7-Day Essential Vietnam

• Visit the 6 most interesting places of Vietnam : Saigon – Hanoi – Hue – Danang - Hoi An and HaLong Bay
• Tour program is inclusive of visits to cities, ancient town, Royal palace, countryside villages and the Bay
• Experience
• Enjoy a romantic night on a wooden junk in Halong Bay
• Experience the colourful Vietnamese cuisine in the well-selected restaurants
• Full-board meal
• Professional and dedicated tour guide

DAY 1 - HO CHI MINH CITY ARRIVAL (L/D)

Arrive International airport in Ho Chi Minh city, meet your guide then we will transfer you by private car through the city to your hotel for check-in.

Refresh your body after a long flight by a short walking tour to explore the bustling Ho Chi Minh city (called Saigon by locals) from your hotel with your guide to the sites. Your visit includes The Opera House, City Hall, The Notre Dame Cathedral, The Saigon Central Post Office and then to the lovely local Ben Thanh Market then have Lunch in a local restaurant with Vietnamese food. In the afternoon, In the afternoon, visit The Reunification Palace ( former Presidential Palace ) where the war ended in 1975 when a tank accrossed the gate and a soldier set the victory flag on the top of this building. Next, visit FITO Museum, Vietnam's first traditional medicine museum where an amazing collection of 3,000 items relevant to the development of traditional Vietnamese medicine displayed. Implements for preparing indigenous herbs and objects commonly found in traditional pharmacies were showcased in the galleries. You can also find here the ancient books and documents on traditional Vietnamese medicine. Back to your hotel by your car then at leisure. Have Vietnamese buffet dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 2 - HO CHI MINH CITY – CU CHI TUNNELS – DANANG (B/L/D)

Breakfast at your hotel then start tour to Cu Chi Tunnels to explore the amazing underground system that Vietnamese guerrilla lived and truggle in the war.

En-route, enjoy the scenic view of the counrtyside along the road. You will stop in a local house to experience how people making rice paper by the traditional method. Upon arrive Cu Chi tunnels, explore the underground meeting hall, hospital, kitchen, and other functional rooms in the tunnels. After tour in Cu Chi, return to Ho Chi Minh city airport to take the 1-hour flight to Danang. Upon arrival in Danang, drive 40-minutes to Hoi An ancient town, an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Asian trading port, is an outstanding material manifestation of the fusion of cultures over time in an international maritime commercial centre. Hoi An also homes the world class beach resorts with white sand and blue crystal water. Have a cyclo tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200 year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the 400 years old Japanese Bridge. Enjoy a romantic dinner at a restaurant looking toward the river with the colorful lantern decorated. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 3 - HOI AN - HUE (B/L/D)

In the morning, more explore of Hoi an. First, have a cycling tour through the rice field to theTra Que vegetable village. You will try how to be a local farmer on their garden, enjoy some local fruit and drink, then back to Hoi An town for your more explore in this beautiful place. Walking along the streets and to the alleys, discover how the street vender making adn selling a wide variety of exotic food and local handicraft products. Have lunch in one of the most selected restaurant in Hoi an. In the afternoon, leave Hoi An for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Drive through Danang, stop at Cham Sculpture Museum where you canfind the best collection in the world of Cham Sculpture. From Danang, drive up to the Pass of Ocean Clouds and descend to the photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. Arrive Hue in the late afternoon, check-in hotel and at leisure. Overnight in Hue.

DAY 4 - HUE - HANOI (B/L/D)

This is your optional day tour with 2 options or visit a traditional garden house or visit a pagoda:

Option 1:

Breakfast then depart at 900 to the garden house of Hue.Garden house architecture follows exactly the same principles as the imperial palaces in Hue. The house structure is basically a timber, load-bearing frame that can be easily dismantle. As in Palace architecture, such houses respect the rules of geomancy with elements of the garden being used as a natural screens. The ancestar's altar, the protective plant screen and a ornamentalpond are usually aligned on the same axis. Some of the more famous garden houses of Hue are Lac Tinh Vien built by the Poet Hong Khang in 1889, Ngoc Son which was the former residence of the Princess Ngoc Son, daughter of Emperor Dong Khanh and lovely Tha Om Garden house.

Then visit the home of Mr. Phan Thuan An, born in Hue in 1940 to an aristocratic family. He is a respected historian who has devoted his life to researching the former imperial capital of Vietnam. As well as his deep knowledge of history, he is well versed at the spiritual reasoning behind fung shei.

Option 2:

Take a drive to a pagoda built in 1843 which nestled in a pine forest and used to be the home of Zen master.

As known as the most interesting thing of this pagoda is the tombs of a castrated man from the former Royal Court. This is the only eunuch tomb of Hue city can be seen. You may join the group of around 20 Buddisht monks and nuns who gather between 09:00-10:00am to pray and read the scriptures ( Thursday and Sunday morning only )

Continue by a tour to visit Hue Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. Hue's citadel is the only extant citadel in Indochina. It is certainly an impressive sight, if only for its 10km long, 7m high surrounding stone walls, which are punctuated by ten gates. Within these walls, stands the Imperial citadel with its administrative buildings and high-ranking civil servants' houses. The style of various buildings are distinctive, each being constructed according to its function. From here transfer to Phu Bai Airport for the 1-hour flight to Hanoi. On arrival, transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 5 - HANOI (B/L/D)

Wake up early and go to one of the oldest temple of Hanoi. Here you will have 1-hour Tai Chi session with Mr Vuong. It is purported that focusing the mind solely on the movements of the form helps to bring about a state of mental calm and clarity. The practise is suitable both for no- prior- experience and those who already studied other martial art. Then return to hotel for breakfast.

The next part of the day is Hanoi sightseeings including the Temple of Literature, built in1076 and considered as Vietnam's first university. It was establish to host Imperial Academy where mandarins and members of the elite educated. The various pavilions, halls, statues and steles of doctors are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the Dai Viet took place.

Continue to beautiful West Lake and the sixth century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda Then here transfer to the nearby Taoist temple of Quan Thanh dedicated to Tran Vu, one of the principal deities in Taoism.

In the afternoon, visit a traditional Vietnamese medicinal doctor. Based in Hanoi, Dr Huong is an expert in Traditional Oriental Methods such as Acupuncture, Acupressure and Cagut Implantation... She has been a practitioner of Oriental Traditional Methods for more than 20 years in all over the world including France, Italia, North Korea and Vietnam. Enhance your discovery by visiting the ‘traditional medicine street’, where your senses come alive with frangance from the variety of traditional medicinal herbs and spices. Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 6 - HANOI - HALONG BAY (B/L/D)

This morning, leave Hanoi for 3hr30mins drive to Halong Bay including a 20-minutes stop on the way. Arrive Halong Bay, check-in formalities then enjoy the Welcome drink and Lunch on board. Cruise through the emerald water between the limestone outcrops and long corridors, En route, you have chances to sightsee many beauty spots of the world natural heritage including Fighting Cock islet, Incense Urn islet, Finger island, Toad islet, dog islet, Dragon, Horse Neck, Buffalo Head islet and many other strange shape islands. Later in the afternoon, visit a fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Back on board, enjoy cocktails or a cooking class in the romantic sunset on the Bay. Have dinner on board. Evening, experience some evening activities such as squid fishing, board games, or spa. Overnight on the junk.

DAY 7 - HALONG - HANOI DEPARTURE (B)

Early morning, enjoy the sunrise over the bay (if you choose to get up early and weather permitted ). Visit a beautiful limestone grotto, and then back to the junk, Brunch while cruising back to the dock. Disembarking at the Cruise Café Lounge then get on your car and drive back to the Hanoi for your extension day in Hanoi or for your onward flights.

Inclusions

• Domestic airticket Saigon – Danang , Hue – Hanoi
• Land transport with air-con vehicle
• 6-nights accommodation ( twin room sharing)
• Cruise in Ha Long Bay
• Full-board meal
• Entrance fees
• Englisk speaking tour guide

Exclusions

• Meal which is not mentioned in the itinerary ( B- breakfast, L-Lunch, D- Dinner )
• Drinks and all individual expenses
• Gratuities (optional)

Additional info

• Luggage limit is 20kg