Detailed itinerary
Welcome to Tailormade Vietnam
Holidays...As we travel through Vietnam , we look forward to sharing our passion
for this beautiful destination with you. As you explore this historic country
you will marvel at the warmth of the people and the sheer beauty of the
countryside. The faded ochre colonial buildings and wide tree lined boulevards
make Hanoi a most attractive city and the maze of narrow streets in the Old
Quarter are a delight to explore. Halong Bay takes you away from the hustle and
bustle to enjoy cruising between the limestone peaks for an overnight stay on
board. The imperial splendour of Hue , enchanting Hoi An and rural scenery of
Mekong Delta combine to make this a most memorable trip. Finishing in dynamic Ho
Chi Minh City , don't miss the Ben Thanh market for some fantastic shopping.
highlights
Take a cyclo ride in Hanoi 's Old Quarter, Dive into the
emerald-green waters of Halong Bay , Explore Vietnam 's imperial
past in Hue , Cycle among the rice paddies near Hoi An, Get a
taste of local life in a Mekong Delta, Crawl down a Cu Chi
Tunnel
itinerary disclaimer
The itinerary attached is correct at time of printing. It may
differ slightly to the one in reality. Occasionally our
itineraries change as we make improvements that stem from past
travellers, comments and our own research. Please note that our
brochure is usually released by the end of each year. If you
have booked from the previous brochure you may find there have
been some changes to improve the itinerary. It is very important
that you print a final copy of your Trip Dossier to review a
couple of days prior to travel, in case there have been changes
that affect your plans
DETAIL ITINERARY
Hanoi
- Halong bay – Hue - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon ) -
Cu Chi Tunnels – Mekong Delta
Day 1 Hanoi arrival
You are met on arrival at Hanoi Airport and transferred to your
hotel - please advise flight details at time of booking. Hanoi,
the capital of Vietnam, is a charming city of about 4 million
people, famous for its beautiful lakes, shaded boulevards and
verdant public parks. The city centre is an architectural museum
piece, its blocks of ochre buildings retaining the air of a
provincial French town of the 1930s, contrary to the fast living
and bustling air of Saigon. As Vietnam develops to compete with
other South East Asian countries, Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake
reflects the modern office buildings, old Buddhist temples and
tangle of ancient streets. The city hums with the never ending
flow of bicycles, cyclos, latest model Mercedes Benzs and
everything from the racy new Honda Dreams to 30 year old Russian
motor bikes. The rest of your day is at leisure for independent
exploration - a walking tour of the old quarter is a wonderful
way to spend some of the day. You will find an amazing selection
of shops in Hang Gai selling everything from souvenirs to
exquisite silk clothing, beautifully embroidered tablecloths and
CDs.
Overnight:
Hanoi A1 hotel or similar
Meals included: none
Day 2 Ha Long bay, Junk overnight
After breakfast we drive to Halong Bay
(approx. 4 hours) and board our private boat. We enjoy a
sumptuous seafood lunch on board while cruising through some of
the thousands of limestone karsts within this World Heritage
site. There is an opportunity to swim in the bay's emerald
waters, explore caves with incredible formations of stalactites
and stalagmites and enjoy the tranquility of this bay of
wonders. We spend the night in on board our boat.
Overnight:
On
board deluxe junk boat
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3 Return to Hanoi
On the morning of day 3 we keep cruising for more exploration of
Halong Bay before heading back to port for the transfer back, we
may be able to visit Dong Trieu ceramic village as we make our
way back to the capital, one of the favourite cities, there is
free time to venture into the Old Quarter, stroll the tree-lined
boulevards or enjoy the tranquility of the lakes.
In the evening we attend a performance of traditional water
puppetry.
Overnight: Hanoi A1 hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
WATER PUPPET SHOW
You absolutely must go to a Water Puppet Show (mua roi nuoc)
when you are in Hanoi …especially if you have children or are a
child at heart. They are absolutely charming and it’s a uniquely
Vietnamese art form that you really won’t find anywhere else in
the world. The stage is a small pool and the puppeteers hide
behind a screen…so the brightly colored puppets come in and out
of the water in amazing ways. The live music is wonderful and
here is quite a cast of puppets from men fishing, to dancing
women, a wide variety of animals …and of course fireworks and
some modern stage effects. The hour show is done entirely in
Vietnamese with accompanied by traditional Vietnamese sting
instruments. It consists of short skits of traditional
Vietnamese stories (that if you’ve been in Vietnam for awhile
you will know). But you won’t need to know the stories or
language to be totally enthralled. It was such a wonderful show
that when you leave you will be “walking on water” !
Day 4 Hanoi sightseeing, overnight train to Hue
On the morning of day
4 we visit the Ho Chi Minh complex. We see Ho Chi Minh's
mausoleum, his house on stilts and the museum. There is time
afterwards to take in some more sights of Hanoi or simply rest
before the train journey. Our adventure aboard the Reunification
Express begins with the overnight journey to Hue. We use
4-berth, soft sleeper compartments, which are simple but
comfortable.
Overnight: Reunification Express train, private soft sleeper
cabin
Meals included: Breakfast
Days 5-6 Hue
We arrive in Hue, another World Heritage
site. The pace of life is slow and tranquility prevails in this
former imperial capital of Vietnam. We have the opportunity to
visit the Imperial Citadel, one of the Nguyen emperors' tombs,
the famed Thien Mu Pagoda, and also enjoy a dragon boat cruise
on the Perfume River. With 2 full days here, there is time to
explore the city's many Buddhist pagodas, outlying handicraft
villages and the busy Dong Ba Market. Enjoying a coffee at one
of the riverside coffee shops at sunset is also an experience
not to be missed.
Overnight: Asia hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfasts
THE IMPERIAL CITY
When Hue was established as the country’s capital by Nguyen
Emperor Gia Long, he built a vast citadel with the Imperial City
at its centre, designed in keeping with the symmetrical layout
of the Forbidden City in Beijing (about a north-south axis).
During it’s period of prosperity the Imperial City consisted of
some 148 splendidly decorated buildings - palaces, assembly
halls, pavilions, ancestral alters, and gardens spread over
6km2. During the Vietnam War the site was devastated, but a
number of the buildings have now been restored to their former
glory.
THIEN MU (“HEAVENLY LADY”) PAGODA
Built in 1601, by Lord Nguyen Hoang, this is Hue ’s oldest and
finest pagoda, romantically situated on the banks of the Perfume
River . The pagoda takes its name from a legend about a lady who
appeared to Nguyen Hoang and told him of the spiritual
significance of this place by the river. He erected the pagoda
to mark the event and the importance of the site. Throughout its
history, the pagoda has been a centre for Buddhism in Hue and,
more famously, its monks waged strong opposition to colonialism
and the repression of Buddhists by President Diem in the 60s.
MAUSOLEUMS OF THE NGUYEN EMPERORS
Unlike other Emperors in Vietnam ’s history, who were buried in
ancestral villages, the Nguyen rulers had grand mausoleums built
as their final resting places. They are situated in the forested
valley of the Perfume River, 12km away from Hue city, surrounded
by lovely gardens - a wonderfully tranquil place to spend a
couple of hours.
Days 7- 8 Hoi An & Sandy Beach
Leaving Hue,
our bus journey takes us south through rural countryside and the
picturesque fishing village of Lang Co before ascending the
dramatic Hai Van Pass. We drive the short distance south to
famous Sandy Beach and then to the newly declared World Heritage
Site of Hoi An (approx. 4 hours). Once a thriving river port,
the town's architecture has been preserved and restored. This
small town is a favourite with CTV passengers and leaders alike,
and wandering the streets and narrow alleyways brings hours of
pleasure and discovery. Today's trade is in ceramics, wood-ware,
paintings and tailoring. There is something here for everyone
and it is the perfect place to pick up gifts for those at home.
There are options here for a half day tour to My Son, another
World Heritage of Vietnam, or a boat trip to the handicraft
villages of Kim Bong carpentry, Thanh Ha ceramics or simply
lazing the day away on a neaby beach.
Overnight: Hai Au hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 8 Sai Gon
You are transferred to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi
Minh City (included). You are met on arrival at Ho Chi Minh City
Airport and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, there
is much for you to discover on your own, how about scooting off
on cyclos to Cholon, the Chinatown area of Ho Chi Minh City for
a spot of temple hopping? Or perhaps you'd like to visit the
Vietnamese version of a department store for some shopping - the
choice is yours!
Overnight: Tan Hai Long 1 hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
Days 9-10 Mekong Delta - Cu Chi tunnels
Today we
travel south to Mekong Delta, this is our introduction to a
world where life depends on the river. After 1,5 hours driving,
we arrive in My Tho, you will enjoy different type of boat trip
(motorized boat trip and rowing boat trip) to islands where you
can visit local houses, see how they make delicious coconut
caramels and enjoy some tropical fruit here, we jump on the car
again for a drive to Can Tho City, across My Thuan Suspension
Bridge and cross the Hau River by ferry. Upon arrival, you check
in the hotel and relax after a long journey.
Overnight: Sai Gon Can Tho hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Get up very early for breakfast so that we will be on time to
catch amazing scene of Cai Rang Floating Market. The guide will
pick you up in the early morning, check out and transfer you to
the boat quay. Now you start a cruise to explore the floating
markets
Leaving the market, you will take another boat trip along the
river bank and canals to see how people there live, visit
another orchard for relaxation. After that, you will boat to big
river and have lunch at a floating restaurant docking at Can Tho
River before re-boarding our car and heading to the tunnels of
Cu Chi (approx. 4 hours). This former Viet Cong stronghold
provides an insight into the resourcefulness and tenacity of the
Vietnamese people.
We return to Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon
Overnight:
Tan Hai Long 1 hotel or similar
Meals included: Breakfast
FLOATING MARKET
Floating markets are held every morning from 5:00 to about
11:00. On the floating markets you do not only find people
buying and selling goods, you also find floating restaurants,
floating bars, floating gas stations, and many other floating
shops. Boats loaded with produce from nearby orchards of the
Mekong Delta converge to the floating market. They carry mostly
fruits but also coconuts, vegetables and fishes. Buyers are
local traders with bigger boats snapping everything by the
bushels and resell at local markets or to wholesale dealers from
big cities, often for a handsome profit. Canals are here the
easiest and fastest way of transportation. All big boats have a
pole and each wholesaler hangs the goods he buys/sells on this
pole. This way, people on small boats know where they have to go
from a certain distance. Port Ninh Kieu, in Can Tho, is the
center of local activity. A ferry crosses the river from this
port to the local island of Xom Chai. This island is a nice
visit, specially during the sun set.
Day 11 Departure
Today is at your leisure in Ho Chi Minh City. You are free for
more exploration before transfer to Sai Gon airport for the
flight home. Extra nights can be added in Ho Chi Minh City.
Meals included: Breakfast
General Notes:
• Tailormade Vietnam Holidays reserves the right to alter or revise the prices
and the itinerary when circumstances beyond the company's control deem it
necessary.
• Accommodation in hotels is subject to availability. If the
listed hotels are fully booked, alternate accommodation will be offered at the
same level.
• If there are any requests regarding special meals, dietary
requirements, early check in, late check out, adjoining room and so on, please
inform the company when booking. Such requests are subject to confirmation and
availability.
Day
1 Hanoi
Days
2-3 Halong Bay Junk overnight, return to Hanoi
Days
4-5 Hue 
Days
6-7 Hoi An
Day
8 Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Days
9-10 Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels
Day
11 Sai Gon 
