Vietnam Holidays - The Depth of Vietnam Tour
| The Depth of Vietnam – 20nts
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Vietnam has more than 1,700 km long coastline and hundreds of mountains and islets. This trip combines everything, such as: culture, sightseeing, relaxation, history, nature and adventure. Every day you will visit something absolutely new. They are unique, specific and typical for each area. In the north, there are 36 Commercial Streets named for the medicine, jewelry, fans, copper, horse hair, chicken, and even coffins once sold on them, which you never find elsewhere in Vietnam. Escaping from a big city as Hanoi, you will visit Hoi An Ancient Town, the place you rarely see high buildings, modern houses or a busy beach. Everything just runs slowly and peacefully. Down to the south, sandy beach Nha Trang, Highland Dalat, Mekong River will give you an unforgettable impression. It has something very unique, very Vietnamese. Specialities: a special lunch with Elephant's ear fish, spring rolls and home-made soft drink (Organic honey, a slice of lime and Vietnamese tea), which is always considered as the completely perfect ending for your trip. However, the highlight of this holiday will be 3 – day bird watching and 3 nights in guest house and home stay.
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Price Includes
- International Flights: London – Hanoi, HCMC – London, Q Class
- Transportation by Air - Conditioning car or mini bus
- Accommodation with daily breakfast (dbl/twin room)
- English speaking guide
- Meals as indicated ( Breakfast, 07 Lunch, 05 Dinner)
- Entrance fees, Boat, flight: Hanoi – Hue
- All local trains: Hanoi – Sapa – Hanoi, Danang – Nha Trang
- Letter of Introduction to get Vietnamese Visa on Arrival
- 2 bottles of water/ pax/ day
- Hanoi: 1 night at Anise hotel (BB) – Superior Room
- Train: 3 nights at King Express, Sapaly, Tulico,… and Reunification Train
- Sapa: 1 night at Bamboo Sapa hotel (BB) – Standard Room
- Halong: 1 night at at Image Cruise(All inclusive) – Double/Twin Cabin
- Hue: 2 nights at Orchid hotel (BB) – Superior Room
- Hoi An: 3 nights at Ancient House Resort (BB) – Superior Room
- Nha Trang: 3 nights at Decouvir Resort (BB) – Beach Bungalow
- Dalat: 2 nights at La Sapinette Hotel (BB) – Superior Room
- Nam Cat Tien: 2 nights at Guest House (BB) – Double/Twin Room
- Mekong: 1 night at Home Stay (BB)
- HCMC: 2 nights at Le Duy hotel (BB) – Superior Room
Price Excludes
- Visas ( Vietnam: USD25) will be paid on Arrival
- Services not mentioned, Personal costs, Insurance
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Min – Max Pax: 2 - 12 |
Trip Grading: Suitable for travellers with an average level of fitness and mobility. |
Exclusivity Fee: £99 per person – this guarantees that your party enjoys absolute privacy during the whole tour with the exception of the Halong Bay Junk (boat) which may be shared with a maximum of 12 people including your party. This is still a very private atmosphere if considered that most boats have more than 10 rooms. |
Remarks: During the months of October, November and all Mondays of the year the Mausoleum Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi will remain closed and will be replaced by a panoramic visit.
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Day by day Program
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Day 1 - HANOI ON ARRIVAL
Arrive at Noi Bai Airport, meet a tour guide and transfer to your hotel, leave your luggage. Free for leisure.
Check in at 14:00 (If there is a room available, you can check in earlier).
Overnight in Hanoi
Day 2 - HANOI CITY TOUR (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Take full day city tour of Ha Noi, the highlights will be Ho Chi Minh‘s Mausoleum (opened from December to September, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and at weekend) and his living complex, One Pillar Pagoda,Ho Chi Minh Museum, Temple of Literature.
Visit the Fine Arts Museum, Ethnological Museum and Tran Quoc pagoda. Enjoy the puppet show.
Tonight, take night train to Lao Cai (accommodation on train is an air-con equipped compartment of 4 persons).
Overnight on train (Sleeper Cabin).
Day 3 - LAO CAI – SAPA (B)
Arrive in Lao Cai, have breakfast and transfer to Sa Pa.
Visit Tapin Minority Village on the way. Arrive in Sa Pa.Take a walking tour of Sa Pa visits the busy market where Red Dao, Black H’mong and other ethnics from surrounding countryside to sell their embroidery, silverware and handicraft and to buy provision.
Afternoon visit nearby hill tribe villages such as Cat Cat & Cau May
Overnight in Sa Pa.
Day 4 - LAO CAI – SAPA (B)
Light trekking or mountain bike riding to explore some hill tribes surrounding Sa Pa.
Late afternoon transfer to Lao Cai railway station for the night train to Ha Noi. (Accommodation on train is an air-com equipped compartment of 4 persons).
Day 5 - HALONG – IMAGE CRUISE (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we depart for Ha Long city, the World Natural Heritage with over 3000 limestone islands & islets scattering an area of 1500 sq km in Tonkin Bay:
Boarding and check-in with welcome drink, then the cruise starts through Cho Da, Dinh Huong, Ga Choi and Hoa Cuong limestone islets while a lunch is served on board. Then visit Sung Sot Grotto, the “Cave of Surprises”, before taking a swim in Titov Beach or Soi Sim Beach’s pristine waters. The vessel then cruises further to reach its overnight anchorage location near Ho Dong Tien or Luon Cave.
Enjoy the sunset from the sundeck or while swimming; then a dinner will be served on board. Evening is devoted to relaxing in that peaceful piece of a setting, or to experience night-fishing from the boat’s deck.
Overnight on board.
Day 6 – HALONG – HANOI – HUE (B/D)
Early wake-up for a breakfast with stunning scenery, then a small boat will take you to visit Luon Cave. Back on board the cruise heads further to Bai Tu Long’s bay passing by Hon Gai’s floating town to view the daily lives of the locals. Lunch is served on board while the cruise goes back to Halong City for disembarking at noon time. End of the cruise.
Drive back to Hanoi and visit Dong Trieu pottery en route. Transfer to Hanoi.
Take a flight to Hue.
Overnight in Hue.
Day 7 – HUE CITY (B)
Hue, used to be the capital of Vietnam from 17th century to 20th century and it now is also the World cultural Heritage site.
Late morning, visit Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue Citadel, this is the Citadel under the Nguyen Dynasty and over 150 royal palaces built within 30 years. It consists of Imperial City and Forbidden City, which was used by the Emperors and Emperor’s family only. Hue is also well-known during the war in Vietnam as the bloodiest battlefield in 1968 and almost royal palaces in the imperial City were totally destroyed.
Back to hotel and free at leisure. Overnight in Hue.
Day 8 – HUE – HOI AN (B/L)
AM: visit the Emperor’s tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. Transfer to Hoi An. Stop for lunch at Lang Co Beach.
PM: Arrive in Hoi An. Free for leisure.
Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 9 – HOI AN TOWN (B)
Morning city tour of Hoi An visits the Cantonese Communal House, Thien Hau temple, Japanese Bridge and Tan Ky ancient commercial house.
PM: Free for leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 11, 12, 13, 14: NHA TRANG – RELAXATION (B)
Day 11, 12, 13: Free for leisure or shopping. Overnight in Nha Trang.
Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 14 – Tue/Fri: Transfer to Dalat, Da Lat is located 1,500m above sea
level on the Langbiang Plateau in the south parts of the Central Highlands.
Lunch, then visit Datanla Waterfall and Truc Lam pagoda complex.
Overnight in Dalat.
Day 15 – DALAT CITY (B)
- Da Lat is known as the flower city, love city, autumn city and fog city. It is also one of the popular destinations in Vietnam. It belongs to the Lam Dong province. Under the French, it has Latin name – Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem with meaning “giving the pleasure and happiness for people”. Da lat is considered as a “little Paris”, its charm thanks to fog in the morning and the pine wood.
- Visit City Flower Garden, Bao Dai’s summer palace:
Lunch, then visit Domain De Marie Church – one of the most beautiful church in this dreamlike city. You will be attracted with the old architecture as well as the beautiful scenery around the church.
Another famous destination of Dalat to learn more about embroidery workshop at XQ Village.
Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Da Lat.
Day 16 – DALAT – BIRD WATCHING (B/L/D)
Morning depart for Pongour Waterfall. Then continue to Nam cat Tien Park.
Arrival, and check in. Picnic lunch, after that we will take the first birdwatching walk inside the Park, some of the species that we can find are: flycatchers, barbers, oranged-headed trogons and cuckoos, drongos and oders.
When darkness falls we may see owls and other night birds.
Dinner and accommodation in the park.
Day 17 – CAT TIEN – BIRD WATCHING FULL DAY (B/L/D)
Early in the morning, drive by Jeep through the forest towards the Crocodile Lake, situated in Bau Sau, 10km away.
Walk another 4km to reach the lake. Along the way you can enjoy observing various bird species. Up to 326 have been registered in the park. Picnic lunch and afternoon free at leisure or to enjoy more time watching bird.
Dinner and accommodation in the park.
Day 18 – CAT TIEN – HO CHI MINH CITY (B)
After breakfast, you will have more time for bird watching before going back to Ho Chi Minh City or leave in the morning for the city (3 hours away).
Surcharge for a half day Vespa City Tour - £ 39 pp.
Afternoon, start our Vespa tour of modern-day Ho Chi Minh City will give you a view of greater Saigon unlike anything you'll see from the hot, crowded interior of a tour bus, and much more of the city than you could see on your own.
Tour includes: People’s Committee building, Rex Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office, CIA building on Dong Khoi, Opera House, ferry District 2, Emperor Jade pagoda, Francis Xavier Church, Thien Hau pagoda. Guests ride pillion behind our drivers.
Overnight in HCMC.
Day 19 – CAO DAI TEMPLE – CUCHI TUNNELS (B/L)
Depart for Tay Ninh province - about 100km from Ho Chi Minh City. Tourists will visit The Great Temple of Caodaism; a new religion found in later 1930s in Vietnam as the combination all religions together, Cathelic, Budist, Mosque, Taoist and so on. A mess at noon time is a must to see as the highlight of the trip.
Back to Cu Chi Tunnels - 70km Northwest of HCMC - well-known with a system tunnels deeply underground with several floors, seeing document film, getting inside tunnels “as an architectural structure”, visiting Hoang Cam smokeless kitchen, many fighting bunkers, some booby traps, firing gun with real bullets (personal) at National Defense Shooting Range Sport, enjoying the guerilla’s food and tea, visiting rice paper village where tourist can learn how to make it.
Overnight in HCMC.
Day 20 – HO CHI MINH – BEN TRE (B/ L/ D)
Depart from Saigon around 8am and head south to Ben Tre province, famous for its coconut production and quiet, peaceful waterways.
On arrival, take a xe loi ride through the local village of Huu Dinh to enjoy the green fields and gardens. Continue with a short walk to Huu Phuoc Bridge where you will board your boat and begin your trip through small canals with beautiful tropical scenery.
On board the boat, enjoy a welcome drink (mango cocktail) and tropical fruits while cruising. The cruise will stop first at a brick making shop, where the locals still use centuries-old traditional methods to make the bricks by hand. Then go back to your boat to cross the An Hoa River, where you will take a sampan trip through narrow canals and enjoy the peacefulness of the region. The sampan will take you to visit one of our friends, Mrs Huong, who lives with her 3 children and grandson – they live on fishing, shrimp and fruit orchards. Enjoy fresh fruits and tea before heading to visit a rice noodles factory which produces Hu Tieu noodles, one of most popular breakfast dishes in the region.
Then switch to bicycle and ride on village roads past green gardens and local houses, and stop at another local house where they live on their traditional family business, sampan boat building. Then continue your cycling trip to My Long to visit Mr Sau Tuong, a former Vietcong soldier who survived two years fighting the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh. Now he and his wife live on making rice paper, which is the most famous specialty of My Long village. Have a chat with him and enjoy the crispy rice paper made by his wife, and observe the process of how it is made.
Then return to the village road to carry on the bike ride to a local restaurant by the river side. It is time for you to relax and enjoy a 5-course lunch of local specialties. Relax and walk around the garden after lunch, and then visit the nearby house of Mr Hung, who is a famous sticky rice maker in the village. You can also feed his stock of catfish and walk through his fruit garden.
Walk back the local house to catch fish in the pond & pick your own vegetables, and then in the early evening prepare to join the cooking demonstration with the family.
Overnight will be spent in the family homestay.
Day 21 – GIONG TOM – SAIGON (B/L)
Breakfast will be served at the homestay, then take a boat trip to Tai Phu canal and stop to visit a coconut processing workshop before taking a bicycle to the busy local market of My Long. After that, cycle to Cau Hoa to visit the local Phuoc Long Tu temple and war memorials.
Then cycle to Phong Nam village and your boat will take you to Ben Tre city where your driver takes you back to Saigon.
Transfer to the airport, for the flight home.
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