Vivid Vietnam

Arrive in Saigon where you will be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel for check in. You will have a pre-trip briefing.

Head out of town today to visit the Vu Chi Tunnels. Cu Chi is actually the name of the district that covers an extensive underground network (approx. 200 km/125 mi) of tunnels dug initially by the Viet Minh, and later expanded by the Viet Cong. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodations and schools. They were used extensively for refuge and storage, and also as a military base for the Viet Cong close to Saigon. The 1968 Tet Offensive was launched from Cu Chi with surprising effect. A section of the tunnels have been widened to allow tourists to get a feel for what the life underground must have been like. Your afternoon city tour takes you to Saigon’s historic landmarks including the Reunification Palace where it's striking modern architecture makes it a fascinating place to visit, the War Remnants Museum and Notre Dame Cathedral. This visit allows you to admire the many French colonial buildings such as the main post office and the former Hotel de Ville (city hall). Afterwards, return to your hotel where the remainder of your day is free for shopping or doing some of your own explorations. (B)

Leave for My Tho early in the morning for a two hour drive past paddy fields and river tributaries. Arrive in Mytho and board a private motorized boat for a river cruise on the upper part of the Mekong River for a taste of agricultural life on the might Mekong River, visiting a fish-raising village, then entering Vam Xep canal with its beautiful scenery of water palm. Disembark and stroll around Quoi An fruit orchard, visiting fruit-drying kilns and a coconut craft-wares home. Enhance your trip with a short horse-drawn cart ride along the village road. Upon arrival at Ben Truc - Phong Phu Gardens, sample Mekong Delta fruit while enjoying local traditional music and have the opportunity to interact with the local people whose livelihood is on the river. Complete your trip with a rowboat trip to explore the water palm canals. Return to the main boat and transfer back to My Tho. After docking, you will have lunch at a local restaurant that incorporates some great Mekong specialties. A further two hour drive takes you to Can Tho for the night. (B,L)

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and board the boat for a two hour cruise to visit Cai Rang market, a unique style market in this location. There will be hundreds of boats laden with fruit, vegetables and fish, jostling for trade. Sellers advertise their wares by crying out across the waters. You then visit My Khanh orchard garden where you will have the opportunity to try some delicious seasonal fruits. Depart Can Tho and drive back to saigon with a lunch stop at My Tho. Upon your arrival back in Saigon, immediately transfer to the airport for your flight to Da Nang. On arrival in Da Nang, you will be met and driven to your hotel in Hoi An. (B,L)

Hoi An was originally a Cham port town, but has since been influenced throughout the centuries by a myriad of traders from various cultures. There is a distinctly Chinese appearance with pagodas and assembly halls scattered along the small streets. The tranquility and charm of this town, with its low tiled houses, makes it one of the most delightful places to visit in Vietnam. It is a constant favorite of our travelers and staff. Enjoy a walking tour of the ancient town center and take in the former merchants’ houses, the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful market with its stalls brimming with tropical specialties. There is an optional afternoon visit to the Thanh Ha pottery making village to interact with the local villagers and see how they have preserved their traditional craft over generations. (B)

The three hour drive to Hue will take you through the city of Danang, before a climb over the hills. The scene from the top of the Hai Van Pass is one of the most impressive panoramic scenes in Vietnam with views over Lang Co Beach. Upon arrival in Hue, you will visit the Citadel and the Dong Ba Market. Overnight at a centrally located hotel. (B)

After breakfast, embark on a dragon boat cruise upstream on the romantic Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s most preserved religious monument standing on the riverbank with its seven-floor tower. You then drive to the elaborate Tu Duc Royal Tomb, ,which was designed to blend with the natural setting of the landscape and Khai Dinh Royal Tomb with its different architecture and atmosphere of eastern art mixed with western designs. Enjoy lunch of royal cuisine at the home of a local family before boarding a flight to Hanoi where you are met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. (B,L)

Hanoi is one of Asia’s most enchanting cities! This northern capital is a quiet contradiction of its southern counterpart. Its relaxed ambience is a joy with exploration that is best via foot or bicycle. Today you will spend the day on a guided tour beginning with Ho Chi mInh Mausoleum, an imposing monument built from a lavish amount of marble and granite. This is where the preserved body of “Uncle Ho” lies in state for public viewing. On exiting the mausoleum, one may continue the walk by visiting the One Pillar Pagoda, fashioned in the form of a lotus flower on its stalk, emerging from the water resting on a single stone pillar. Inside there is a statue of the Goddess of Mercy with its legendary “thousand arms and thousand eyes”. You then visit the Temple of Literature for an overview about Hanoi culture and history. In the afternoon, visit the beautiful Museum of Ethnology to enhance your understanding of Vietnam’s diverse culture through its unique presentation of objects and dress from a variety of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups. Highlight your trip with another cultural feel through another aspect - art, at Art Vietnam gallery, owned by an American Art Consultant. This evening, attend a traditional water puppet show, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form especially designed for depicting scenes of rural life as well as may episodes of national history. Overnight in Hanoi will be at a centrally located hotel. (B)

Leave your luggage behind at your Hanoi hotel, and pack an overnight bag for a three and a half hour drive, sometimes on bumpy roads, to Halong Bay. This is truly one Vietnam’s most impressive scenic sights. Views of sailing junks navigating past 3,000 limestone islands, and rocky outcrops jutting out of the bay, are nothing short of spectacular. Arrive by noon at the quayside and board your private junk for a four hour cruise through Halong Bay, stopping along the way to explore the limestone caves or just relax on the deck. While on board the board, indulge in a delicious seafood lunch and dinner. Overnight on the boat. (B,L,D)

You will need to get up early in the morning in order to catch the sunrise on the bay. After breakfast, explore and cruise around the bay for fabulous photo opportunities. You will have brunch on the boat before returning to the port and drive back to Hanoi with a stop enroute in the ceramic making village of Phu Lang to observe the century old method of ceramic production. Return to Hanoi and immediately transfer to the airport in time for your late afternoon or early evening flight.