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Vietnam Highlights: South to North |
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10 Days / 9 Nights in Ho Chi Minh City – My Tho – Da Nang – Hoi An – Hue – Ha Noi – Sa Pa – Bac Ha – Ha Long Bay – Ha Noi |
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Tour Overview
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From South to North, this tour leaves no stone unturned: from the small tributaries and tree-lined canals you’ll cruise in the Mighty Mekong Delta to the awe-inspiring limestone rock formations and turquoise waters of Ha Long Bay. Join in the fun of bustling Ho Chi Minh City and be enriched by imperial Hue and quaint Hoi An, both beautiful and historically significant. In the North, see and understand Ha Noi’s war-torn history, colonial legacy and old-world culture. Finally, you’ll be won over by the countryside and traditions of Vietnam’s hill-tribe people; and glimpse Indochina’s highest peak, Fan Si Pan, just a stone’s throw from China. |
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Vietnam Highlights
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• Soak up the history and excitement of two of South East Asia’s great cities – Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City
• Sail through the magical and breathtaking landscape of Ha Long Bay
• Weave your way down small tributaries, across rivers in ferryboats, and past quaint hamlets in the Mekong Delta
• Visit and meet the rich and colorful ethnic minority people or ‘Montagnards’ in and around Sa Pa
• Immerse yourself in the art, history and architecture of Hoi An Old Town
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Detailed Itinerary
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DAY 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (no meals included) |
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| HO CHI MINH CITY: This modern metropolis has everything you need from chic hotels, bars and restaurants to bustling markets and street life. From its glory days as a major French colonial city to its war-torn past, today Ho Chi Minh City – formerly known as Saigon – is a thriving Vietnamese city. They say people make the place and city folk don’t get much friendlier than the Saigonese.
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| Your friendly guide will meet you at Tan Son Nhat airport and take you to your hotel. Optional afternoon tour or rest at your leisure. Embark on a tour around Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and you’ll visit some grand buildings and historical sites such as the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Municipal Post Office. Sightsee around the city’s Chinatown district, known as Cho Lon, and you’ll glimpse beautiful pagodas and stop off at the Thien Hau Temple and the Binh Tay Market. Later visit a lacquer ware workshop. Overnight in HCMC.
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DAY 2: Excursion to My Tho (breakfast/lunch included) |
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MY THO: The gateway to the Mekong Delta, this sleepy town lies on the north bank of the River’s northernmost branch. My Tho has strong commercial roots and a thriving market place dating back to its history of migration: Chinese escaping Formosa – now Taiwan – and ethnic Vietnamese established the town in the 17th century when they first made inroads into the Khmer-dominated Mekong Delta. The region is rich and fertile, largely cultivated and produces enough rice for the entire country, and then some!
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| AM: Take an entire day to visit the Mighty Mekong! When you arrive in My Tho, visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, then take a boat cruise on the Mekong River through small tree-lined canals and past quaint river hamlets. On your cruise, you’ll visit bountiful fruit orchards, a small coconut candy factory and a honey beekeeper’s house.
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| PM: Stop off on a river island for a sumptuous lunch. Return to HCMC in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight. Hit the town to discover why this city is fast becoming one of Asia’s best cities for wining and dining. Or have a beer out on the street in a downtown “bia hoi” (fresh beer on tap) with the locals.
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DAY 3: Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang - Hoi An (breakfast included) |
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HOI AN: Hoi An was a thriving port city during the Middle Ages and reached its zenith as an international seaport for British, European and Asian sea merchants and traders from the 16th to 19th centuries. Today Hoi An Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an inimitable blend of quaint colonial building facades, small Chinese pagodas, hidden alleyways and an old-world charm all of its own. It’s hard not to be won over by Hoi An, especially once you learn that it’s Vietnam’s one-stop-shop for all your tailoring needs.
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AM: You’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Da Nang. Da Nang is essentially an industrial city but the region is home to much of Vietnam’s ancient Champa history, a kingdom dating back to the 4th century and dedicated to Hindu gods. Visit the Cham Museum and then the Marble Mountains, where hundreds of sculptors make giant statues, from majestic lions to awe-inspiring Buddhas, and from all different colors and grades of marble and other stone.
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PM: Travel overland to Hoi An. After checking in, you can wander through the peaceful Old Town to see low-tiled houses from the Chinese merchant era, the Japanese covered bridge and the town’s myriad brightly painted pagodas and temples such as the Phung Hung ancient house. In the evening you’ll have time to shop and discover the town’s beautiful bars, restaurants and art shops.
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DAY 4: Hoi An - Hue (breakfast included) |
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HUE: Majestic Hue, located in Central Vietnam, was once the country’s imperial capital, and today is still at the very heart of Vietnamese culture. From 1802 to 1945, Hue was home to the famous Nguyen Dynasty Emperors who made Hue a cultural and political center:- that legacy remains today with imperial palaces, stately buildings and grand mausoleums. Hue is also renowned for its traditional music, Nha Nhac.
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AM: You’ll depart for Hue, traveling overland past some of Vietnam’s most spectacular scenery – the white sand and pristine waters of Lang Co Beach and Hai Van Pass, where the mountains meet the sea and green hills and valleys roll effortlessly into the aqua-marine water.
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PM: Once arriving in Hue, you’ll take a tour to the Hue Imperial Citadel, which was established as Vietnam’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. It includes ramparts, gates, a moat, a palace and temple, and the Forbidden Purple City, reserved solely for the emperor. Stop by the Dong Ba Markets on the way home. For dinner, try some of Hue’s famed culinary specialties such as “Bun Bo”, a special beef noodle soup.
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DAY 5: Hue - Hanoi (breakfast included) |
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AM: Get ready for an adventurous boat trip along the Perfume River – the city’s picturesque waterway – to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, perched high on the river banks, and then onto the royal mausoleum of Minh Mang, one of the Nguyen emperors. Past glories can be contemplated in the tranquil gardens of the tombs.
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PM: Transfer to the airport for your flight to Ha Noi. You’ll be greeted upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport and taken to your hotel for check-in. Later, you can relax or take a leisurely walk or ride on a cyclo through Ha Noi’s bustling ancient merchant’s area, known as the Old Quarter. Opportunities abound for sampling local food and drinks, or if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can indulge in some oriental shopping or simply burrow into every nook and cranny of this dynamic district.
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DAY 6: Hanoi - Lao Cai - Train (breakfast included) |
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HA NOI: Ha Noi is not just Vietnam’s elegant capital city, today it stands as a testament to its war-torn past and has a rich and complex culture. Nestled in the heart of the Red River delta, Ha Noi is a city of beautiful lakes, temples and pagodas.
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AM: First up, you’ll visit the historical, religious and architectural sites of Ha Noi including the History Museum, Tran Quoc Pagoda and the ancient Quan Thanh Temple. Then take a stroll through the grand courtyards and gardens of the 11th century Temple of Literature, home to a Confucian sanctuary and Vietnam’s first ever university. Later, breathe in the splendor and richness of the city on the banks of the peaceful Hoan Kiem lake. The lake and its sacred Ngoc Son Temple are steeped in legend of Vietnam’s overthrow of Chinese rule.
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PM: An afternoon cyclo ride around the French quarter will confirm the strong colonial legacy of this town, once dubbed the “Paris of the Orient”. Later you’ll marvel at the unique Vietnamese tradition of water puppetry, where puppeteers gracefully and humorously tell pastoral fables a la Punch and Judy! Tonight, your guide will take you to Ha Noi’s Tran Quy Cap railway station to depart on the night train to Lao Cai around 10.00pm. Train accommodation includes a comfortable soft sleeper in a cabin of 4 passengers.
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DAY 7: Bac Ha - Sapa (no meals included) |
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SA PA: This former French hill resort, built in 1922, is filled with picture-perfect mountain views – often shrouded in mist – and diverse and colorful ethnic minority hill-tribe communities. Minority villages dot the landscape like distant boats at sea; and terraced rice paddies along sheer hillsides give the impression of a giant sculpted garden.
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AM: Wake up early to glimpse life spanning the train tracks among verdant rice paddies as you inch your way north into Vietnam’s most spectacular mountain scenery. Upon arrival in Lao Cai, you’ll travel overland to visit Bac Ha town, a less touristy version of Sa Pa and famed for its ethnic minority communities, montagnard markets and alcoholic brews like rice wine and corn liquor.
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PM: Continue on to Sa pa. The drive snakes through hillside villages and ends with a spectacular view looking down over terraced rice paddies. Sa Pa lies at the foot of the Hoang Lien mountain range, with glimpses of Mount Fan Si Pan, the highest peak in Southeast Asia at 3,143 m. Spend the afternoon soaking up the vista and charming atmosphere. You’ll no doubt be greeted by loquacious Black H’mong girls who speak near-fluent English from their contact with foreigners!
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DAY 8: Sapa - Lao Cai - Train (breakfast included) |
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AM: Take a tour to visit some of Sa Pa’s natural and cultural treasures, including the ‘Thac Bac” or Silver waterfalls and the Sa Pa market, where you’ll see ethnic minority peoples in all their color and light, especially the Red Dao, wearing bright red headdresses and silver trinkets.
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PM: Free time to explore the town and its vicinity. Then you’ll be driven back to the Lao Cai railway station to take the night train back to Ha Noi, departing at 9.00pm. Overnight in a soft sleeper cabin.
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DAY 9: Hanoi - Ha Long (breakfast/lunch included)
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HA LONG BAY: One of the world’s great natural phenomena and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Ha Long means “the dragon descending to the sea”. Here turquoise seas are peppered with some 3000 limestone islands that nature has beaten into the most incredible of shapes, jutting out like precious jewels. Today many islands are home to secret inlets, grottos and caves.
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AM: After arriving in Ha Noi, you’ll overland to Ha Long Bay via the Dong Trieu Pottery workshop, where you’ll see artisans at work.
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PM: It doesn’t get much better than this: cruise the splendid Ha Long Bay all afternoon and visit two grottos, Thien Cung and Dau Go. Have a delicious lunch on board while soaking up panoramic views of the amazing limestone formations; often shaped like animals or mythical creatures. If the weather permits, dive in for a swim at Titop beach. Overnight in a hotel in Ha Long Bay.
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DAY 10: Ha Long - Hanoi - Departure (breakfast included) |
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AM: After breakfast and a last look at the stunning views, you’ll overland back to Ha Noi, then transfer to your hotel or the airport for departure.
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