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Travel the length of Vietnam on this weeklong tour, stopping in Saigon (in the south), Hanoi (in the north), and the beaches and small towns of the central coast in between. Begin in dynamic Saigon, the country’s commercial center and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. Visit Chinatown, the Thien Hau Pagoda, the Reunification Palace, the Opera House and Hotel de Ville. If desired, also visit the powerful War Remnants Museum. Explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city's main shopping boulevard with shops selling clothes and accessories by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares. Try Saigon’s strong Vietnamese iced coffee and a banh mi (baguette sandwich). Take a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and watch an eccentric religious ceremony at the main temple of Cao Daism, a unique fusion of world religions, in Tay Ninh. Alternatively, spend the day cruising the narrow canals of the Mekong Delta.
Next, fly to Danang and stay several days at the luxurious beachfront Furama Resort. Nearby, see ancient sculpture in the Cham Museum, and tour Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains. Visit atmospheric Hoi An, a UNESCO-listed riverfront port town crammed with historic homes, tiny museums, cafes, and bustling silk and fish markets.
Wrap up in Hanoi, Vietnam’s artistic and intellectual capital. Explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquerware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, ride a cyclo to dinner, and watch a performance of water puppet theater. Dine in French colonial villas converted into gourmet restaurants. Enjoy people watching at stylish cafes. Shop for impressive modern art in the city’s many galleries. Also visit Hanoi’s main cultural attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature. |
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Transfer and flight to Hanoi for two-night stay. Afternoon private city touring: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, Restored Sword Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda. Overnight in Hanoi. |
Arrival transfer to hotel for two-night stay. Afternoon private city touring "Notre Dame Catholic Church, City Hall, War Museum, Reunification Palace. Free shopping in Dong Khoi areas and Ben Thanh market. Overnight in Saigon.
Transfer and flight to Danang for two-night stay at beach resort. Afternoon private tour of Cham Museum and Marble Mountains. Overnight in Danang.
Morning private touring in Hoi An: Assembly Hall, Phuc Kien Pagoda, Japanese Bridge, Boat trip to handicraft villages. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.
