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TRAVEL TOOL

Itinerary in brief
Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City - Phan Thiet
Day 3: Phan Thiet - Nha Trang
Day 4: Nha Trang
Day 5: Nha Trang – Qui Nhon
Day 6: Qui Nhon - Hoi An
Day 7: Excursion to My Son
Day 8: Hoi An – Danang – Hue
Day 9: Hue
Day 10: Hue - Dong Hoi
Day 11: Dong Hoi – Vinh
Day 12: Vinh - Ninh Binh
Day 13: Ninh Binh - Hai Phong
Day 14: Hai Phong - Halong – Hanoi
Day 15: Hanoi
Day 16: Departure from Hanoi

Detail Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City
Arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Pick up and transfer to a hotel. An afternoon tour round Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon, features the History Museum, the Binh Tay Market in Chinatown, Thien Hau Temple and a lacquer workshop. O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City - Phan Thiet (B)
Leave Saigon for Phan Thiet (200km). Hidden among coconut trees, a chain of seaside resorts attracts every taste and all ages. Spend an afternoon relaxing at a resort, or roaming over coloured sand dunes at Hon Rom. The coast offers spectacular views at sunset along the Cape Ne beach drive. Golfing at an 18-hole course is optional. O/N in Phan Thiet.

Day 3: Phan Thiet - Nha Trang (B)
Leave for Nha Trang (250km), considered the most charming coastal town of Vietnam with a seemingly endless white sandy beach and ocean blue waters. Stop over at a semi-arid area in Phan Rang, home to Cham people and then visit the My Nghiep brocade-weaving hamlet and the Po Klong Garai Towers. After arrival in Nha Trang, the remainder of the day is a pedicab tour (1 hour) along the beachfront to the Po Nagar Towers. O/N in Nha Trang.

Day 4: Nha Trang (B, L)
Transfer to Cau Da Jetty for a day cruise to Tam Islet and Mun Islet. The water is clear and the marine life is diverse for snorkelling and sunbathing. Optional activities include scuba diving, jet skiing, wind surfing & parasailing on Tam Islet. Lunch of seafood is served on board. O/N in Nha Trang.

Day 5: Nha Trang – Qui Nhon (B)
Leave for Qui Nhon (250km) by car across picturesque coastal plains. Stop over at the Dai Lanh fishing village, Cham towers and coconut farms en route for snapshots. Qui Nhon, known for ruins of the ancient Cham capital of Chaban, has changed dramatically for the last few years to the new holiday destination with new resort projects. O/N in Qui Nhon.

Day 6: Qui Nhon - Hoi An (B)
Leave for Hoi An (250km). Stop over at Tam Ky and visit the Chien Dan Towers, a group of 3 towers built in the 13th century. The rest of the day is free time to relax by a pool side or on the sandy beach of Cua Dai. A cruise on the Thu Bon River to nearby handicraft villages (Thanh Ha, Kim Bong) is optional. O/N in Hoi An.

Day 7: Excursion to My Son (B)
Enjoy a day trip to explore two World Heritage sites recognised by UNESCO in 1999. First, travel over rural roads to My Son (55km), where architectural treasures and sculptures of Cham culture dating from the 7th to the 13th century can be explored. Then transfer to Hoi An, a centuries-old city with ancient houses, temples, markets and handicraft workshops. O/N in Hoi An.

Day 8: Hoi An – Danang – Hue (B)
Before leaving for Hue (140km), visit the stone-carving village of Non Nuoc and the Cham Sculpture Museum where a variety of ancient and modern sculpted articles is displayed. Admire beautiful landscape on the road through the Hai Van Pass. Panoramic views of the clouds, the sea and the mountains around are unfolded from the summit. The evening is highlighted with a Hue folk show on the Perfume River. O/N in Hue.

Day 9: Hue (B)
A morning tour focuses on the Imperial Citadel, built in 1804 on a site chosen in accordance with the principles of geomancy, and the Dong Ba Market, famous for its best conical hats in Vietnam. In the afternoon, visit the tombs of King Tu Duc (ruled 1848 – 1883) and King Khai Dinh (ruled 1916 – 1925). The monuments, designed by the kings themselves, were also used as holiday retreats during their lifetime. Overland to Thien Mu Pagoda, attend the afternoon service. In the evening, a typical royal court dinner with a presentation of ancient dancing and court music is optionally arranged (minimum group size: 10). Court royal music of Nguyen Dynasty has been recognised as a world intangible heritage by UNESCO in late 2003. O/N in Hue.

Day 10: Hue - Dong Hoi (B)
Drive to Dong Hoi (165km), passing the former demilitarized zone (DMZ) along the Ben Hai River (1954 – 1975) where vestiges of fierce battles can be seen comprising the ruins of the old Quang Tri Citadel, Dong Ha Town, the Truong Son Cemetery and Ben Tac Bridge. Travel on Truong Son Road, nicknamed the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the north-south supply route during the Vietnam War. O/N in Dong Hoi.

Day 11: Dong Hoi – Vinh (B)
Before leaving for Phong Nha, wander about the Nhat Le fish Market, an ideal photo spot with sellers and buyers invariably wearing the ubiquitous conical hat. Transfer to the Xuan Son ferry landing (45km) and take a boat ride on the Son River to spectacular Phong Nha Cavern comprising Bi Ky Cave & Cung Dinh Cave. Onwards to Vinh on Truong Son Road (200km) through war vestiges. Stop by the Dong Loc T-junction, learn the story of 10 female youth volunteers who fought and sacrificed to the safe of the road under heavy bombing. O/N in Vinh.

Day 12: Vinh - Ninh Binh (B)
The morning highlight is a visit to President Ho Chi Minh’s birth home in Kim Lien Village where farm houses made of bamboo and palm leaves over 100 years ago are restored. Cuong Temple near Dien Chau Town with the legendary love story of Trong Thuy and My Chau is also worth visiting. Onwards to Ninh Binh (200km). O/N in Ninh Binh.

Day 13: Ninh Binh - Hai Phong (B)
The highlight in Ninh Binh is a sampan ride to Tam Coc, known as Vietnam’s “inland Halong Bay”. Then onwards to the Bich Dong cave pagodas dating from the 17th century. In the afternoon, drive through the Red River Delta to Hai Phong (135km) with a stop-over at Tuc Mac Temple and Pho Minh Pagoda in Nam Dinh, the native land of the Tran Dynasty (1225 –1400). O/N in Hai Phong.

Day 14: Hai Phong - Halong – Hanoi (B, L)
Transfer to Halong (60km), passing the Rung ferry landing where Mongol boats were impaled by steel-tipped bamboo stakes in 1288. On arrival, board a private boat for a cruise in Halong Bay (5 hours), a World Heritage site recognised by UNESCO in 1994. Visit magical grottoes and relax in the best scenic beauty of Vietnam. Lunch of fresh seafood is served on board. Return to Hanoi with stop-overs at ceramic and hand embroidery workshops en route. O/N in Hanoi.

Day 15: Hanoi (B)
A morning sightseeing tour features both cultural and historical highlights, comprising the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One-Pillared Pagoda, the Ethnology Museum, the Temple of Literature and the old quarters. In the afternoon, visit the Bat Trang pottery village where artisans create superb ceramic vases and other masterpieces in their kilns. The sightseeing day ends with a pedicab ride and a water puppet show, a theatrical genre reflecting the agricultural civilization of thousands of years ago. O/N in Hanoi.

Day 16: Departure from Hanoi (B)
Spend last minutes for downtown shopping (ceramics, silver-carvings, silk,...) or at leisure before check-out. Transfer to the airport for departure.