Best Of VietNam 12 Days

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh Arrival. (D)

Welcome to Vietnam’s bustling, vibrant and financial hub: Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, meet your tour guide and driver and transfer to your hotel in the city center. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure to recover from jet lag and explore the city on your own. In the evening, savor a welcome dinner at the Award Winning Mandarin Restaurant.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City Tour – Cu Chi Tunnels (B).

This morning, after breakfast, you visit the War Remnants Museum, learn about Vietnam’s recent history at the Reunification Palace, visit the nearby neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral and the City’s Centre Post Office before passing by the ornate Opera Theatre and the City Hall. End up at the Ben Thanh Market, where vendors display a vast array of goods and handicrafts, appealing to every taste.

After lunch, you leave Ho Chi Minh city on an afternoon excursion for Cu Chi. The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground labyrinth of passageways, used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or “American War” as it’s referred to here) as protection against American air raids. Those inclined, are invited to crawl through sections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime.

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Delta (Cai Be) – Ho Chi Minh (B)

Today you travel to the Mekong River Delta on a day trip to explore the rich culture and lush alluvial landscape. After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and take you to Cai Be.

Board your private sampan to visit Cai Be’s colorful floating market, passing by a beautiful cathedral. Proceed to view local cottage industries, home factories to see how rice paste, rice cookies and coconut candies are made, along with the longan fruit drying process and an excursion to the evergreen islands in the middle of the meandering canals. Enjoy a delicious lunch served at an Indochine Villa in the cool shade of fruit orchards.

Take a short leisurely walk to Ba Bon Bridge where your driver will pick you up and transfer you back to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh.

Day 4: Ho Chi Minh – Nha Trang (B)

After breakfast, you are free until midday when your driver transfers you to the airport for a northwards flight to the beach city of Nha Trang. Upon arrival at Cam Ranh Airport, meet your tour guide and driver.

Visit the ancient Po Nagar Cham Tower, Long Son Pagoda the Alexander Yersin Museum, the XQ workshop where exquisite handmade embroideries can be seen, and Dam Market. Check into the Evason Ana Mandara Resort, situated on a beautiful stretch of beach and boasting over 20,000 square meters of tropical gardens overlooking the sea, one of Vietnam’s most desirable seaside locations. Enjoy the rest of the day, spending your free time on the beach. Modern fine dining cuisine is available at the resort for your evening meal.

Day 5: Nha Trang – Excursion to nearby islands – Spa Session (B)

You begin your day enjoying an international breakfast buffet. A morning boat trip on Nha Trang Bay will follow, visiting some of the nearby islands where you will have the opportunity to swim and snorkel in the warm turquoise waters. After a fresh seafood lunch, you return to the shore. In the afternoon, explore Nha Trang at your own pace.

Do not miss a 90 minute pampering treatment at the Ana Mandara’s exquisite “Six Senses Spa”, located alongside the beach in a coconut plantation and setting new standards in spa design with the use of natural tones, traditional Vietnamese style and water elements (Sensory Spa Journey package – The Soul of Six Senses).

Day 6: Nha Trang – Fly to Danang – Hoian (B)

Following your hotel breakfast, today you take a short flight to Danang. On arrival, your driver will meet you and transfer you to “The Nam Hai” – a magnificent resort set amidst lush landscape on the edge of the East Sea. It is located along a one kilometer stretch of pristine white sands beach on Vietnam’s Central Coast, “The Nam Hai” offers a luxuriant tropical setting conducive to rest and relaxation.

Day 7: Hoian Walking Tour – Boat trip (B)

Enjoy your breakfast and then immerse yourself in the tranquility and charm of this sleepy riverside town. From the 16th to 18th centuries Hoian was a thriving international port frequented by Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders, who came to trade in the high quality silk, still produced in the region.

Today, Hoian is a relaxing resort town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, skilled tailors and numerous cafes. Take a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the ancient town centre, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year old Tam Ky ancestral house and the famous Japanese Bridge. After lunch, a short boat trip takes you to a nearby island where you visit a handicraft village specializing in ceramics. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 8: Hoian – Free at leisure (B)

Today you are free, at your leisure.

An optional tour is a visit to Myson – the Holy Land of the lost Champa Kingdom or an Eco-excursion to the countryside are available. Please contact our travel consultants for more details.

Day 9: Hoian – Danang – Fly to Hanoi (B)

After breakfast at your hotel you are driven to Danang airport to catch a morning flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, your driver and guide will meet you in the arrival lounge of Noi Bai airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. Check in at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel, an award-winning French colonial-style hotel located in the heart of Hanoi.

In the afternoon enjoy a cyclo tour through the Old Quarter’s narrow streets lined with French colonial buildings. You may choose to have a gourmet dinner at Le Beaulieu Restaurant – the home of fine French food, with gastronomic cooking, regular regional specialties, an epic cheese board and an extensive wine list.

Day 10: Hanoi City Tour (B)

Today you have a full day to explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Your city tour will take you to Hanoi’s key sites: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and stilt house), the Presidential Palace, the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Temple of Literature; West Lake including the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple; and one of the city’s museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum). Later in the afternoon, enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance –

another unique Vietnamese art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture.
You are free in the evening.

Day 11: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on cruise (B, L, D)

AM: Be picked up at your hotel from 8:00am.for a 3.5 hour bus ride through the country side of the Red River Delta to Ha Long City. Upon arrival, board the Halong Phoenix Cruiser. A fresh seafood lunch (vegetable menu available) will be served while the boat is setting sail.

PM: Prepare for a fun kayaking experience in this area while absorbing the stunning vista of the serene bay. Experience a short tender ride from the middle of the bay to Ti Top island where you can relax on the beach or walk up to the top of the island for the panoramic view of the anchorage area. Return to the Halong Phoenix Cruiser, as the sun sets over the bay and relax on the sundeck with your favorite drink. Dinner is served with delicious local seafood.

Overnight is on board.

Day 12: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Departure (B, L)

AM: Rise early and witness a breathtaking sunrise from the sundeck. Enjoy your buffet breakfast before visiting one of the most beautiful cave in Halong – Amazing Cave. Return to the boat and learn about the recipe and techniques that go into creating the most popular dish of the Vietnamese. Lunch will be served while cruising back to the harbor.

PM: Your bus is waiting at the harbor port to take you back to Hanoi.

Transfer to Noi Bai airport for your departure flight. Good bye & Safe travels!