Essential Vietnam Tour

11 Days (9 Nights) £1,000 per person

UK - Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh - Mekong Delta - Da Nang - Hoi An
- Hue - Hanoi - Traditional Craft Villages - Ha Long - Hanoi - UK

(inc. return flights in economy class and 4-star hotel accommodations)

Day 1: UK - Ho Chi Minh City
Depart the UK for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City
Arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport, pick-up and transfer to the hotel. Stroll around the downtown for the first discovery of this bustling metropolis.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh (B)
Morning visit the Reunification Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, the History Museum. Afternoon drive to Tay Ninh, the head quarter of Cao Dai sect founded in 1923. Visit the ornate temple of Cao Dai and attend the fantastic Midday Mass ceremony when the followers fill the hall wearing coloured robes, a symbol of the curious combination of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, Christianism and Islamism.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Day 4: Mekong Delta (B)
Depart to My Tho. Take a boat trip on Mekong River through the myriad canals offers travellers a real insight to life in the countryside: peasant hard at work in their paddy fields, water buffaloes, many kinds of fruit orchards, thatched-roof dwellings, temples, fishermen and excited children. Reach Turtle Island, stroll on a fruit garden and taste diverse types of seasonal fruits, tea mixed with bee's honey. Enjoy wonderful Mekong Delta's traditional music and songs. Visit a coconut candy factory. Return to Ho Chi Minh City, stop along the way to see the beautiful Vinh Trang Pagoda, the most famous pagoda in the south whose architecture is a mixture of Vietnamese, Kh'mer and Chinese.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang - Hoi An (B)
Morning flight to Da Nang then transfer to Hoi An, one of the major trading centres of South East Asia in the 16th century, now a World Cultural Heritage Site, well-known for its ancient and remarkable architecture of mixed Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese styles from the 16th century. Visit the 200 year-old Tan Ky house, Phuc Kien Pagoda, the former merchants' houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colourful riverside market.
Late afternoon, visit Cam Chau village to see local people make their traditional jewel-like-toned lanterns.
Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 6: Hoi An - Hue (B)
Leave Hoi An for Hue, the last imperial capital of Vietnam, well-known for magnific architecture, pagodas and royal tombs laid in small villages and surrounding hills. En route have a look at the famous China Beach and visit Cham Museum which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. Upon arrival in Hue, visit the Imperial Citadel, the Purple Forbidden City, the elaborate mausoleums of Emperors Tuc Duc and Khai Dinh.
Overnight in Hue.

 

 

Day 7: Hue - Hanoi (B)
A morning boat trip on the romantic Perfume River visiting Hue's oldest and most revered site, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang, in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. Afternoon take the flight to Hanoi. On arrival in Hanoi, take one hour cyclo ride through the bustling old quarter streets of Hanoi. In the evening, enjoy a fantastic traditional water puppet show (unique to Vietnam).
Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 8: Hanoi - Ha Long (B)
Morning explore this elegant and charming capital city with the mausoleum of the nation's founder Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature. Afternoon drive to Ha Long Bay, the most wonderful scenic sight of Vietnam, a recognized World Natural Heritage Site.
Overnight in Ha Long.

Day 9: Ha Long - Hanoi (B/L)
Embark our private junk for an 5-hour cruise to explore this World Natural Heritage Site. This exciting cruise will provide us a fantastic view of the picturesque scenery, skyline with over 3,000 limestone islets rising fantastically from the clear and emerald water, the limestone karst formations form shorelines littered with beaches, grottoes and beautiful caves. Afternoon return to Hanoi. Stop en route at Dong Trieu ceramic village where the famous blue and white pottery is produced.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 10: Traditional Craft Village (B)
Depart to the famous Dong Ho traditional paper village, where "giay do" paper is produced and painted with traditional designs, all the papers are handmade and some still in the traditional method using only natural products. Continue to Dong Ky woodcarving village where the furniture is inlaid with mother of pearl and finished off with a layer of clear lacquer is made. Inlaying the mother of pearl is highly labour intensive as it is carefully sawn into fine fish-bone slivers and painstakingly set into wood. Head to Van Phuc silk village on the side of a river, with the peaceful picture and curious noise of many hand-made machines working to create thousand meters of silk, see villagers colour and dry silk in very simple ways. Proceed to Lan So, the village still owns its old charm and traditional features to visit traditional rice paper and noodle making families. Return to Hanoi in the late afternoon.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 11: Hanoi - UK (B)
Free at leisure until transfer to the Airport for your return flight to the UK.

(B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner)

Above itinerary includes:

• International return flights in economy class
• Accommodation in 4 - star hotels with breakfast.
• An English - speaking local guide mentioned above for transfers and excursions.
• Entrance fee to all mentioned sites.
• Domestic flights mentioned above.
• Meals mentioned in the itinerary.

Itinerary excludes:

• Personal consumption or tipping.
• Meals not indicated in the itinerary.

Please kindly note that our tour price shown above is based on two persons travelling in Mid-season. However, supplement for single travellers is available on request. Remember all tours shown on our website are customisable to suit your own schedule and budget, for any further assistance please call us on 0161 234 0118 or send us an Email with your enquiries to info@y3travel.com Our friendly travel consultants will be very happy to offer you their advice and itinerary ideas for your holidays.