Essential Highlights of Vietnam 8 Days

You will be greeted at the HCMC airport and transferred to your hotel. You have much appreciated leisure time beforea private afternoon tour of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. It is the largest and busiest city in Vietnamwith a population of 7 million people and much of daily life takes place on the streets, which are lined with shops, stallsand vendors with their wares spread out on the footpath. You will want to explore bustling Ben Thanh Market, the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace.

You will have an overnight stay in HCMC.

Depart from Saigon for the 1.5hr drive to Ben Tre, situated in the Mekong River Delta, exchanging city scenes for lush rice paddies and fruit farms. At the pier, embark on a fascinating motorboat excursion past stilt houses, fish farms and scenes of countryside living. Arrive at Turtle Island, and sample freshly picked fruit and coconut milk while interacting with a local farming family. Visit a family-run coconut candy workshop, utilizing Ben Tre’s famous coconuts. Explore more of the Delta from a rowing sampan through a network of small canals. Enjoy country hospitality as you sip a cup of honey tea while taking in a traditional folk song performance. A local lunch of local specialties will be served at the town of My Tho before returning to Saigon in mid-afternoon.

NOTES:

• Suggested departure time: 08:30
• Tour duration: 8.5 hours

You will transfer to the airport for a flight to Danang on Vietnam Airlines. Upon arrival at Danang you will be greeted by ourguide who will begin by escorting you on a tour of Danang City, including the Cham Museum where you can find out moreabout this ancient but advanced civilization. After leaving Danang you will make your way to the Marble Mountains, where there will be the opportunity to climb to thetop and admire the temples that have a commanding view over the surrounding district. You will continue to the delightfultown of Hoi An, approximately 30 km away. Once in Hoi An, you will check into your hotel and have some free leisure timebefore an overnight stay in Hoi An.

From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in the high grade silk which is still produced in the area,as well as ceramics.

Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerouscafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century. You will enjoy ahalf-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the ChineseAssembly Halls, the 200-year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. You will have free time in the afternoonbefore another overnight stay in Hoi An.

You will next head to the colonial capital city Hanoi, a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonialarchitecture, peaceful lakes and oriental pagodas and temples. You will have free time before an optional cyclo ride aroundthe old quarter before dinner at a super restaurant in the French Quarter. Later, you will enjoy a traditional Vietnamesewater puppet show before an overnight stay in Hanoi.

This full day tour will take you around Hanoi's most interesting sights, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, Ho Chi Minh'sMausoleum and his Stilts House, the Presidential Palace, the One Pillar Pagoda nearby and the Old Quarter, known for itsmaze of 36 streets and former craft guilds.

Also on the tour, you'll find the Lake of the Restored Sword, Ngoc Son Temple, the Temple of Literature, peaceful WestLake, lover's street Thanh Nien, the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda, Quan Thanh Temple and one of the city's best museums,either the History Museum or the Ethnology Museum. You will stay overnight in Hanoi.

In the morning you will drive to Halong Bay City, approximately 3 hours away. Once at Halong Bay City you will bewelcomed on board for a four hour cruise on the stunning bay, stopping along the way to visit one of the limestone caves inthe area. As you are cruising, the boat crew will serve you a sumptuous local seafood lunch. Afterwards, you'll sail back tothe harbor and rejoin your car back to head back to Hanoi for the night.

There is no activity planned for today, so you are free to go souvenir shopping until transfer to the airport for your onwardflight.