DAY 1 : ARRIVE IN HO CHI MINH CITY
Meet at 14:00 at the reception of the hotel.
Ho Chi Minh city : also known as Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam with the population nearly 9 millions. The city is called ‘Diamond of the Far-East’, the same luxury level overriding Hong Kong or Bangkok. Ho Chi Minh city becomes very important city in Vietnam. The nice location at central of the South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh city becomes very important center of transportation lead to surrounding provinces , bring opportunities to develop the economy and tourism of Eastern and Western area of the South .
Visit the colonial district of the city: Dong Khoi Street: Formerly known as Rue Catinat during the French colonial days and Tu Do in the 1960s, this street was reborn during Doi Moi as the centre of Saigon’s commercial and shopping district. Local boutiques compete with international brands, and restaurants litter the street set in beautifully restored French colonial buildings.
The Central Post Office : is one of the oldest buildings in Ho Chi Minh City. This was built around 1886 – 1891 based on Villedieu’s design, a famous French architect. It has been the busiest post office of the country. Its architecture, with a roof topped by a glass roof, is reminiscent of the buildings of the World Expo. It is a place where it is nice to stop .
Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral : built in the late 1880s by French colonists, is one of the few remaining strongholds of Catholicism in the largely Buddhist Vietnam. Sitting between two streams of traffic, Notre Dam Cathedral is in the middle of Saigon’s chaotic District 1. A brick, neo-Romanesque church with 40m-high square towers tipped with iron spires. Interior walls are inlaid with devotional tablets and some stained glass survives. In front of the cathedral stands a Virgin Mary statue, which is said to have shed tears in 2005, causing thousands of people to stop around the Basilica.
The Saigon Opera House is owning an elegant architecture.The building still many lively evidences for the influence of French architecture in Vietnam. This magnificent building designed by French architect Ferret Eugene, was built as a classical opera house with 800 seats. The style of this majestic building is influenced by flamboyant style of the French Third Republic. Since 1975, he has returned to his original function .
On the same square, the square The Hotel Continental is a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was named after the Hôtel Continental in Paris, and is located in District 1, the central business district of the city. The hotel is situated on Dong Khoi Street by the Saigon Opera House and was built in 1880 during the French colonial period. The hotel has undergone refurbishments over the years, while still maintaining the essence of its original architecture and style !
The People’s Committee Building of Ho Chi Minh City : was built and put into use in 1909 as a hotel whose original name was Hôtel de Ville. It was designed by Gardes, a famous French architecture. This building is thus one of the oldest, biggest and most beautiful French style buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, functioning both as a city institution and as the city’s most prominent landmark today .
Transfer to your hotel.
Dinner at the restaurant .
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
DAY 2 : HO CHI MINH CITY – BEN TRE – CAN THO
Breakfast at the hotel
Depart to Can Tho, in the Mekong Delta: A vast network of thousands of canals characterizes life in the Mekong Delta which covers 40,000 km2. The yellow color of the water is due to the soil that fertilizes the fields and the rich fruit gardens of the Delta all year round. The huge rivers and rice fields are dotted with lotus ponds.
Arrive in My Tho: Visit Caodaiste temple
Boat trip to visit the island of Ben Tre: where you will visit a village of craftsmen and taste the coconut juice of the region.
Continuation of the navigation and visit of a family factory of sweets. Depart by horse-drawn carriage and walk to the bee farm, where you will enjoy a honey tea. Then, discover the activities of the village.
Local specialty lunch at Diem Phuong restaurant.
Rowing boat .
Afternoon drive to Can Tho.
Installation at the hotel.
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight at hotel in Can Tho
DAY 3 : CAN THO – HO CHI MINH CITY
Breakfast at the hotel
Can Tho is the capital of Can Tho province and its location makes it the hub of the Mekong Delta.
Boarding on the local boat. Navigation through the Cai Rang Floating Market.
Stop in a traditional factory of rice cakes and in another Nuoc Mam.
Disembarkation then return to Saigon.
Lunch at the local restaurant on the road.
Visit a factory of lacquered objects.
Free dinner to offer you …
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
DAY 4 : HO CHI MINH – DA LAT
Breakfast at the hotel.
Depart to Dalat, in the Central Highlands at 1500 m altitude through rubber plantations, tea and coffee. Stop at Bobla Falls.
Lunch.
Continuation of the road to Dalat. Possibility of a stroll on the night market.
Installation at the hotel
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight at hotel in Da Lat
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DAY 5 : DA LAT – NHA TRANG
Breakfast at the hotel
Thanks to this mild and mild climate, Dalat remains throughout the year a flower garden with a thousand colors and scents. Visit the city of Da Lat romanesque:
The French villas, the cathedral, the train station, the royal palace of Bao Dai (the last king of Viet Nam), the lake of Sighs, the botanical garden and the market.
Lunch on the way.
Depart to Nha Trang.
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight at hotel in Nha Trang
DAY 6 : NHA TRANG
Breakfast at the hotel
Transfer to the pier and embark on board a boat for cruising in Nha Trang Bay.
Lunch at the restaurant on the island.
Back to Nha Trang in the afternoon, free time.
Visit the Cham temple of Po Nagar.
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight at hotel in Nha Trang
DAY 7 : NHA TRANG – HOI AN
Breakfast at the hotel
Early in the morning depart by the coastal road through the sumptuous landscapes between the sea and the mountains.
Several stops planned for photos or to stretch your legs.
Lunch along the way
Having dinner. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An
DAY 8 : HOI AN
Breakfast at the hotel
Excursion with Ecotourism:
Depart by bike through the sweet Vietnamese companion for the vegetable village of Tra Que (Located 5kms).
Renowned for its aromatic herbs, mint and basil, this village will allow you to discover the life of farmers and introduce you to their technique. The locals will guide you in the work of digging and picking vegetables.
You will then enjoy a session of foot massage (20mns) with the aromatic herbs of the village.
Lunch.
Afternoon, discovery on foot of Hoi An with the main centers of interest:
The Fujian Shrine: dedicated to the goddess Thien Hau, patron goddess of fishermen and sailors, this sanctuary houses statue of the goddess and her 2 assistants.
Phuc Thanh Pagoda: the oldest pagoda of Hoi An (1454) founded by a Chinese monk, it contains a statue of Buddha A Di Da and very beautiful ritual objects.
The Japanese Covered Bridge : in Hoi An is one of the famous tourist attractions in Hoi An, Vietnam. The original Vietnamese name of this bridge is “Lai Vien Kieu”. The bridge was built in the early seventeenth century. However, the builder of the bridge is still anonymous to the people of Hoi An. The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An is a beautiful example of Japanese architecture. At one end of the bridge, there is a sculpture of dog and on the other end of the bridge here is a sculpture of monkey. These two animals are symbol of sacredness in Japanese culture. Inside the Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An, there is a temple of the northern god Tran Vo Bac De. This god is considered to be the god of weather. People believe that He controls all kinds of weather changes and natural calamities.
An Old House: the best preserved, two centuries old watch, it offers a striking example of the integration of Sino-Japanese influences into the local style.
Having dinner. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An.
DAY 9: HOI AN – HUE
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning: visit My Son Sanctuary : about 70km southwest of Danang City and 40km from Hoi An City. Of the 225 Cham vestiges that are founded in Viet Nam, My Son possesses 71 monuments and 32 epitaphs, the content of which is still being studied. According to many researchers, My Son sanctuary architecture was affected by Arabian, Malaysian, Indonesian, especially Indian culture, and it is the convergence of different styles such as ancient style. All of the towers were built from red bricks and sandstone. Today, the brick making and construction remain a secret among many archeologists.Though there are not many remnants left, My Son holly land still boasts the rich culture and arts of ancient Champa kingdom in glorious time .
An outstanding example of cultural exchange, through the introduction of Hindu architecture of the Indian subcontinent in Southeast Asia.
You will attend a performance of Chams dances.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Transfer by road to Hue.
Stop in Danang, visit a workshop of size of marble: this job has been passed on from generation to generation for hundreds of years.
Having dinner. Overnight at hotel in Hue.
DAY 10: HUE
Breakfast at the hotel,
Depart to sampan on the Perfume River to the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady (Thien Mu), located on the left bank of the Perfume River, it is a Buddhist sanctuary built in 1601. Its stupa form octagonal has 7 floors with a total height of more than 21 meters.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Demonstration of Tai Chi and Calligraphy in a martial arts center (minimum 10 pax):
Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. The term taiji refers to a philosophy of the forces of yin and yang, related to the moves. Though originally conceived as a martial art, it is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: competitive wrestling in the format of pushing hands, demonstration competitions and achieving greater longevity. As a result, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims with differing emphasis. Some training forms are especially known for being practiced with relatively slow movements.
Visit the charming Temple of Eunuchs.
Stop at the workshops of incense and conical hats.
Visit of the tomb and gardens of Emperor Tu Duc.
Royal dinner (minimum 16 pax).
Overnight at hotel in Hue
DAY 11 : HUE – DONG HOI
Breakfast at the hotel .
Visit Imperial City built under the model of Chinese imperial palaces the citadel was built between 1805 and 1832. There remains many vestiges of this city.
You will then ride a pedicab to Dong Ba market where you will find the most beautiful conical hats of Vietnam.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Depart to Dong Hoi
Visit Vinh Moc tunnels :Vinh Moc is a tunnel complex in Quang Tri, Vietnam. During the Vietnam War it was strategically located on the border of North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The tunnels were built to shelter people from the intense bombing of Son Trung and Son Ha communes in Vinh Linh county of Quang Tri Province in the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone.
The American forces believed the villagers of Vinh Moc were supplying food and armaments to the North Vietnamese garrison on the island of Con Co which was in turn hindering the American bombers on their way to bomb Hanoi. The idea was to force the villagers of Vinh Moc to leave the area but as is typical in Vietnam there was nowhere else to go. The villagers initially dug the tunnels to move their village 10 metres underground but the American forces designed bombs that burrowed down 10 metres.
Eventually, against these odds, the villagers moved the village to a depth of 30 metres. It was constructed in several stages beginning in 1966 and used until early 1972. The complex grew to include wells, kitchens, rooms for each family and spaces for healthcare. Around sixty families lived in the tunnels; as many as 17 children were born inside the tunnels.
Arrived at the hotel. Having dinner. Overnight at hotel in Dong Hoi.
DAY 12 : DONG HOI – VINH
Breakfast at the hotel
Amazing visit the huge Phong Nha caves by boat and on foot.
Phong Nha Caves : only 60km away from Dong Hoi City, this number one cavern in Vietnam has become an increasingly famous attraction in recent years. Phong Nha Cavern has many sections, with a total length of up to 20km. The mouth of the cavern has a width of 20m and a height of 10m. Phong Nha has more than 20 caves with a huge 1500m-long main hall as well as many supplement halls which are hundreds meter long. The outer caves have 10m high ceilings and the inner caves have 25-50m high ceilings. It is hard and even nearly impossible to describe in words the majestic beauty of those caves and halls painted with the glistering color of underground water reflecting on huge blocks of stalagmites and stalactites.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Continue the road to Vinh.
Having dinner. Installation at the hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap
DAY 13 : VINH – NINH BINH
Breakfast at the hotel
Depart towards Phat Diem, the village known for its cathedral with Sino-Vietnamese architecture and which was built between 1875 and 1899.
Visit Phat Diem Stone Cathedral : is one of the most famous and beautiful churches in Vietnam with special architecture: an elegant combination between Western church architecture style and Vietnamese religious buildings. This is an Eastern architectural ensemble including Lake, Phuong Dinh, cathedral with 4 churches on the sides, 3 man-made grottos, stone churches.
Lunch at the inhabitant.
Visit Halong Bay On Land covers a very large swampy area with various rocky landscapes, limestone mountains, the ecosystem where the flora and fauna are very varied, lakes, flooded rice land, and countless river routes offering its visitors a special impression. Halong Bay on Land has several beautiful caves to discover like: Thien Ha (Galaxy Cave), Thien Thanh (Cave of Blue Sky), Tien (Fairy Cave), Vai Gioi (Prayers to Heaven Grotto), Thuy Cung (Aquarium Grotto), Phat (Buddha Cave), Tam Coc (Three Caves), Trang An caves … and several archaeological sites of big values such as Hang Me, Hang Boi, Hang Trong, May Oc….Furthermore, this are still many historical, cultural monuments in the ancient capital of Hoa Lu dating from 938 to 1009, many other historical relics of Vietnamese dynasties such as: Dinh, Le, Ly and Tran, palace of Vu Lam, Jade pagoda, the temples of Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Dai Hanh, Thai Vi …without forgetting the magnificent bird sanctuaries in the Thung Nham valley, Thung Nang valley or Sun valley….
The magnificent site of Hoa Lu is also called the “Ha Long Land”. Indeed, the relief is reminiscent of the famous “Baie du Dragon” with many limestone hills covered with lush vegetation. Succession of natural circuses interconnected by tunnels dug by erosions.
Boat trip of 1h30 among the rice fields that surround the sugar loaf hills where served the decor of the film ” Indochina ”.
Then, visit the temples and caves of Bich Dong.
Having dinner. Overnight at hotel in Ninh Binh
DAY 14 : NINH BINH – HA LONG
Breakfast at the hotel
Early in the morning depart to Halong Bay.
Arrival in Halong late morning and boarding a traditional junk.
Seafood lunch.
Ha Long Bay : in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. It was called ‘the wonder standing in the heaven’. In the heart of stone islands, there have the beautiful caves such as Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go Cave, Sung Sot Cave, and Tam Cung Cave that are really the castles of the heaven. With the special values, on December 17th 1994, in the 18th session of World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, Halong Bay was officially recognized as the World natural heritage. In November 2000, Halong Bay was recognized by UNESCO as the World natural heritage about the values of geomorphology. On April 27th, officially stated that Halong Bay became one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Dinner and overnight on board.
(The nature of the visits being related to the change of tides and the weather conditions, the itinerary will be defined by the boat’s captain the same day.)
Overnight at hotel in Ha Long
DAY 15 : HA LONG – HA NOI
Breakfast at the hotel
Continuation of the cruise and discovery of the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. Cruise on the emerald waters of Halong Bay which covers more than 1500 km2 with 3000 islands and islets, one of the most sumptuous landscapes of Asia. This site is grandiose and there emerge thousands of limestone islands or karstic rocks covered with vegetation. The sampans and junks gliding silently over the transparent waters reinforce this impression of unreality. Stop at the cave Dau Go or “cave of pieces of wood” so named because a general of war had once hidden tapered piles that spurred and sank the Mongol fleet. Unforgettable show!
Disembarkation around 11:00.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Back to Hanoi. Along the way stop at handicraft workshops of handicapped people of Dai Viet.
Installation at the hotel.
Having dinner.
Overnight at hotel in Ha Noi
DAY 16 : HA NOI – DEPARTURE
Breakfast at the hotel
The capital of unified Vietnam, Hanoi has retained the old-fashioned charm of the French colonial era. The modernization of the city undertaken by the French from 1882 continued until 1955 and the face of Hanoi has not changed much since. Some remarkably preserved or restored buildings stand out from a harmonious architectural ensemble. Hanoi is undoubtedly the most charming city in Vietnam with all its authenticity, large shaded avenues, many lakes, and neat gardens.
Beginning of the discovery of Hanoi city:
Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House : this humble, traditional stilt house where Ho lived intermittently from 1958 to 1969 is set in a well-tended garden adjacent a carp-filled pond and has been preserved just as Ho left it.
One pillar pagoda : a wooden pagoda on a single stone pillar, and it is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, which is a Buddhist symbol of purity, since a lotus blossoms in a muddy pond .
Temple of Literature : founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, the Temple of Literature is dedicated to Confucius (Khong Tu). Inside you’ll find a pond known as the ‘Well of Heavenly Clarity’, a low-slung pagoda and statues of Confucius and his disciples. A rare example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture, the complex honours Vietnam’s finest scholars and men of literary accomplishment. It is the site of Vietnam’s first university, established here in 1076, when entrance was only granted to those of noble birth.
Continuation of visit of the Ngoc Son Temple was built in the 18th century on Jade Island in the centre of the ‘Lake of the Returned Sword’ or Hoan Kiem Lake. Legend describes how an emperor was once given a magical sword which helped him defeat the Chinese Ming Dynasty and in doing so saw the return of the Golden Turtle God to the lake.
Lunch at your own expense.