BEST OF VIETNAM

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest, busiest and most exciting city in Vietnam. It is also filled with intrigue and culture. Ho Chi Minh City is considered as a “blending mixture of culture” in Viet Nam. Here, you can discover a lot of interesting things through human daily life. Founded and developed over 300 years, today Ho Chi Minh city is a fascinating tourist spot with various cultural and historical features. On this tour we will visit some of the most interesting sights that Ho Chi Minh City has to offer, such as The War Remnants Museum: This is a lively display of the futility of the war; The Reunification Palace: This beautifully preserved palace was the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam during the 1960-1970s; Notre Dame Cathedral was built in 1880 and the Old Post Office was built between 1886 – 1891. It is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture.

Thien Hau Pagoda in Cho Lon: This is a Chinese style temple located on Nguyen Trai Street in Cho Lon (China Town) – District 5. It is dedicated to Thien Hau, the Lady of the Sea, also known as “Mazu” (“Tian Hou” in Chinese).

Our last stop would be at the lacquer-ware factory where you can observe the process of making these traditional Vietnamese products.

A trip to Mekong Delta offers a glimpse into the unique and distinct agrarian life of the vibrant southern Delta region. We will enjoy a cruise along Mekong River to one of the Islands (located in the town of My Tho) where we will be entertained with traditional music while enjoying some tea sweetened with bee’s honey and seasonal fresh fruits.

We will then take a paddle-boat to cruise through the narrow canals of the Mekong. One interesting thing about transportation in this region is that mostly everybody here travels by boat, ships because the number of canals is very interlaced. Here a system of transportation on water is developed so much. Travelling on canals, we can discover many distinct things such as along with the banks, a number of coconut trees grow side by side, the atmosphere of travelling by boat brings good feelings for us.

The paddle-boat ride provides an interesting look into local cottage industry of making coconut candies. We will then have a lunch of ‘Elephant Ear’ fish combined with other delicious Vietnamese dishes – a local specialty. Hopefully, you can enjoy the fresh and comfortable atmosphere through your trip. Return to your hotel.

Drive back to HCMC and join vespa tour this evening. If you’d like to see Ho Chi Minh City from a different perspective, hop on the back of a motorbike for a half-day shopping tour in this bustling city. Your driver will take you to places that tourists do not usually have the chance to see.

Traffic in Vietnam is an experience that most visitors will never forget. Join us for a unique look at local Vietnamese life as we take a tour of our favorite streets and places in Ho Chi Minh City by motorbike. During this excursion, you will visit a few of the iconic places that are symbols of our local culture. All of the streets here have their own characteristics. If you are a person who loves motorbikes, you will have a chance to drop by Tan Thanh Market where you can find almost any motorbike part, both new and vintage, out on display here. Or, if you are interested in music & DVDs, there is a CD-DVD street for you to visit. Many of the streets here in Ho Chi Minh are known by the locals for the different goods they sell such as aquarium fishes, scissors, guitars… Moreover, Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street is famous for its Chinese traditional medicines.

This is also an experience that any one wants to try one time in Vietnam. Hopefully, through this trip, you can know and understand about Vietnamese culture better.

Flight to Danang in the morning.
The beautiful city of Da Nang offers some wonderful activities for us to embark on. From the hotel, we will visit Ho Chi Minh and The Fifth Military Museum. It features a replica of President Ho’s home in Ha Noi with a fishpond, a house on stilts, its garden and other relics. Besides, this museum has also a lot of large war equipment including aircraft and tanks that were captured in the French and American wars by the soldiers of the Fifth Military Division. Da Nang Museum with rich local history and culture, is the next stop.

We will continue to the Cham Sculpture Museum. The Cham Museum in Da Nang is dedicated to this period and the Champa existence which began predominantly in the coastal areas of Vietnam. The Museum displays almost 300 terracotta and stone works of art ranging from the 7th to the 15th century.

Continue to Thuan Phuoc Bridge at Tien Sa Port, another wonderful bridge in Da Nang City. The next stop is Dragon Bridge, a very unique and modern bridge that crosses the Han River from the Bach Dang traffic circle.

After lunch, we will visit Marble Mountain (Vietnamese: Ngu Hanh Son; literally “five elements mountains”) where we will discover the stunning natural caves of the mountain and enjoy the beautiful view from the top. We will also visit mysterious pagodas and the sculpturing village. We will continue to Son Tra Peninsula visit the spectacular Son Tra Quan Yin, or Goddess of Mercy statue. See the sheer size and beauty of the Lady Buddha up close then learn the legend behind this patron saint of seamen.

It is time to hop on your scooter to start exploring Hoi An’s hidden gems and charismatic locals. First up is a drive to Cam Thanh through the countryside, you’ll experience up close the resplendent beauty of the rice paddies and grazing buffalo all of which are guaranteed to provide plenty of perfect photo opportunities.

Take a boat to fishing village located at the mouth of the Thu Bon river where villager lives and works by catching fish. After a short boat trip, you can wander around to experience local villager life. Be careful your flip-flops because seafood seems bring its “natural scent” from the sea to fishing market. Continue walk to mam “(“salted fish”) factory. The mam products are an indispensable dipping sauce with the daily meals of residents in the central region. After leaving from the pier, take a short trip through Cam Thanh village learn how to make things from water coconut leaves, we watch the local people creating these beautiful objects.

Last stop of the tour, you will join the farmers in preparing and fertilizing the land with seaweed from the local lake. Other activities will include: raking, sowing, picking greens and much more. After our time with the farmers, we will spend the rest of the last working the land until it’s time to prepare some special foods with a local family. You will enjoy the Tam Huu Spring Roll (“packed with pork, prawn, mint and coriander”), the local pancakes from the central region of Vietnam. This tour gives you an authentic glimpse into the traditional lives of the people in this village. Lastly, driver will drop you off at the starting point.

Head to Hue, along the North coast of Da Nang to the top of Hai Van Pass where bunkers remaining from the war can be explored. Upon arrival in Hue, we will visit the Citadel, Hue’s prime attraction, which contains the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Emperor’s Private Residence. Hue citadel was built from 1804 to 1833 under the Nguyen’s dynasty (the last feudalist kingdom in Vietnam). The grounds of the Imperial City are protected by fortified ramparts 2 kilometers and ringed by a moat. Inside the citadel, there are a lot of different construction works such as: Imperial City gates, Purple Forbidden City, Temples and places of worshipping, pavilions, gardens, etc.

* Visitors are required to wear shirts with sleeves and pants under knees when visiting the Hue Citadel

The Perfume River winds around the sloping mountains and bisects the city into north and south. The water catches the early morning sunlight. After breakfast you are taken to the riverbanks. You can see boys paddling shallow wooden boats on the water. A thin fishing line dangles into the water. You find the impressive stone walkway that leads to Emperor Khai Dinh’s tomb. The complex was completed in the 1931 after 11 years of construction. The tomb is a rectangular structure that leans against the mountainside and stands atop 127 steps.

Large stone dragons form the side walls of the lower steps. The courtyard is lined with two rows of statues that face center. Each statue represents a bodyguard that protects the emperor and the tomb. The construction and detail of the complex is impressive, from the guards’ faces to the embellishments on adorning statues. After your perusal of the emperors’ tombs you will make your way back to town where you have some free time to explore independently or with your guide should you wish.

With yellow colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and scenic lakes, Hanoi is full of charm. Visit some of Hanoi’s heritage sites such as Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (temple of literature), the first Imperial school in Vietnam, built in 1070 during the dynasty of King Ly. We will also visit Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple (jade mountain temple), But Tower (pen shaped tower), Dai Nghien (ink stand) and The Huc Bridge (wooden bridge painted in red). Then, we will take a cyclo (pedicab) ride around “the 36 meandering streets” of Hanoi’s historic Old Quarter to enjoy the bustling local life.

Spend a relaxing, therapeutic day in spa. Massage is the treatment and practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical, functional and in some cases psychological goals. At the Spa center, therapists will offer you a therapeutic, restorative, hot stone massage. The ancient and magical powers of the stones will be transferred through your body. The stone’s hardness makes for a fantastic deep tissue massage and allows the therapists to address any specific problem areas with more detailed work or deeper pressure. Hot stone massage is a perfect way to recover from fatigue and stress and will leave you feeling refreshed and energised.

After a wonderful spa treatment, we will begin our “Foodie tour”. First, we will go to Ha Noi’s historic old quarter to enjoy Cha Ca La Vong (“fried fish La Vong”) a renowned specialty of Ha Noi. This dish is fish marinated and grilled over charcoal then fried in a pan served with an unforgettable mix of herbs. Next, we go to Trang Tien Street to enjoy locally made, gourmet ice cream. This local delicacy is known for its distinctive flavours, including milk, coconut, cereal, green beans and chocolate. Before heading back to the hotel, we will take a stroll around beautiful Hoa Kiem Lake.

Breakfast at hotel and leisure time in Hanoi until your private transfer to Noi Bai, Hanoi airport.