This trip
is for the traveler with limited time. It takes you around Vietnam's most
popular sights in just 12 days. But we use our time well. Everything that
everybody talks about is in it and we save time by flying or traveling on the
overnight train. Highlights include the wonders of Ha Long Bay, now listed as a
World Heritage site, the capital city of Hanoi with its fascinating Old
Quarter, Hue, the Imperial City in the 18th and 19th centuries, the picturesque
port town of Hoi An, a favorite with many travelers, and finishing at the
vibrant Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 1: Arrival Hanoi
(D) Our representative/tour
guide will meet and greet you at the airport. Drive to your hotel. Overnight in
Hanoi
Day 2: HanoiCity
tour (B, L) After breakfast at
your hotel, you'll be picked up to start a Hanoi
city tour. You’ll visit Ba Dinh Square,
where silent sentries guard the marble and Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum where Ho Chi
Minh lies in state (closed on every Monday & Friday and October &
November) and see the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked. You’ll
continue to visit the One Pillar Pagoda and hear the legend of its
construction, born from the love of an emperor in the 11th Century. You’ll
drive to visit the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s West
Lake.
After
lunch at local restaurant, driver and guide will take you to visit the EthnologyMuseum for an overview of Vietnam’s
54 distinct ethnic. Continue to visit LiteratureTemple and Quoc Tu Giam, built in
1070 and the dedicated to Confucius; it is a serene retreat from the busy
streets outside and later become Vietnam’s
first university. Pass by HoanKiemLake,
also known as Lake of Restored Sword
from the legend that surrounds it en-route to one of the city’s fascinating
museums. Enjoy 1 hour cyclo tours around the HanoiCity's old
quarters and the traditional water puppetry show. Transfer back to your hotel.
Overnight in Hanoi
Day 3: Hanoi
- Ha LongBay
and Cat Ba Island
(B, L) Am: 7h30 depart to
Halong bay. Boarding on your private boat for a five-hour cruise around the
secluded and majestic HalongBay. We have
the chance to swim in the bay's emerald waters and also visit one of its many
splendid caves.
Arrive Cat Ba Island.
Check in hotel. Overnight in Cat Ba island.
Day 4: Cat Ba Island - Hanoi
(B, L) Am: Explore the township of Cat Ba or
visit the National Park
Pm: Catch the local ferry to Hai Phong. Pick up at Haiphong boat station and transfer back to Hanoi.
Arrive Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 5: Hanoi
- Hue (B, L)
Flight Am: Transfer from your hotel in Hanoi
to the airport. Flight VN 245 to Hue
(10h10 -11h20 ). Pick up then transfer to your hotel in Hue.
Bus trip to visit HueCity. Visit
Citadel and the Forbidden PurpleCity,
the ImperialMuseum.
Overnight in Hue
Day 6: HueCity
tour (B, L) Arrival in Hue at 7.00 for a
transfer directly to our hotel. Cruise along the PerfumeRiver to visit the ornate tomb of
Emperor Minh Mang, stopping on the way to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, considered
by many as the unofficial symbol of Hue.
From here we will cruise back to the eccentric Tu Duc's tomb, and discover this
Emperor's opulent lifestyle. Free time at the Dong Ba market. Lunch at the
local restaurant. Overnight in Hue
Day 7: Hue
- Hoi An (B, L) This morning we drive to Hoi An, we will cross Hai Van Pass where you will
have magnificent view of the China
Sea. Stop at Lang Co to have break. Visit the
fascinating ChamMuseum,
famous ChinaBeach
and the MarbleMountains
en route to charming Hoi An. Known as Faifo to early Western traders, it was
one of South East Asia's
major international ports and today it still retains that special old-world
feel. Overnight in Hoian.
Day 8: Hoi An (B, L) Fullday visit
Hoian: FucKien Pagoda, HoiaMuseum,
JapaneseCovered Bridge,
TanKy Old house, Assembly Hall of Cantonese Chinese Congregation, Hoian market.
Overnight in Hoian.
Day 9: Hoi An - Danang - Ho Chi Minh City
(B, L)
Transfer
to the airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City,
where we will be transferred directly to our centrally located hotel. Following
the lunch, take the city tour will include a visit to Cholon, Saigon's
Chinatown and home to Vietnams
biggest market, the ReunificationPalace
and the War Crimes museum.
Day 10: Cu Chi Tunnels & Cao Dai Temple (B, L) Enjoy a morning drive through typical southern Vietnamese countryside to Cu
Chi district, and TayNinhProvince.
Upon arrival in Cu Chi district, make a couple of stops for photo opportunities
and a visit to a rice paper making factory at TanPhuTrungVillage.
Experience ourselves the underground village of Cu Chi
guerrilla fighters, which is simply a network of tunnels built during the long
years of wars. Continue to drive another an hour and half from Cu Chi towards
Tay Ninh to visit the incredible Cao Dai Great Temple, and attend the noon time
service with architecture that could have come straight from a Walt Disney
fantasy and where all the major faiths of the world blend together in a unique
religious cocktail; photo opportunities during the ceremony. Lunch is at a
local restaurant. Drive back to Saigon,
free at leisure for the rest of day. Overnight in Saigon
Day 11: My Tho - Mekong Delta (B,L) After breakfast, you'll be taken to My Tho, a city nearby Ho Chi Minh City.
On arrival, you’ll board a boat to cruise on the MekongRiver and rowing through small canals
and channels to ThoiSonIsland
where you’ll disembark and walk along a small village road to visit fruit
gardens, the elementary school, the local distillery, and witness the daily
life of Mekong
villagers. You’ll have chance to sample some of area’s tropical fruits and
watch a traditional music show. After lunch at a local restaurant on the
island, you’ll climb back on the boat to visit a coconut candy workshop. You’ll
then be driven to visit Vinh Trang Pagoda - the greatest pagoda of TienGiangProvince.
You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 12: Depart Ho Chi
Minh City (B) Free time until
being transfer from the hotel to the airport for your flight out of Vietnam.
End tour.
