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Days 1 & 2 -Saigon (HCMC)
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Stay at the Majestic Hotel
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Start the tour in Vietnam's largest city. Sightseeing includes a visit to the Notre Dame Catholic Cathedral, the distinct French built Post Office and then the Reunification Palace, formerly the Presidential Palace governed by the US-pro government of Republic of Vietnam. Later visit the War Remnants Museum, which primarily contains exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War. You will board the Cai Be Princess and cruise along the Phu An canals as well as tour the Cai Be floating Market. |
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Day 3 - Ben Tre
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Stay at a local family's home in Ben Tre
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Drive to Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta. You will cruise by boat to Coconut Island, famous for local handicraft productions. Continue by boat to Tan Thach commune to visit a family-run enterprise making coconut candies. Take a horse-drawn cart to Quoi Son to visit a bee farm. Float on a sampan through the narrow, tree-lined canals of the Mekong Delta. Enjoy lunch at Qui Island. Continue by boat to Phu Tuc village for an overnight stay. Enjoy fishing and sightseeing during a late-afternoon rowboat trip. Visit a local family home and have a dinner of traditional Mekong Delta foods. After dinner take in a performance of traditional rural music. |
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Day 4 - Cai be & Saigon
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Stay at the Majestic Hotel
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After breakfast depart for Cai Be. Take a boat trip along the mighty Mekong River and its tributaries to view the daily lives of people who work and play on the waterways of the Mekong Delta. The trip includes a visit to the unique "floating" market at Cai Be and to a family-run business producing rice paper - a key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. Visit a fruit wholesale market, a local school and a French-influenced Catholic Church. Return to Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy the evening at leisure. |
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Days 5 to 6 - Da Lat
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Stay at the Saigon Dalat Hotel
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After breakfast at hotel we will have a cenic drive from Ho Chi Minh City to the central highland resort of Dalat. This city has a unique temperate weather in such a tropical country like Vietnam. Mist cover valleys almost the year leads to its name "City of eternal spring". En route stop at rubber, tea and coffee plantations. A visit to a silk-making business is optional. Upon arrival in Dalat, visit Prenn waterfall and enjoy a brief view of the city by horse-drawn cart. |
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Days 7 to 9 - Nha Trang
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Stay at the Sunrise Beach Hotel
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Morning tour of the summer residence of the last emperor, Bao Dai and Da Lat Market. Drive to Nha Trang taking in spectacular views of the arid lowlands and the sea. Stop near the seaside town of Phan Rang to visit Po Klong Garai, a well-preserved 14th century Cham Tower. Follow the coastal road to Nha Trang, stopping at a vineyard along the way. Arrive and the rest of the day at leisure. The next day enjoy Nha Trang's turquoise waters and white sandy beaches; a morning boat cruise to offshore islands in Nha Trang Bay. Afternoon visit to Ponagar Cham Towers, the Long Son Pagoda and the Cathedral of Nha Trang. |
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Days 10 to 11 - Qui Nhon
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Stay at the Life Wellness Resort
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The drive from Nha Trang to Qui Nhon passes through perhaps the most beautiful stretches of coastline in all of Vietnam. The range of colours and vistas seen along this coastal and mountainous drive are unparalleled in South East Asia. Stop en route at Dai Lanh Beach to enjoy the transparent, turquoise waters, and at a Cham ruin near Tuy Hoa. A visit to the tomb of Han Mac Tu - a famous Vietnamese poet - and the rocky outcrops at Hoang Hau is optional. |
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Days 12 to 14 - Hoi An
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Stay at the Victoria Beach Resort & Spa
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In the morning, visit the Thap Doi Cham Tower before continuing north to Hoi An. Stop en route at Sa Huynh Beach and at Tam Quan for some refreshing coconut juice. View the daily life of rural villagers processing cassava, farming rice and weaving grass. Arrive in Hoi An late in the afternoon. The next day, take a tour of this quaint town, visiting ancient merchants' houses, a Phuc Kien temple, the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, and the colourful riverside market. Visit a workshop where artisans make Hoi An's famous lanterns. Guests have a chance to create their own lanterns, from designing the frame to gluing the cloth. |
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Days 15 to 16 - Hue
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Stay at the Pilgrimage Village
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Drive from Hoi An to Hue. Stop en route at the Marble Mountains, famed for its stonecutters and for being a "Viet Cong" guerillas hideout during the Vietnam War. Continue on to Hue, passing over a spectacular mountain pass and by a seaside fishing village. Upon arrival in Hue visit the Imperial Citadel. Drive to the outskirts of Hue to visit the elaborate tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. Stop en route at local families to learn how Vietnam's famous conical hats and colourful incense are made. |
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Days 17 to 19 - Hue & Hanoi
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Stay at the Sofitel Metropole
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Morning boat cruise through the centre of Hue on the romantic Perfume River. Visit the seven-storey Thien Mu Pagoda along the riverbank. Flight to Hanoi. Cyclo ride through the city's old quarter. In the evening enjoy a water puppet show. The next day a full day tour including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Also see the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature and the impressive Ethnologic Museum. End with at beautiful West Lake, the History Museum with an excellent collection of artifacts illustrating the Vietnamese history and the peaceful lake of Hoan Kiem. |
