vietnam-tour-packages

Day 1

HANOI ARRIVAL

 
You will meet your guide on arrival at Hanoi airport, be transferred, and check in to your chosen hotel. During the drive, your guide will provide an introduction to Hanoi, and answer any questions you have. Enjoy free time for the remainder of the day.

Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital city and home to more than seven million people. Traditional and refined, with French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards, scenic lakes, and a bustling Old Quarter, Hanoi has a sophisticated charm. Observe elderly people practicing Tai Chi by the lake, with barbers and food vendors plying their sidewalk trade.

Hanoi has many great restaurants with French, Vietnamese, and international cuisines available. Ask your guide for personal recommendations.

Included meals: None

Accommodation in HANOI

Day 2

HANOI – CITY VISIT & CYCLO RIDE

 
Accompanied by your guide early this morning to visit Long Bien Market under the historic Long Bien Bridge to explore the local life of Hanoi.

The historic Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, an imposing monument lavishly built using marble and granite, and where the preserved body of “Uncle Ho” resides. (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed every Monday & Friday, all afternoons, and from late September until December). Behind the Mausoleum, you can see Ho Chi Minh’s House. The simple house where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked from 1954 until 1969 is made of wood and enjoyed a tranquil setting, with a view of a lotus pond. Ho Chi Minh’s belongings are on display and you can walk up the steps of his house to see his bedroom.

We then continue to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, center of Vietnam’s military power for over a millennium. The complex’s monumental palaces and pavilions reflect a unique Southeast Asian culture specific to this region, as the crossroads between influence from China to the north and the ancient kingdom of Champa to the south.

The Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university.  Constructed in 1070, the gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past.

Enjoy a one-hour tour by Cyclo, a chauffeur-pedaled tricycle, through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, also known as “36 streets”. This bustling area of narrow streets and alleys is home to thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. It’s a great place to explore, especially by cyclo, with plenty of photo opportunities all around you.

Included meals: Breakfast

Accommodation in HANOI

Day 3

HANOI – HALONG OVERNIGHT CRUISE

NOTE: Return transfers Hanoi – Halong – Hanoi is with private car & driver only (NO guide). Visit while cruise on Halong bay is with the local guide/staff of the cruise.

Your early morning departure from your hotel in Hanoi to Halong Bay takes you on a journey through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta.

Arrive in Halong and board a traditional sailing junk. As the vessel sets sails, you will be greeted by the Crew Team who will aim throughout your stay at providing you with the highest standards of service for a pure pleasure and utmost comfort onboard. Discover some of the treasures disseminated across the Bay of the Descending Dragon during the afternoon: fascinating caves, pristine beaches, picturesque floating villages, fantastic rock formations rising up out of emerald water. While onboard, you can take advantage at leisure of the cruise services; surrounded by a stunning setting in motion, you could attend our chef’s cooking demonstration and try your skills in the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.

Defined to be one of the highlights of your stay, a highly refined, innovative and varied cuisine will be presented for Lunch and Dinner in the elegant dining-room, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages (with extra charge applied) for drink).

In the evening enjoy the entertainment activities as movie night, squid fishing or just enjoying a cocktail surrounded by limestone rocks majestically springing out from silent waters in the night.

NOTE: This tour is subject to change depending on weather conditions.

Included meals: Breakfast

Accommodation in HALONG

Day 4

HANOI  BAY – FLY TO SAIGON

Early birds can attend a Tai Chi demonstration on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Start the day enjoying some delights with a light breakfast and follow by a colorful brunch.  Continue exploring Halong Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Your cruise will come to an end at the pier in Halong late morning.

You have the option to visit a pottery workshop on the trip back to Hanoi before flying to Saigon in the afternoon.

 Vietnam Airlines: Hanoi/ Hai Phong – Saigon (Flight schedule TBA)

You will meet your guide on arrival Saigon airport, be transferred and check-in to your hotel. During the drive your guide will provide an introduction to Saigon, answer any questions you have. Enjoy free time for the remainder of the first day.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in southern Vietnam is a sprawling metropolis of more than ten million people. Formally renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam-American war, locals still refer to Saigon. With thousands of motorbikes zipping past luxury cars, French colonial buildings dwarfed by modern skyscrapers and traditionally dressed school girls riding bicycles past trendy city workers, Saigon is an exciting city of contrasts.

Saigon is a city that never sleeps and offers a plethora of great restaurants and bars catering to all tastes, from street food vendors to the rooftop bar at the Rex Hotel, where international correspondents covered the Vietnam War and where the U.S. military attaché’s press briefing was held daily and dubbed the “Five O’clock Follies”. Whatever your interests, be sure to ask your guide for personal recommendations.

Included meals: Brunch

Accommodation in SAIGON

Day 5

SAIGON – CITY VISIT & CU CHI TUNNELS

After breakfast, depart the hotel for the Cu Chi Tunnels, an immense network of interconnected tunnels near Saigon that are part of a much larger network lying below much of the country. A guided visit to these tunnels provides a better understanding of their history, the hardship of life underground, and the resilience of the Vietnamese during combat.

The tunnels were built and used initially by the Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots to protect them from the French air and ground sweeps. They later served as communication routes, storage facilities, hospitals and living quarters for the guerrilla fighters throughout the Vietnam-American war.

You’re invited to enter a section of the tunnels to witness the secrets of the tunnels firsthand. Your guide will also show you various mantraps employed from this period, the remains of an American tank and numerous B52 bomb craters. There is also the opportunity to fire an M60, M16 or AK47 rifle at the range next to the tunnel complex.

Returning to Saigon, learn about the city’s historic landmarks as you tour the city with your guide. Visit the former Presidential Palace, headquarters to the Saigon Government during the Vietnam-American war. You may also like to visit the War Remnants Museum for a vivid insight into the Vietnam-American war from a Vietnamese perspective. Next stop is the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick building with twin spires based on the original construction from Paris, then head across the square to the Central Post Office designed by the French architect Gustav Eiffel.

Included meals: Breakfast

Accommodation in SAIGON

Day 6

SAIGON – MEKONG DELTA EXCURSION

Depart your hotel this morning for a 1.5-hour drive heading south of Ben Tre where referred to locally as one of the biggest coconut tree orchards in Vietnam. Take in the lush surroundings of rice paddies and fruit farms alongside the highway as you leave behind the busy city.

Arrive at the waterfront pier and embark on an enjoyable motorboat excursion, take a glimpse at the Delta scenery, houses built on stilts, and local fish farms along the way. Cruising among the islands named Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle, and Phoenix Islands. You will stop along the way to discover how Vietnamese farmers work their rice fields and observe the daily life of the villagers in the Mekong Delta. You will have the chance to see a family-run business where they make coconut candy directly in front of the pier.

Take a short horse cart ride (or walking) along country roads to a tropical orchard garden of a farmer for a tasting session of honey and some exotic fruits and a traditional folk song performance… Engage in a casual chat with your host and stroll through the garden to get an insight into daily farming life. Take some time to enjoy a leisurely walk through the village observing tropical gardens along the way. Continue discovering the Mekong by cruising the small canals and arroyos lined with palm and coconut trees.

Continue driving and stop en route at either Vinh Trang pagoda, which was built in 1849 and is one of the first pagodas to incorporate a mixture of Asian and European architectural features

or a small, colorful Cao Dai temple which represents a synthesis of world religions. Indigenous to Vietnam and founded in the early 20th century, Cao Dai is a fusion of the best from Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, with Christianity and Islam thrown in for good measure. Visitors are welcomed inside the temple to observe the colourful service at midday.

Lunch will be served at My Tho, taste some local delicacies before returning to Saigon mid afternoon.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation in SAIGON

Day 7

SAIGON DEPARTURE

Breakfast at the hotel. Free at leisure.

You will be picked up from the hotel and transferred to the airport for your departure flight.

Please note that the hotel check-out time is by noon 1200. Luggage can be deposited at the hotel after check-out. Hotel late check-out is subject to hotel availability and with an extra fee.

Included meals: Breakfast