Vietnam Veteran Tour

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

• Travel back to the formal fighting ground recalling the memories.
• Enjoying the new life of Vietnam in peace with hospitable people.
• Discover unseen beauties of Vietnamese landscape and culture

⇒ Trip grade: Moderate (customizable)
⇒ Trip code: VT02 ()
⇒ Trip duration: 16 days in Vietnam
⇒ Destinations: Saigon - My Tho - Vung Tau - Pleiku - Hoi An - Hue - DMZ - Hanoi - Halong
⇒ Meals included: 15 breakfasts, 13 lunches, 4 dinners (Allow extra Meal budget minimum $20US/per day)
⇒ Transport: Private Car, Bus, Flight, Junk Cruise, Day train
⇒ Accommodation: 14 night in hotels, 1 night on Junk Cruise (Halong)
⇒ Tour guides: National Escort throughout.

TOUR INCLUDES:

• Accommodation based on twin shared room at selected hotels with daily breakfast.
  Check-in time at all hotels is 14:00 and check-out time at all hotels is 12.00.
• Early check-in and late check-out is subject to availability with surcharge.
• Meals and other those mentioned in the itinerary (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner).
• Profestional English Speaking tour guide or other languages upon request.
• Tours and transfers as mentioned by private air-conditioned vehicle.
• Sightseeing fees and permits during guided time.
• Domestic train: Dong Hoi (DMZ) - Hanoi.
• Domestic flights: Saigon – Buon Me Thuot, Pleiku – Danang (economy class).

BRIEF ITINERARY

Day 1   :    Arrival day
Day 2   :    Saigon City tour
Day 3   :    Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnel - Cao Dai temple.
Day 4   :    Saigon – My Tho in the Mekong Delta
Day 5   :    Saigon – Vung Tau beach town.
Day 6   :    Vung tau – Saigon – Fly to Buon Me Thuot – Pleiku.
Day 7   :    Pleiku – fly to Danang – Hoi An
Day 8   :    Hoi An free day
Day 9   :    Hoi An – Hue.
Day 10 :    Hue city tour
Day 11 :    Hue – DMZ.
Day 12 :    DMZ – Train to Hanoi.
Day 13 :    Hanoi city tour
Day 14 :    Hanoi – Ha Long bay
Day 15 :    Ha Long Bay – Hanoi
Day 16 :    Departure Day

(N:B): Please note that all of our trip are privately designed. So that price includes the following hotels, activities, and transport, and visits to attractions are by private car and guide unless otherwise stated. Your guide will pick you up from lobby of your hotel in the morning. The guide will confirm the pick-up time the day before. If you prefer to start next day's trip earlier or a little later, please feel free to tell your guide.


DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive Saigon - Welcome to Vietnam! (D)
At arrival to Tan Son Nhat Airport, you will be met by our guide and bus who will take you into the hotel in Saigon (nowadays Ho Chi Minh City). Check in the hotel. Time depending we may have our cyclo (rickshaw) tour to see the vibrant city with some possible visits to the District 5 (known as Saigon’s China Town) with Thien Hau Pagoda, Binh Tay Market. Back to the hotel and relax. Our Welcome dinner tonight.

Day 2: Saigon City Tour (B, L)
Our tour today covers half day visits to the War Remnant Museum where you can find most of the facts and figures about the latest brutal war, the Re-Unification Palace that witnessed the fall of Saigon on April 30th 1975. The bus then drives us by the formal US Embassy from which the image of the last helicopter evacuation became well-known worldwide. We also stop at the Notre Damn Cathedral, the Municipal Post Office, Dong Khoi Street with the Municipal Theatre, Caravel Hotel, Hotel Continental, Le Loi Street, Hotel de Ville and Rex Hotel. Lunch is served with our best known Vietnamese specialty Pho (noodle soup) in the world acclaimed Pho 2000 Restaurant.

The afternoon is at your own leisure to discover more about the city. Dinner is at your own expenses and choices of restaurant. Certainly our guide can offer some recommendations.

Day 3: Cu Chi Tunnel and Cao Dai Temple. (B, L)
We depart early this morning for Vietnamese heroic Cu Chi Tunnel. Known as the Iron Triangle, the system of underground tunnels sheltered Viet Cong for 10 years of war and threatened Saigon throughout the time. Besides the actual tunnel where you can craw in, you can also see on site the hand made weapon workshops, variety of traps, functional bunkers, etc. You can even personally try shooting real AK47 at the national sport shooting range on site.

We leave Cu Chi Tunnel for Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh where we can experience the noon service of the youngest and most interesting religion in the world. Caodai-ism was not formed until 1920s and soon became very popular in Mekong Delta with more than 2 million followers nowadays. We have lunch in Tay Ninh town. The food maybe just average, but we do not have many choices. Back to Saigon and enjoy our free time.

Day 4: Mekong Delta. (B, L)
After breakfast we take more than 2 hours drive to My Tho. Upon arrival we take the long boat cruising the Mekong River to see life by the water, fishing market, fish farms, orchards, some local cottage industries including coconut candy workshops, bee farms. We also take small rowing sampan to go though water palm covered canals and walk through villages of Mekong Delta farmers. Back to Saigon for the night.

Day 5: Vung Tau (B, L)
Today we drive to the well-known Vung Tau city with our visit to Long Thanh and Long Tan where Australian Anzac used to camp. We spend the rest of the day and our night in Vung Tau city.

Day 6: Vung Tau – Ho Chi Minh City – Fly to Buon Me Thuot (B, L)
This morning we drive back to Ho Chi Minh City for our flight to Buon Me Thuat then drive to Pleiku. Lunch and check in our hotel. The afternoon is for our tour to the formal Central Highland Stronghold and Pleiku City. We spend our night in Pleiku.

Day 7: Central Highland – Hoi An ((B, L)
Drive back to Buon Me Thuat for our flight to Da Nang then transferred to Hoi An. This afternoon is fulfill with a walking tour around the old quarter of Hoi An where we can enjoy the charm of the formal busy seaport town with mix of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and some European architectures. Enjoy the rest of the day in Hoi An.

Day 8: Hoi An (B)
Today is for our leisure time to recharge our battery. The Options can be a bicycle ride to the nearby villages then a dip at the Cua Dai Beach which is 4 km away from town, and/ or a cooking demonstration that offer you some best Hoi An recipes.

Day 9: Hoi An – Hue (B, L)
We start up early today for our drive to Hue with lots of stops en-route which include the Marble Mountain with the stone carving village, the China Beach. We also passby the Salt Water Airport, Son Tra Peninsular (Monkey Island), Da Nang City, Da Nang Bay, Hai Van Pass. Lunch and Check in our Hotel in Hue. In the afternoon we tour the Imperial Citadel to enjoy the charming architecture and also to see some remnants from the Tet Offensive in 1968.

Day 10: Hue (B, L)
We have our dragon boat ride this morning to see the Thien Mu Pagoda with the old Austin car that took Monk Thich Quang Duc to Saigon for his self-emolation in 1963. The boat then takes us upstream to the well-known the Mausoleum of Emperor Tu Duc. After a bus trip back to the city for lunch, we retire for the whole afternoon. (B, L)

Day 11: Hue - DMZ (B, L)
We leave Hue early for our long drive to the DMZ with our passing by Doc Mieu firebase, Ben Hai River that devided the North and the South Vietnam, Vinh Moc Tunnel and Khe Sanh Base. Overnight in Dong Hoi city.

Day 12: Day Train to Hanoi (B, packed L)
We pack some food for our long day train to Hanoi. Arrive to Hanoi at around 10.00pm. Check in our Hotel and rest for the night.

Day 13: Hanoi City Tour (B, L, D)
For today we visit Ho Chi Minh Complex where Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum can be seen together with the Presidential Palace, HO’s House on stilts, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature which is know as the Vietnamese first University and the Hoa Lu Prison – originally built by the French and now a museum and better known to many as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ where several prominent American pilots were interred. We will then have a short drive to see the wreckage of B52 Bomber in Huu Tiep Lake, Ngoc Ha Village and a drive by the Truc Bach Lake where John McCain parachuted down and captured in 1967. After lunch we see the Museum of Ethnology which features 54 Ethnics of Vietnam. We also have 1 hour cyclo (rickshaw) tour of the old quarter followed by a water puppet show. Dinner in a reputable Hanoi restaurant.

Day 14: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay (B, L, D)
After breakfast we take our scenic drive to Ha Long Bay with some possible photo stops en-route. We visit Hong Ngoc Humanity Centre for coffee and shopping break then arrive to Ha Long harbour at around 12.30. Check in our boat and enjoy our delicious seafood lunch. The boat cruises in the breath-taking sea-scape of Halong bay, offering us an enchanted feeling. This afternoon we walk up to see the Sung Sot cave and chill enjoy the sunset on the boat.

Day 15: Ha Long Bay – Hanoi (B, L, D)
We rise with the refreshing air of Ha Long Bay, having breakfast then taking the sampan to see Luon water cave and the closed lagoon. A swimming time maybe offered and we return the room. Lunch onboard before we take our bus back to Hanoi. Our Farewell Dinner tonight.

Day 16: Fly home (B).
Your day is at leisure until you are transferred to the air port for your flight home. Thank you for traveling with us and we look forward to seeing you again.

                         Wishing you an Unforgetable Holiday with us!

Price per person based On 2-5 People - Just You! Private Car, Driver and Guide