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Vietnam tour 10 days

Destination: Hanoi - Ha Long - Danang - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta

Highlights: Visit almost important places in Vietnam: Tour from Hanoi. It’s a city of contrasts where main roads and boulevards are a cacophony of traffic, but a few steps away tiny back streets are calm and peaceful. The Halong Bay, a world’s most remarkable seascapes. Overnight on traditionally styled boats, but also floating mini-hotels. Visit the culture and heritage in Hoi An, a World Heritage Ancient Town before discovering Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.

Details Itinerary:

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G= Guide

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and driven to your hotel.

17.15: You'll be picked up to watch the Water Puppet show an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture.

18.30: Your Welcome Dinner will be served at one of the good local restaurant.

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi City tour (B, L, G)

9.00: You'll be picked up at your hotel to start a Hanoi city tour.

9.30 - 10.30: You’ll visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum where Ho Chi Chi lies in state (closed on every Monday & Friday and October & November). You’ll see the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked. You’ll continue to visit the One Pillar Pagoda and hear the legend of its construction, born from the love of an emperor in the 11th Century.

10.30 - 11.00: You’ll drive to visit the serene Tran Quoc pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s West Lake.

11.00 - 12.00: You’ll also call the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and the dedicated to Confucius, it is a serene retreat from the busy streets outside and later become Vietnam’s first university.

12.00 - 13.30: Lunch at local restaurant

13.30 - 15.30: Visit the Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic

15.30 - 16.15: Pass by Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake , also known as Lake of Restored Sword from the legend that surrounds it en-route to one of the city’s fascinating museums.

16.15 - 17.15: You’ll then take to the streets by cycle ride tour of the Ancient Qurter of 36 streets District. This densely populated corner of the city was once a centre of commerce where goods were sold under the street name of a particular guild. Still a thriving community of sellers today, you’ll see streets name such as Sugar Street, Tin Street and Paper Street. Ancient homes and temples are interspersed with stores in this souvenir hunter’s paradise.

You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D, G)

8.30: You’ll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape.

10.00: You'll take a short break at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop.

10.30 - 12.00: You'll continue driving to Ha Long Bay.

12.00: You’ll board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels with sails, a wide transom and rectangular superstructure, that will take you first to the busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Weather permitting, you’ll be able to swim, fish, climb a hill for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape. All your meals will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood.

You'll spend the night on the boat.

Day 4: Ha Long/Hanoi (B, L, G)

7.30: You'll have western breakfast on boat.

8.00 - 8.30: You'll venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan.

8.30 - 11.45: You’ll spend the morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by lunch just before docking to the harbour.

11.45 - 16.15: You’ll drive to one of a traditional village in the North of Vietnam to enjoy its traditional Quan Ho music performed by villagers in the commune house. The singers have recently been officially designated as part of Vietnam’s ‘living heritage’.

You'll then drive back to Hanoi for overnight accommodation.

Day 5: Hanoi/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G)

After breakfast at your hotel, you'll be free until you'll be escorted to the airport for your flight to Danang at around 11.05.

12.00 - 14.00: You’ll have lunch at local restaurant and have a brief to visit Cham museum, a remarkable Hindu statuary.

14.00 - 15.45: Driver and guide will take you to visit Marble Mountain, Stone Carving village where you can admire the stone products of local people and Non Nuoc Beach.

15.45 - 17.30: You'll continue driving to Hoi An and have a visit Hoi An Town, and enjoy its considerable significance in the history of Vietnamtown.

You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 6: Hoi An/My Son (B, G)

8.00 - 8.30: Breakfast at your hotel

8.30 - 11.15: Drive to visit the World Heritage My Son Sanctuary, the guide will show you the remains of the remarkable brick towers, and explain their origins and purpose.

11.15 - 12.00: You'll return to Hoi An. Rest of day will be free perhaps to stroll around the Old Quarter of relax on the beach. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 7: Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City (B, G)

You'll be free and then be picked up to Danang airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On your arrival at the Tan Son Nhat airport, you'll be driven to your hotel. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City tour (B, L, G)

8.30: Your car and driver will come to take you for your Ho Chi Minh City tour

8.30 - 10.30: You’ll be driven to visit History Museum, an exhibition of the 5th century ‘Oc Eo’ civilisation.

10.30 - 12.00: You’ll visit the Museum of War Remnants provides a very partial, but riveting, perspective of the ‘American War’

12.00 - 13.15: Lunch will be served at the local restaurant.

13.15 - 14.00: You’ll visit Centre Post Office with colonial building and the Cathedral Church.

14.00 - 14.45: You'll be driven to visit the Jade Emperor Temple. It’s one of the best Taoist temples in Vietnam, with superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and somewhat incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries.

14.45 - 17.00: You’ll have approximately two hour to visit the Ben Thanh market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City, is packed with every conceivable commodity and a visit to lacquer workshop to see the complex processes and meticulous workmanship involved in this traditional Vietnamese craft product. End of your services at the hotel. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long (B, L, G)

8.30 - 10.30: Drive to Vinh Long, a city famous by the Mekong River and floating market

10.30 - 15.30: You’ll cruise to 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. You'll have a lunch at one of the local family and have a shot show of traditional music in Mekong Delta which is operated by the local people.

15.30 - 16.00: You'll have time to wonder around the fruit market to buy some kind of famoust tropical fruit such as banana, pomelo, dragon fruit, mangostin and so on.

16.00 - 18.00: You’ll return to Ho Chi Minh City. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City departure (B, G)

You'll be free until you'll be picked up to the airport for your international departure flight.

Prices per person in US$:

Number of people	2	3-5	6-9	10-15
Two Stars	827	752	689	619
Three Stars	882	807	746	652
Four Stars	1,014	938	878	807
Five Stars	1,189	1,113	1,053	983

Valid until December 31, 2007

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Prices include:

Breakfast and accommodation in twin or double room.
One-way domestic flight tickets: Hanoi - Danang, Danang - Ho Chi Minh City including domestic flight airport taxes.
Boats cruise as programme.
Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver.
English-speaking tour guide as indicated in the itinerary.
Entry fees for all sightseeing as mentioned in the programme.
Lunches and dinners, as specified, in the local restaurants and on the boat in Ha Long Bay.
Government Taxes.

Price do not include:

International flight tickets and airport tax.
Visas.
Dinners except as specified.
Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.
Insurance.

Hotel list for Five Stars standard

Hanoi: Sofitel Plaza Hotel (***** overlooking the West Lake) or similar
Hoi An: Victoria Hotel (**** the best modern resort hotel on China Beach with swimming pool) or similar
Ho Chi Minh City: Majestic Hotel (**** colonial building, overlooking the Saigon River) or similar

Hotel list for Four Stars standard

Hanoi: Sunway Hotel (**** city centre) or similar
Hoi An: Dong An Beach Hotel and Resort (**** on the China Beach) or similar
Ho Chi Minh City: Grand Hotel (**** colonial building in the city centre) or similar

Hotel list for Three Stars standard