Classical Tour of Vietnam
Ancient and modern capitals including Saigon, the Mekong and Ha Long Bay
In Brief
| Flight - 1 night. Ho Chi Minh City - 3 nights. Hoi An - 2 nights. Hue - 1 night. Ha Long Bay - 1 night. Hanoi - 2 nights. Flight - 1 night. |
11 night itinerary (Feb - Oct 2011)
Day 1 Fly overnight from London Heathrow via Bangkok with Thai Airways or via Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Airlines to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Day 2 Transfer to the 4-star Equatorial or Duxton Hotel for three nights.
Day 3 Travel to Cu Chi to visit the underground tunnel network. A tour of Ho Chi Minh City includes the Reunification Palace, History Museum and Notre Dame Cathedral. Evening dinner cruise on Saigon River.
Day 4 A scenic drive through the Mekong Delta to Vinh Trang pagoda and My Tho for a cruise.
Day 5 Fly to Danang to visit the Cham museum. Transfer to Hoi An for two nights at the 4-star Pacific or Hoi An Hotel. A walking tour visits merchants’ houses and the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge.
Day 6 Visit the My Son ruins of the Champa Kingdom. Cruise on the Thu Bon River.
Day 7 Travel to Hue (3 hrs) for overnight at the 3-star Huong Giang Hotel. Visit the Imperial Citadel.
Day 8 Visit the tombs of the Emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. Cruise on the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda. Afternoon flight to Hanoi and transfer to Ha Long Bay (4 hrs) for overnight at the 4-star Novotel Hotel.
Day 9 At Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, an extended cruise with seafood lunch. Return to Hanoi (4 hrs) for two nights at the 5-star Hotel Melia Hanoi.
Day 10 Tour the city including the One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s home and Mausoleum, history museum, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake and Old Quarter. Water puppet show.
Day 11 Return flight via Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur.
Day 12 Arrive Heathrow in the early morning.
Extension - Siem Reap
Fly to Siem Reap for three nights at the 4-star Royal Empire Hotel or 5-star Le Meridien Angkor. Explore the temples of Angkor, including Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei and Ta Prohm.
Extensions – Bangkok &/or Hua Hin
Stay on in Thailand for a further three nights at the centrally-located 5-star Amari Watergate in Bangkok. Alternatively, relax for four nights at the Sofitel Central Hua Hin Resort (the former Railway Hotel), a 5-star colonial-style building set in magnificent tropical gardens on the Gulf of Siam.
