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Destination: Hanoi/Ha Long Bay/Hue/Danang/Hoi
An/Ho Chi Minh City/Tay Ninh/Cu Chi/Mekong
Delta/Siem Reap
B=Breakfast,
L=Lunch, D=Dinner
Day 1: Arrival
at
Hanoi (D)
Arriving at
Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and
driven to your hotel. You’ll then be free
until 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. Later on, your driver
will take you to the local restaurant for
you “Welcome Dinner” with one of our
representative.
You'll spend
the night at Army hotel (*** city centre
with swimming pool) or similar.
Day 2:
Hanoi (B,
L)
After
breakfast at your hotel, you'll be picked up
to start a Hanoi city tour. 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) and
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. You’ll drive to
visit the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, the
oldest in Hanoi, on the banks of Hanoi’s
West Lake. 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.
After lunch at local restaurant, driver
and guide will take you to visit the
Ethnology Museum for an overview of
Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic and enjoy an
orientation of the tree-lined streets of
Hanoi, resplendent with French colonial
architecture, including the recently
restored Opera House. Pass by 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.
In the afternoon, you’ll take to the streets
by walking tour of the Ancient Quarter 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 at Army hotel (*** city centre
with swimming pool) or similar.
Day 3:
Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D)
You’ll leave
for Ha Long Bay, which is often called
Vietnam's eighth wonder of the world and
once visited, it is hard to dispute that
claim. 4000 spectacular limestone
outcroppings, cliffs, arches and coves
compete for space in an area that is without
doubt the most outstandingly naturally
beautiful in the country - incomparable
coastal scenery. On arrival, you’ll board
your boat, a wooden junk that will take you
first to the busy World Heritage area Ha
Long Bay, which is translated as “Descending
Dragon”. You’ll stop off at an islet and
climb though a series of breathtaking caves
and grottoes, marveling at some of the most
impressive stalactite and stalagmite
formations anywhere in the world and then
making a stop secluded beach where you can
enjoy cruising among the cave dotted island
and seeing the small fishing boats with are
always feature of this lovely bay. 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/Hue (B, L)
You'll have
western breakfast on boat and then spend the
morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by
lunch just before docking to the harbour at
around 11.30. On the way back from Ha Long,
you’ll enter one of the villages nearby to
enjoy the life of the Northern farmer. If
the time permits, you can visit a school for
children. You’ll return to Noi Bai airport
in Hanoi for your flight to Hue. When you
arrive, you’ll be picked up to travel to
your hotel.
You’ll
spend the night at Heritage Hotel (*** city
centre with outdoor swimming pool) or
similar
Day 5:
Hue (B, L,
D)
After
breakfast at your hotel, you'll drive to
visit Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the most
famous structures in Vietnam on the banks of
the Perfume River. You’ll then be taken by
boat to cruise along the Perfume River to
the Royal Tombs of Minh Mang, the most
majestic emperor and a staunch follower of
Confucianism with many wives, concubines and
a small army of children. Planned by the
Emperor and built shortly after his death in
formal Chinese style, it’s opulent and
exotic, and a good example of classic
Sino-Vietnamese architecture. In the
afternoon, you'll drive to visit Royal Tu
Duc tomb, the "poet Emperor", is set in an
elegant garden with a magnificent lake and
pavilion complex. The simplest of the actual
tomb (a monument - he was buried elsewhere
to thwart grave robbers) is at odds with the
lavish opulence of his reign. You'll then be
picked up to visit the Royal Khai Dinh tomb
is an unprepossessing concrete construction
on the side of a wide valley. Its interest
lies in the uneasy combination of Vietnamese
and European features, the use of fragments
of ceramics and glass for decoration, and
the striking views from the courtyard in
front of the mausoleum. In the evening,
you'll sit down for dinner in the pleasant
surroundings and a comfortable atmosphere of
another of the garden houses. The owner will
prepare and serve a traditional meal based
on the distinctive characteristics of
classic Hue cuisine. The garden houses are a
unique feature of Hue. The houses are
traditional, privately owned, and set in
attractive formal gardens. Some have
connections with the old Royal Imperial
Court. Hue traditional architecture has long
had close associations with the natural
environment. The garden houses reflect this
association. Each is highly individual -
house and garden, people and scenery,
plants, clouds and water co-exist and blend
with each other in a harmonious context. The
narrow streets and abundant flora give the
garden house area a country village feeling.
You’ll
spend the night at Heritage Hotel (*** city
centre with outdoor swimming pool) or
similar
Day 6: Hue/Hoi
An (B, L)
Breakfast at
your hotel, you'll then be picked up to
travel to Hoi An. You’ll drive to Lang Co
Beach and the lagoon far below. You'll then
cross the high mountain pass of Hai Van with
excellent view to see Danang spread out.
After lunch at local restaurant, you’ll have
a brief to visit Cham museum, remarkable
Hindu statuary. The Cham left a legacy of
excellent sculptures as they were pushed
south by the advancing Vietnamese invaders.
Driver and guide will take you to visit
China Beach, immortalised for many by the US
television show and still one the the most
spectacular beach in Asia. You’ll then visit
the Marble Mountain, Stone Carving village
where you can admire the stone products of
local people. You'll travel to Hoi An to
have a visit the town, and enjoy its
considerable significance in the history of
Vietnamtown. You’ll enter a narrow street to
look at unique Japanese covered bridge,
Chinese communal house, shop for art at one
of the numerous galleries and enjoy
riverside ambience.
You’ll
spend the night at Lotus Hotel (*** with
swimming pool, 2km from town centre) or
similar
Day 7: Hoi An/Ho
Chi Minh City (B)
After
breakfast, your time is your own until your
car arrives to take you to Danang airport
for the afternoon flight to Ho Chi Minh
City, where a guide will meet you and take
you to your hotel. After checking in you’ll
be free, perhaps for a preliminary wander
around Ho Chi Minh City’s busy streets and
shops.
You’ll
spend the night at Elios Hotel (*** in the
city centre) or similar
Day 8: Ho
Chi Minh City/Cu Chi (B, L)
In the
morning, your car and driver will come to
take you for your Ho Chi Minh City tour.
You’ll be driven to visit the Museum of War
Remnants provides a very partial, but
riveting, perspective of the ‘American War’.
You’ll then visit Centre Post Office with
colonial building and the Cathedral Church.
You'll then 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. In the afternoon,
you'll visit the 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. You’ll drive back to Ho Chi Minh
City.
You’ll
spend the night at Elios Hotel (*** in the
city centre) or similar
Day 9: Ho
Chi Minh City/Vinh Long (B, L)
Drive to
Vinh Long, a city famous by the Mekong River
and floating market. 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.
You'll have
time to wonder around the fruit market to
buy some kind of famous tropical fruit such
as banana, pomelo, dragon fruit and so on.
You'll then return to Ho Chi Minh City.
You’ll
spend the night at Elios Hotel (*** in the
city centre) or similar
Day 10: Ho Chi
Minh City/Siem Reap
(D)
In the
morning, you’ll take a flight to Siem Reap.
On your arrival at Siem Reap airport, you’ll
be met and driven to your hotel. The day’s
activities, and those of the next, will be
devoted to the Angkor Temple complex, of
which Angkor Wat is a key element. You’ll
begin with a visit to Angkor Thom, starting
with the Bayon, a bizarre structure of
several architectural changes reflecting a
switch from Hinduism (the foundations) to
Buddhism (the superstructure).
Your next
visit will be to the Elephant and Leper
Emperor Terraces, followed by the Baphoun
Temple, which is now nearing the end of an
eight-year multi-million dollar restoration
programme. In the afternoon, you’ll explore
Angkor Wat itself, the largest, and for most
people, the most impressive temple in the
complex. As dusk nears, a walk to the summit
of Phnom Bakheng Hill will afford a panorama
of the whole complex lit by the rays of the
setting sun, weather permitting of course.
You’ll
spend the night at Casa Angkor Hotel (*** in
the heart of city centre) or similar
Day 11:
Siem Reap (B, L)
Your day will
be taken up with visits to some of the outer
sites including Ta Keo, a five-tiered
pyramid, Sras Srang lake and landing
terrace, Prasat Kravan (also known as the
Cardomom Sanctuary), and Pre Rup and East
Mebon, both built in the tenth century.
You’ll also see Ta Prohm, strangled by
massive tree roots and typical of the
condition of the whole complex when it was
discovered in 1860 by French naturalist
Henri Mouhot, and Neak Pean, a
Himalayan-style lake and sanctuary.
You’ll
spend the night at Casa Angkor Hotel (*** in
the heart of city centre) or similar
Day 12:
Siem Reap (B, L)
After
breakfast, you’ll be driven to Siem Reap
River and Wat Athovea. There, you’ll embark
for a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake, a natural
reservoir that partly controls the level of
floods in the Mekong Delta, and visit a
floating fishing village en-route. You’ll
return to your hotel for checkout and lunch,
and have free time in the afternoon until
your car returns to pick you up for your
international departure flight.
Price in
US$ per person: US$ 1,371.00
Contact Us
for more details
For group
tours
Validity
until: December 31, 2009
Our price
includes:
-
Breakfast
and accommodation sharing a twin or
double room.
-
Pick-ups
and transfers by private air-conditioned
vehicle as specified in the itinerary
above
- One way
domestic flight tickets in Vietnam:
Hanoi – Hue, Danang – Ho Chi Minh City,
including domestic airport taxes.
- One way
international flight tickets: Ho Chi
Minh City – Siem Reap, excluding
domestic airport taxes.
- Boats
cruise as programme. For Ha Long Bay,
you’ll join other passengers on a high
quality wooden boat with comfortable
accommodation, good facilities and an
experienced crew. The boat will be fully
licensed and comply with current safety
regulations.
-
Travel
by private, air-conditioned vehicle with
an experienced, safe driver.
- The
services of experienced English-speaking
guides as indicated in the itinerary
- Where
necessary, entry fees for all visits as
mentioned in the programme.
- Lunches
and dinners, as specified, in the local
restaurants and full board on the boat
in Ha Long Bay.
-
VAT and
other taxes
Our price
does not include:
-
International flight tickets and airport
tax.
-
Visas
- Dinners,
except as specified above.
- Drinks,
gratuities and personal expenses.
-
Insurance.
Creating Unique Touring Experiences with Gia
Linh Travel
All the touring itineraries on this
website have been carefully crafted by our
in-country management teams and represent a
series of experiences we can certainly
recommend. However, we understand that every
travel experience should be as unique and
individual as each traveler. Our consultants
are waiting to hear from you so that we can
tailor or
custom design
a tour to your individual specifications. |
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