Vietnam at a Glance 9 Days/8 Nights

Vietnam at a Glance 9 Days/8 Nights

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival (D)
Enter Vietnam at Noi Bai airport, you will be met and driven to your hotel. You will have time to relax before we present you with Vietnam daily life in the past and now with one or two hour cylo tour around the Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son temple and Old Quarter of Hanoi. You will then enjoy a Water Puppet Show and a welcome dinner at a restaurant with Vietnamese cuisines. You will spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay - Hanoi (B/L)
8:00am: Depart from your hotel Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you’ll board a traditional-style boat for four-hour cruise on the bay to visit some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Weather permitting, you’ll be able to swim, and climb hills (not mountains!) for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape. You’ll be served a seafood lunch on the boat. In the late afternoon, you’ll return to Hanoi. Tour ends at your hotel in Hanoi at 19:00. You will spend overnight in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi – Hue (B/L)
You will have the whole day to explore Vietnam’s capital city. Your guide will take you to the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century, and a popular attraction, as is Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, his simple stilt house where he lived and worked, and the museum dedicated to his memory. After lunch, you’ll call in at the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi and the excellent Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups. You will then drive straight to the airport for your flight o Hue. Your overnight will be in Hue.

Day 4: Hue (B/L)
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll be escorted by your guide to visit the Imperial Citadel of Hue and the Dong Ba market. After lunch, you will take a boat cruise along Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda and the Royal Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang. Drive to visit Khai Dinh tomb before returning to your hotel for overnight.

Day 5: Hue – Hoi An (B/L)
After breakfast, you will drive to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass. The views from the top are excellent – you’ll be able to see Lang Co beach and the lagoon far below, and Danang spread out before you to the south. Upon arriving in Danang, you’ll visit the the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum before leaving for Hoi An. You will visit the ancient town including 400 years old Japanese Bridge, 300 years old Chinese temple, 200 years old Vietnamese former merchants’house before being dropped off at your hotel. You will spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 6: Hoi An – My Son Sanctuary – Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh City (B)
After breakfast, your guide will meet you at your hotel to take you to the World Heritage My Son Sanctuary, 40km southwest of Hoi An. Located in a lush valley, My Son was a capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries. When you return, the rest of the day will be free until being transferred to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your guide and driven to your hotel for check-in. You will spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 7: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels (B/L)
After breakfast at your hotel, you will drive to Hoc Mon District to visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong to suddenly materialise as if from nowhere, launch a lightning ambush, and vanish equally rapidly. Return to the city for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the War Museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office and Ben Thanh Market. Your overnight will be in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh Long – Ho Chi Minh City (B/L)
After escaping from Ho Chi Minh City’s urban sprawl, you’ll travel to Vinh Long. There, you’ll cruise on the Mekong River, visit Cai Be floating market, fruit orchards, a traditional family-run brick kiln, and drop in to look at some traditional cottage industries - a workshop making the huge coffins unique to the Mekong is particularly interesting. Take a bike to ride around to explore daily life of local people. Return to Ho Chi Minh City for overnight in the afternoon.

Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City Departure (B)
After breakfast, you will be free until your driver arrives to take you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departure flight.