HIGHLIGHTS OF VIETNAM TOUR

* BRIEF ITINERARY:
Day 1: Arrival – Ha Noi City Tour
Day 2: Ha Noi Sightseeing Tour to Halong Bay
Day 3: Ha Long Cruising Tour

Day 4: Ha Noi City Tour to Ninh Binh – Hoa Lu & Tam Coc Full Day Tour
Day 5: Ha Noi to Hue Sightseeing Tour
Day 6: Hue Tour to Da Nang – Hoi An
Day 7: Hoi An Sightseeing Tour
Day 8: Hoi An – Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City Tour to Tay Ninh & Cu Chi Tunnels
Day 10: Mekong Delta Sightseeing Tour

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh – Departure

Day 1: Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Arrival – Hanoi Package Tour (-/-/-)

On arrival at Noi Bai Airport, you are met by our guide and transferred to hotel. The capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is a stylish and gracious city that retains an unique old world charm and some Asia’s most striking colonial architecture. The many lakes and parks make for relaxing atmosphere. If time permits we enjoy a short cyclo ride through the bustling old quarter streets named after the specific goods once offered for sale at these places.
O/N in Ha Noi.

Hanoi: Cyclo Tour in the Old Quater

Hanoi: Hoan Kiem Lake

Day 2 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Hanoi Sightseeing Tour – Halong Cruising Tour (B/-/-)

Today we commence our sightseeing of Hanoi with the Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Close to this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda, whose origins date back to the foundation of Hanoi. We follow this with a visit to the Temple of Literature, well known as Vietnam’s first university, and the History Museum which displays an excellent collection of artifacts illustrating the Vietnamese history. The peaceful lake of Hoan Kiem with its sacred temple and the bustling Dong Xuan Market are also visited before we depart for Halong Bay past the scenic countryside. En route we make stopover at Dong Trieu pottery village to stretch our legs and admire the craftsmen at work.
O/N in Ha Long.

Day 3 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Halong Cruise Tour – Hanoi Travel Package Tour (B/L/-)

The legendary Halong Bay is truly one of Vietnam’s most impressive scenic sights. We board a traditional boat for a five hour trip around Halong Bay. This exciting cruise provides us a fantastic view of the picturesque scenery blending with the sky and some 3,000 limestone islands rising amazingly from the clear and emerald water. These limestone karst formations are littered with beaches, grottoes and beautiful caves. Along the way we will anchor for a leisurely swim in a secluded cove and an enjoyable visit to one of the many hidden grottoes beneath towering cliffs. We round off our excursion with a seafood lunch served on board and travel by roads back to Ha Noi, arriving in time to see an evening performance of Hanoi’s famous water puppets.
O/N in Ha Noi.

Day 4 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Full Day Tour to Hoa Lu & Tam Coc (B/-/-)

The country capital during the Dinh and early Le Dynasties is Hoa Lu, which however has left its legacy in the form of two small temples, each one nearly a thousand years old. Today we will depart our hotel at 8h00 for Ninh Binh to visit these two remaining structures. The first one is dedicated to the Dinh Dynasty. The second one commemorates the Le Rulers. In front of these temples is the rugged Ma Yen mount; it involves a walk over 200 steps for a fantastic view over the surrounding areas. The following sight is Tam Coc which is surnamed “Halong Bay on land”. We board a sampan for a leisurely trip through the quiet and peaceful landscape of rice fields surrounded by towering limestone cliffs to the grottoes of Tam Coc. The trip ends after arrival in Ha Noi
O/N in Ha Noi.

Halong Bay: Overview

Ninh Binh: Boat Trip to Tam Coc

Day 5 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Hanoi – Flight to Hue – Hue Full Day Sightseeing Tour (B/-/-)

After breakfast at hotel, you will be transferred to Noi Bai airport for a morning flight to Hue. Upon arrival, you will be escorted by our guide & driver then driven to your hotel for a drop of your luggage. Later on,  we have a boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River visits Hue’s best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda. The beautiful riverside Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the oldest ancient architectural structures for religious work ship in Hue. We include this in a half day cruise on the Perfume River which also gives us a taste of the scenic countryside and an enjoyable visit to the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. This impressive landmark reflects the beautiful architecture, intricate decor and mysterious statues. Afterwards, We start our sightseeing tour with the massive citadel named the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945 including Flag Tower, Noon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, and Forbidden Purple City. This royal residence was all but destroyed during the 1968 Tet Offensive, however it is still fascinating to walk among the ruins. Close to this masterpiece is Hue Imperial Museum which displays an interesting collections of bronzes, Chinaware, court robes and various emperors’ personal belongings
By the end of the day, we will have one more chance to take a glancing tour of Hue with a walk to the bustling Dong Ba Market that sells a wide variety of local goods and handicrafts. Along the way we pass many fantastic eating spots, all ideal for visitors to sample some local delicacies.
O/N in Hue.

Day 6 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Hue Package Tours – Danang Sightseeing Tours (B/-/-)

In this morning, before leaving to Danang we will take a short drive though the rolling hill to see the elaborate royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc and the famous Tu Hieu Pagoda. The scenic 4-hour drive via Hai Van Pass offers spectacular views of mountains, the sea, idyllic beaches and villages (we can choose the shorter way by driving through the tunnel).
Upon arrival Da Nang, we will take a visit to Cham Museum formerly known as the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient. This museum contains many exquisite limestone carvings from the vanquished Kingdom of Champa which has been the central coastal littoral prior to the march of the Vietnamese nation southward. Then a visit to Marble Mountains with its beautiful grottoes and temples whose peaks represent the five elements of the universe. Later on, we keep on rolling further southward to Hoi An, which was originally one of major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century.
O/N in Hoi An.

Day 7 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Hoian Sightseeing Tours (B/-/-)

Hoi An which was originally a Cham seaport but has been influenced down centuries by a myriad of traders from various cultures. There are plenty to see in this tranquil and delightful town, some of which are the famous Japanese Covered Bridges, the Pottery Museum, the 200 years old Tamky House, the Chua Ong Pagoda and the vibrant market. We include these sites in an enchanting walking tour past many low tiled houses scattered along the small streets and assembly halls which reflect the town’s multi-cultural past
The rest of time, you will be free on your own.
O/N in Hoi An.

Hue: Imperial Citadel

Danang: Hoian Old Town

Day 8 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Hoian Package Tours – Danang – Flight to Ho Chi Minh City (B/-/-)

After having breakfast at hotel, you will be transferred to Da Nang airport for a short morning flight to Ho Chi Minh. On arrival you are met by our guide and transferred to hotel. This metropolis, contradiction of its northern counterpart, is crowded with bikes and motorbikes, excited by numerous shopping areas and sidewalk cafes. An afternoon will acquaints us with some major sights of Ho Chi Minh. We drive past many lively streets on our way to the Reunification Palace. This mansion was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975. Close to the palace are some striking French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Sai Gon Post Office. We follow these with a visit to the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War remnant exhibit. The final stop is Ben Thanh Market where anything and everything is for sale!.
O/N in Ho Chi Minh.

Day 9 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Saigon Sightseeing Tour to Tay Ninh – Cu Chi Tunnels Tour (B/-/-)

The incredible underground network in Cu Chi stretched over 200 kilometres and became legendary during the American war. The extensive tunnels have been specially constructed with living areas, weapon factories, filed hospitals, command centres, plus accommodation. Today we have an excursion to Cu Chi Tunnels to visit an exposition hall and a widened section of the tunnels to get a feel of the underground life. There are also possibilities to fire off rounds from an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range. Upon leaving Cu Chi we drive a short distance to Tay Ninh, the headquarters of Cao Dai Sect . This religion was founded in 1923 and now numbers over 2 million members. We arrive in time to see the ornate temple of Cao Dai and attend the fantastic mid-day service when the followers fill the hall wearing colored robes. These costumes are a symbol of the curious combination of the Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
O/N in Ho Chi Minh.

Day 10 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Saigon – Mekong Delta Package Tour (B/L/-)

Heading out of town, we travel by roads to the Mekong Delta. This plain region boasts the largest rice bowl of Vietnam. On arrival in My Tho we board a boat navigating around the intricate small canals, which is a great way to observe the local lifestyle close-up and catch a view dotted by many islands. The exciting river trip will pass by the lush green vegetation towards the famous Unicorn Island where we have a chance to stroll around an orchard, taste many seasonal fruits and see farmers at work. We navigate some narrower canals using small rowing boats to Ben Tre Province for an interesting visit to some local industries. The extra enjoyment is a lunch at one of the famous local eating spots. We drive back to Ho Chi Minh, stopping off en route to see the beautiful Ving Trang Pagoda and the Saigon’s Chinatown, locally named Cho Lon. This bustling area is crammed with sacred temples and mysterious, narrow lanes.
O/N in Ho Chi Minh.

Tay Ninh: Cu Chi Tunnels

My Tho: Mekong Delta

Day 11 – Highlights of Vietnam Tour: Saigon – Departure (B/-/-)

There is a free time to relax or further explore Ho Chi Minh. The tour ends after your transfer to Tan San Nhat Airport for departure.

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