Treasure of Vietnam – SIC

Day 1   Ho Chi Minh City Arrival
Meal: Dinner- Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
Welcome to biggest city in Vietnam – Metropolis Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, our car and guide will pick up and transfer you to your hotel in city central. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure to recover from jet lag and explore the city on your own.

Day 2   Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnel – City Tour
Meal: Breakfast, lunch- Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon
After breakfast, you will visit Cu Chi tunel, where human knowledge has been enriched by experiencing an web-like tunnels system of more than 200 km in length which used to be the shelters of guerrillas during the war against American troops .Return to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch by your own arrangement. After lunch, a take a short sightseeing tour of Ho Chi Minh City with War Museum, The Hundred Years Red Cathedral (Notre Dame Cathedral), The Old Post Office and The People’s Committee Hall.

Day 3   Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong – Flight to Da Nang – Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast/Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
Breakfast at your hotel. The guide picks you up and transfer you to Ben Tre. On arival, you will take a local boat and then cruise along Ham Luong River, a tributary to the Mekong River. The cool wind from the river and green islands along its banks will get you excited to uncover all the great things ahead. This is the homeland of coconut tree in Vietnam so you will have chance to visit local workplaces to find how local people make their crafts. Touring around the village roads by “Xe Lôi”, the local vehicle, which is a kind of motorized rickshaw. Kayak through the natural canals to get a real experience of the peaceful beauty of the Mekong River as well as the rural life there. After lunch at the local house, you will have some time for relaxing. Then take a car transfer back to Saigon for flight to Da Nang.

Day 4   Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast/Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An
Hoi An is one of the rare Vietnamese towns which can remain relatively intact through the destruction of war. Once a vibrant hub of silk and ceramic trading, Hoian used to be the residence of the Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese. They left when the Thu Bon River silted-up, which put an end to Hoian’s importance as a trading post, leaving behind centuries of legacy and culture. Hoian is best experienced on foot, so don’t hesitate to stretch your legs and weave through the town numerous back roads. Some of the highlights on the way are Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200- year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. It’s worth bringing a spare bag on a trip to Hoian to bring back some beautiful traditional folk art, and especially clothes. Hoian is known as the city of tailors, so why don’t take this chance to upgrade your wardrobe.

Day 5   Hoi An – Hue
Meal: Breakfast, lunch- Accommodation: Hotel in Hue
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then check-out and drive over the 500m-high Hai Van pass to Hue – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Vietnam’s former capital. Afternoon, you will spend to visit ancient city with the Royal Citadel, the Imperial Museum, as well as the Mausoleum of King tu Duc (a replica of the king’s palace built for the next reincarnation of the king).

Day 6   Hue -city tour – Flight to Hanoi
Meal: Breakfast, lunch- Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
Spend the morning on a private boat cruise down the romantic Perfume River to visit the Lady Pagoda(Thien Mu Pagoda), Dong Ba Market and the ornate Minh Mang’s tomb. Drive to the airport in the afternoon to catch your short flight to Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi. Upon arrival, get transferred to your hotel in the city center. Free at your leisure.

Day 7   Hanoi – Full Day city tour
Meals: Breakfast, lunch/Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.
Hanoi with its strategic position has gone through all the ups and downs of history to retain its core values and at the same time, embrace the foreign impacts to enrich itself. Starting with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the final resting place of modern Vietnam’s founding father, find your way to Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house get a piece of the country contemporary history. Dig a little deeper into ancient Vietnam by paying a visit to One Pillar Pagoda, an exotic architecture that resembles a lotus. Take a step into the ancient religious-governed Vietnamese society by a trip to Temple of Literature, the very first university of the country, Tran Quoc Pagoda, and Quan Thanh temple, the worship place of two of Hanoi’s protecting gods. After lunch, hop on a rickshaw and weave through Hanoi’s 36 streets and guilds. Your guide will then escort you back to your hotel where the remainder of your evening can be enjoyed at your leisure. Dinner by your own arrangement.

Day 8   Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner– Accommodation: Overnight on Cruise.
Ride through the rich farmland of the Red River delta, which has nurtured the ancient Vietnamese civilization to reach Halong Bay, the spectacular scenery that makes it one of the world’s new natural wonders. Board a cruise ship and watch the legendary karst limestone mountains of Halong passes by. The names of the mountains are deprived of their shapes so let your imagination runs wild and try guessing what mountains you’ve just seen. Halong Bay is peppered with caves so don’t leave without paying them a visit. Overnight on board and let the sound of the ocean lures you into sleep.

Day 9   Ha Long Bay – Hanoi
Meal: Breakfast-Brunch/Accommodation: On Cruise
Wake up your every sense with a Taichi session on the cruise’s deck and watch sunlight fills the sky. Spend the last few hours on the bay by visiting a limestone grotto before getting back to the dock. Bid the staff goodbye as you will head back to Hanoi at noon.

Day 10 Hanoi Departure
Meals: Breakfast/Accommodation: NA
Spend your last hours at your leisure in Hanoi before transferring to the airport for a trip home.