Dear Phoebe,
first of all thank you for the wonderful trip you created for us in Vietnam. It couldn`t have been better. The Ho Chi Minh Nikko Hotel was the most wonderful hotel we had in our whole journey and also the Opera Hotel in Hanoi was great. Also the ship in the Ha-Long- Bay was a great adventure and we liked the ship and the crew. The Garden Hotel in Hoi An was in case of the Taifun a very wet stay, for you always have to cross the garden you are wet all the time. But if the weather is like as it is. Also your phone calls to make sure that all goes well have been a service we never had before. So thanks again you give a good imagination of your wonderful country.
Many thanks and best regards back to Vietnam
Yours Sigrid and Eduard
PROGRAM DETAIL
Day 01 . Mon 30 October 2017 : Hanoi arrival (-) | Guide and driver
*Flight: SIN - HAN SQ5254 (15.20 – 17.45)
Arrival in Noi Bai airport , you will be picked up then transferred to the hotel in city center. The check-in is available at 2 pm. The day is free for your own exploration and shopping.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 02 . Tue 31 October 2017 : Hanoi city & street food tour (B) | Guide and driver
You will be picked up at the hotel at 8:00am. Starting the day trip will be a visit of the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which compromises Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum (closed on Mondays & Fridays), his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh Museum. We will then visit the Temple of Literature constructed in 1070 to worship Confucius, which served as the first Royal National University in Vietnam. The site also honors 82 Vietnamese doctorates who passed a number of rigid exams in the feudal ages. Their names, birthdays and birthplaces are engraved in 82 headstones perched on stone tortoises. It is widely believed that touching the heads of these tortoises will bring luck. Its peaceful green compound with its neatly maintained lawns, gardens and lotus ponds make it a tranquil hideaway from the city’s bustle and heat. Lunch on your own.
In the afternoon, discover the Old Quarter, also known as the “36 Streets & Corporations”. It is a veritable labyrinth of lanes where each of them is specialized in a trade or art. The best way to explore and discover this district full of life is by foot. Designed to capture all aspects of local life, the course will cover all the elements of the daily life of the inhabitants in an original way: crafts, Buddhism, temple, gastronomy, local market, visit of traditional house-tube (Vietnamese particularity), medicine…Discover the capital through food, as a local, a real experience and a highlight of the journey. The tour ends with a stroll around the HoanKiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) before watching the traditional water puppet show.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 03 . Wed 01 November 2017 : Hanoi - Halong Bay (B, L, D) | Guide and driver
After breakfast depart to Halong Bay via Thai Binh and Nam Dinh, passing a peaceful countryside typical of Red River Delta with endless rice fields and winding rivers. We will arrive at Halong’s tourist wharf around noon and embark an elegant wooden junk. Lunch will be served while the boat gently cruises past numerous islands and limestone structures rising from the emerald water. A fresh seafood dinner will be prepared by an experienced chef and served on deck. A peaceful night on board in your private cabin.
Overnight on Halong Bay.
Please note the program may be little varied upon the cruise you choose & weather condition on that day
Day 04 . Thu 02 November 2017 : Halong - Hanoi - flight to Hue (B, L) | Guide and driver
Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay you have time for an early morning dip while the sun rises, followed by breakfast on board. We will continue to sail through the bay during the morning to explore more secluded areas. The junk will stay close at all times serving as a backup vessel for those that require it. Around midday we will return to the main harbor. A 3-hour drive will take you back to Noi Bai airport for your flight to Hue.
*Flight: HAN - HUI VN1547 (19.00 - 20.15)
Pick up upon arrival and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight in Hue.
Day 05 . Fri 03 November 2017 : Hue city tour (B) | Guide and driver
Start your day with a leisurely boat trip on the poetic Perfume River. Stop en route to visit the iconic Thien Mu Pagoda also known as “Heavenly Lady Pagoda”, the symbol of Hue, and Minh Mang Mausoleum, one of Hue's finest royal tombs. An architectural complex compromised of 40 buildings (palaces, temples, pavilions, etc.).
The afternoon will be spent visiting Hue Imperial City, the last royal city of Vietnam with three ramparts and various beautiful structures including the Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace and the Forbidden Purple City or Tu Cam Thanh. You then visit the Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, which was built between 1864 and 1867 by 3000 soldiers and workers. It includes 50 monuments surrounded by a 1500m long wall and covers an area of 12 hectare.
Overnight in Hue.
Day 06 . Sat 04 November 2017 : Hue - Danang - Hoian (B) | Guide and driver
Morning drive on the Mandarin road, a scenic journey from Hue to Hoi An, which allows you to see a picturesque Vietnam with stunning beaches and lush tropical forest. En route visit the Museum of Cham Sculptures, with its many precious antique artifacts of the former Cham Kingdom on display. You then continue our drive to Hoi An’s ancient town, once an important international trading port and now a charming riverside town. Hoi An features a fantastic combination of Chinese, Dutch, Japanese and Portuguese culture. Explores each, when visiting the Japanese Pagoda Bridge, Chinese streets, old Phung Hung houses, Hoi An’s market and ancient port, Phuc Kien assembly hall. On the 1st and 15th of every lunar month, Hoi An’s ancient town is lit up by hundreds of colorful lanterns, giving it an extra portion of sparkle. Enjoy the city’s transformation and stroll through this quaint, glowing fairytale town in your free time.
Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 07 . Sun 05 November 2017 : Hoi An - Danang - Flight to Saigon (B) | Guide and driver
Morning transfer to Danang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon or "Pearl of the Far East".
*Flight: DAD - SGN VN113 (08.50 - 10.15)
You will spend a day visiting the city situated on the banks of the Saigon River, famous for its wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. The must-visit list includes: Ton DucThang and Nguyen Hue Avenue, the Reunification Palace or Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral built in 1877 and the Central Post Office. The tour concludes with a visit to and optional shopping spree at Ben Thanh Market, the busiest business centre in Saigon.
Overnight in Saigon.
Day 08 . Mon 06 November 2017 : Saigon - Ben Tre - Can Tho (B, L) | Guide and driver
Our driver and guide will pick you up at your hotel. On arrival in Hung Vuong pier, boating on Ben Tre river – one of tributaries of Mekong river - is along mangrove tree from town to country. Witness lively activities in morning as fishing, coconut cargo boats carrying on river. Stop at traditional brickwork to see how to make bricks by hand. Go on by boat to My Long village, walking to hamlet to see making rice paper and enjoy some rice cake. Turn on Cai Son canal winding through coconut jungle, visit coconut workshop, have a look stages of coconut processing from husk off, prize out to peel out by hand. Go on small waterway and stop at a bee garden, enjoy some fruits, honey tea and listen to local music as well. Visit candy mill and enjoy some sweet by the way. Continue short walking to visit farmer house who making sleepmats.
Cycle rural tracks or drive tuktuk through coconut grove, vegetable plains (cucumber, bitter melon...). Keep going by row boat on shady palm tree canal and stop for lunch at Green Garden riverside restaurant. Boating back Hung Vuong pier by motorboat. Drive to Can Tho.
Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 09 . Tue 07 November 2017 : Can Tho - Saigon - Departure (B) | Guide and driver
Early in the morning, take the boat to explore the floating market of Cai Rang, the largest and lively Mekong Delta. The setting is magnificent: hundreds of motor sampans, filled with rice, fruits and crafts, come together to exchange and sell local products. You will stop at Mr Ba Cong's house to discover several kinds of exotic fruits by visiting his garden and then visit the Binh Thuy old house. Drive straight to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departure flight.
*Flight: SGN - SIN SQ185 (19.50 – 22.55)