Gem Tours Vietnam

Our Vietnam tour begins and ends in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), so you need to arrange return flights. The Vietnam tour used to begin and end in Bangkok, but now we visit more destinations and so we spend all 15 nights in Vietnam. If you wish to visit Bangkok (it is the Coloured Gem capital of the world!) you may be able to join us either before or after your Vietnam tour. There is no guarantee that I can accommodate a tour extension to include Bangkok, so if you plan on visiting, please let me know as soon as possible.

Your tour cost is from $2900 per person and includes all accommodation, transfers and internal flights.

We do a lot of flying in Vietnam as it is a very long country, think of driving from Mackay to Melbourne!

Vietnam has a rich cultural, food and gemstone heritage, although the gemstone industry is relatively new and underdeveloped, especially compared to Thailand. However this offers many opportunities to buy fabulous gems at very good prices. We have plenty of time in Vietnam to explore the culture and history as well as searching for gems.

The gemstone mining industry in Vietnam continues to evolve and expand. With ongoing discoveries and advancements in mining technology, there is potential for further exploration and development of gemstone deposits in the country. As the global demand for gemstones remains strong, Vietnam’s gemstone industry has the opportunity to contribute to the international market. However, it is important to ensure sustainable mining practices to minimize environmental impact and preserve the natural beauty and resources of the country.

Gemstone mining in Vietnam, particularly in the Luc Yen area of Yen Bai province, has gained attention since the discovery of gems in 1987. The primary gemstones found in this region include ruby, sapphire, and spinel, which can be found in both primary and secondary deposits. Luc Yen is a rural town that serves as the center for gemstone mining in Vietnam. The gemstone mining industry has grown in this area, attracting miners and gem dealers to the region.

The main economic gemstone deposits in Vietnam are ruby, sapphire, aquamarine, and topaz. These gemstones are distributed in various locations throughout the country. The mining process involves extracting gem-bearing gravels and then processing them to recover the gemstones. Miners employ various techniques, including traditional hand mining and mechanized operations, to extract the gemstones.

Gemstone mining in Vietnam has led to the development of a gemstone market that provides opportunities for gemstone enthusiasts and collectors to purchase gemstones directly from miners or dealers.

Gem Tours Vietnam SAIGON (HO CHI MINH CITY) Our 1hr flight takes us to Saigon  – yes the locals still call it that and most signs also!Hanoi and Yen The

We fly to Hanoi (1hr 40mins) and take a mini van to Yen The (aka Luc Yen). The trip takes 4 hours and we make a comfort stop half way.

Yen The is the centre for gemstones in Northern Vietnam. There is a daily morning market of about 80 dealers selling Ruby, Sapphire, Tourmaline, Spinel and Tektites.  There are also many shops to buy gems from. We take a trip out into the surrounding countryside to meet the miners and you can buy direct from them!

We also get to watch the famous ‘gemstone’ paintings being made. You can even have a portrait done in gemstones!!

The whole town of Yen The is surrounded by marble mountains. The marble is exported to India and Italy. We sometimes visit the marble mines, depending on weather conditions.

 

Gem Tours Vietnam SAIGON (HO CHI MINH CITY) Our 1hr flight takes us to Saigon  – yes the locals still call it that and most signs also!

The daily gem market in Yen The.

Although we do have time for relaxing, sightseeing and shopping, these tours are very heavily focused on gemstones and jewellery. We visit many dealers and shops and also have dealers visit us at the hotel. You are meeting the same dealers that we do and you are buying gemstones at the same price we do. I can arrange different activities on most days if you would prefer to do something else, however my time is spent mostly with dealers.

We return to Hanoi in time for our evening meal.

 

In Luc Yen we may meet a ‘local’ named Gier. He is a Norwegian who moved to Yen The in 2017. He and his Vietnamese wife Mai, will show us around and then take us to the best ‘restaurants’ for dinner, if they are in town. If they are not in town, I have them pre arrange everything for us. We spend two nights here as it is one of the highlights of the trip.

We then take our minivan back to Hanoi. We stay in the centre of Hanoi, close to the main gem dealer’s street and home to many bars and restaurants. This allows us to eat and walk back to our hotel quite easily. Despite being a very large city, with over 5 million people, it is a safe city.

We spend two nights in Hanoi, where we do meet some dealers, but it’s more about a bit of shopping and food. You’ll also need a rest after Yen The!

Gem Tours Vietnam SAIGON (HO CHI MINH CITY) Our 1hr flight takes us to Saigon  – yes the locals still call it that and most signs also!Thanh Hoa

On one of the days, we take an 8am minivan again and drive the 3.5 hours to Thanh Hoa (with a comfort stop along the way).
Thanh Hoa is the centre for Aquamarine and Heliodor in Vietnam. We meet many dealers, and you can buy rough or cut stones. I usually end up buying a couple of kilos, so bring plenty of money! We also meet in a coffee shop, so that we can have lunch whilst looking at gemstones.

 

 

Gem Tours Vietnam SAIGON (HO CHI MINH CITY) Our 1hr flight takes us to Saigon  – yes the locals still call it that and most signs also!Pleiku

We fly from Hanoi to Pleiku in the late afternoon, arriving in time for dinner. The next day we take an hour long drive to visit the Peridot mines. The mines are all dug by hand and surround a caldera lake. You can collect your own samples as a souvenir or buy better samples from the miners themselves.

The Peridot crystals here can be quite large and it is not uncommon to be able to buy facetted stones that are 20cts. We also have a few dealers visit us at our hotel and there is a great coffee shop a couple of hundred metres from the hotel. The next day we fly to Saigon.

We often visit a very interesting mineral collector who has specimens from around the world.
We have a range of dealers who come and visit us at the hotel coffee shop.
There is also a really nice Jade Shop nearby that we visit. They have a great selection of carvings and jewellery at very reasonable prices.
Again Saigon is all about the food, however there is also sightseeing and shopping and we spend two nights here.

Hoi An and Da Nang

We fly from Saigon to Da Nang and take a 40min transfer to Hoi An.
You’ll have time to get clothes tailored and plenty of shopping. Hoi An is about relaxing and recovering from all the gem buying. We have two days here. We also take a trip back to Da Nang to a dealer who has the most wonderful Malachite and Azurite specimens. You can buy them already polished or in their natural state.

We then return to Bangkok flying from Da Nang where we spend last two nights of the tour. In Bangkok we arrange to post most of your purchases back home, do one last shop at the Jewellery Trade Centre and relax before the flight home, or before your next tour!

Join us on our wholesale gem tour!