Tour Code: 15VNCL1
Dates: 15 Days / 14 Nights
Tour Route: Hanoi - Halong - Hanoi - Hue - Da Nang - Hoian - My Son - Hoian - Nha Trang - Dalat - Ho Chi Minh - Cu Chi - Ho Chi Minh - Vonh Long - Can Tho - Cai Rang - Sadec - Ho Chi Minh
Itinerary Details:
Day 01: Hanoi - Arrival
Meet on arrival at Hanoi / Noi Bai International Airport and transfer to hotel for check in.
P.m: City tour (if time permit): Ngoc Son & Quan Thanh Temple and Army Museum. Accommodation in Hanoi.
Day 02: Hanoi - City tour (B/L)
Breakfast. We start the day with a visit to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, (please note Uncle Ho has gone for his annual maintenance and the mausoleum is closed on Monday, Friday and whole October-November but we will see the outside of the mausoleum then continue the program as usual) and the One Pillar Pagoda. We continue to the Temple of Literature (the Van Mieu Pagoda) founded in 1070. This beautiful temple, an excellent example of traditional Vietnamese architecture, housed Vietnam's first One Pillar Pagoda university, which was established in 1076 for educating the sons of Mandarins. After lunch at local restaurant, we'll return to the hotel and take a cyclo to the 36 streets where all handicrafts or trades were traditionally centered; each trade working on its own separate street. We end the day in the quartier around St. Joseph's cathedral which has become a delightful enclave of boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and of course pagodas; and Hoan Kiem lake.
In the evening: Water puppet show, the unique Vietnamese traditional art. Accommodation.
Day 03: Hanoi - Halong (B)
Breakfast. Today we set off through the paddy fields and all towns of the pretty Red River Delta for Halong Bay, where 3000 karst islands jut out of this huge, picturesque bay so close to China. Halong means, "where the dragon descends into the sea" and is so-named after the legend which has the bay created by a dragon which lived in the mountains. As it ran to the sea one day, its tail dug up the land leaving only small areas (the karst islands) visible - the rest filled up with water. Short sight seeing in Hai Du Hang Pagoda Phong including visit to Du Hang pagoda and Hang Kenh temple. Lunch at local restaurant en route and continue road to Halong. Arrive in Halong, transfer to hotel for check-in. Accommodation in HaLong Bay.
Day 04: Halong Bay - Hanoi (B/L)
Discover Halong Bay, listed as a World Heritage of outstanding natural beauty. The picturesque Halong Bay has more than 3,000 limestone islets rising from the clear emerald water, many of them containing beautiful grottoes. A 5-hour boat trip will visit one grotto, then continue to explore more of these wonders of creation. Seafood lunch on board.
P.m: Drive back to Hanoi and transfer to hotel. Accommodation in Hanoi.
Day 05: Hanoi - Hue (B/L)
Transfer to airport for morning flight to Hue on Vietnam Airlines. Hue is the former Imperial and intellectual capital of Vietnam. Once an outpost of the Hinduized Cham Empire, the area around Hue was conquered in the 14th century by the Viets from the north. In 1687 the Viets made Hue their capital, and continued their expansion into Cham territory. It remained the capital under the Nguyen dynasty (the last dynasty) until 1945.
Meet on arrival and transfer to the local restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon we will visit the Imperial Citadel. Modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City, Emperor Gia Long built this fortress with walls 30 feet thick around the ancient city, from where he could both live and rule. We also visit Hue Museum, a small jewel of a museum with furniture and artifacts from the Imperial City and later you visit the local Dong Ba market, known for the prettiest conical hats in Vietnam. Accommodation in Hue.
Day 06: Hue - Danang - Hoi An (B/L)
In the morning we'll take a boat ride on the perfume river to the Thien Mu pagoda - a symbol of Hue. From there we drive to the tombs of the Emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. The tomb of Tu Duc, a 19th century Emperor who lived in the most splendid opulence, is regally set among groves of frangipani and pine trees. The tomb of the Emperors Tu Duc 20th century Emperor Khai Dinh is grandiose but, unlike that of Tu Duc and the others, is a melange of Eastern and European architectural styles which perhaps accurately reflects the changing political currents which were taking place in the country at the beginning of the century. We return to Hue for lunch at local restaurant.
In the afternoon we'll drive over the beautiful Pass of the Clouds to Danang. Upon arrival, we stop to visit the Cham Museum, repository of some 300 sculptures. The Chams were a Malayo-Polynesian people who arrived in Vietnam in the second century and established a coastal Empire from Hue south as far as Vung Tau and Phan Rang (where their descendants still live). In addition to a profound Hindu influence, Buddhist and Khmer influences are also to be seen in their art and architecture. Continue to visit Marble Mountains and China Beach before proceed to Hoi An old town. Check in to the hotel and accommodation in Hoi An.
Day 07: Hoi An (B/L)
We set off this morning to the old port town of Hoi An. Known as Faifo to early Western traders, Hoi An was one of the major ports of Southeast Asia from the 17th to 19th centuries. Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese traders had small communities here, and the old wooden houses, bridges and temples are reminiscent of a Vietnam of centuries past. We enjoy a walking tour around this relaxing little town which is a marvelous spot for shopping and souvenir hunting.
Lunch at local restaurant followed by a biking tour to the countryside of Vietnam. This tour will take you into the very heart of rural Danang for a special insight into the every day life of a local village community. The small settlement of Hoa Chau, nestled among seemingly endless rice fields, allows the visitor to experience first hand the very backbone of Vietnam's rural culture. Accommodation in Hoi An.
Day 08: Hoi An - My Son - Hoi An (B/L)
Begin the day with an excursion to My Son, Vietnam's most evocative Cham site recently named by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The Cham people considered this area, in the shadow of Cat's Tooth Peak, the domain of the gods, and it served as the religious and intellectual center of the culture. They inhabited the area continuously from the late fourth century A.D. until the 13th century. Excavations reveal kings' tombs that date back to the fourth century. The towers we see are more than 1,300 years old and were built with bricks that were carved as a final step. Lunch at local restaurant.
This afternoon you will be taken on a boat ride on the Hoai River to Cam Ha Pottery village. At every turn you will see the remarkable tenacity of the local people as they work at their craft that has been handed down through generations. Courtyards are lined with hand cut bricks, drying in the
My Son accommodating sun. Village elders turn the potting wheels whilst their children shape the vessels. Accommodation in Hoi An.
Day 09: Hoi An - Danang - Nha Trang (B/L)
Breakfast. Transfer to Danang airport for the flight to Cam Ranh on Vietnam Airlines. A short forty-five minute flight, lies Vietnam's premier beach resort of Nha Trang. With a backdrop of mountains, numerous deserted islands and kilometres of white sandy beaches it is hard not to enjoy the benefits of such an idyllic location. Nha Trang has benefited from recent develop and is ideal for a beach interlude, as an extension to a city stay or a relaxing break in an overland tour.
Meet on arrival and transfer to the hotel for check-in. Lunch at local restaurant. In the afternoon we will have a boat trip to Tri Nguyen Acquarium & islands. At leisure time on the beach then return to Nha Trang. Accommodation in Nha Trang.
Day 10: Nha Trang - Dalat (B/L)
Nha Trang
In the morning we will have half day sightseeing around Nha Trang including Po Nagar Cham Towers. Built between the 7th and 12th Century and named in honour of the former Cham Princess who introduced her people to profitable weaving and wet rice cultivation techniques, it is still used as a centre for worship today, Fishing village and Institute of Oceanography. Lunch at local restaurant.
This afternoon travel overland to Dalat (approx. 6 hours). Enjoy a spectacular drive through the lush Ngoan Muc mountain pass to the coastal plain near Phan Rang. The highland crops of coffee, tea and vegetables are replaced with that of tobacco, grapes and rice as the road descends into the dry climate.
Dalat was originally built by the French as an escape from the humid summers of the coast and its heritage is still very much in evidence today.
Love valley
At 1475 metres above sea level, Dalat offers cool respite from the humid lowlands. Parts of the town with their faded French villas, cobbled streets and surrounding pine forests have a distinct European feel, however Dalat is also well known for some of its more 'quirky' developments. Check in to the hotel.
Accommodation in Dalat.
Day 11 Dalat - Ho Chi Minh City (B/L)
Morning Dalat City Highlights Tour. Much delight will be taken in an exploration of Dalat's architecture - from the villas of the 'French Quarter' to the unusual guesthouse shaped with each annex shaped like a different animal, known as the 'Crazy House'! Visit the town's bustling central market, renowned for its fresh vegetables and fruit that is rarely found in a tropical country; they even grow strawberries here! Visit the former Railway Station for a steam train ride and Dalat Cathedral. Bao Dai's Summer Palace sits on a hill just outside the main centre. Bao Dai was the Last Emperor of Vietnam and the Palace has been preserved exactly as he left it in 1954. It is a classic example of art deco that is a tourist attraction in itself. Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon overland drive to Saigon (approx. 5 hours). The drive takes you from the plateau of the Central Highlands down through spectacular countryside as the road weaves through plantations, villages and mountains. There will be opportunities to stop at silk weaving farms and coffee and tea plantations en-route as we explore this verdant region.
Check in to the hotel and accommodation in Saigon.
Day 12 Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi Tunnels (B/L)
Saigon, surely one of the most evocative place names in Asia and definitely one of the most extraordinary cities in the world. The most Western in atmosphere of Vietnam's cities, Ho Chi Minh City (to use it's official name - although to residents and visitors alike it is universally and affectionately known as Saigon) has a population of 5 million, and a booming free-market economy. We begin Saigon highlight tour, visit the former Presidential Palace, which is now preserved as a museum, including the underground communications bunkers, headquarters for the Saigon Government during the American War. Visit Notre Dame, an impressive neo-Romanesque cathedral in the centre of city, the 'wedding cake' styled hotel d'ville, the colonial People's Committee building and Dong Khoi Street, formerly the centre of haute couture in Saigon when it was known as Rue Catinat. A stop will be made at Central Market if time permits. Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon Cu Chi Tunnels Tour. This morning journey out of the city centre to the Cu Chi regions, where you will visit the vast underground network of tunnels built first as a defence against the French, and later expanded during the American war. It was from here that the North Vietnamese waged their guerrilla warfare and you will marvel at their ingenuity and resilience. See secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms. The more adventurous may explore the deeper second, and even third level tunnels. For those preferring to remain above ground, there is ample opportunity to view excavated areas from above. Your guide will advise you of the length and level of difficulty of each tunnel before entering - some are easily accessed by stairs. We recommend good walking shoes and sun protection for this tour and advise you may get a little dirty! Accommodation
Day 13 Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh Long - Can Tho (B/L)
Pick up at hotel. Drive to Vinh Long and we will get on a sampan then visit a brick kiln, floating marketing and the famous Mr. Sau Giao's bonsai garden. Lunch in this garden. Enjoy a bike ride for short sightseeing tour of Vinh Long including visit to Ngoc Vien Pagoda, local people's houses, and Vinh Long church... Proceeding to Can Tho. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 14 Can Tho - Cai Rang - Sadec - Saigon (B/L)
Breakfast at hotel.
Boat trip on Mekong River to visit Cai Rang floating market then drive back to Saigon via Sadec. Visit Rose Garden of Mr. Tu Ton. Lunch at local restaurant. Drop off at your hotel in Saigon. Accommodation in Saigon.
Day 15 Ho Chi Minh City - Departure (B)
Breakfast. Leisure time for shopping….. until transfer to Ho Chi Minh City / Tan Son Nhat International Airport for departure.
