DAY 9 HANOI-HOA LU-HANOI (B) A 70km drive through rural northern Vietnam to the site of Vietnam's first capital, Hoa Lu. After visiting the two remaining sanctuaries of the ancient citadel, take a sampan on a river through the rice paddies to the grottoes of the sacred Tam Coc Caves. Enormous limestone karsts jut out from the green rice fields giving rise to this place's other name, 'Halong on Land'. Overnight in Hanoi.
DAY 10 HANOI (B) At leisure until transfer to Noi Bai Airport for onward flight.
SOUTHERN VIETNAM EXPERIENCE
10 Days/9 Nights
DAY 1 ARRIVE HO CHI MINH CITY Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City. Meet on arrival and transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 2 HO CHI MINH CITY-CU CHI-HO CHI MINH CITY (B) A morning city tour of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, takes in the former Presidential Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, a lacquerware factory and Thien Hau Pagoda in the city's bustling chinatown. In the afternoon visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 3 HO CHI MINH CITY-CAN THO (B) Leave Ho Chi Minh City after breakfast and head south to Can Tho deep in the Mekong Delta. Break the journey at My Tho, 2 hours drive south of HCMC, to visit the ornate Vinh Trang Pagoda and a family-run rice-noodle factory. Arrive in Can Tho and check into hotel. Leave the hotel mid-afternoon for Thot Not 45km to the north of Can Tho. Visit the bamboo basket-making hamlet of Long Thanh before continuing to the Thot Not Stork Sanctuary. Watch from a viewing tower above the tree tops as thousands of egrets and herons arrive to roost in the branches. Return to Can Tho in the late afternoon. Overnight in Can Tho.
DAY 4 CAN THO-CHAU DOC (B) After breakfast check out of the hotel and head northwest to Chau Doc, situated on the Cambodian border. Transfer to hotel on arrival. In the afternoon take a boat visit fish farms where fish are bred in wooden cages suspended under floating houses on the river. Continue by boat to visit a village of stilt houses belonging to the Cham minority where colourful traditional textiles are woven on old wooden looms. Return to the dry land in time to drive up Sam Mountain to watch the sunset over the Cambodian border. Overnight in Chau Doc.
DAY 5 CHAUDOC-VINH LONG-HO CHI MINH CITY (B) Leave Chau Doc after breakfast and head back towards Ho Chi Minh City via Vinh Long. Break the journey at Vinh Long to take a boat trip to visit Phan Thanh Giang Confucian Temple and the cottage industries of Cho Cua village. Visit a ceramic tile factory, a tofu and fish sauce factory, a blacksmith's, a roof thatcher's and a rice husking factory. Continue to Cai Be Floating Market and rejoin the car to drive to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 6 HO CHI MINH CITY-DALAT (B) Leave Ho Chi Minh City after breakfast for a scenic drive through rubber and tea plantations en route to the cooler climes of Dalat, 300km from HCMC. Established as a hill station at the beginning of the century, Dalat is reminiscent of an alpine town with its French chalets and pine forests. An afternoon of sightseeing in Dalat takes in the art deco former summer residence of Emperor Bao Dai, the old Dalat Railway Station, Xuan Huong Lake, the Central Market and Lam Ty Ni Pagoda where a Buddhist monk, Vien Thuc, produces his abstract paintings and writes poetry. Overnight in Dalat.
DAY 7 DALAT-BUON MA THUOT (B,L,D) An early start for the drive northwards to Lak Lake, near Buon Ma Thuot. Arrive around noon and in the afternoon take a 45-minute elephant ride through M’Lieng Jarai village and along the shore of Lak Lake. Take a pirogue (a canoe made from a hollowed out tree trunk) on the lake before retiring to Jun village for dinner. After dinner join in the traditional dancing and gong playing of the Jarai minority and try the potent local rice wine. Overnight in a basic but clean communal longhouse at the village or hotel in Buon Ma Thuot.
DAY 8 BUON MA THUOT-NHA TRANG (B) After breakfast at the village it is a scenic morning's drive down to the coastal plain and the beach city of NhaTrang. On arrival in Nha Trang transfer to hotel. An afternoon city tour includes the Po Nagar Cham Towers and Long Son Pagoda with its enormous white Buddha statue. Overnight in Nha Trang.
DAY 9 NHATRANG-HO CHI MINH CITY (B) Leaving for Ho Chi Minh City after breakfast, the road follows the coast southwards past salt ponds and vivid green rice fields. Break the journey at Phan Rang to visit the 13 th century Po Klong Jarai Cham Towers perched high on a rocky hill surrounded by prickly pear cacti. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 10 DEPART HO CHI MINH CITY (B) At leisure until transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for onward flight.
SOME MORE IDEAS
ON LAND
VISIT TO KY LA VILLAGE A visit to Ky La village, 3 km from the Marble Mountains near Danang, offers a rare insight into Vietnamese village life. This idyllic village with its green rice fields and quaint thatched cottages is like hundreds of others all over Vietnam, but Ky La is also the birthplace of best-selling author Le Ly Hayslip. Le Ly’s autobiographical books “When Heaven and Earth Changed Places” and “Child of War, Woman of Peace” were adapted into the Oliver Stone movie “Heaven and Earth”. Visit Le Ly’s 93 year-old mother and stroll among rice paddies and lotus ponds as buffaloes work in the fields and pot-bellied pigs and chickens scratch around in the dusty earth.
TREKKING IN SAPA OR MAI CHAU Experience a way of life unchanged for centuries with a trekking trip through some of northern Vietnam’s most beautiful scenery. Trekking trips can last from 2 to 6 days. Get a real insight into the world of some of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic
ON WATER
KAYAKING IN HALONG BAY Halong Bay is a very special place and seeing it by kayak you can experience it in a very special way. We can offer kayaking trips from 2 to 5 days in Halong Bay with qualified English-speaking instructors. Sleep in tents in a sandy cove on one of the thousands of islands or aboard a boat anchored in a sheltered bay. An eco-friendly experience not to be missed for those looking for adventure away from the crowds.
CRUISING HALONG BAY ON A PRIVATE SAILING JUNK If you like a little less adventure and a bit more comfort try a 2 to 5 day cruise on board the traditional sailing junk, Huong Hai. With 7 comfortably furnished dining room, wooden decks with potted palms and rattan furniture this must be the most stylish way to enjoy spectacular Halong Bay.
MEKONG DELTA CRUISING Cruise the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho on the Mekong Star, a converted rice barge. The Mekong Star has two air-conditioned, wood-paneled bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and carries mountain bikes, canoes and fishing tackle for use by passengers.
DEEP SEA FISHING AT CON DAO ISLAND Try deep sea fishing off Con Dao Island, 180km south of the Vietnamese mainland. The sea around Con Dao is rich in marine and the pristine coral reefs make for good under water exploration by divers.
DIVING AT NHA TRANG AND DANANG Foreign managed diving schools with professional instructors offer recreational diving as well diving courses at Nha Trang and China Beach Danang.
