Exciting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) package trip

(7 days - 6 nights)

Alternatively on a day trip, cruise along the dramatic limestone islands of Halong Bay .

Next, fly to Ho Chi Minh City (former 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 fashion boutiques and accessories designed by up-and-coming 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 unusual religious ceremony at the main temple of Cao Daism, a unique fusion of world religions.

On another day trip, tour the narrow canals of the Mekong Delta to experience the traditional side of Vietnamese river life.

* This tour can also be taken in reverse, visiting HCMC first, concluding in Hanoi.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Hanoi

Upon arrival at Hanoi 's Noi Bai International airport, you will be greeted by our guide and transferred to your hotel. Evening water puppet performance.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour (B/L/-)

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. Dine in French colonial villas converted into gourmet restaurants. Enjoy people-watching at stylish cafes. Shop for impressive modern art in the city's myriad 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.

Day 3: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi (B/L/-)

Upon meetingt you at your hotel at 8:00 am, we drive to Halong City, approximately 3 hours away. Once at Halong City you will board our private boat for a four-hour cruise of this stunning area, stopping along the way to visit one of the limestone caves in the area. As we cruise, our boat staff will serve a sumptuous local seafood lunct. After 4 hours, we cruise back to the harbor and return you to your hotel in Hanoi.

Day 4: Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City (B/L/-)

Transfer and flight to HCMC for two nights. Afternoon, private tour of Ho Chi Minh City, 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 fashionable boutiques and accessories designed by up-and-coming Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares.

Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta (B/L/-)

The Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam. It is often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam as it produces three crops of rice per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers. The Delta area marks the end of a 4,500 km journey made by the Mekong River after having traveled through six countries. Traditional transportation in the Delta is by boat along a vast network of canals and channels. Boating along these canals and visiting the floating markets always proves to be a fascinating and rewarding experience for all visitors. Leave HCMC to lush My Tho where you will board a private boat to go through the green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where guests are treated to a delicious lunch in a bonsai garden in the heart of the Mekong, complete with succulent tropical fruits. We also visit the snake farm Dong Tam that breeds snakes for, among other things, snake wine and enjoy a bonsai garden in Trung Luong before heading back to HCMC.

Day 6: Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi Tunnels (B/-/D)

Half-day private excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250km. from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam War must have been like. Afternoon free at leisure in town.

Day 7: Depart Vietnam (B/-/-)

There are no activities planned for today. You enjoy your free time until transfer to airport for your onward flight.

Trip price

Tour price includes :

Tour price excludes :

• International flight to/from Vietnam
• Travel insurance
• Drinks & other meals not mentioned in the program
• Laundry & telephone

Proposed hotels list:

See more Hanoi tours

• The Authentic Vietnam tour 16 days 15 nights
• The essential of Vietnam 12 days 11 nights
• Northern Vietnam highlights - Hanoi Halong Sapa - 6 days
• The Impression of Vietnam Central Highlands 10 day 9 nights
• Vietnam Highlights package 9 days 8 nights
• Southern Vietnam Discovery 6 days 5 nights
• North East adventures 6 days discovery of the hidden treasures Vietnam
• North West Vietnam 7 days Adventures
• Romantic Beaches honeymoon vacation