Impressions of Vietnam 9 days

In Brief:
    Day 1: Ho Chi Minh arrival
    Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City tour
    Day 3: Ho Chi Minh - My Tho - Ben Tre
    Day 4: Ho Chi Minh - Danang - Hoi An
    Day 5: Hoian - Hue
    Day 6: Hue city tour - Hanoi
    Day 7: Hanoi city tour
    Day 8: Hanoi - Halong
    Day 9: Hanoi departure
 
Detailed itinerary:
 
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City and arrival
Arrive at Tan Son Nhat airport. Welcome by our guide and driver. Transfer to your hotel. Take an orientation tour in the afternoon (if time permits).
Meal: N/A
Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh
 
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City tour
Have breakfast at the hotel. Start a sightseeing tour to
• The Reunification Palace: This is one of the most important buildings in the city. Here on April 30, 1975, what the Vietnamese refer to as the ‘American War' officially ended when tank number 843 of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of what was, at the time, the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam.
• War Remnants Museum: Formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, this is a poignant display of the futility of war. Some of the black and white photography in the ‘Requiem' exhibit is particularly touching, dedicated to both foreign and Vietnamese journalists and photographers who perished during the conflict. The exhibit includes the last shots these photographers had taken before their deaths. The courtyard outside contains the spoils of war, namely rusting jets, tanks and cannons captured from the American military machine.
• Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office: Built between 1877 and 1883 this is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture. Remarkably every stone used in its creation was shipped from France to Vietnam. The Old Post Office is another example of French colonial architecture and is also the country's largest post office.
• Ben Thanh Market: This bustling and well-organized market is very popular with tourists, primarily due to its central location. It has a wide selection of goods ranging from fake Nike shoes to beautiful silk Ao Dais.
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh
 
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh city - My Tho - Ben Tre
Pick up at hotel and transfer to My Tho. Take the experience boat through BaoDinh natural canal and see the stilt houses and the fruit plantation along the canal sides. Visit the My Tho wholesale fruit market. Proceed to the Tortoise Island. Lunch served in the heart of the orchard. Enjoy a boat ride through the Tan Thach natural canal in Ben Tre, cruising under the shadows of the water coconut trees. Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle. After trekking through the fruit plantation in Thoi Son Island, enjoy a rowing boat ride on the creeks before returning to My Tho. Return to Ho Chi Minh City.
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh
 
Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City - Danang - Hoi An
Have breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport from where you will board flight to Danang. Our guide and car pick you up and transfer to the hotel in Hoi An. In the afternoon, visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, the temples and pagodas built in Chinese style. 
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoian
 
Day 5: Hoian - Hue
Leave Hoian in the morning, drive northward to Hue over the 500m high Hai Van pass. From top of the pass, on nice days, you can enjoy the whole vista of Danang, the Tien Sa seaport, Son Tra Peninsula, Cham island and long sandy beaches. A stop at scenic beach of Lang Co for a drink before proceeds to Hue.
In the afternoon, visit the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945, and the ruins of the Purple Forbidden City.
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue
 
Day 6: Hue city tour - Hanoi
After breakfast,take the morning boat trip to visit the royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, Thien Mu pagoda and mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang, in a setting of gardens and lakes. Transfer to airport for boarding flight to Hanoi. Pick up at NoiBai airport and transfer to your hotel in center.Free at leisure and walking around in the Old Quarter.
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
 
Day 7: Hanoi city tour
We start tour tovisit Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts and the one Pillar pagoda,Tran Quoc pagoda and West Lake. Continue with the Temple of Literature - Vietnam's first university. In the afternoon, we visit Ethnology Museum and HoanKiem Lake, Ngoc Son temple.
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
 
Day 8: Hanoi - Halong
Depart for Halong via the Red River Delta. It takes around 3.5 hours arrive in Ha Long city and board the junk. A seafood lunch will be served on board while you are enjoying a four-hour cruise on the bay to visit the ThienCung cave (The cave of the heavenly - famous for its stalagmites and stalactites) which has been open to public since 1998. Visitors can then admire the newly-discovered DAU GO grotto (where wooden stakes were set deep inside the cave prior to a battle with an invading Mongol army). Return to Halong port. Road trip back to Hanoi.
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
 
Day 9: Hanoi - Depature
Free until transfer to NoiBai airport for departure. HOME SWEET HOME
Meal: Breakfast.

RATE:  This rates are quoted in US$ per person

Categories	From 1st Jan to 31st Dec 2016
	2 pax	4 pax	6 -8 pax	SS
Superior 3*	873	811	632	180
Deluxe 4*	1028	966	787	335
Luxury 5*	1223	1161	982	530
Child from 4 – 10 years old	75%

 
 
Includes:
-          Accommodation
-          Vietnam Visa Approval letter
-          Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
-          Private transportation by A/C car as itinerary
-          Cruise in Halong Bay
-          Domestic economy class flights (with Vietnam Airlines)
-          English speaking guide
-          Boat trip on Perfume River
-          Water & tissues
-          Entrance fees, boat trip, performance & excursions.
 
Excludes:
-          Travel insurance
-          International flights
-          Tipping and other personal expenses.