Day 1: Arrive in
Hanoi
(D)
Arrive in
Hanoi
. Meet the guide and transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Have a dinner and overnight
in
Hanoi
.
Day 2: Hanoi- Ninh Binh -
Hanoi
(B, L, D)
A 70km drive through rural northern
Vietnam
to the site of
Vietnam
’s first capital, Hoa Lu. After visiting the two
remaining sanctuaries of the ancient citadel, take a sampan on a river through the rice paddies to the grottoes of
the sacred
Tam
Coc
Caves
. Enormous limestone karst jut out from the green rice fields giving rise to this place’s
other name, ‘Halong on Land’. Lunch at a local restaurant is included. Return to
Hanoi
in the afternoon. Have a
dinner and overnight in
Hanoi
.
Day 3:
Hanoi
- Ha Long (B, L, D)
After breakfast visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the Palace of the former Governor of Vietnam, the wooden
stilt
house where Ho Chi Minh lived for the last years of his life, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts museum, the
Temple
of
Literature
, the
Lake
of the Restored Sword. Continue going by road to Ha long. Transfer to hotel on arrival
dinner is in a local restaurant. Overnight in Ha long.
Day 4: Halong -
Hanoi
(B, L, D)
A morning cruise in a private junk on the emerald green waters of Ha long Bay, among the 3,000 spectacular
limestone islands. The cruise ends with a fresh seafood lunch on board. Return to
Hanoi
by road in the afternoon.
Visit the Old Quarter. In the everning, before dinner at a local restaurant enjoying a traditional Vietnamese water
puppet show. Overnight in
Hanoi
.
Day 5: Ha noi - Da nang - Hoi An (B, L, D)
After breakfast transfer to
Noi
Bai
Airport
for the short flight to the central port city of
Da Nang
. On arrival in
Da Nang
transfer to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries whose architecture and relaxed lifestyle
has changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the
ancient town center to visit the former merchants’ homes the 400
years-old Janpanese Covered Bridge and the colourful market. After free time for shopping. Overnight in
Hoi An.
Day 6 : Hoi An - My Son sanctuary (B, L, D)
In the morning, take a coach trip to My Son Sanctuary, a religious sanctuary of the flourishing
Champa
Kingdom
from the 4th century. Many temples and towers were built here dedicated to the kings and Brahman divinities. In the
afternoon take a boat trip on the Thu Bon river to visit the ceramic village and enjoy the sunset. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 7: Hoi An -
Hue
(B, L, D)
Leave Hoi An early in the afternoon for
Hue
, the former imperial capital of
Viet Nam
. On the way, stop visiting the
Marble mountains, stone-carving village. Climbing over the
Pass
of
Ocean Clouds
and dropping down to the
wonderfully photogenic fishing
village
of
Lang
co. Arrive in
Hue
late in the afternoon and transfer to hotel. Dinner at
a local restaurant and overnight in
Hue
.
Day 8:
Hue
(B, L, D)
A boat trip on the romantically named
Perfume
River
visits Thien Mu Pagoda, and the mausoleum of former emperor
Tu Duc, in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. After lunch in a local restaurant visit the Imperial Citadel, from
where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945, and Dong Ba Market, famous for selling the best conical
hats in
Vietnam
. In the evening, a chance to dress up in period costume for one of the highlights of
Hue
, the Royal
Dinner. Overnight in
Hue
.
Day 9:
Hue
-
Ho Chi Minh City
(B, L, D)
After breakfast transfer to
Hue
Airport
for the short flight to
Ho Chi Minh City
and transfer to hotel on arrival.
A city
tour of dynamic
Ho Chi Minh City
still called
Saigon
by many locals. After lunch in a local restaurant takes in the
Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office and then continues to Thien Hau Pagoda and Binh Tay
Market in the city’s bustling
Chinatown
. Dinner in one of the city ‘s many restaurant. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.
Day 10:
Ho Chi Minh City
- My Tho -
Ho Chi Minh City
(B, L, D)
A full day trip to the watery world of the Mekong Delta, just a couple of hours by road from the hustle and bustle of
Ho Chi Minh City
’s streets. Take a boat trip along narrow waterways overhung with dense vegetation and try
exotic fruits in one of the many orchards. For lunch sample the local delicacy, Elephant’s Ear Fish. Overnight in Ho
Chi Minh.
Day 11:
Ho Chi Minh City
- Cu Chi -
Ho Chi Minh city
(B, L, D)
Take a coach trip to visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by
Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. Back to Ho Chi Minh, have a lunch. In
the afternoon visits the former Presidential Palace, Ben Thanh market for shopping. Overnight in
Ho Chi Minh City
.
Day 12: Depart
Saigon
(B)
Have free time for relaxing or shopping until transfer to the airport
for departure flight from
Vietnam
.