Vietnam
17 days 16 nights
Places visited: HO CHI MINH - VUNG TAU - DA NANG - HOI AN - HUE - QUANG TRI - hA NOI - DIEN BIEN PHU - HA LONG
ITINERARY
Vietnam - 17 days 16 nights
DAY 1: HO CHI MINH – Arrival
Upon arrival Tan Son Nhat airport, after clearing all customs procedures, please proceed to exit gate and look for your guide who will be waiting at the lobby, holding the signboard with your name on it. Meet and transfer to your hotel.
The rest of day is free at leisure.
Meal: none
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.
DAY 2: HO CHI MINH – CITY TOUR B
Start the day with a tour of Old Saigon's streets and its iconic buildings, including the Opera House, Central Post Office and Thien Hau Pagoda. Visit sites from wartime Saigon, starting at the Reunification Palace, site of the symbolic ending of the war in 1975, before visiting War Remnant's Museum for a vivid perspective of the American War through the eyes of the Vietnamese. (Please note that some of the displays are very graphic.)
Finish the trip with a cocktail at the rooftop bar of the Rex Hotel, where press reports were delivered. Those in-the-know renamed it as the Five O'Clock Follies.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.
DAY 3: HO CHI MINH – LONG TAN BATTLEFIELD B, L
Depart Saigon and drive 2hrs towards Ba Ria - Vung Tau, and visit the Long Tan Memorial Cross, located in the tranquil surrounds of the rubber plantations. Take a moment to reflect on the Battle of Long Tan (1966), arguably the best-known battle fought by the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. Stop by the former 1st Australian Task Force Base at Nui Dat which is now a clearing surrounded by rubber plantations. Travel on to Long Phuoc to see the vestiges of a former wartime tunnel complex.
Our tour continues to a viewing point from which you can see Horseshoe Hill from afar (off limits to visitors), a strategic observation outpost established by Australian forces. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Ho Chi Minh city.
Meal: breakfast, lunch
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh
DAY 4: HO CHI MINH – CU CHI TUNNELS – TAY NINH B
Depart Ho Chi Minh to visit the Cu Chi tunnels, and continue on to Tay Ninh, home to the Cao Dai Religion. On the way back to Saigon we can stop at Trang Bang Village, the location where the 'Girl in the Picture', was taken by AP Photographer Nick Ut. The picture, showing the effects of Napalm shocked the world, but the girl survived and now lives in Canada.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh
DAY 5: HO CHI MINH – DA NANG – HOI AN B
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flight to Da Nang.
On arrival, pick up and transfer to Marble Mountain, the former Marble Mountain Air facility on the way to Hoi An.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Hoi An
DAY 6: HOI AN – TRA QUE VEGETABLE VILLAGE & WALKING TOUR B, L
Cycle across the Vietnamese countryside to Tra Que and meet the local people. Explore the narrow lanes of UNESCO World Heritage listed Hoi An, a well-preserved former trading port, and learn more about its most famous buildings including the Japanese Covered Bridge, Assembly Hall of the Chinese and Tan Ky's House.
Meal: breakfast, lunch
Overnight in Hoi An
DAY 7: HOI AN – MY LAI VILLAGE B
This full day tour takes you to the rural town of Quang Ngai, located in an area of Vietnam that saw some of the heaviest fighting. Visit the sobering memorial to the people of My Lai village, over 500 of whom were massacred in the war. Head to Quang Ngai City and pass by the Chu Lai Airport, originally a Marine Corps base.
Meal: breakfast, lunch
Overnight in Hoi An
DAY 8: HOI AN – HUE B, L
Depart Hoi An and travel to My Khe Beach with its massive new resort developments, then to Nam O beach (Red Beach), where the Marines first landed in 1965. Then across the spectacular Hai Van Pass (with French fortification ruins).
Set menu lunch in Hue. This afternoon we take a relaxing cruise up the beautiful Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Tu Duc Tombs returning to Hue.
Meal: breakfast, lunch
Overnight in Hue
DAY 9: HUE B
This morning we tour the city south of the Perfume river – especially sites of fighting in the 1968 Tet Offensive.
A short bus ride to the Unesco Listed Citadel, to explore scenes of the fighting North of the Perfume river followed by a set menu lunch in the citadel. After lunch back to your hotel.
The rest of the day is yours for more sightseeing by foot or shopping.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Hue
DAY 10: HUE – DMZ – QUANG TRI B, L box
Explore the DMZ on the 17th Parallel, cross Ben Hai River and see the site of the most ferocious fighting of the Vietnam War. Visit Vinh Moc and explore the tunnels lived in by nearly 60 families. Return to Hue by the late afternoon. A picnic lunch at Tung beach.
Meal: breakfast, lunch box
Overnight in Quang Tri
DAY 11: DONG HA – ROUTE 9 – KHE SANH – DAKRONG BRIDGE – A SHAU VALLEY – HUE B, L
Explore Highway 9 and the Ho Chi Minh Trail, start at Khe Sanh Combat Base, go across Dakrong Bridge and head South along the spectacular Da Krong and A Shau Valleys – Route 14 to “Hamburger Hill” near A Luoi.
A photo stop to view “Hamburger Hill” from a distance. Subject to weather & road conditions we may be able to drive to the base of Hamburger Hill.
Set Menu Lunch en route with a bathroom stop in A Luoi town.
Afternoon: return to Hue on Route 49 built by US engineers during the war.
Meal: breakfast, lunch
Overnight in Hue
DAY 12: HUE – HA NOI B
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for short flight to Hanoi.
On arrival, pick up and transfer to your hotel.
In late afternoon, take a short walking tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi and enjoy water puppet show.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Hanoi
DAY 13: HA NOI – CITY TOUR B
Today embark on a city tour with your driver and guide. Visit Ho Chi Minh ‘s former home, the Temple of Literature which is the first university of Vietnam, and the Army Museum which features the tank that breached the Palace gates in Saigon in 1975. Here, we’ll sit in on a narrated documentary on the Battle of Dien Bien Phu prior to our visit next days. The display shows video footage and uses animated light displays on a diorama to show the forces positions.
In the afternoon, visit Hoa Lo Prison (the “Hanoi Hilton).
The rest of the day is free at leisure for your own exploration the Old quarter and its markets.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Hanoi
DAY 14: HA NOI – DIEN BIEN PHU B
Transfer to Hanoi Airport for short flight to Dien Bien Phu
On arrival we will be transferred from the airport to your hotel.
We will then travel 20kms approx into the mountainous hinterland to visit General Vo Giap’s Bunker from which he conducted the battle for Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
Round trip is approx. 3 hours.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Dien Bien Phu
DAY 15: DIEN BIEN PHU – HANOI B
Today visit some sites which include Vietnam’s largest cast bronze statue celebrating the victory VM over the French, the Dien Bien Phu Museum and Diorama, the Cemetery, Hill A1 which saw the heaviest fighting, the French Memorial and the French Commander Christian de Castres’ Bunker where the French surrendered.
Following the trip, transfer to the airport for short flight to Hanoi.
On arrival, pick up and transfer to your hotel.
Meal: breakfast
Overnight in Hanoi
DAY 16: HANOI – HALONG BAY B, L, D
In the morning, leave Hanoi for Halong Bay, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site with its 3,000 islands of towering limestone dotting the bay and Gulf of Tonkin.
Arrive at noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After a welcome onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.
Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Overnight on Halong Bay.
Distances and journey time:
Ninh Binh - Halong: 3.5hrs
DAY 17: HALONG BAY – HANOI – DEPARTURE B
Early in the morning and depending on the season, you will wake up to enjoy the sunrise over the aquamarine waters of the bay. Breakfast is served on board (brunch on some boats) while the cruise will tour around the bay until you disembark at the end of the morning then transferred back to Hanoi airport for your onward flight.
Policy & services
Accommodation in a shared twin or shared double room
Meals as mentioned (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
English or French speaking guide (for other languages and a national guide supplements apply)
Tours and transfers as mentioned by private air conditioned vehicle
Entrance fees for mentioned visits
Boat trip as mentioned in the itinerary
Other meals than mentioned
Other services than mentioned
International and domestic Flights
Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature
Tips, Travel insurance
We strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance (covering emergency medical evacuation) for trips to Vietnam.
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