:30: Return to the hotel to rest.
• Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant.
• Overnight: Buon Ma Thuot.

DAY 7: CERTIFICATE – COFFEE TASTING – GONG CULTURAL EXCHANGE – CAMPFIRE (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• Morning: Transfer to a coffee shop to take part in the coffee brewing process.
  • STEP 5: COFFEE BREWING
  • Practise traditional and modern brewing methods and taste various coffee-based beverages.
• Lunch at a local restaurant.
• Afternoon: Visit the legendary Lak Lake – Central Highlands Gong Cultural Exchange – awarding of the Experience Programme Completion Certificate.
  • 14:00: Transfer to Lak Lake.
  • Conquer Elephant Rock Mountain.
  • Visit Jun Village and Le Village – settlements of the Mnong ethnic minority.
  • Optional: elephant ride through water or dugout canoe on Lak Lake (extra cost).
• Evening: Summary of the 5-step coffee farmer programme and presentation of certificates.
  • Gala dinner with Central Highlands gong cultural exchange, jar wine and campfire.
• Overnight: Buon Ma Thuot.

DAY 8: BUON MA THUOT – MOUNTAIN TOWN PLEIKU (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• Morning: 08:00 – check out and depart for Pleiku, Gia Lai.
  • Check in at the Ea Hleo Wind Farm and visit the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Football Academy.
• 11:30: Arrive in Pleiku, lunch, check into the hotel and rest.
• Afternoon: Explore Pleiku Mountain Town.
  • To Nung Lake (Bien Ho) – the Eyes of Pleiku.
  • Conquer Chu Dang Ya volcano – venue of the annual Wild Sunflower Festival.
  • Visit and take a group photo at Dai Doan Ket Square.
• Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant. Free time to explore Pleiku at night.
• Overnight: Pleiku, Gia Lai.

DAY 9: PLEIKU – QUY NHON – GHENH RANG TIEN SA (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• Morning: 08:00 – check out and depart for Quy Nhon.
• 11:30: Arrive in Quy Nhon, lunch, check into the hotel and rest.
• Afternoon: Visit Quy Hoa scenic spots.
  • Ghenh Rang - Tien Sa tourist area: Han Mac Tu Poet Hill, Mong Cam Slope, Queens Beach.
  • Quy Hoa Scenic Area: Han Mac Tu Memorial House, World Celebrity Statue Garden and Quy Hoa Beach.
• Evening: Dinner at a restaurant. Free time to explore Quy Nhon at night (electric tram, coastline walk, seafood).
• Overnight: Quy Nhon.

DAY 10: KY CO – EO GIO – QUY NHON – FLIGHT TO SAIGON (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• Morning: 07:30 – depart for Nhon Ly. Cross Thi Nai Bridge, the longest sea-crossing bridge in Vietnam (nearly 2.5 km).
  • Admire Phuong Mai Sand Dunes and Nhon Hoi Industrial Zone.
• Board a high-speed canoe to Ky Co Island (approx. 15 minutes).
  • Swim, take photos and check in at Ky Co Island.
• 10:30: Continue to Bai Dua (Pineapple Beach) – snorkel among colourful coral reefs.
• Return to the mainland, freshen up and have a seafood lunch.
• Afternoon: Visit Eo Gio, known as Vietnams Jeju – dramatic rocky cliffs swept by wind year-round.
• Evening: Transfer to Phu Cat Airport (Quy Nhon) for the flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Arrive and check into the hotel.
• Overnight: Saigon.

PART 3 – SAIGON & MEKONG DELTA (Days 11–13)

DAY 11: DISCOVER SAIGON (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

• 09:00: Airport / hotel pickup (for those joining in Saigon) and transfer to the hotel.
• 11:00: Visit the Central Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral area.
• 12:30: Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant.
• 14:00: Independence Palace (Reunification Palace).
• 15:30: War Remnants Museum.
• 17:30: Stroll along Nguyen Hue walking street and the Saigon River.
• 19:00: Street food dinner.
• Overnight: Saigon.

DAY 12: SAIGON – MEKONG DELTA (BEN TRE) (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Not a rushed bus tour: no three-hour highway dash, no tourist coconut-candy stop. A private, slower Mekong experience that matches the Winter in Vietnam positioning.

• 07:30: Depart by private vehicle from Saigon to Ben Tre.
• 10:00: Board a local boat and glide through the coconut canals.
• Visit a local family / farm and share a home-cooked lunch.
• 14:00: Cycling or walking through a rural village, past orchards and along the water.
• 16:00: Return to Saigon.
• 18:30: Dinner / free time.
• Overnight: Saigon.

DAY 13: SLOW SAIGON – DEPARTURE (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch)

• 08:30: Local breakfast (pho or banh mi).
• 10:00: Explore Cho Lon (Chinatown) – markets and temples.
• 12:00: Lunch at a local restaurant.
• 14:00: Free time for last-minute shopping or rest.
• 16:00: Transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your departure flight.
• End of the 13-day Vietnam Grand Discovery journey.