Day 1: Arrive Hanoi (D)
Arrive in Hanoi. Airport welcome by CheapVietnamTours guides with signboard. Transfer to hotel in air-conditioned coach while luggage is taken care of by porters and transported separately. Welcome banner on arrival at hotel and welcome cocktail while checking-in. A welcome gift is left in each room. Dinner at the hotel. (The first day’s programme can be arranged according to arrival time of group in Hanoi). Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi (B, L, D)
Leave the hotel after breakfast for a morning of sightseeing around Hanoi which includes the
One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the former Governor of Indochina’s Palace,
Ho Chi Minh’s home and a 20-minute tour of the 36 streets of the famous Old Quarter by cyclo,
the Vietnamese version of the rickshaw. Lunch is at Seasons of Hanoi. In the afternoon visit the
11th century Temple of Literature, the Lake of the Restored Sword, Ngoc Son Temple and Quan Thanh Temple. Transfer back to the hotel. Around 20:00 transfer to the Hanoi Press Club, one of the capital’s top restaurants for dinner. Transfer back to the hotel after dinner.
Day 3: Hanoi - Ha Long - Hanoi (B, L, D)
Ha Long Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin, covers an area of 1500 square km. With more than a thousand limestone peaks soaring from its crystalline emerald water this area is one of the natural wonders of Vietnam and now one of four World Heritage listed sites in Vietnam. Visitors have constantly marveled at Halong Bays natural beauty. The tiny islands are dotted with innumerable beaches and grottoes created by the wind and the waves that make a excellent backdrop for swimming or just lazing about on the boat deck. 8:00 departure. Enjoy the interesting 3.5 hour drive to Ha Long city. Arrive in Ha Long city. Lunch. Then take a private boat trip about 4hrs journey. Cruise through the emerald waters between the limestone outcrops and long corridors, visit THIEN CUNG cave (the cave of the heavenly palace - famous for its stalagmites and stalactites) the cave has only opened to the public since 1998. A short way visit the newly discovered DAU GO grotto (wooden stakecave-where in 1288 one of Vietnamese most famous Generals Tran Hung Dao amassed hundreds of stakes deep inside the cave prior to a battle with an invading Mongol army). Back to Halong city where your minibus will be waiting for you to take you back to Hanoi. 20h30 Arrive in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 4: Hanoi - Danang - Hoi An - Danang (B, L, D)
After breakfast in the hotel transfer to Noi Bai Airport for the short flight to Danang in the centre of Vietnam. Guests are welcomed by CheapVietnamTours guides on arrival in Danang and transferred directly to the Cham Museum. The luggage is taken care of by porters and transferred separately to the hotel. After visiting the Cham Museum, which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world, transfer to the charming historic town and former trading port of Hoi An. Lunch is in a typical local restaurant, the Pho Hoi Garden. On leaving Hoi An transfer to the Furama Resort, one of Vietnam’s premier beach resorts. Dinner is by the resort pool overlooking the East Sea.
Day 5: Danang - Hue - Danang (B, L, D)
Leave the hotel after breakfast and transfer by air-conditioned coach over the spectacular Pass of Ocean Clouds to Hue. Hue is the former imperial capital of Vietnam from which the Nguyen Dynasty of emperors ruled from 1802 till 1945. Take a boat trip on the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and then re-join the coach to visit the elaborate mausoleum of former emperor Tu Duc. Lunch is in the Hoa Mai Restaurant followed by a tour of the Imperial Citadel. Transfer back to Danang and the Furama Resort for an evening BBQ Beach Party.
Day 6: Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, D)
After breakfast transfer to Danang Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. The luggage is taken care
of by porters and transferred separately to the airport. Guests are welcomed by CheapVietnamTours guides on arrival in Ho Chi Minh City and transferred directly to the hotel. A morning city tour visit two fine examples of French colonial architecture, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office. After lunch at the excellent Mandarin Restaurant, the city tour continues to Cholon, the city’s Chinatown, with a visit to Thien Hau Pagoda and Binh Tay Market. At Binh Tay Market, the largest in Ho Chi Minh City, there is 30 minutes free time for shopping. Leaving Chinatown, visit a lacquer ware factory and finish the afternoon with a visit to the restored city theatre and a stroll down Dong Khoi Street, the fashionable Rue Catinat of old Saigon. Transfer back to the hotel. In the evening transfer to the Binh An Village for a very special farewell dinner. The Binh An Village has been built in the style of a traditional village and is set in beautiful tropical gardens on the banks of the Saigon River.Dinner isalfresco in the large gardens with entertainment provided by a martial arts display anda jazz band. After dinner, there is more jazz with a private performance by the owner, who is a well-known singer. During the evening a farewell gift of a traditional oriental marble stamp engraved with the guests initials is left in each hotel room. Transfer back to the hotel after dinner.
Day 7: Depart from Ho Chi Minh City (B)
After breakfast a fleet of microbuses and guides will be available outside the hotel for guests who would like to do some last minute shopping. Transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for onward flight by air-conditioned coach while luggage is taken care of by porters and transported separately to the airport for check-in. CheapVietnamTours can arrange additional customized trips for you if the above itinerary does not match your expectations. |
