Splendid Vietnam at a Glance – 10 Day – Trip

Xin chao! Welcome to Hanoi! Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm and is followed by a group dinner at local restaurant. If you arrive before your tour begins there’s plenty to see and do. Consider booking the Hanoi Morning Highlights Urban Adventure, a wide-ranging tour with a local expert guide. This optional tour visits the Temple of Literature, stops by a traditional tea house, and takes you through the Hoa Lo Prison Memorial before concluding at Hoan Kiem Lake. Or maybe take it at your own pace and wander the Old Quarter to admire the city’s French-colonial architecture.

Optional Activities

• Hanoi - Women's Museum - 2$
• Hanoi - Museum of Ethnology - 5$
• Hanoi - Hanoi Highlights Urban Adventure - USD40
• Hanoi - Citadels, Karsts & Cycle Urban Adventure - USD80
• Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh Complex - 5$

Price of Entrance fee can be flexible at the time of arrival 

Meals Included

• Dinner

Travel by minibus to World Heritage-listed Halong Bay, which is dotted with sandy coves, grottoes and 1600 limestone islands formed over millennia by wind and water erosion (approximately 4 hours). Board a boat and cruise the bay, exploring Surprise Cave and perhaps even enjoying a swim from Ti Top Island Beach during the warmer months. Access to Surprise Cave is via staircases. Once inside the cave the pathways are a little uneven and slippery. To end the day, spend an evening aboard the boat beneath the night sky. 

Accommodation

• Overnight boat (1 night)

Included Activities

• Halong Bay - Overnight Boat Cruise
• Halong Bay - Cave entry

Optional Activities

• Halong Bay - Kayaking Tour - 20$

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Return by Junk to Halong Bay. At approximately midday, return to Hanoi by bus. Arrive late this afternoon and enjoy free time until tonight’s train voyage. Be sure to grab a bowl of pho while you’re in town and slurp down this local specialty made from broth, noodles and meat. Maybe chill by Hoan Kiem Lake until you board an overnight train to Hue this evening.

Accommodation

• Overnight sleeper train (1 night)

Meals Included

• Breakfast

Special Information

There are shared day use hotel rooms available this afternoon in Hanoi if you would like to freshen up before the overnight train. There is one room provided for up to six members of the group. Single supplements do not apply to day rooms.
Sleeper trains typically have four or six berth compartments with bench seats that convert into sleeping bunks. A sheet, pillow and blanket are provided, although some travelers prefer to bring their own sleeping sheet. Depending on the configuration of the group, you may have to share with people of different genders or passengers who aren’t part of the group. Your leader will coordinate this and give further information on the trip. Most trains have a dining carriage serving simple food but we recommend that you stock up on snacks and drinks before departure

Arrive in Hue at approximately 11 am and transfer to the hotel. Once the imperial capital of Vietnam, Hue holds the treasures of the country’s royal past. Enjoy free time in the morning to rest or explore. If you choose the latter (and who can blame you) the bustling Dong Ba Market is a great place to sample some of the specialties that once graced the Nguyen emperors' tables like banh khoai (royal rice cake). Reunite with the group to visit the war-damaged ruins of the Imperial Citadel, a sprawling city-within-a-city which contains the remains of temples, state houses and the emperor’s palace.

Accommodation

• Hotel (1 night)

Included Activities

• Hue - Imperial City entrance and guided visit

Meals Included

There are no meals included on this day.

See Hue like a local – from the back of a motorbike! Straddle the saddle and whiz around town with a local guide, taking in historic and contemporary sights along the way. Stop at Thanh Toan to see the 18th-century covered bridge and villagers shopping at their local market. Visit the 17th-century active Buddhist monastery of Thien Mu Pagoda and see the car that belonged to Thích Quang Duc, the monk who self-immolated in 1963 in protest against the treatment of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese regime. For lunch, savour a vegetarian feast in a nunnery. Finish at the lakeside royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc before heading back to town.

Accommodation

• Hotel (1 night)

Included Activities

• Hue - Royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc
• Hue - Highlights & back streets by motorbike
• Hue - Thien Mu Pagoda
• Hue - Motorbike Tour Lunch

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch

This morning travel by bus through coastal rice paddies and the spectacular Hai Van Pass (approximately 3 hours). After a photo stop en route, arrive into Hoi An. Recently declared a World Heritage site, Hoi An was a major international trading port during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Today, parts of the beautifully-preserved town retain the feel of centuries past. It's also a shopping mecca, famous for its plethora of tailors. On arrival your leader will take you on a sightseeing walk through the Old Town to visit a handful of the city's major attractions. You’ll also be given a sightseeing pass so you can further explore select attractions at your leisure.

Accommodation

• Hotel (1 night)

Included Activities

• Hoi An - Old Town walking tour

Optional Activities

• Hoi An - Hoi An Boat & Bike with Sunset BBQ Urban Adventure - USD54

Meals Included

• Breakfast

Today is a free day to explore Hoi An. Maybe browse the cobbled streets and art galleries or hire a bike and cycle through rice paddies out to Cua Dai Beach. Maybe browse for paintings, ceramics and colorful cloth lanterns in the town’s markets and preserved Chinese shophouses. If you’re craving a new look, you could pay a visit to one of the hundreds of tailors and get something special made. Hoi An is also known for its delicious regional food, so be sure to enjoy a meal at a riverside restaurant or perhaps partake in a cooking class.

Accommodation

• Hotel (1 night)

Optional Activities

• Hoi An - My Son Cham tour (entrance fee, guide and transport included) 
• Hoi An - Food Adventure Urban Adventure 
• Hoi An - Hoi An Walking & Cooking Class Urban Adventure 

Meals Included

• Breakfast

Today take a short, early morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City (approximately 1.5 hours). Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City has a fascinating history and is arguably Vietnam’s capital of commerce and culture. After landing, take a sightseeing tour around the city by bus. Pass the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Opera House, then stop in at the War Remnants Museum to discover some of the sobering stories of the 20-year-long Vietnam/American War.

Accommodation

• Hotel (1 night)

Included Activities

• Ho Chi Minh City - War Remnants Museum
• Ho Chi Minh City - City tour

Optional Activities -Excluded

• Ho Chi Minh City - Reunification Palace 
• Ho Chi Minh City - A O show 
• Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon Street Food by Night Urban Adventure 

Meals Included

• Breakfast

This morning head out on a day trip to explore the Mekong Delta. Board a private boat to Ben Tre to visit the coconut gardens and stop at a local home to sample tropical fruits and coconut jams. Afterwards, paddle in sampans (small rowing boats) past coconut trees along the Mekong Delta. Take a tuk-tuk tour around the villages and learn about rural life and the industry created around coconut products like brooms and coconut fibre mats. Eat lunch at a restaurant in the heart of the Delta, sampling regional specialties such as the famous elephant ear fish. Cruise the major waterways to Ben Tre boat pier, then return by bus to Ho Chi Minh City. This evening, perhaps head out to sample some local specialties as a final farewell with your fellow travellers and leader.

Accommodation

• Hotel (1 night)

Included Activities

• Mekong Delta - Mekong Delta Day Trip & Village Tuk-Tuk Tour
• Mekong Delta - Lunch

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch

There are no activities included and you’re free to depart your accommodation at any time as long as you comply with check out time. If you would like to spend some more time in Ho Chi Minh City, we’re happy to organize additional accommodation (subject to availability). Ask your group leader or booking agent for more recommendations or help booking an Urban Adventure if you plan to stay.

Optional Activities

• Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi Tunnel Experience Urban Adventure - USD40

Meals Included

• Breakfast