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Highlights of Vietnam
Duration: 8 days
Highlights: Start in Hanoi, visit the UNESCO World Heritage site Halong Bay, discover the ancient town of Hoi An, explore the Ch Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City.
This itinerary is perfect for the first-time visitor to Vietnam, who only has a week to explore the highlights of this beautiful country.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Hanoi
Upon arrival in Hanoi you will be greeted by your representative and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of your day and dinner will be yours to enjoy at your leisure but
if you require any advice of where to go and what to do, please be sure to consult with your Destination Specialist.
Overnight: Hanoi
Day 2 - Hanoi
After breakfast at the hotel your guide will meet collect you for a day of intriguing sightseeing, beginning at Ho Chi Minh’s stilted house. Built using the finest wooden
materials in 1958, the simple two-story wooden house is where legendary leader Ho Chi Minh once lived. The stilted house is surrounded by banyan, frangipani, Poinciana
and milkweed trees and sits next to an elegant carp-filled pond.
Next you’ll move to One Pillar Pagoda. Built in the 11th century by King Ly Thai To, the pagoda, known to locals as “Chua Mot Cot”, is one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples.
The king built the temple to offer thanks to the deity he believed helped his wife give birth to his son.
Your tour of Hanoi continues at Quoc Tu Giam, a Confucian temple otherwise known as Temple of Literature. Recognized as Hanoi’s first university, the temple was also built
in the 11th century during the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong and is featured on the back of the 100,000 dong banknote. The temple, which hosts the Imperial Academy, has
educated Vietnam’s royalty and members of elite society for nearly 700 years.
You’ll then proceed to the Quan Thanh Temple (Temple of the Northern Spirits), also known as “Tran Vo” or “Tran Vu” and often incorrectly called the “Pagoda of the Grand
Buddha”. Located between the two lakes, the temple was established during the Ly Dynasty (1010 to 1225 AD) and was dedicated to Tran Vo (God of the North), whose
symbols of power are the tortoise and the snake.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll round out your day of discovery with a last stop at Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts, Vietnam’s foremost art museum. The
museum’s exhibits showcase artwork from every historical period of the country and consist almost exclusively of politically correct folk art, sculptures, engravings and
lacquer ware by contemporary artists.
Dinner and the remainder of your day will be enjoyed at your leisure, however feel free to ask your guide for a local restaurant recommendation.
Overnight: Hanoi
Meal Plan: B,L
Day 3 - Hanoi - Halong Bay
Once you’ve enjoyed breakfast at your hotel your guide will collect you and take you on a 4 hour transfer to Halong Bay (approx. 170km away), one of Vietnam’s UNESCO
World Heritage Sites.
You’ll discover the splendours of Halong Bay on a wooden junk that combines classic beauty with modern comfort. As you cruise through the bay you’ll feast your eyes and
stomachs with a vista of majestic limestone karts jutting out from azure waters like dragon’s teeth as you tuck in to an exceptional seafood lunch.
In the mid-afternoon you’ll arrive at a village of floating houses anchored to the karsts of a sheltered cove. Several similar floating villages can be found throughout the bay
but the settlement you’ll visit is unique in that it is the only buoyant settlement with a school and museum.
You’ll then enjoy leisure time aboard the traditional junk. You can perhaps enjoy a swim or kayaking (optional) and simply relax and enjoy sunset views from the junk’s
sundeck before enjoying a wonderful dinner service under the stars.
Overnight: Halong Boat
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Day 4 - Halong Bay – Hanoi – Danang - Hoi An
As an extra incentive to rise early, you’ll be offered the opportunity to enjoy a sublime sunrise while partaking in a Tai Chi class on the deck followed by a plentiful breakfast
service. You’ll then make a visit to explore a beautiful nearby cave before cruising back to the port, arriving at approximately 10.30am to transfer back to Hanoi.
After a short chance to relax, you’ll transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Danang where you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel in Hoi An before spending the
remainder of the day at your leisure.
Please note: itinerary is subject to change depending on weather conditions.
Overnight: Hoi An
Meal Plan: B,L
Day 5 - Hoi An
Enjoy a leisurely start to the day and enjoy breakfast at leisure with the morning yours to spend enjoying the hotel’s amenities. In the late morning your guide will collect you
and take you to a local restaurant for lunch.
This afternoon you’ll take a walking tour of Hoi An and discover the historic town which used to be a prosperous seaport city during the 16th to 18th centuries. Visit the Hoi
An Market, a hive of activity with stalls overflowing out into the streets with all kinds of exotic goods for sale. The locals stock up on food and buy plants here, with kumquat,
peach and apricot trees being especially popular.
Next you’ll visit the Old House of Tan Ky, Fukien Assembly Hall and the 400-year-old Japanese covered bridge. Travellers can also visit a local farm where residents raise
silkworms and produce silk for Hoi An’ s burgeoning textile industry.
Later on, take a boat trip on Thu Bon River which connects Hoi An with Cua Dai Beach to catch a glimpse of everyday local life in this area before returning to the hotel in the
late afternoon to spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.
Overnight: Hoi An
Meal Plan: B,L
Day 6 - Hoi An - Danang – Ho Chi Minh City
After breakfast at your hotel you’ll be transferred to Danang airport for your onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City before setting off to look around the many fascinating parts of
the city, including the Reunification Hall or Presidential Palace, the Historical Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral.
Reunification Hall is one of the most a historic landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City and was built on the site of the former Norodom Palace. Designed as the Presidential Palace
during the Vietnam War, it was where the official handover of power took place during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. The building is preserved almost as it was under the old
Saigon regime with elegant interiors decorated with fine Vietnamese arts and crafts. One of the many attractions within the building is the underground Command Post of the
now-exiled president.
Continue on to the History Museum, set in the Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Built in 1929 by the Societe des Etudes Indochinoises, it was known as ‘Musée Blanchard de la
Bosse’ until 1956, when it was renamed the Saigon National Museum. In 1975, it was expanded, renovated and renamed the Historical Museum. The Museum now houses
an excellent collection of artefacts illustrating the evolution of Vietnamese culture from ancient times (approximately 300,000 years ago) up to the 1930s, when Vietnam’s
Communist Party was founded.
Make a brief photo stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. It has a neo-Romanesque façade and two bell towers tipped with iron spires that reach
a height of 190 feet, dominating the skyline. Here you will also have the opportunity to briefly visit the classic 19th century French colonial Post Office. The largest post office
in Vietnam, it is an important communications hub for most of the city’s inhabitants. Inside, the building has huge vaulted ceilings with vast maps of Vietnam on both sides of
the main hall.
Return to your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure.
Overnight: Ho Chi Minh City
Meal Plan: B
Day 7 - Ho Chi Minh City
After breakfast at your hotel your guide will collect you from your hotel and take you on a drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels.
The Cu Chi Tunnels are an incredible network of narrow tunnels that were built during resistance to the French colonisation and utilised extensively during the Vietnam War.
The (sometimes claustrophobic) tunnels give an amazing insight into life during the war. You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a 2hr guided exploration of either the Ben Duoc
or Ben Dinh sections of the complex network.
Return to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch at local restaurant and spend the afternoon at leisure.
Overnight: Ho Chi Minh City
Meal Plan: B,L
Day 8 - Depart Ho Chi Minh City
Depending on your flight schedule, you’ll be able to enjoy breakfast at hotel and spend some time relaxing at your leisure before your transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for
your onward flight.
Meal Plan: B