IMAGES OF VIETNAM
Hanoi – Halong – Hoi An – Hue – Ho Chi Minh city
(10D/9N)
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi (-,-,-)
On arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport, your tour guide will greet and transfer you by private car through the city to your hotel. Located on the banks of the Red River, Vietnam’s quaint capital is a city of wide tree lined boulevards with tranquil lakes and colonial villa’s and a more sedate pace than other Asian cities. Hanoi offers something for everyone and will leave you wishing that you had longer to explore this enthralling capital. Stay overnight in Hanoi.
Regular check-in time for all hotels is 2.00pm. Early check-in is subject to availability.
Day 2: Hanoi (B,L,-)
Enjoy a morning sightseeing tour which features Hanoi’s cultural and historical highlights. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his former residence on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature. Continue to picturesque West Lake and the sixth century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda. From here transfer (or stroll along the lakeside) 700meters to the nearby Taoist temple of Quan Thanh which is dedicated to Tran Vu, one of the principal deities in Taoism. In the afternoon visit the museum as your choice: the Ethnology, Army or National Fine Arts Museum. Take a break from walking as you explore the bustling streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter by cyclo, a chauffeur-pedaled tricycle. Enjoy an evening water puppet show, a theatrical genre reflecting the agricultural civilization of thousands of years ago. Stay overnight in Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B,L,D)
Depart for the 3.5-hour drive to Halong Bay. Journey there through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta, observe everyday life of Vietnamese villagers as they work the rice fields, take pigs to the market on motorbikes and plough the fields with their water buffaloes. Arrive from Hanoi late morning and welcome at the pier of your boat. Check-in and transfer to your boat for the overnight journey into the Bay. Lunch is served on board as you cruise into Halong Bay. Cruise by rock formations with such names as Sail, Dog and Dinh Huong (incense pot). Towards the end of the day set anchor for the night as the sun sets followed by dinner. Stay overnight on a joining boat in Halong Bay.
Day 4: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Da Nang – Hoi An (B,Brunch,-)
On your return to Halong City enjoy a wholesome brunch as your boat weaves through strange-shaped limestone rock formations. Upon disembarkation your driver will meet you for the transfer to Ha Noi airport for an evening flight to Da Nang. Pick up on arrival at Da Nang Airport and transfer to Hoi An, known as Faifo to early Western traders and recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 1999. Stay overnight in Hoi An.
Day 5: Hoi An (B,L,-)
In the morning, have a walking tour of the Hoi An ancient town. Stroll around the Japanese and Chinese Quarters to visit a number of temples, pagodas, communal houses, traditional shops, local markets and other places of interest and watch local daily activities, handicraftsmen at work and a lively show of traditional dancing and music. Afternoon to visit the stone-carving village of Non Nuoc and the Museum of Cham Sculpture (close on Monday) with the World’s finest collection of some 300 Cham sculpture exhibits dating from the 7th to the 15th centuries. Stay overnight in Hoi An.
Day 6: Hoi An – Da Nang – Hue (B,L,-)
Depart for Hue via the Pass of Ocean Clouds and the scenic fishing village of Lang Co. Enjoy a full day tour of Hue, a former imperial city of Vietnam ruled by 13 Nguyen dynasties. Explore the Royal Citadel, built in 1804 on a site chosen in accordance with geomancy. The tour of Imperial City features Flag Tower, Noon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace (Palace of Supreme Harmony), and Forbidden Purple City. Optional: royal music at Duyet Thi Duong Theatre. In the afternoon, take a boat along Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda and Hon Chen Temple. The last stop is Minh Mang’s Mausoleum. Stay overnight in Hue.
Day 7: Hue – Ho Chi Minh City (B,L,-)
Morning transfer to airport to catch a noon flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Pick up on arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport and transfer to hotel. Have an afternoon sightseeing tour of Ho Chi Minh City including visit to the Reunification Palace (the former Presidential Palace) and the Central Post Office, then have a short walk along the shopping Dong Khoi Street (former Rue Catinat) from Notre Dame Cathedral to the Municipal Theatre. Stop over at a lacquer workshop on the way back to your hotel. Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 8: Mekong Delta (B,L,-)
Depart from the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City to the area referred locally as ‘the rice bowl of Vietnam’. On arrival in Ben Tre Province, you will board your local boat for a cruise through natural waterway worm where the maze of shady creeks will surely fascinate you. Stop over to explore brickwork, coconut processing workshop, mat weaving house… Trip ends with rowing-boat along water palm creek. Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City (B,L,-)
Leave your hotel around 0800 in the morning for a drive to Cu Chi district. Leaving the city behind, the scenery changes to views of rice paddies, villagers drying noodles by the side of the road and other scenes typical to southern Vietnam. Arrive and start the visit of the famous Cu Chi Tunnels which consist of an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters (Viet Cong) during both the French and American wars.
In the afternoon journey back to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch and continue visit to the bustling Chinese district of Cholon, and a visit to Thien Hau pagoda, dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea at the end of the 18th century. Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 10: Departure Ho Chi Minh City (B,-,-)
Spend last minutes shopping (ceramics, silver-carvings, silk, etc.) before check-out. Transfer to the airport for departure flight.
Regular check-out time for all hotels is 12.00pm. Late check out is subject to availability.
Please note that this proposed itinerary is subject to availability. We will only proceed with all reservations upon receiving your written confirmation.
Tour costs are depending on the size of group & the specify date to travel.
TOUR COSTS TO INCLUDE:
1) Accommodation on twin-share basis: (Except the land cost for 1 pax is for Single Use)
OPTION A (3* accommodation) :
Hanoi (2 nights): ROH room / La Dolce Vita Hotel (3) / (or equivalent)
Hoi An (2 nights): Superior room / Lotus Hoi An Resort (3) (or equivalent)
Hue (1 night): ROH room / Green Hotel (3) (or equivalent)
HCMC (3 nights): Deluxe room / GK Central Hotel (3) (or equivalent)
Halong (1 night): Image Deluxe cabin / Image Halong Cruise (3*) (or equivalent)
OPTION B (4* accommodation) :
Hanoi (2 nights): Superior room / Sunway Hotel (4) (or equivalent)
Hoi An (2 nights): Superior View / Hoi An Riverside Resort (4) (or equivalent)
Hue (1 night): Deluxe room / Saigon Morin Hotel (4) (or equivalent)
HCMC (3 nights): Deluxe room / Palace Hotel (4) (or equivalent)
Halong (1 night): Pelican Deluxe cabin / Pelican Deluxe Cruise (4*) (or equivalent)
2) Meal Plan (Food only):
Day 1: –, –, —
Day 2: B, L, —
Day 3: B, L, D (Dinner is included in cruise rate)
Day 4: B, Brunch, —
Day 5: B, L, —
Day 6: B, L, —
Day 7: B, L, —
Day 8: B, L, —
Day 9: B, L, —
Day 10: B, –, —
(B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner)
3) Air-con vehicle for transfers and transportation.
4) Local English speaking guides.
5) Boat rides and sightseeing entrance fees.
6) Air tickets Hanoi / Da Nang; Hue / Saigon in Economy class
TOUR COSTS EXCLUDING:
-Visa fee to Vietnam
-Meals: Any meals that are not mentioned in the itinerary
-Baggage: Any excess baggage charges
-Travel insurance
-International air tickets
-Personal expenses: Expenses of a purely personal nature such as mini-bar, laundry, telephone/fax of cable charges
-Gratuities: To local guides and drivers throughout the trip.