Verdant rice paddies,
farmers in conical hats, fishermen in wooden
boats, shyly smiling children, ponderous water
buffalo and the spectacular ruins of Angkor
Wat are images that linger with travellers
long after they have returned home from Vietnam
and Cambodia.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Magnificent ruins of Angkor
• Water puppet theatre in Hanoi
• Halong Bay cruise
• Tea with a family in Hue
• Explore life underground in the Cu
Chi Tunnels
DETAILED ITINERARY
DAY 01 ARRIVE HANOI
On arrival in Hanoi, you will be met and transferred to your hotel to rest after your long flight.
Overnight - Hotel
DAY 02 HANOI
After breakfast, you will visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh’s former home. You will also see the One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature and Old Quarter. In the afternoon, visit Bat Trang ceramic village. Ceramics have been made here for almost 500 years, and knowledge has been passed down through the generations. Visitors to the village can visit ceramics workshops to see local artisans working on every process involved in the making of a ceramic item, and can try their hand under friendly local guidance. You continue to Van Van Studio, which is a sort of private museum of ceramics, the only one of its kind in Vietnam so far. Situated in combined ancient Vietnamese houses, the studio shows hundreds of valuable ceramics works by local artisans.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 03 HANOI-BAC NINH-HAI PHONG
After breakfast, drive to Bac Ninh, the cradle of traditional Vietnamese music and theatre. On arrival, take a horse-drawn cart through country lanes to visit the Dinh Bang communal house and Do temple. En route to Hai Phong, you will stop at a small village known as the birthplace of water puppetry in the Red River Delta. There you can enjoy a water-puppet performance, eat local delicacies, and fly lanterns for good luck.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 04 HAI PHONG-HALONG BAY-HUONG HAI CRUISE
After breakfast, you will drive to Halong. Board your deluxe junk and take a delightful cruise in Halong bay, visiting Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island and Sail Island. You will visit Sung Sot cave and have the opportunity to swim at Titov beach.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 05 HALONG BAY-HANOI
After breakfast on board, you will continue your morning cruise to Man’s Head Island and Tortoise Island. You will reach Luon cave by small bamboo boat and then proceed to Bai Tu Long Bay. Enjoy lunch on board before bidding farewell to your junk and crew. You will drive back to Hanoi, stopping at local silk shops and art galleries.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
DAY 06 HANOI-HUE
This morning, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Hue. After checking in at your hotel, you will have some leisure time to explore this charming city.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 07 HUE
Today will be spent discovering this old city, beginning with a morning boat cruise through the centre of Hue on the romantic Perfume River. Visit the seven-storey Thien Mu Pagoda, set along the riverbank, and Minh Mang King’s Tomb. In the afternoon, continue to the Imperial Citadel, Tu Duc King’s Tomb, Trang Tien Bridge and Dong Ba market.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 08 HUE-DANANG-HOI AN
After breakfast, visit the Fine Art School in Hue before driving to Danang. The three-hour drive hugs the ocean coastline, winds through emerald-green paddy fields and climbs over the dramatic Hai Van Mountain pass. En route, you will visit the Cham Museum in Danang, which houses the world’s finest collection of Cham artwork. You will also see stonecutters at the Marble Mountains, which are famed for being a Viet Cong guerilla hideout during the Vietnam War. Upon arrival in the ancient port town of Hoi An, you will check in at your hotel, with the rest of the day free to rest or explore.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 09 HOI AN-MY SON-HOI AN
This morning, you will visit the extraordinary ruins of My Son, situated in a remote jungle valley. My Son was formerly the centre of the Cham Kingdom and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, with more than 20 well-preserved monuments. Upon your return to Hoi An, you will see a traditional Chinese communal house, a Hokkien temple, ancient merchants’ houses, the 400-year-old Japanese covered bridge, and the colourful local market. At a workshop where artisans make Hoi An’s famous lanterns, you will learn how the lanterns are made then have an opportunity to create your own lantern, from designing the frame to gluing the cloth. Finish the day with a sunset boat trip on the Thu Bon River to Thanh Ha pottery village.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 10 HOI AN
After breakfast, take a cooking class with Red Bridge Cooking School and enjoy your lunch before returning to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 11 HOI AN-DANANG-HO CHI MINH CITY
After breakfast, you will have some leisure time until your transfer to the airport in Danang for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, you will take a half-day city tour, visiting the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office and Ben Thanh market. An end-of-day foot massage is a relaxing option after your tour is complete.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 12 HO CHI MINH CITY-CAI BE-HCMC
You’ll take a scenic morning drive to Cai Be, stopping en route at the ornate Cao Dai Temple in Ben Luc. From Cai Be, take a boat trip along the mighty Mekong river and its tributaries to view the daily lives of people who work and play on the waterways of the Mekong Delta. The trip includes a visit to the floating market at Cai Be, to an ancient Delta house, and to a family-run business producing rice paper. Lunch is served in a local house set amongst fruit orchards and bonsai trees. You will return to Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 13 HCMC-KHIET VIEN-HCMC
After breakfast, visit Particular Art Gallery, Ngo An Gallery, Vinh Loi Gallery, Linh Nam Nghe Uyen Gallery of Chinese Water Colour Painting, XQ Silk Hand Embroidery.
Have vegetarian lunch at local restaurant then transfer to Kim Lien pagoda. You will have a chance to discuss Buddhist philosophy and to have a calligraphy demonstration with Su Co Khiet Vien, a Buddhist nun. You will receive a calligraphy painting by the nun.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 14 HCMC-SIEM REAP
After breakfast, you will transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap, where the rest of the day will be at leisure. Stretching along the Siem Reap River, this small provincial capital—formerly a cluster of small villages-- forms the gateway to the Angkor Archaeological Park. The structures of Angkor represent one of the grandest wonders of Indo-China. The complex of temples, tombs, palaces, moats, reservoirs and causeways was built by various Hindu and Buddhist monarchs over a period of 400 years, beginning in the 9th century. After decades of siege by Cham and Siamese armies, Angkor went into decline and was abandoned in the 15th century. It lay shrouded in vegetation and mystery until Europeans discovered the region in 1860. The entire region was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 15 SIEM REAP
Begin exploration of the ancient city of Angkor by entering Angkor Thom via the South Gate. Continue the journey by viewing the ruins at Bayon, Baphoun, Phimeanakas, the Royal Palace, the Elephant Terraces and the Leper King Terrace. In the afternoon, visit the epic Angkor Wat, viewing its extraordinary architecture and bas-reliefs. End the day with a magnificent sunset viewed from the mountain temple of Phnom Bakheng.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 16 SIEM REAP
Today is at leisure to enjoy the city of Siem Reap or to revisit the ruins of Angkor on your own.
Overnight - Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 17 DEPART SIEM REAP
You will be transferred to the airport in time for your international flight.
FACT FILE
• Daily breakfast and lunch or dinner
• Deluxe/First-class accommodations
• Air-conditioned transport
• English-speaking local guides
• Entrance fees to monuments
• Start Hanoi/end Siem Reap
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click map for larger image |
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| Tour Itinerary |
| Day 1 |
Arrive Hanoi |
| Day 2 |
Hanoi |
| Day 3 |
Hanoi-Bac Ninh-Hai Phong |
| Day 4 |
Hai Phong-Halong Bay-Huong Hai Cruise |
| Day 5 |
Halong Bay-Hanoi |
| Day 6 |
Hanoi-Hue |
| Day 7 |
Hue |
| Day 8 |
Hue-Danang-Hoi An |
| Day 9 |
Hoi An-My Son-Hoi An |
| Day 10 |
Hoi An |
| Day 11 |
Hoi An-Danang-Ho Chi Minh City |
| Day 12 |
HCMC-Cai Be Vinh-HCMC |
| Day 13 |
HCMC-Khiet Vinh |
| Day 14 |
HCMC-Siem Reap |
| Day 15 |
Siem Reap |
| Day 16 |
Siem Reap |
| Day 17 |
Depart Siem Reap |
| Tour Information |
| Cost: |
US$ 2995\Can$ 2995 |
| Length: |
17 days |
| Departing: |
Hanoi |
| Deposit: |
US $ 500\ Can $ 500 |
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