Ho Chi Minh City

Tour

Vietnam Overland

Day 1: HO CHI MINH CITY / Arrival
Arrive at Tan Son Nhat international airport. Meet your Viettours’ guide for an orientation tour, transfer to hotel. Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals. The rest of the day is free for relaxation. An optional walking tour of Dong Khoi St. (formerly Rue Catinat.) and Le Cong Kieu St., two of Ho Chi Minh City's most famous streets, is available. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2: HCM CITY – CU CHI TUNNELS – HCM CITY (B)
After breakfast, visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels – Vietnam’s No.1 tourist attraction, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. Optional side trips en route to Cu Chi include visits to see how rural people live and work. View occupations such as cashew nut farming, rice farming and production of rice paper. A city tour of dynamic Saigon includes the Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office, a lacquer ware factory and Thien Hau Pagoda in the city’s bustling Chinatown. Overnight in HCM City.

A relaxing "Health and Beauty" package is optional. Participants can enjoy 30 minutes of one of the following: shampoo and head massage; manicure; foot massage or facial massage.

Day 3: HO CHI MINH CITY – BEN TRE (B-L-D)
Drive to Ben Tre, take a boat cruise to Coconut Island. Enjoy a short walk on the island, tasting native fruits and viewing local handicraft production. Continue by boat to Tan Thach Commune to visit a family-run enterprise making coconut candies. Take a horse-drawn cart to Quoi Son to visit a bee farm and to enjoy tea and candies. Float on a sampan through the narrow, tree-lined canals of the Mekong Delta. Enjoy lunch on Qui Island. After lunch, continue boating to Phu Tuc Village for an overnight stay. Enjoy fishing and sightseeing during a late-afternoon rowboat trip along the Tien River. Visit a local family home and have a dinner of traditional Mekong Delta foods. After dinner take in a performance of traditional rural music. Spend the night in a local house in Ben Tre.

Day 4: BEN TRE – CAI BE – HCM CITY (B)
After breakfast, depart for Cai Be. Take a boat trip along the mighty Mekong River and its tributaries to view the daily lives of people who living on the waterways of the Mekong Delta. The trip includes a visit to the unique “floating” market in Cai Be and to a family-run business producing rice paper - a key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. Visit a fruit wholesale market, a local school and a French-influenced Catholic Church. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in HCM City.

Day 5: HO CHI MINH CITY – DALAT (B)
Have a scenic drive from Ho Chi Minh City to the central highland resort of Dalat. En route stop at rubber, tea and coffee plantations. A visit to a silk-making business is optional. Upon arrival in Dalat, visit Prenn Waterfall and enjoy a brief view of the city by horse-drawn cart. Overnight in Dalat.

Day 6: DALAT – NHA TRANG (B)
In the morning, tour the summer residence of Vietnam’s last emperor, Bao Dai. Drop by the colorful Dalat Market to see the variety of flowers, vegetables and fruits available in Dalat’s temperate climate. The drive to Nha Trang begins with a series of mountainside switchbacks affording spectacular views of the arid lowlands and the sea. Stop near the seaside town of Phan Rang to visit Po Klong Garai, a well-preserved 14th century Cham Tower. Follow the coastal road to Nha Trang, stopping at a vineyard along the way. Upon arrival in Nha Trang, hotel check-in then rest of day free to enjoy this beach town. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 7: NHA TRANG (B)
Enjoy Nha Trang’s turquoise waters and white sandy beaches. Take a morning boat cruise to offshore islands in Nha Trang Bay. Afternoon visit to the Po Nagar Cham Towers, Long Son Pagoda, the Cathedral of Nha Trang. A visit to a local fish and food market is optional. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 8: NHA TRANG – QUI NHON (B)
The drive from Nha Trang to Qui Nhon passes through perhaps the most scenic stretches of coastline in all of Vietnam. The range of colours and vistas seen along this coastal and mountainous drive are unparalleled in South East Asia. Stop en route at Dai Lanh Beach to enjoy the transparent, turquoise waters and at a Cham ruin near Tuy Hoa. A visit to the tomb of Han Mac Tu - a famous Vietnamese poet - and the rocky outcrops at Hoang Hau is optional. Overnight in Qui Nhon.

Day 9: QUI NHON – HOI AN (B)
In the morning, visit the Thap Doi Cham Tower before continuing north to Hoi An. Stop en route at Sa Huynh Beach and at Tam Quan for some refreshing coconut juice. Along the rest of the drive, view the daily life of rural villagers processing cassava, farming rice and weaving grass. Arrive in Hoi An late in the afternoon. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 10: HOI AN (B)
Take a full-day tour of this quaint town, visiting ancient merchants’ houses, a Hokkien temple, the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colourful riverside market. Visit a workshop where artisans make Hoi An’s famous lanterns. Guests learn how the lanterns are made then have a chance to create their own lanterns, from designing the frame to gluing the cloth. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 11: HOI AN – HUE (B)
Drive from Hoi An to Hue. Stop en route at the Marble Mountains, famed for its stonecutters and for being a “Viet Cong” guerillas hideout during the Vietnam War. Continue on to Hue, passing over a spectacular mountain pass and by a seaside fishing village. Upon arrival in Hue visit the Imperial Citadel. Drive to the outskirts of Hue to visit the elaborate tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. Stop en route at local families to learn how Vietnam’s famous conical hats and colourful incense are made. Overnight in Hue.

Day 12: HUE – HANOI (B)
Take a boat cruise through the centre of Hue on the romantic Perfume River. Visit the seven-story Thien Mu Pagoda along the riverbank. Check out and transfer to airport for the flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel. See the beautiful colors of Hanoi during a late afternoon cyclo ride through the city’s old quarter. In the evening enjoy a water puppet show - a remarkable Vietnamese art form that combines traditional music, fireworks, underwater puppeteers and elaborate puppets floating gracefully over water. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 13: HANOI – BAC NINH – HALONG (B)
After breakfast, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & his former home, One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature and the Lake of Restored Sword. Afternoon driving to Bac Ninh, the cradle of traditional Vietnamese music and theatre. On arrival take a horse-drawn cart through country lanes to visit the Dinh Bang communal house and Do temple. Enjoy local folk songs before proceeding to Halong in the evening. Overnight in Halong.

Day 14: HALONG – HANOI (B-L)
In the morning, relax on a 5-hour boat cruise through magnificent Halong Bay, a UNESCO designated World Heritage site. Enjoy a seafood lunch on board. Return drive to Hanoi, stopping en route at the Dong Trieu ceramics factory. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 15: HANOI / Departure (B)
Departure day. At leisure until transfer to the airport for onward flight. Home sweet home.

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Related Places

Ho Chi Minh City	Cu Chi Tunnel	Ben Tre
Miet Vuon Cai Be	Da Lat	Nha Trang
Quy Nhon City	Hoi An	Hue
Bac Ninh