Vietnam Tours | Culture Tours

Essential Highlights of Vietnam 8 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis - Tripcode: VCEH8D

HCM City, Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, Hoi An & Danang, Halong Bay - Hanoi

Travel the length of Vietnam on this weeklong tour, stopping in HCMC (in the south), Hanoi (in the north), and the beaches and small towns of the central coast in between. Begin in dynamic HCMC, the country's commercial center and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. Visit Chinatown , the Thien Hau Pagoda, the Reunification Palace , the Opera House and Hotel de Ville. If desired, also visit the powerful War Remnants Museum . Explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city's main shopping boulevard with fashionable boutiques and accessories desigined by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares. Try the south's strong Vietnamese iced coffee and a banh mi (baguette sandwich). Take a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and watch an unusual, eclectic religious ceremony at the main temple of Cao Daism, a unique fusion of world religions, in Tay Ninh. Alternatively, spend the day cruising the narrow canals of the Mekong Delta.

Next, fly to atmospheric Hoi An, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site and rivert town crammed with historic homes, tiny museums, cafes, and bustling silk and fish markets. Nearby, see ancient sculptures in the Cham Museum, and tour Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains. Opt to stay at a luxury beach resort in nearby Danang, or a boutique riverside hotel in the heart of Hoi An.

Wrap up in Hanoi, Vietnam's artistic and intellectual capital. Explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquerware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, ride a cyclo to dinner, and watch a performance at the Thanh Long Water Puppet Theater. Dine in French colonial villas converted into gourmet restaurants. Enjoy people watching at stylish cafes. Shop for impressive modern art in the city's many galleries. Also visit Hanoi 's main cultural attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature.

Also spend a day cruising Halong Bay, where thousands of limestone rock sculptures jut dramatically from the sea and numerous grottoes have created an ephemeral, fantastic landscape.

* This tour can also be taken in reverse, visiting Hanoi first, concluding in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 1: Arrive HCMC (-/-/D)

Arrival transfer to hotel for two-night stay. Afternoon private city tour of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. It is the largest and busiest city in Vietnam with a population of 7 million people. Much of the daily life takes place on the streets, which are lined with shops, stalls and vendors with their wares spread out on the footpath. Don't miss the bustling Ben Thanh Market, The War Remnants Museum, The Reunification Palace.

Day 2: HCMC - Mekong Delta (B/L/)

The Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam. It is often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam as it produces three crops of rice per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers. The Delta area marks the end of a 4,500 km journey made by the Mekong River after having traveled through six countries. Traditional transportation in the Delta is by boat along a vast network of canals and channels. Boating along these canals and visiting the floating markets always proves to be a fascinating and rewarding experience for all visitors. Leave HCMC to lush My Tho where we board a private boat to through the green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where we are treated to a delicious lunch in bonsai garden in the heart of Mekong, complete with tropical fruits. Enjoy a bonsai garden in Trung Luong before heading back to HCMC.

Day 3: HCMC - Danang - Hoian (B/-/)

Transfer to airport and fly on Vietnam Airlines to Danang. Upon arrival at Danang you will be greeted by our guide who will begin by escorting you on a tour of Danang City, including the Cham Museum where you can find out more about this ancient but advanced civilization. After leaving Danang we will make our way the short distance to the Marble Mountains, where there will be the opportunity to climb to the top and admire the temples that have a commanding view over the surrounding district. We will continue to the delightful town of Hoi An, approximately 30km away. Once in Hoi An we will check into our hotel and have some free leisure time.

Day 4: Hoi An (B/-/)

From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in the high grade silk, which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics. Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerous cafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century. We enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200-year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Free time in the afternoon.

Day 5: Hoi An - Danang - Hanoi (B/-/)

Transfer and flight to Hanoi for three-night stay. The colonial capital city Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental pagodas and temples. Free at leisure, optional ride cyclo around the old quarter then go to dinner at a super restaurant in French Quarter of Hanoi. In the evening enjoy a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

Day 6: Hanoi (B/-/) Private city touring

This full day tour takes you around Hanoi's most interesting sights, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex: Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and his Stilts House, Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda nearby, and the Old Quarter known for its maze of 36 streets and former craft guilds. Also on the tour - the Lake of the Restored Sword and Ngoc Son Temple, the Temple of Literature, peaceful West Lake with lovers street Thanh Nien, the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple and one of the city's museums, either the History Museum or the Ethnology Museum.

Day 7: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi (B/L/)

Upon meeting you at the hotel at 8:00 am, we drive to Halong City, approximately 3 hours away. Once at Halong City you will board our private boat for a four-hour cruise of this stunning area, stopping along the way to visit one of the limestone caves in the area. As we cruise our boat staff will serve you a sumptuous local seafood lunch on boat. After 4 hour navigation we sail back to harbor and drive back to your hotel in Hanoi.

Day 8: Depart Vietnam (B/-/)

There are no activities planned for today. You enjoy your free time until transfer to airport for your onward flight.

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