Vietnam Tours | Culture Tours

Fascinating Vietnam Tour 12days
Trip Code: VCLV12D

Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Mekong, Ho Chi Minh City

Start in charming 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 of at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater.

Full day city tour Hanoi. 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. Dine in French colonial villas converted into upscale gourmet restaurants.

Next, we board for an overnight cruise on a junk in Halong Bay, where thousands of limestone rock sculptures jut dramatically from the sea and numerous grottoes have created an ephemeral, fantastic landscape.

Next, fly to Hue, the former Imperial capital that is a quiet city renowned for the magnificent architecture of its citadel, palaces, royal tombs, pagodas and temples, built under the Nguyen dynasty on the banks of the Perfume River.

Drive to Danang and stay several days at the beachfront Furama Resort. Nearby, see ancient sculpture in the Cham Museum or My Son, and tour Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains. Visit atmospheric Hoi An a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site and riverfront port town crammed with historic homes, tiny museums, cafes, and bustling silk and fish markets.

Fly from Danang to HCMC (formerly Saigon) , 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 most upscale shopping boulevard with boutiques selling clothes and accessories by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares. Take a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and watch an unusual, eclectic religious ceremony at the main temple of Cao Dai, a unique fusion of world religions Alternatively, spend the day cruising the narrow canals of the Mekong Delta.

Day 1 Arrive Hanoi (D)

Warmly welcome on arrival. Transfer to hotel. At leisure.
Afternoon private walking city tour, visit local market. Evening water puppet show. Welcome dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi (B/L)

Full-day private city tour. The post-colonial capital city of Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, numerous lakes, pagodas and temples. 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 Stilt House, Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda nearby. Also visit the Old Quarter known for its 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. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 3 Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L/D)

Today you leave Hanoi for Halong Bay via Red river Delta. Upon arrival welcome on board for a junk cruise and set sail in the bay while lunch is served. Passage into the magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons' teeth.

After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay, swimming on a quiet beach or sunbathing on the sundeck. Late afternoon, visit an interesting fishing village with an opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. At sunset, kayak or simply take a bamboo row boat to discover a water tunnel with many coral reefs in a scenic lagoon. Back on board your jun, enjoy watching the peaceful sunset and later unwind at a restaurant. Overnight on cruise.

Day 4 Halong Bay - Hanoi (B)

Wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves and bird welcoming the new day. You will have an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay. After breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto then walk back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Checkout is at 11:45. Boat arrives at the harbor by 12:00 p.m. for the drive back to your hotel in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 5 Hanoi - Hue (B/L)

Transfer to airport for your noon time flight to Hue. Upon arrival at Phu Bai Airport, you will be transfered directly to your hotel. This afternoon we embark on a tour of Hue City including the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and Dong Ba market. Overnight in Hue.

Day 6 Hue - Danang- Hoi An (B/L)

Rising up in the ancient land, enjoy your breakfast in the hotel. Then, board a private boat for cruising the romantic Perfume River, visit Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda), the ornate Minh Mang's tomb. We will enjoy lunch at local restaurant. Leave the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Hue for Hoi An. We will travel over the Hai Van pass, stop in Danang for a visit to the Cham Museum and handicraft villages on the foot of Marble Mountain before arriving in Hoi An. Once in Hoi An, we will check into our hotel and have some free time to explore the town. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 7 Hoi An (B/L)

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. Following the tour there will be free time to shop or relax. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 8 Hoi An - HCM City (B/L)

Transfer from Hoi An to Danang Airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City, where we transfer directly to our centrally located hotel. We embark on a city tour of Saigon including The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, Remnant War Museum, Giac Lam Pagoda, China town with ancient pagodas and temples, and bustling Binh Tay Market. Overnight in HCMC.

Day 9 Tay Ninh Caodai Temple & Cu Chi tunnels (B/L)

This morning we drive to Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh to observe the midday service. Following lunch we will drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels and then return to HCMC at around 6 pm. Tay Ninh , near the Cambodian border, is home to the unique Cao Dai sect, whose patron saints include Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill to name a few.

The religion is a hybrid of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh has been described as a Walt Disney fantasia of the East. The temple's exterior is decorated with multi-colored dragons of all shapes and sizes competing for space with a number of religious symbols. Above the main entrance is the all-seeing holy eye, the symbol of the Cao Dai sect. The interior is just as engaging as statues of Jesus Christ, Buddha and the Hindu god, Brahma, stand side by side.

The trip to Tay Ninh is combined with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250km. from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens.

Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam War must have been like. Overnight in HCMC.

Day 10 HCM City – My Tho – Can Tho / Mekong Delta (B/L/-)

Leave HCMC to lush My Tho where we cruise on a private boat through the green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where we are treated to a delicious lunch in a bonsai garden in the heart of the Mekong , complete with tropical fruits. We also visit the snake farm Dong Tam that breeds snakes for, among other things, snake wine and visit VinhTrang pagoda, a combination of Asian and European pagoda before heading Can Tho city, heart of the Mekong Delta. Overnight in Can Tho.

Day 11 Mekong Delta - HCM City (B/L)

You wake up to the sounds of the Mekong River welcoming a new day. Take boat trip to join in the Cai Rang floating market – one of the most bustling floating markets in Mekong Delta with hundreds of small boats barging and jostling for space to sell their goods and to experience the Mekong rural lifestyle. After sampling local fruits, our guide will escort the guests back to the hotel through myriad canals. Lunch at local restaurant before return to Ho Chi Minh City . Overnight in HCMC.

Alternative for people can wake up early: Join in Floating market by “The Lady Hau” cruise

Enjoy breakfast on the "Lady Hau" while cruising to the floating market. When the "Lady Hau" arrives at Cai Rang floating market, guests are transferred to a local traditional boat to enter the market. Then, continue cruising with the hotel's guide along narrow creeks to visit a noodle factory and an orchard. After sampling local fruits, our guide will escort the guests back to the hotel by local boat throughmyriad canals. ( Starting at 6:30 AM, the Lady Hau cruise and tour extension takes around 4 hours; minimum 4 persons).

Day 12 Depart Vietnam (B)

You enjoy the free time until transfer to airport for your departure flight.

Tour price includes:

•  All private transfer and transportation
•  Accommodation in twin share basis with daily breakfast
•  French or English Speaking Guide
•  Domestic flights: Hanoi-Saigon and airport taxe
•  Boat trip in Halong Bay
•  Meals as stated in the itinerary
•  Sightseeing tickets
•  Visa approved letter
•  Services charges and government taxes

Tour price excludes:

•  International flights
•  International departures taxes
•  Personal expenses, tips and gratuities
•  Travel insurance
•  Meals and beverage
•  Visa stamp fee

Valid from 01 April - 31 Aug 2009

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