VIETNAM

 DAY 1: Hochiminh

Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, you are warmly welcomed by our local guide and transfer to hotel in Saigon for check in. Free at leisure for your own activities. Impressive Welcome Dinner will be served at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

DAY 2: Hochiminh – CU CHI TUNNELS – HOCHIMINH 

Meet in the lobby of your hotel and enjoy the journey to visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels (70km from Ho Chi Minh) - an complex of an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters (Viet Cong) during both the French and American wars. There are more than 200 km of tunnels, comprising a main axis system with many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters and other tunnels. You have the chance to crawl through this amazing system of tunnels. For a more “thrilling” experience, you can even test your shooting skills on original AK47s and other guns from past war times (subject to a surcharge). Lunch will be served at local restaurant

In the afternoon, return to Saigon and tour continues to visit the former Presidential Palace - the former home and workplace of the president of South Vietnam during the war, renowned for its symbolic role in the fall of Saigon in 1975  and continue to visit the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral inaugurated in 1880 is the major seat of the Catholic religion in Vietnam, became the spiritual and cultural crucible of the French presence in the Orient as was the Post office designed by Gustav Eiffel and resembling a grand railway station, the people’s Committee Hall, the French-style Saigon Post Office. End the day at the famous Ben Thanh Market, where you can purchase souvenirs for your beloved ones and shopping before transfer back to your hotel. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

DAY 3: Hochiminh – Mytho (mekong delta) – HANOI 

Morning meet our local guide in the lobby of your hotel and drive to My Tho the heart of the Mekong delta, famous for its vast rice fields and most beautiful landscapes. Visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda en route and stop by the bank of Tien Giang river. Take a boat trip on Mekong River to Phoenix Island where local handicrafts and sweets from coconut are being produced. Enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and traditional live music and songs performance. Take a short ride on a horse carriage to a typical local house to taste some homemade honey-tea. Proceed by small sampan boats through the small canals and side arms of the river to observe the daily life along the river banks with a stop and short leisurely walk at the Turtle Island. Lunch will be served at local restaurant before driving back to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City then transfer directly to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your domestic to Hanoi

Upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport, you are warmly welcomed by our local guide and transfer to hotel in Hanoi for check in. Dinner will be served at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

DAY 4: HANOI - HALONG BAY OVERNIGHT ON JUNK 

Morning drive through the countryside from Hanoi to Halong Bay (165 km east of Hanoi) - a World Heritage Area of outstanding natural beauty, you will experience a rural area dotted with villages, rice fields and farms providing the many parts of the nation with rice, fruits and vegetables. Short rest stop en route, you will reach Halong city after 3.5

12h00 – 12h30              Embark on Cruise followed by a short cruise briefing.

13h00 – 15h30              Savor a delectable lunch as Cruises among the limestone islands.

15h30 – 16h30              Kayak among the hidden areas of the bay, around the Luon Cave                                               area. Back    to the Cruise

16h30 – 17h30              Cruising to Titop island. Go swimming and relaxing at the beach of Titov or climb up to the top of the island for a panorama view of Halong Bay.

17h30                            Cruise back to the main boat for a shower. Relax or snap photos as the sun starts to set.

19h00                            Dinner is served. Socialize with other guests, fish for squid, or just laze around.

Overnight on board.

DAY 5: HALONG BAY - HANOI

06h30 - 07h00              Start your day with Tai Chi exercises or a photo hunt.

07h30 - 08h30              Have breakfast at sunrise.

08h30 - 09h30              Explore the amazing Sung Sot Cave - the nicest cave in Halong Bay.

09h30                            Return to the boat. Freshen up and check out of your cabin.

09h30 - 10h30              Continue your cruise exploring the Bay, passing Ba Hang fishing village, Dog Islet, and more.

10h30 – 11h30              While heading back to the habor, watch the cooking demonstration before enjoying a traditional Vietnamese lunch.

12h00 – 12h30              Disembark and transfer back to Hanoi, short rest at Dai Viet or Hong Ngoc or ABC shopping en route back.

DAY 6: HANOI – FULL DAY CITY TOUR

Enjoy a full-day city tour today. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closed on Monday, Friday and during the entire months of September & October) and his former residence with Humble House on Stilts (closed on Monday and Friday), One-Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam and built more than 1,000 years ago.

Continue the city tour to visit Hoa Lo prison, known by its American inmates as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ during the war years of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Whilst much of it has been torn down to make way for a modern office development a section of it remains open for visitors and provides a fascinating insight into the domination of the French during their colonial governance. Lunch will be served at local restaurant

Afternoon you will visit the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. Hoan Kiem Lake was already considered the most beautiful lake in Hanoi when Ngoc Son Temple was built on an island in the 19th century. Initially, the temple was called Ngoc Son Pagoda and was later renamed Ngoc Son Temple, since temples are dedicated to saints. Saint Van Suong, considered to be one of the brightest stars in Vietnam's literary and intellectual circles, was worshipped there along with other National heroes.

Afterward enjoy a leisurely one-hour buggy tour through the streets of this fascinating city,  you will come face to face with the daily lives and activities of Hanoi’s streets as you pass through the congested, but delightful, Old Quarter. Ride pass the fascinating streets, which still bear the names of the shops that could be found in them in the 15th to 18th centuries

Then you will attend a performance of the famous water puppet show. The Vietnamese traditional art of water puppetry has roots that date back to the 10th century when it originated in the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. The farmers in the region celebrated festivals and harvests by performing this unique art form. Learning to manipulate the puppets is usually a tradition that is passed on as a family secret. It takes a great deal of skill and because the puppeteer’s hands are underwater, it is easy for them to hide their methods. The fascinating part is that the central stage is below the water line, and the puppeteers stand in the waist-deep water. A rattan curtain hides them, but they can see the stage and the audience through the bamboo slats. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

DAY 7: HANOI – DEPARTURE 

Breakfast at hotel, free at your own leisure until transfer to Noi Bai International Airport for your international flight home. We hope you had an exciting holiday with us. Making it an affair to remember!