Vietnam Insight – 10 days – From A$ 900

DAY 1: HANOI – ARRIVAL (-/-/D)

1. Greet at airport & transfer to Hanoi
2. Evening: enjoy the Water Puppet Show, a unique traditional folk art of Vietnam.
3. Dinner at restaurant in the city. After dinner, transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

DAY 2: HANOI – HALONG (B/L/D)

1. 08:00 Meet at your place and start the city tour with visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Former residence, Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of the Vietnam Democratic Republic in 1945. Proceed to the nearby One Pillar Pagoda – one of the oldest architectures dated back from 11th century.
2. 10:00 We continue to visit the Temple of Literature – the first University in Vietnam.
3. 11:00 Visit Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple if time permits
4. 12:00 Lunch at restaurant.
5. 14:00 Transfer to Ha Long through the beautiful countryside of the Red River Delta (approx 170km)
6. 17:30 Arrive hotel in Ha Long. Check in hotel
7. 18:30 Transfer to a nice restaurant in the town for dinner. After dinner, transfer back to hotel for overnight.

DAY 3: HA LONG – HANOI (B/L/D)

1. 08:00 Transfer to Ha Long boat station, embark your private boat and start for 04 hours cruising on the Ha Long bay. You will be marveled by thousands of caves and islets. Boat will stop at Thien Cung cave, considered as one of the most beautiful sightseeing plces of Halong Bay. Visiting the caves, you will have chance to admire sparkling stalactites and stalagmites well as to view the whole panorama of Halong Bay from above.
2. 11:00 Fresh seafood lunch is provided on board the boat.
3. 12:00 Cruise back to the station where your car standby to drive back to Hanoi. On the way, you may like to stop for refreshment at a craft center run to raise money for the handicapped people.
4. 16:00 Arrive Hanoi. Check in hotel and relax.
5. 19:00 Dinner at restaurant. After dinner, return to hotel for overnight.

DAY 4: HANOI – DA NANG – HOI AN (B/L/D)

1. Transfer to airport for flight to Da Nang. Greet at Da Nang airport, transfer to Hoi an (approx 30km).
2. Lunch at restaurant in Hoi An, then check in hotel.
3. Afternoon: enjoy a walking tour through the Hoi An Old Quarter to visit the town’s landmarks of Japanese Covered Bridge, ancient Assembly Hall, Phuc Kien Temple and a typical old house.
4. Dinner at a nice restaurant in the town. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An.

DAY 5: TRA QUE HERB VILLAGE (B/L/D)

1. 08:00: local guide will see you at your hotel with your bicycle. You will cycle with others in a group tour to a local farm in Tra Que village.
2. A short stroll will take you around the vegetable garden and then you can join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seaweed from the local lake. The following steps are raking the ground, sowing, watering, picking vegetables and many other gardening activities.
3. After all these activities, you will take a short rest and enjoy foot bath before getting to preparing lunch with a local family. Your lunch will consist of many local delicacies including ‘tam huu’ spring roll, Banh xeo or local pancake of people in Vietnam middle region. You can join the cooking with the chef on these meals.
4. After your morning excursions and your lunch, you will take a Vietnamese traditional post-prandial nap before learning how to harvest and wrap the vegetables.
5. Around 14.00: bid farewell to your host family before riding back to Hoi An, on the way back we will stop at Japanese tomb.
6. Rest of the day is free at leisure till pick up time for dinner at restaurant in the city. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

DAY 6: HOI AN – DANANG – HO CHI MINH CITY (B/-/D)

1. Transfer to Danang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Greet at airport in HCMC, transfer to the city.
2. PM: City tour of HCMC with main section of the city. First, we will visit the Reunification Hall (former Presidential Palace), make a short stop to go into the old classic Post Office as well as have a look at the Catholic Church called Notre Dame De Paris.
3. Later in the afternoon: visit and shopping at the fascinating Ben Thanh market
4. Dinner at restaurant then transfer back to hotel for overnight.

DAY 7: HCMC – CU CHI – TAY NINH (B/L/D)

1. 08:00 We start 2 hour drive to Tay Ninh, the headquarters for the Cao Dai Sect. Observe the midday ceremony at Cao Dai great Temple.
2. 14:00 After lunch at a local restaurant, we proceed to Cu Chi – an amazing complex of the underground network which stretched for over 250 kilometers with three levels deep. Visitor will have a unique experience and a feel of what underground life in the American war was like.
3. On the way back to HCMC, stop on the way to visit a rural village and learn how people make “rice paper cake”, material for very popular food of Vietnam “sping roll”.

DAY 8: HCMC – MY THO – CAN THO (B/L/D)

1. 08:00 Depart to visit My Tho ( approximately 2 hours driving from HCMC) – a busy hub of Mekong delta. Upon arrival at local pier, board local motorized boat on the Mekong river to visit the coconut candy factory, a famous local specialty. You will see the candy production right in this place with the explanation of local guides.
2. After that, you will take a short horse ride to a local residence, visit their bee farm & sample local honey-tea. You will continue to take small rowing boat on canals to visit another local house with their orchard, enjoying the traditional music. Walking through fruit orchard to see and taste different kinds of fruit.
3. We will have lunch in Ben Tre Province before heading to Can Tho City via the My Thuan Suspension Bridge that sits above the Mekong River.
4. We will check into our hotel before dinner at a nice restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Can Tho.

DAY 9: CAN THO – HCMC (B/L/D)

1. Morning boat cruise to visit Cai Rang – one of the most typical floating market in the Mekong delta. The market is always crowded with full of small boats of vendors selling and buying the delta’s farm products, watch the locals sit aboard their small boats selling and exchanging goods among each other.
2. On the way back to Ho Chi Minh City, we will visit Vinh Trang pagoda, one of the biggest pagoda in the region. The beautiful structure features a mixture of Chinese, Vietnamese and Angkor (Cambodian) architectural styles.
3. Before returning to Ho Chi Minh City, we will have a delicious lunch at a nice local garden.
4. Re-check in hotel in HCMC and unwind.
5. Evening: transfer for dinner at restaurant in the city.
6. Overnight at hotel in HCMCM.

DAY 10: HCMC – DEPARTURE (B/-/-)

•  Free for the last shopping in the nearby areas till transfer to Apt for departure flight.

PRICES

•  Tours and accommodation as above itinerary only from A$900
•  Package tours (Tours, Vietnam visa, air tickets) only from A $1830
(Tour prices may be subject to change due to exchange rate and seasonality)

HOTELS

If the listed hotel is fully booked, alternative accommodation will be offered.