Nine Days in Vietnam

Day 01

Hanoi      -, -, –

After immigration and customs clearance meet the assigned tour guide and transfer to the hotel.

Check in time is normally at 14:00, however the guests will be accommodated as soon as the rooms become available.

Rest of the day at disposal for a first individual approach to the city.

Overnight.

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Day 02

Hanoi      B, L, –

Breakfast. Visit the capital of Vietnam has been inhabited since the third century and re-founded in the eleventh century by the dynasty that freed the country from Chinese rule,

His look dates back to the French times with the numerous colonial buildings and large avenues.

Visit the Lake of the Restored Sword and the Temple of Literature, the One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (from outside), walking tour through the Old Quarter.

water puppet show.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Overnight.

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Day 03

Hanoi – Halong      B, L, D

Breakfast.

Departure by land through the countryside of the great delta furrowed by the waters of the Red River and Thai Binh .

Along the route of about 170 Km, enjoy the beautiful views of picturesque inland ports, edged karst hills , in the midst of an agricultural landscape .

Arrive at Halong Bay , on the shores of Tonkin , that rightly celebrated the ranks of one of the most famous natural landscapes of the Far East .

Boarding for the cruise and ride in a boat to experience the legend of Halong Bay (“Place of the dragon plunges”): 3000 islands shaped by the action of geological and tropical rains and typhoons: rocks of bizarre shapes, sculptures of limestone, cliffs, fjords, caves, small beaches and harbors are reflected in a cobalt sea crossed by old junks , the slight oval boats with rigid sails, characteristics of the region.

Lunch and dinner will be served on board and will be based on tasty fresh seafood .

Overnight on board the junk.

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Day 04

Halong – Hanoi – Hoi An      B, Brunch, –

Breakfast.

In the morning, after breakfast, leave the junk and on small local boats called Sampan, start to visit the cave of Surprise with the opportunity to bathe in small deserted beaches.

While navigating, see some caves and spectacular scenery of limestone formations that emerge from the sea.

Brunch on board.

Return to Hanoi in the afternoon, transfer to airport and departure by scheduled flight to Da Nang.

Proceed immediately to Hoi An (30 minutes), accommodation.

Overnight

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Day 05

Hoi An – Danang – Hue      B, L, –

Breakfast.

Guided walking tour of the old town of Hoi An, one of the most precious jewels of the Vietnamese historical heritage and rightly included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. With perfectly preserved old buildings, in its perimeter cars are not allowed. The Japanese Bridge is characteristic and famous, it was built in the 16th century in the style of a pagoda. Stops at temples, the buildings of the congregations and private homes are still inhabited by descendants of the original owners.

Chance to go to the discovery of numerous studies of artists who have chosen to live and work here, making Hoi An one of the most lively cultural and artistic centers of the country. Transfer to Da Nang to visit the Cham Museum, a series of well-designed pavilions that house the more complete and comprehensive historical artifacts exhibition of the Cham kingdom, which developed in the area between the second and the fifteenth century AD

Beautiful sandstone sculptures from.VI-XV cent. testify to the importance of this culture. About 100 kilometers separate from Danang Hue, and the route is particularly impressive. After a stretch of coastline the road climbs up to the Pass of the Clouds. On both sides there is a magnificent panorama of Danang, the coastal headlands and

the bays to the south. Panoramic views from the valley to the coastal plain, between the lagoons and paddy fields. The step also dominates the two most beautiful beaches of Danang, Nam O in the south and Long Co facing the north: there are crescents of white sand fringed with palm trees. Arrive in Hue, which is situated on both banks of the Perfume River. It was the ancient capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty emperors (1802-1945). It was surveyed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The archaeological complex of Hue is closed in three concentric circles where pagodas, tombs, palaces and gardens are arranged according to the cosmological principles of geomancy. They are shelters against the dark forces of nature and bad luck.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Overnight.

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Day 06

Hue – Ho Chi Minh      B, L, –

Breakfast.

Visit of the historical center, the Citadel, with its high bastions of stone, the yellow tiles protruding roofs with red wooden pillars.

Inside find the Purple Forbidden City, the exclusive domain of the emperors, the vast Thai Hoa Palace (Supreme Harmony), which was the site of official and religious ceremonies , the Halls of the Mandarins, the Imperial Library, the Royal Theatre. The Imperial Museum completes the tour of the Citadel: old clothes, furniture, porcelain, and sedan chairs together with musical instruments are on display in a beautiful room. Boat trip on the picturesque Perfume River, among the numerous fleets of sampan, for a visit to one of the tombs of the Nguyen emperors which are scattered among the hills south of the city, with their statues and pagodas destined to the cult of the dead king.

Visit the Dong Ba market.

Departure by scheduled flight from Hue to Saigon.

Renamed Ho Chi Minh City to honor the father of national independence, Saigon however is free from any attempt to homologation in the ideological and austere North, and is the extroverted and vital metropolis as ever was. Seven million people live in twelve urban districts, the first of which corresponds to the center

set at the end of the last century by the French around three major boulevards perpendicular to the river port. Along the streets, where there is most of the city life, there is a myriad of shops, stalls, carts and street vendors that sell the merchandise by exposing on the sidewalks.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Overnight.

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Day 07

Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi – Ho Chi Minh      B, L, –

Breakfast.

In the morning excursion to the Cu Chi tunnels, dug over 200 km underground tunnels on three levels, which allowed the Viet Cong and the people of the villages in the area to escape the bombing raids of the Americans during the war. Before the visit, you will have the opportunity to attend a screening of vintage films that illustrate the construction of the tunnel and the life inside them,

They are very useful to understand not only the development of the war in this particular area, but also some essential aspects of the Vietnamese mentality.

In the afternoon visit of the “White City,” the heart of the world colonial Indochina.

The Rue Catinat was a stage of the ‘white city’, which preserves part of the character of the past days with its silk and souvenirs shops, the lacquers and prints shops, the dealers of antiques, art galleries and cafes. Visit some of the colonial buildings such as the Cathedral of Notre Dame, an elegant fusion of red brick and white stone, which overlooks a large tree-lined square, and the Post Office Palace with the rich and abundant bas-reliefs of the colonial era, the delicious windows with shutters and a large vaulted room similar to those of a Victorian railway stations.

The War Museum is designed as a denunciation of American aggression in Vietnam and presents very raw photos and a collection of weapons including fighter planes. Visit Visit Cholon, the Chinese district, with its path along the crowded streets where mainly imported from China products aresold, most notably those made from herbs and the traditional medicines.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Overnight.

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Day 08

Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh      B, L, –

Breakfast.

Morning departure by road to Cai Be town in the Mekong Delta. The city is home to one of the major floating markets (transfer time 2 hours). Stop along the way to visit a candy factory and see how rice paper is produced, they are very thin round sheets which are used in many Vietnamese cuisine dishes . Embark on a small local boat (sampan) and visit the market of Cai Be, specialized in the wholesale of grocery and local products. The sampan is ideal for advancing in the closer and less crowded channels and offers a unique opportunity to observe the real life and the daily activities of the villagers, such as the construction of a roof with palm leaves, a factory of brick and tiles, the preparing of fishing nets. Possible stops enroute to visit the old church in the village of An Binh and a tropical fruit plantation. After crossing the second largest arm of the Mekong, in the afternoon, disembark at Vinh Long, capital of the province and continue back overland to Ho Chi Minh

Along a wide stretch of the river large houses are built on stilts, and beneath some of them lie fish herds. Weather permitting, it is possible to observe the activities of the inhabitants and to have a brief explanation of the used production techniques.

Lunch enroute.

Overnight.

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Day 09

Ho Chi Minh      B, -, –

Breakfast.

At leisure until transfer to the airport for the scheduled departure flight.

End of services