12 Days Vietnam Exclusive

Morning, start a city tour beginning with Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November) and the rural style house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars. Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History and the Museum of Ethnology. Go to Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Next, take a one-hour cycle tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. On the way, you will see some rural areas of the Red River Delta with plenty of chances to take photos of Vietnamese farmers working in paddy fields. Stop half way to visit a handicraft workshop of fine clothes and embroidered paintings. Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk right after the welcome drink is served. Start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view. Ha Long Bay meaning Descending Dragon Bay in Vietnamese as legend has it that it was where a holly dragon landed down from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2. The bay cruise will continue with up close sighting of Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island, Sail Island, a visit to Sung Sot Cave and swimming stop at Titov Beach. Relax to enjoy the bay view at sunset, have dinner after, go fishing at 09:00 PM and spend a night on board. Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner Accommodation: Overnight on Junk in Halong

Wake up at 06:30 AM and refresh your body and mind with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck. Tai Chi is an ancient internal martial art often practiced in soft and gracefully slow moves to enhance internal harmony and vitality. Have tea and coffee onboard before proceeding to Titov Islet or Soi Sim Island to trek and swim. Check out at 09:30, have a buffet brunch while cruising back to shore. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi for flight to Hue. Arrive in Hue, welcome by our guide and transfer hotel for check-in and time at leisure. Meals: Brunch Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hue

Morning, welcome by our guide and begin to visit the city. Begin with Hue Citadel, a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, which is a 520 ha fortress-like grand complex built in the early 1800s which features three enclosures separated by heavy ramparts namely Kinh Thanh Hue (Civic City) as the outer, Hoang Thanh (Royal City) as the middle and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden City) as the inner. Move on to Khai Dinh Tomb, the burial site of Khai Dinh, Vietnam’s second-to-last king, which is the most elaborate compared to other kings’ tombs. The tomb shows a vivid European influence in architecture despite its Asian style. Take an hour cyclo tour around the peaceful city. Afternoon, start sightseeing again with a boat cruise along the Perfume River for sightseeing and visiting two prominent historical landmarks namely Minh Mang Tomb, where Minh Mang, the 2nd Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was buried, and Thien Mu Pagoda, a Buddhist monastery still in use with its origin dating back to 1601.   Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hue

Morning, transfer to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass). Enjoy a stunning headland-and-bay panoramic view from the pass, which for miles hugs the mountainside along the shoreline and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. On the way, you will stop to visit Museum of Cham Sculpture built in 1915 and housing the world’s most extensive collection of Cham ethnic sculpture artworksand the Marble Mountains, whose peaks represent the five basic elements of the universe. Afternoon, continue a full day Hoi An city tour to discover the charm of Hoi An as a renowned World Heritage Site. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Highlights for sightseeing include the town’s iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the local market vibrant with colors and activities. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hoian

Morning meet our guide at your hotel and transfer out to a local market. A guide from the local cooking school will take you on a tour through the market to learn about the ingredients to be used in your recipes. After the market, board a boat to ride along the Hoi An river for about 25 minutes, watching local fishermen casting nets as part of their daily routine. Arrive at a small township and walk to the cooking school. The class starts in an open-air pavilion by the river under the instruction of an experienced chef. Observe, practice, sample and bring out a good lunch cooked the local style to your own taste. Enjoy it yourself. Afternoon, leisure time for shopping. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hoian

Transfer to Airport in Danang for flight to Nhatrang/ Cam Ranh International airport. Arrive Nhatrang, welcome by our guide and transfer to hotel for check in and time at leisure. Afternoon, Spend half a day to discover the coastal city of Nha Trang, which is well known for its long pristine sandy beaches on the turquoise sea, which are ranked among the world’s best. Visit the Po Nagar Temple, which is a vestige of the ancient Cham Empire before the 17th Century, the Oceanography Institute, which showcases the local marine life’s diversity and the Hon Chong Promontory, which offers a unique seascape with the boulder-stacked shore. End the tour with a visit to Dam market which is the commercial center for local businesses and shopper. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Nhatrang

Morning, pick up at hotel, transfer to Cau Da port to start boat trip to visit Nha Trang bay, you can see the great landscape of over 19 island on Nha Trang Bay. We will visit Hon Mun Conserve Sea Creatures Zone. To explore the ocean bed, Mun island is one of the best places for diving. You will have the opportunity to see and touch numerous sea creatures and colourful fish, as well as admire the coral reefs. Continue to boat trip to Mot Island, Bai Tranh, enjoying the water sports such as: Jetski, parasailing, volley ball (pay by your self), boat trip to Tri Nguyen Aquarium. Lunch included. Ends of tour at 17.50pm Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Nhatrang

Mornign, transfer to Cam Ranh International Airport in Nhatrang for flight to Hochiminh city. Arrive in Hochiminh, welcome by our guide and transfer to hotel for check in and time at leisure. Afternoon, take a city tour to visit the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica a neo-Roman cathedral built by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles, the Saigon Central Post Office, which was designed and constructed in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel, Cho Lon area or the city’s China Town and the Jade Emperor Temple (Phuoc Hai), a rare Taoist structure in Vietnam built by the Cantonese community in the area in 1909. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hochiminh

Morning, welcome by our guide and transfer to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels in Cu Chi district, 75 km Northwest of downtown Ho Chi Minh City, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and later on Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate labyrinth-like network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaling over 120 km in length. Its complexity is beyond imagination containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches and emergency exits all aimed for guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Lunch at a local restaurant Afternoon, take a sightseeing tour of Ho Chi Minh City that includes the War Remnants Museum, which features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam War with the both the French and Americans, former Presidential Palace and Ben Thanh market. Meals: Breakfast Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hochiminh

Leisure time until transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City for departure