vietnam food & culture
Dates: November 3 - 12, 2023
Price: $2,199 per person, double occupancy
WHAT’S INCLUDED
The adventure
Arrival and departure airport transfers in Vietnam
9 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
Accommodations (9 nights hotel)
Services of an English-speaking Local Leader
Flights during the tour (Days 4 & 8)
Air-conditioned vehicle and driver throughout
THE ADVENTURE
Day 1: Hanoi Xin chao! Welcome to Vietnam. After meeting your group and Local Leader, we’ll enjoy dinner at KOTO Restaurant, dedicated to developing the hospitality careers of disadvantaged youth. (d)
Our hotel in Hanoi: Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture
Day 2: Hanoi >Halong Bay We depart today and travel to Halong Bay, one of the greatest natural treasures of Vietnam. We will board our Feature Stay accommodation, a gloriously beautiful and traditionally decorated junk-style boat. We’ll set sail in comfort as unforgettable views of scattered islands and towering limestone outcrops slowly unfold in front of us. Explore the bay while enjoying a pleasant seafood lunch onboard. Learn about the fascinating geography of the region and its importance to the Vietnamese people, visit Surprise Cave where your leader will point out interesting rock formations, and in the warmer months you can choose a swim from Ti Top Island Beach or take an optional kayaking tour. Sit back with a drink on the upper deck and face out to the spirit-lifting view that will be stamped on your memory of Vietnam. Soak in the stunning surroundings with a candlelit seafood dinner on deck before settling in for a night of stargazing and swapping stories. (b, l, d)
Our boat in Halong Bay: Sena Cruise
Note: Our junk-style boat has twin-share cabins with en suite facilities and air-conditioning. Due to the limited cabins on board, the single supplement is excluded, and accommodation will be on a twin-share basis.
Day 3: Halong Bay > Hanoi Start your day with a peaceful breakfast and perhaps take part in some Tai Chi on board the boat before we return to Hanoi. This evening, we’ll enjoy our Hanoi street food tour. Along the perimeter of the market, dozens of street hawkers sell a staggering variety of produce from live seafood to delicious fruits and spices. (b, d)
Our hotel in Hanoi: Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture
Day 4: Hanoi > Hue This morning we take a short flight to Hue — the imperial capital of Vietnam. You’ll have free time in the morning to rest or explore the bustling Dong Ba Market. Later, visit the war-damaged ruins of the Hue Imperial Citadel. Enjoy an evening unscripted to write your own adventure. (b)
Our hotel in Hue: Than Lich Royal Boutique Hotel
Day 5: Hue See Hue like a local - from the back of a motorbike! Whiz around town with a local guide, taking in historic and contemporary sights along the way. Stop at Thanh Toan to see the 18th-century covered bridge and villagers shopping at their local market. Visit the 17th-century active Buddhist monastery of Thien Mu Pagoda and see the car that belonged to Thích Quang Duc, the monk who self-immolated in 1963 in protest against the treatment of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese regime. For lunch, savour a vegetarian feast in a nunnery. Finish at the lakeside royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc before heading back to town. (b, l)
Our hotel in Hue: Than Lich Royal Boutique Hotel
Note: The motorbike tour has been assessed for safety and is closely monitored. To participate please ensure your travel insurance covers riding pillion on a motorbike up to 125cc. If you prefer not to participate, please let your leader know and they will arrange car transportation (cost included).
Day 6: Hue > Hoi An Traveling by motor coach, head south through coastal rice paddies before traversing the spectacular Hai Van Pass. Recently declared a World Heritage Site, Hoi An was a major international port during the 17th- 19th centuries — and its delicate beauty is being restored and preserved. On arrival, we’ll start a walking tour of Hoi An – the beautifully restored city retains the feel of centuries past, making it the sort of place that grows on you the more you explore it. There's a great array of original paintings, handcrafted woodwork, ceramics, embroidery, lanterns and fabrics on display.
Pop into the Reaching Out Tea House – the peace and quiet of this establishment stands in stark contrast to the bustling streets outside. The teahouse is a non-government organization that supports the local deaf and mute community by providing employment and vocational training. While here we’ll sip some delicious teas in total silence – a tranquil experience you won’t soon forget. (b)
Our hotel in Hoi An: EMM Hotel
Day 7: Hoi An Today is a free day to explore Hoi An. Maybe browse the cobbled streets and art galleries or hire a bike and cycle through rice paddies out to Cua Dai Beach. Maybe browse for paintings, ceramics and colourful cloth lanterns in the town’s markets and preserved Chinese shophouses. If you’re craving a new look, you could pay a visit to one of the hundreds of tailors and get something special made. Hoi An is also known for its delicious regional food, so be sure to enjoy a meal at a riverside restaurant or perhaps partake in a cooking class. (b)
Our hotel in Hoi An: EMM Hotel
Day 8: Hoi An > Ho Chi Minh City Today take a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), which is rich in history and is arguably Vietnam’s capital of commerce and culture. After landing, take a sightseeing tour around the city by bus. Pass the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Opera House, then stop in at the War Remnants Museum to discover some of the sobering stories of the 20-year-long Vietnam/American War. (b)
Our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City: Encore by Wyndham Saigon
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City > Mekong Delta > Ho Chi Minh City Head out to explore the Mekong Delta. Travel to My Tho and then board a boat to Ben Tre to visit a coconut candy factory and sample their sweet products. On a tuk-tuk tour around the remote village, learn about local rural life and stop to sample tropical fruits. Eat lunch at a restaurant in the heart of the delta, sampling regional specialties such as the famous Elephant Ear fish. Afterward, paddle in sampans along the Mekong before returning via bus to Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll gather tonight for a farewell dinner. (b, l, d)
Our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City: Encore by Wyndham Saigon
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City Your adventure ends today or continue onto Cambodia for your Siem Reap extension. (b)
