TRULY VIETNAM TOUR

* BRIEF ITINERARY:

Day 1: Arrival – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh Sightseeing Tour
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh – Cu Chi Tunnels
Day 4: Mekong Delta Package Tour
Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat – Da Lat Sightseeing Tour
Day 6: Da Lat to Phan Rang – Nha Trang City Tour
Day 7: Nha Trang Beach Tour
Day 8: Nha Trang to Da Nang – Hoi An Sightseeing Tour
Day 9: Hoi An Full Day Tour to My Son – Tra Kieu
Day 10: Hoi An – Da Nang to Hue Citadel
Day 11: Hue Sightseeing Tour
Day 12: Hue City to Ha Noi – Ha Noi Sightseeing Tour
Day 13: Ha Noi City to Hoa Lu – Tam Coc
Day 14: Ha Noi to Duong Lam Village
Day 15: Ha Noi Cooking Class – Night Train to Sapa
Day 16: Sapa Trekking Tour to Hill Tribe Villages
Day 17: Sapa Tour – Night Train to Ha Noi
Day 18: Ha Noi City – Ha Long Bay Tour
Day 19: Ha Long Cruise Tour – Ha Noi
Day 20: Ha Noi – Departure

Day 1 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Arrival – Ho Chi Minh City Sightseeing Tours (-/-/-)

Arrive in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, still referred to by some as ‘Saigon’, and get ready to experience the exquisite cuisine of Vietnam. As you take an orientation tour, soak in the wonders of the colonial buildings and vibrant boulevards. Our tour guide will accompany you from the airport to your hotel. The rest of the day you are free to enjoy at your leisure.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Saigon: Notre Dame Cathedral

Saigon: By Night

Day 2 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Ho Chi Minh City Tour (B/-/-)

A full day tour of the city begins with a visit to the Thien Hau Temple before continuing to the lively Binh Tay Market. See the incredible display of fresh produce on offer and enjoy the eclectic array of goods that are on sale. Tour the FITO museum to learn more about traditional Vietnamese medicine and fascinating treatments used by generations of locals.

After lunch, visit the War Remnants or History Museum and the former Presidential Palace. From there, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall are all a short walk away.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 3 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Ho Chi Minh City  Package Tours – Tay Ninh – Cu Chi Tunnels – Ho Chi Minh City (B,L)

Enjoy a morning drive through typical southern Vietnamese countryside to Tay Ninh Province in the west of Vietnam to visit the Cao Dai Great Temple.

After lunch in a local restaurant, visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the struggle for independence. You will return to Ho Chi Minh City later in the afternoon.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 4 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Ho Chi Minh City Travel Packages – Mekong Delta Package Tours – Ho Chi Minh City Pacakge Tours (B,L)

In the morning, leave Ho Chi Minh City for the Mekong Delta town of Cai Be, where you will board the Cai Be Princess boat for a tour of the Delta. Proceed to visit some local cottage industries before continuing to Dong Phu, Binh Hoa Phuong and Anh Binh; these evergreen islands on the Mekong River combine large networks of meandering rivers, crossed with countless arroyos.

Lunch will await you at a superb colonial style villa located in a quaint village before boarding the boat once again for a tour of the landscapes along the river. After crossing the Co Chien, the boat will dock and from where you will head back to Ho Chi Minh City by road.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sai Gon: Cu Chi Tunnels

Saigon: Mekong Delta

Day 5 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Ho Chi Minh City Package Tours – Dalat Travel Packages (B)

Transfer to Ho Chi Minh City’s domestic airport for your flight to Dalat. Established as a hill station at the beginning of the century, Dalat’s French chalets and pine forests are more reminiscent of an alpine village than a town in Southeast Asia. An afternoon of sightseeing in Dalat takes in the art deco former summer residence of Emperor Bao Dai, the old Dalat Railway Station, Xuan Huong Lake, the Central Market and Lam Ty Ni Pagoda where a Buddhist monk, Vien Thuc, produces abstract paintings and writes poetry.
Overnight in Dalat.

Day 6 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Dalat Package Tours – Phan Rang – Nha Trang Travel Packages (B)

Leaving for Nha Trang after breakfast, travel through vivid green rice fields and salt ponds to Nha Trang, where an afternoon tour of the city includes the Po Nagar Cham Towers and Long Son Pagoda with its enormous white Buddha statue.
Overnight in  Nha Trang.

Day 7 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Nha Trang Beach Tours (B)

A morning boat trip on Nha Trang Bay visits some of the nearby islands where you will have the opportunity to swim and snorkel in the clear warm waters. After a fresh seafood lunch, return to shore. In the afternoon, explore Nha Trang at your own pace.
Overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 8 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Nha Trang Package Tours – Hoi An Sightseeing Tours (B)

Transfer to Nha Trang’s domestic airport for your flight to Danang. From here transfer to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries with a relaxed lifestyle that has changed little over the years.

In the afternoon, take a tour of the ancient town centre to visit the homes of former merchants,(image) the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the exotic local market.
Overnight in Hoi An.

Nha Trang: Sky Diving Over Tour

Hoi An: My Son Sanctuary

Day 9 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hoi An Package Tours – My Son -Tra Kieu – Hoi An Full day Tours (B)

Today there is a half day trip to the capital and religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom, My Son. Set in a lush green valley, dozens of red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from between the 7th and 13th centuries provide a breathtaking site.

On the way back to Hoi An stop to visit Tra Kieu, formerly known as Simhapura or the Lion Citadel, that once stood as the capital of Champa between the 4th and 8th centuries. On returning to Hoi An, the afternoon is free to relax, browse for souvenirs in art galleries and silk shops, or maybe cycle to the nearby Cua Dai Beach.
Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 10 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hoi An Travel Packages – Danang Package Tours – Hue City Tours (B)

Leave Hoi An for Hue by road, passing through Danang where you will visit the Cham museum, which holds the finest collection of Cham artwork in the country. After your visit, drive over the(image) Pass of Ocean Clouds before dropping down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. Then, you will reach Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, to visit the ancient Forbidden City from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945.
Overnight in Hue.

Day 11 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hue sightseeing tours (B)

After breakfast, visit the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. After exploring the ruins of this wonderful monument take a cyclo through the ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake. Drive onto Thien Mu Pagoda, constructed in 1601, and observe the 21-meter tall tower, the centrepiece of the pagoda.

In the afternoon see the tomb of the former emperor Minh Mang which is located in a tranquil setting of gardens and ponds.

If time permits pass by the city’s vibrant Dong Ba Market.
Overnight Hue.

Hoi An: The Old Town

Hue: Incense Vessels at Royal Palace

Day 12 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hue Package Tours – Hanoi Sightseeing Tours (B)

Transfer to Hue’s airport for the short flight to Hanoi. Explore Vietnam’s capital by an escorted, full-day city tour. Tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples make for a unique blend of east and west in this beautiful city. The tour includes such sites as Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature. At the end of the afternoon visit Hanoi’s Old Quarter also known as the ’36 streets’. Take a walking tour through charming Hang Be Market and around Hoan Kiem Lak
e. This evening, enjoy a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show with traditional music. (subject to availability)

Finish the day with a Water Puppet show. This is a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history.
Overnight Hanoi.

Day 13 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hanoi – Hoa Lu Full Day Tour – Hanoi (B,L)

Leave Hanoi for rural northern Vietnam and the site of the county’s first capital, Hoa Lu. After(image) visiting the two remaining sanctuaries of the ancient citadel, take a sampan (traditional boat) on the river through rice paddies to the grottoes of the sacred Tam Coc Caves. Enormous limestone karsts jut out from the green rice fields giving rise to this place’s other name, ‘Halong on Land’.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 14 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hanoi Travel Packages (B,L)

Today immerse yourself in ancient Vietnamese culture with an excursion to Duong Lam, one of the country’s few remaining ancient villages.  Explore houses over 400 years old, wander the village’s narrow alleyways, visit local temples, and most interesting of all, chat with friendly locals.

Enjoy a local style meal for lunch in a 100-year old house.

After your lunch, continue driving to Mia Pagoda (another hamlet of Duong Lam), built in the 15th century, then, visit Ngo Quyen temple and Phung Hung temple, places dedicated to two national heroes – Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung.

In the afternoon return to Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi: Ngoc Son Temple in Hoan Kiem Lake

Ninh Binh: Boat trip to Tam Coc

Day 15 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hanoi Cooking Class – Lao Cai – Sapa Package Tours (B,L)

A special cooking class is prepared for you in the morning. Start with a visit to a local market accompanied by a chef to learn about Vietnamese ingredients and cuisine, followed by a cooking demonstration. After the class lunch is served so you can sample all the different dishes prepared during the demonstration.

Rest of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening transfer to Hanoi Train Station for the overnight train to Lao Cai, the gateway to Sapa.
Overnight on the train.

Day 16 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Sapa Package Tours (B,L)

You will arrive at Lao Cai train station in the early morning. From Lao Cai the road winds up the terraced hillsides to Sapa, a former French hill resort and home to some of Vietnam’s most diverse ethnic groups.

On arrival in Sapa, you will be transferred to your hotel for breakfast and the chance to freshen(image) up. A morning walking tour of Sapa visits the busy market, whilst the afternoon visit features some nearby hill tribe villages.
Overnight in Sapa.

Day 17 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Sapa Adventure Tours – Hanoi (B)

In the morning enjoy a light trek to discover Sapa’s lesser-known areas. Have the chance to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of mountain rice terraces, waterfalls and buffalo at work. Crossing rivers by suspended bridges you will witness people toiling the fields in Vietnam’s traditional way before a free afternoon discover Sapa by yourself. Return to Lao Cai for the onward journey back to Hanoi by overnight train.
Overnight on the train.

Day 18 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hanoi – Halong Bay Cruise Tours (B,L,D)

On arrival at Hanoi train station, you will be served breakfast before heading to Halong Bay. Enjoy the great scenery of the surrounding farmlands of the Red River Delta including rice fields, water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life.

On arrival in Halong, you will board the luxury Emeraude, a fantastic replica of a steamer that navigated Halong Bay’s shallow waters a century ago. Halong Bay covers an area of 1,500 km over which thousands of limestone islands and grottoes rise from the clear emerald waters of the(image) Gulf of Bac Bo. Climbing the steps up to the top of Titop islet will enable you to see breathtaking views over the entire bay. If you prefer kayaking, bathing or simply soaking in the sun then feel free to do so with a massage service and bar available on board. At night, the boat anchors away from the crowds at the Bay, enabling you to enjoy the quietness and romance of the region under the stars!
Overnight onboard a junk boat.

Sapa: Lao Chai Village

Halong Bay: Fighting Cock Island

Day 19 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Halong Bay Cruises – Hanoi Travel Packages (B)

After a night on board the Emeraude, wake up early and see daylight filtering through the mist and towering rock formations, leaving you with a dream-like memory of your visit to Halong Bay. Enjoy a breakfast and perhaps join a Tai Chi class on the boat’s deck before disembarking and heading back to Hanoi in the early afternoon. Finally, visit Tran Quoc pagoda and Quan Thanh temple, two famous Hanoi landmarks. A car will be available in the afternoon if you wish to take in some of Hanoi’s boutique shops.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 20 – Truly Vietnam Tour: Hanoi- Departure (B)

Today is departure day. Enjoy some free time for last purchases or simply relax before the transfer to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport and your onward flight.

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