VIETNAM HA LONG BAY TO MEKONG DELTA 13 DAYS FROM $2,995 US Details below or
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With the Ha Long Bay to Mekong Delta Tour of Vietnam, you'll set on an exotic and luxurious journey into the heart of Indochina and explore the world of ancient cultural traditions and experience some of the most mesmerizing scenery in the world: from French-influenced Hanoi and Saigon, which has figured so prominently in recent history and is now a spirited and cosmopolitan city to imperial Hue, once home to emperors and mandarins and the atmospheric royal village of Hoi An. See thousands of limestone islands as you sail on Ha Long Bay in a luxury junk, spend a day in colorful floating markets of the Mekong River Delta, study local cuisine during a private cooking class, enjoy a traditional water puppet show, witness hundreds of Buddhist pilgrims pray in the Perfume pagoda, marvel at the hospitality of tribal villages in the Mai Chau Valley, take a cyclo tour through the French colonial architecture of Hanoi, and explore Viet Cong's Cu Chi Tunnels.
Day 1:
On arrival in Hanoi, you will be met by a private chauffeur for a transfer to our luxurious hotel in the city center. After some rest, we'll attend a Water Puppet show, a Vietnamese art form whose tradition goes back a thousand years, followed by a fine restaurant welcome dinner where we'll get to know our fellow travelers, share some laughs and sample Hanoi specialty dishes.
Meals: D
Day 2: We'll spend our first full day in Vietnam exploring Hanoi. This thousand year old city, the political and cultural capital of Vietnam, is filled with French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards and thousand-years old landmarks. We'll explore the complex of cultural and historic sites of Ba Dinh Square, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Confucian Temple of Literature and the Hanoi "Hilton". We'll stop for lunch and try some freshly prepared Vietnamese dishes, then take a cyclo tour by the Lake of the Restored Sword and through the narrow streets of the diverse Old Quarter.
Meals: B, D
Day 3: Today, we'll leave the fast pace and the energy of Hanoi and travel through the serene Red River Delta to the Perfume Pagoda, a series of Buddhist shrines and sanctuaries built into a limestone hillside. We'll access the pagoda by taking a rowing boat on the Yen Vi River, then ascend the mountain by a cable car. Once at the Perfume Pagoda, we'll witness a prayer ceremony for luck, happiness and longevity. Afterwards, we'll continue through verdant, green mountains and surreal rice fields to our destination, the Mai Chau Valley. We'll be welcomed by the ethnic minority people and get settled in stilt houses where we'll spend the night as their honored guests. We'll enjoy dinner, prepared specially for us, then a village performance of local music and dance.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 4: In the morning, we'll visit a colorful village market in Mai Chau, where we can admire and shop for local handicrafts displayed by different ethnic groups, stop at a local school and take a leisurely walk through the rice fields, stopping at several houses to meet the people, learn about their life and take in different Vietnamese cultures, traditions and costumes. In the afternoon, we'll take a scenic route past tea plantations and rice fields back to Hanoi, and check back into our hotel.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 5: After breakfast, we'll travel to one of Vietnam's natural wonders: Halong Bay, a breathtaking waterway dotted with over 3,000 limestone islands. On arrival, we'll board a traditional junk, an exact replica of a junk that navigated Halong Bay's shallow waters a century ago, and we'll sail on the clear waters of the Bac Bo Gulf through the fairytale landscape of dramatic cliffs, secret grottoes, and lush vegetation. From our luxury vessel, we'll enjoy the eternally green scenery of the Red River Delta checkered with endless rice paddies, water buffalo plowing the fields and villagers riding to the market with produce piled high on their bicycles. We'll visit Cua Van village, explore the Surprise Cave, and have free time for swimming, kayaking or enjoying the beach.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 6: Today, we'll wake up early to witness the spectacle of the first daylight filtering through the mist and lighting up the towering rock formations - what a dreamy memory to take from Halong Bay! We'll enjoy a brunch on the boat before disembarking in the early afternoon. After we arrive at the Hanoi airport, we'll take a flight to the imperial city of Hue, and transfer to our hotel.
Meals: B, L
Day 7: Today, we'll experience Hue, Vietnam's most traditional city whose monuments evoke its past grandeur as home to emperors and mandarins. We'll tour the ancient Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, then take a dragon boat trip across the Perfume River to visit the serene Thien Mu Pagoda and the majestic Royal Tombs, Hue's best preserved Buddhist monuments. In the evening, we'll stop for dinner at the lovely Lang Co beach overlooking a turquoise lagoon and beautiful beaches facing the South China Sea. In the evening, we'll arrive at our resort hotel in Hoi An, an atmospheric 17th century trading port on the banks of the Thu Bon River.
Meals: B, D
Day 8: In the morning, we'll set out to experience Hoi An's colorful market, with its amazing sights, sounds and aromas, and buy produce for our cooking class. During this hands-on experience, we'll learn the secrets of Vietnamese cuisine, then prepare some great dishes and enjoy them for lunch. Later, we'll take a cyclo tour of the World Heritage town of Hoi An. Lost to time a half millennium ago, the town reflects many ancient traditions as well as the diverse architectural styles from the Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese traders who helped build it. We'll explore the town's exotic markets, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and narrow streets lined with low, tiled roof houses from the 17th century. Spend the afternoon at leisure, visiting the tailor shops or join a sunset cruise on the Thu Bon River.
Meals: B, L
Day 9: In the morning, we'll ride our bicycles along the scenic route to Tra Que village, where we'll meet farmers growing organic vegetables and using seaweed from the local lake to fertilize the soil. We'll tour the farm and can even join in with some farm work. In the afternoon, we'll transfer to the airport and fly to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). After checking into our hotel, we'll enjoy dinner on town in a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant.
Meals: B, D
Day 10: We'll start our exploration of the Saigon region with a trip to visit the unusual Cao Dai Temple, one of the most striking structures in south-east Asia. The temple is the center of Dadaism, a curious religious mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam. After touring the site, we'll attend the colorful noon mass. In the afternoon, we'll tour the Cu Chi tunnels, the infamous underground network from which North Vietnamese forces operated during the American War in Vietnam.
Meals: B, L
Day 11: After breakfast, we'll set out to explore the fascinating Mekong Delta. We'll enjoy the scenic journey through the iconic landscapes of Southern Vietnam, then board a private boat to explore the river life up close. We'll watch the bustle of the Cai Be floating market, with hundreds of colorful boats filled with fruit and vegetables, cruise along the maze of Mekong River's tributaries and narrow channels, walk through tiny villages and fruit orchards and stop for lunch at a restaurant featuring Mekong Delta specialties. After lunch, there will be time to relax on a hammock, stroll through the orchards or row a small sampan on the river, before returning to Saigon.
Meals: B, L
Day 12: Today, we'll tour Saigon, and visit the former Presidential Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, the Opera House, and the Reunification Palace. We'll finish with a leisurely stroll down Rue Catinat of Graham Greene's The Quiet American to reveal more colonial classics and through the bustling Ben Thanh Market for last minute shopping. Our farewell dinner will be at a fine restaurant specializing in Indochina cuisines.
Meals: B, D
Day 13: This is our last day in Vietnam, and if you're ending your journey here, you'll have a free morning before your private transfer to Saigon's airport. If you're joining us for the optional excursion to Angkor Wat, you'll have an early transfer to the airport.
Meals: B
Itinerary specifics subject to change.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Movenpick Hanoi Hotel where we'll spend 3 nights, is located close to Hoan Kiem Lake, Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre and the Temple of Literature. The hotel's amenities include a spa, a sauna, a steam room and a fitness facility, along with a restaurant, a café, a bar and a lounge. The air-conditioned guestrooms at Movenpick Hotel Hanoi offer minibars, coffee and tea makers, complimentary bottled water, high-speed wireless Internet, TV with cable channels, refrigerators, hair dryers and clock radios.
The Imperial Hotel in Hue, where we'll stay for 1 night is in Hue's Old Center, right on the Perfume River, close to the Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. This 5 star luxury hotel offers modern facilities, classic architecture and superb views over the river and the mountains. All rooms have polished wooden floors, and are equipped with mini-bars, safety deposit boxes, individually controlled AC, tea and coffee making facilities, Satellite TV, DSL Internet access, marble bathrooms, bathtubs, hair dryers. The hotel has a spa, several restaurants and bars.
Life Heritage Resort in Hoi An where we'll stay for 2 nights, is nestled on the bank of the scenic Thu Bon River, in a quaint port town of Hoi An. Awarded the Best Heritage Resort in Vietnam, the resort's facilities include a cafe, restaurant, bar, a tranquil swimming pool, boat tours and bike rentals. Tai Chi and massages are also offered. The resort has comfortable rooms equipped with work desk and high speed Internet connection, in-room safety deposit boxes, refrigerators and mini bars, coffee and tea making facilities, satellite TV, individually controlled AC, ceiling fans, hairdryers, bathrobes and slippers.
Hotel Majestic Saigon where we'll stay for 4 nights, is situated near Saigon's main attractions of the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Ben Thanh Market and Saigon's Notre-Dame Basilica. The hotel offers an outdoor pool, a health club, a spa, a sauna, 3 restaurants, a café and a bar. Rooms open to balconies, and feature wireless Internet, televisions with premium channels, refrigerators, minibars, complimentary bottled water, and tea and coffee making facilities. Bathrooms feature bathtubs, slippers, hair dryers and high quality toiletries.
Tour Highlights
Overnight luxury cruise on Ha Long Bay
Visiting tribal villages in the Mai Chau Valley
A Buddhist ceremony at the Perfume Pagoda
Water puppets theatre performance
Cyclo tour of the French colonial Hanoi
Touring the imperial capital of Hue
Beachside dining in Lang Co on the South China Sea
Private cooking class
Visiting the royal village of Hoi An
Bicycling through the rice fields
Sunset cruise on the Thu Bon River
Attending a religious ceremony at Cao Dai Temple
Saigon's Cu Chi Tunnels
Floating markets on the Mekong Delta
Experiencing Saigon
Angkor Wat
While in Hanoi, we'll tour the city by cyclo, visiting the Old Quarter, the Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Confucian Temple of Literature. We'll also attend the water puppet theatre performance;
From Hanoi, we'll take a two day trip to the Mai Chau Valley to visit an ethnic minority tribal village and the Buddhist temple at Perfume Pagoda;
We'll take a two day cruise on a traditional luxury junk sailing on the Ha Long Bay and past the Red River Delta;
After arriving in Hue, we'll spend a full day visiting the Imperial Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City, the crossing the Perfume River on a dragon boat to see the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Royal Tombs. We'll have a beachside dinner at Lang Co on the South China Sea;
While in Hoi An, we'll attend a private cooking class, tour the World Heritage site by a cyclo, bike to Tra Que village and take a sunset cruise on the Thu Bon River;
During our 4 days in Saigon, we'll tour the city, including the former Presidential Palace, the Eiffel-designed Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, the Opera House, the Reunification Palace, and Viet Cong's Cu Chi tunnels. We'll visit the Cao Dai Temple and spend a full day exploring the Mekong Delta;
Throughout the tour, we'll enjoy luxury hotels, fine dining, passionate and knowledgeable guides and exclusive activities which will let us experience this remarkable country on a deep, personal level.
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
12 nights accommodations in 5 star hotels: 3 nights in Hanoi, 1 night in Hue, 2 nights in Hoi An, 4 nights in Saigon, one night on a luxury junk on the Ha Long Bay cruise and a night in ethnic minority village in Mai Chau Valley;
Fine dining: 12 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 8 dinners, bottled mineral water throughout the tour;
Professional, English speaking tour guides throughout the tour, experienced tour leaders throughout the tour;
All transportation in Vietnam: comfortable, air-conditioned bus and 2 domestic flights: Hanoi - Da Nang and Da Nang - Saigon;
Private airport transfers on arrival and departure;
All sightseeing and admissions fees for all attractions and boat trips mentioned in the itinerary;
Luxury, overnight Ha Long Bay cruise;
Water Puppet performance, cooking class and other activities mentioned in the itinerary;
Single entry Vietnam visa.
NOT INCLUDED
Optional single supplement fee, optional travel insurance, meals and activities not mentioned in the itinerary, gratuities to drivers and guides, spa services, room service, mini bar, telephone charges and other personal expenses.
DEPARTURE DATES March
PRICES From approx $2,995 US per person based on double occupancy
With its sublime physical beauty, mysteries of the ancient cultures and enduring traditions, Vietnam provides travelers with a wealth of treasures. From the traditional junks on Ha Long Bay, the exotic basket boats on the South China Sea, and the dragon boats on the Perfume River to Hue's imperial treasures and Mai Chau serene rural landscapes of vibrant, terraced rice fields tended by graceful women in straw conical hats, you will find Vietnam's tangle of sensory experiences mesmerizing.
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