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Day 1 (MON) Leave Los Angeles on late evening flight, cross the international date line and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Wednesday morning.
Overnight and meals on airplane
Day 2 (WED) Arrive at Tan Son Nhut International Airport in Saigon and transfer to hotel. Located on historic Lam Son Square in the center of Saigon, The Caravelle is Saigon’s finest hotel. The afternoon is free but your tour guides will be available for walks, shopping and dinner suggestions.
Caravelle Hotel
Day 3 (THU) Explore the Mekong Delta. Bus to My Tho, the closest delta town to Saigon. Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, known for its ornate architecture and many beautiful Buddha images. At lunch at a local restaurant, your waitress will prepare rice paper elephant fish rolls at your table. In the afternoon a boat trip to one of the islands in the Mekong River takes you through typical fruit orchards and coconut palms, and gives you a glimpse of the daily life of rural Vietnamese families.
Caravelle Hotel, lunch
Day 4 (FRI) See the Cu Chi tunnel complex, where the Viet Cong operated and launched surprise attacks against the South Vietnamese and Americans. Later, go to Tay Ninh to see the noon service at the Great Cao Dai Temple, one of Vietnam’s most unusual buildings. Caodaism, a religion founded in Vietnam in 1926, includes among its holy people Buddha, Jesus, Sun Yat Sen and Victor Hugo.
Caravelle Hotel
Day 5 (SAT) Fly to Da Nang and then drive to Hoi An, with a stop to explore the Marble Mountains, rising up out of the rice paddies to represent fire, water, earth, wood and metal, and browse the shops of the local stonecutters and sculptors. Check in at the Hoi An Beach Resort and enjoy a relaxing afternoon around the pool, at the beach, or wandering around town.
Hoi An Beach Resort
Day 6 (SUN) In the morning, take a guided walking tour around historic Hoi An. Hoi An was a bustling trading port for several hundred years for the Chinese, Japanese and Europeans, and this is seen in its varied architecture such as the Japanese covered bridge and Chinese assembly halls. This is one of Vietnam’s best shopping towns, especially for silk and clothing. The afternoon is free for relaxing at the hotel or exploring and shopping in town.
Hoi An Beach Resort
Day 7 (MON) After breakfast, drive to Hue. After going through Da Nang, the route leads over Hai Van Pass, the Pass of Ocean Clouds, then descends to the beautiful Lang Co Lagoon and the rice paddies of the coastal plain leading to Hue, Vietnam’s imperial capital from 1802 to 1945. After checking in at the Saigon Morin Hotel and having lunch, take a guided tour of the old city – the Imperial Citadel – and its inner Forbidden Purple City. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this was home to the emperors. See the gate through which only the emperor could walk, and the flag tower where the Viet Cong flag flew for almost a month during the Tet offensive of 1968.
Saigon Morin Hotel
Day 8 (TUE) The first stop on a leisurely cruise up the famous Perfume River by dragon boat is Tien Mu Pagoda. With its dramatic setting on the edge of the river and its beautiful grounds, Tien Mu is the symbol of the city of Hue. Further up the river are the tombs of the Nguyen emperors, who built their park-like tombs during their lifetimes as places of retreat and relaxation. There are ponds, pavilions and temples, and we will stop at Minh Mang and Tu Duc, the two most beautiful.
Saigon Morin Hotel
Day 9 (WED) Fly to Hanoi and check in at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel to experience Vietnam’s finest combination of French elegance and Vietnamese hospitality. The rest of the day is free to relax at the hotel, shop, or perhaps wander through the famous “36 streets.”
Sofitel Metropole Hotel
Day 10 (THU) After breakfast at the Metropole, take a motor and walking tour of Hanoi. Hanoi, the present day capital of Vietnam, is almost 1000 years old and is steeped in legend and history. We will visit Hoan Kiem Lake, known to every Vietnamese school child as the Lake of the Restored Sword, and Hoa Lo Prison, known to us as the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.” We will also stop at The Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and house, and the museums of our choice and interest. In the evening attend a water puppet show, Vietnam’s most famous folk art, originally developed for the entertainment of the emperors in the 11th century.
Sofitel Metropole Hotel
Day 11 (FRI) Formed by a dragon in the recesses of Vietnamese legend, over 3.000 limestone islets rise out of the South China Sea to form Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet. Our cruise through the islands, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, will include a fresh seafood lunch cooked on the boat. In the afternoon, return to Hanoi in time for dinner and board the Victoria Express, Vietnam’s only private train, for the overnight trip to Lao Cai.
Overnight on train, lunch
Day 12 (SAT) After a short drive through terraced hills, check in at the Victoria Sa Pa Hotel, Sa Pa’s finest, and then head off to the Saturday morning market to shop and see the wares brought in by the local ethnic minority people. An afternoon walking tour to a minority village shows us more of their day to day life and culture.
Victoria Sa Pa Hotel, dinner
Day 13 (SUN) See some of Vietnam’s most beautiful scenery on the drive to the Bac Ha Sunday market. People from the local ethnic minority hill tribes, different from those in Sa Pa, arrive in colorful dress on foot, by pony, by carts drawn by water buffalo and even by motorbike, many after a three or four hour walk to buy their weekly supplies of food and household goods, buy and trade animals, and to socialize. In the afternoon, take a walking tour to a minority village and then drive back to Lao Cai to board the Victoria Express back to Hanoi.
Overnight on train
Day 14 (MON) Arrive in Ha Noi for an early check in at the Metropole and breakfast. In the afternoon, a cocktail party at the studio and residence of artists Mr. Khanh and Ms. Hien, or a tour of the famous Bac Trang pottery village. End the day with a farewell dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.
Sofitel Metropole Hotel, dinner
Day 15 (TUE) Transfer to Hanoi‘s Noi Bai International Airport for your return flight to the U.S. or other destination. If returning to the U.S., cross the international dateline and arrive back on the same day, Tuesday.
Breakfast included every day, lunch and dinner as noted.
NOTE: Phuong and Marv will be available during all free time should you have some special need or interest, or just want someone to go shopping or exploring with.
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