Ho-Chi-Minh City to Hanoi, with
stops at Hoi An, Sapa & Halong Bay
Day 1. Arrival Ho Chi Minh
City
Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City! Upon arrival, you
will be met and assisted by our friendly representative
all the way from the airport to the hotel for a freshen-up.
The rest of the day is at leisure for you to rest after
your journey. Evening dinner at local Vietnamese restaurant.
Day 2. Ho Chi Minh City
Today's tour of the city
includes The Reunification Palace (former Presidential Palace), Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral,
Lam Son Square, Ben Thanh Market, Thien Hau pagoda, The Museum of HCM Campaign etc.
Evening dinner at local Vietnamese restaurant. Overnight in HCMC.
Day 3. Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh - Cu Chi - HCMC
Enjoy a morning drive through typical southern
Vietnamese countryside to Tay Ninh Province in
the west of Vietnam. At Tay Ninh visit the incredible
Cao Dai Great Temple, 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. In the
afternoon visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an
incredible underground tunnel network constructed
by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long
struggle for independence. Overnight in HCMC.
Day 4. Ho Chi Minh City - My Tho - Can Tho
Leave Ho Chi Minh City and head south to Can Tho deep in the Mekong Delta.
Break the journey at My Tho, 2 hours south of HCMC, to visit the very ornate
Vinh Trang Pagoda and a family-run rice-noodle factory. Arrive in Can Tho and
check into hotel. Take a boat trip to Thoi Son island, visit fruit orchards and enjoy
fresh fruits with traditional music performance. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 5: Can Tho - Chau Doc
After breakfast check out of the hotel and head northwest to Chau Doc,
situated near the Cambodian border. Transfer to hotel on arrival.
In the afternoon take a boat to visit fish farms where fish are bred in wooden
cages suspended under floating houses on the river. Continue by boat to visit a
village of stilt houses belonging to the Cham minority where colourful traditional
textiles are woven on old wooden looms. Return to dry land in time to drive up Sam
Mountain to watch the sunset over the Cambodian border. Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 6: Chau Doc - Ho Chi Minh City
Leave Chau Doc after breakfast and head back towards Ho Chi Minh City
via Vinh Long. Break the journey at Vinh Long to take a boat trip to visit Phan
Thanh Giang Confucian Temple and the cottage industries of Cho Cua village.
Visit a ceramic tile factory, a tofu and fish sauce factory etc. & continue to Cai Be
Floating Market and rejoin the car to drive to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in HCMC.
Day 7: Ho Chi Minh - Danang - Hoi An
Transfer to airport to fly to Danang.
Afternoon tour includes China Beach, once famous as a beach resort for resting US
soldiers and the Cham Museum containing the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world.
Drive to Hoi An. On the road from Danang to Hoi An visit five sacred hills
known as the Marble Mountains containing dozens of Buddhist shrines. On arrival in
Hoi An transfer to hotel.
Day 8: Hoi An - My Son - Hoi An
Hoi An was a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries and its picturesque architecture and relaxed lifestyle has
changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient
town centre to visit former merchants' houses, the 400 year-old
Japanese Covered Bridge and the colourful market. After lunch we
visit the capital and religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom,
My Son. Here, 40km southwest of Hoi An, in a lush green valley,
are dozens of red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from between
the seventh and thirteenth centuries.
Day 9: Hoi An
A free day at leisure in Hoi An ancient town for you to wander among
the many old Chinese houses, Chinese tea room, temples & market, or relax on the beach.
Day 10: Hoi An - Hue
After breakfast, drive to Hue. The scenic route climbs over the Pass of Ocean Clouds before
dropping down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. Arrive in Hue,
the former imperial capital of Vietnam, in the afternoon and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Hue.
Day 11: Hue
Full day city tour of Hue, starting with a boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River to visit
Hue's best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the mausoleum of former emperor Minh Mang,
in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. In the afternoon visit the elaborate mausoleums of emperors
Tu Duc and Khai Dinh and the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945.
Overnight in Hue.
Day 12: Hue - Hanoi
Transfer to airport for your flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. Pick up & transfer to your hotel.
Today's city tour includes (as time allows) Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, One-Pillar Pagoda & Army Museum.
Also visit Temple of Literature, built in the 11th century as
Vietnam’s first university, Fine Art Museum, Quan Thanh Temple. In the evening,
see the world-famous Vietnamese Water Puppet show in the theatre.
Day 13: Hanoi - Lao Cai
Today our city tour of Hanoi includes places not visited yesterday, including Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.
In the evening, transfer to railway station for your overnight train
journey to Sapa.
Day 14: Sapa
Upon arrival in Lao Cai, drive 40km on coach to
Sapa. Enjoy the picturesque scenery along the
way leading to Sapa, a mountainous area of stunning
natural beauty and diverse ethnic minorities.
Transfer to your hotel for check in. Breakfast
at hotel. Walking tour to visit Saturday 'mountain
market'. Lunch at local restaurant. Transfer to
Ta Van village, about 8 km of twisty road from
Sapa town. Along the road you will see many H’Mong,
Dzay, Dzao ethnic people dressed in their traditional
colourful costumes. Two-hour trekking tour through
a terraced paddy field to discover the lifestyle
of the Dzay minority.
Day 15: Sapa - Bac Ha - Lao Cai
Transfer to Bac Ha. View the 'mountain market'
full of montagnards from surrounding villages.
They dress in their most colourful costumes and
head to the market to exchange goods or sell self-made
crafts. Lunch. Walking tour at Ban Pho village. Return to Lao Cai to take
overnight train to Hanoi.
Day 16: Hanoi
Arriving back to Hanoi in the early morning, pick up & drive to Hoa Lu,
(100 km south of Hanoi), famous as the so-called Dry-Halong Bay: the same
limestone rocks as in Halong Bay but lying in rice fields with winding streams
instead of the sea. Spectacular scenery during the boat trip to Tam Coc caves.
Lunch at local restaurant. Visit Bich Dong Pagoda and Temples of the Dinh and
Le dynasties. Return to Hanoi & overnight.
Day 17: Hanoi
A free day in Hanoi to do some shopping or simply wander in this
old city full of French-style cafes & old avenues.
Day 18: Hanoi - Halong Bay
This morning at leisure. In the afternoon we take the 4 hour drive to
Ha Long Bay. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel. Dinner at local restaurant
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Day 19: Halong Bay - Cat Ba
A morning cruise in a private junk on the emerald green waters of Halong Bay,
among the 3,000 spectacular limestone islands. The cruise ends with a fresh
seafood lunch on board & then sail to Cat Ba Island, the largest in the bay, & transfer to a
local guesthouse (no hotel on the island) for overnight. Afternoon tour includes Cat Ba's
national park, the local market etc. The evening is spent in one of the many fine local restaurants on the island.
Day 20: Cat Ba - Haiphong - Hanoi
Morning at leisure. Afternoon by hydrofoil to Haiphong & drive back to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi
Day 21: Hanoi - Departure
Breakfast. Free at leisure until transfer to the
airport for departure.
Please note that, whilst every
effort will be made to carry out the programme
shown above, small changes may sometimes be necessary.
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