POST-WAR AMERICA VIETNAM WAR

Upon arrival in Hanoi airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our local guide and escorted to your hotel for check in. The rest of the day is free at leisure. You can explore Hanoi on your own or relax in the hotel. 

Start your day with a visit to the Ba Dinh square, center of the Ho Chi Minh complex (including the Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh museum, the One-Pillar Pagoda and the Presidential Palace). After that, continue to visit the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu in Vietnamese), situated in the place once known as the first university of Vietnam. This afternoon, you will meet a veteran Mr Pham Hong My at his house for a free talk. Tonight, you'll have a chance to understand what makes Hanoi's Old Quarter such a captivating place. Here, you will be able to taste a wide variety of Vietnamese specialties, such as bun cha (grilled pork and noodle), bun thang ((Hanoi chicken vermicelli soup), ...

Today we escape all the noises and crowd of big city to be embraced in the warm welcome of Muong Ethnic village in the West of Hanoi. Arrive in the first host, he is a veteran in Vietnam War and the owner of a large tea farm. You will have great time listening to the host’s stories and his life in Vietnam War, besides, enjoying great tea with green lentils or lotus seeds that made by his family. 

Then you visit the 30-year-old tea plantation in Ri Village. After another short drive in 10 minutes, you arrive at your second host family and help her prepare lunch. She will show you how to cook Vietnamese food, and you have great time to enjoy lunch with food you have done. After lunch, you have time to walk (or bicycle) around the village to explore local culture, and you will visit the local workshops. You will learn how to make tofu, make traditional conical hat in Vietnam, unshell the rice, ...

Return to Hanoi in the late afternoon.

In the morning, you will travel to Halong and embark on a cruise. This world-famous bay is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam, with its giant rock islets covered in luxuriant vegetation overlooking the waters. You will be served lunch and dinner aboard, with excellent and freshly caught seafood from the bay. At the end of the day, you will have the chance to enjoy a night fishing session on the boat.

Early in the morning and depending on the season, you will wake up to enjoy the sunrise over the aquamarine waters of the bay. Then the cruise will tour around the bay until you disembark at the end of the morning. After that, you will then return to Hanoi airport for your flight to Dong Hoi.

Arrival in Dong Hoi airport, your local guide will welcome and escort you to your hotel in Phong Nha for check in and overnight.

In the morning, pick up you from your hotel and depart to 20 Victoria Road or 20 Quyet Thang Road in Vietnamese. In the War against American Capitalist, Road 20 – Quyet Thang made brilliant fear of arm, glorious exploits, contributing to the great victory of our country. Then, you will stop to visit Tra Ang Bridge. Tra Ang Stream became the “petrol and blood legend” of Truong Son soldiers.

After that, visit Tam Co cave and burn incense to pay a tribute to eight young ladies who permanently left this life at young age. You will continue your day to Paradise Cave (one of most amazing cave in Phong Nha Ke bang). Visit some caves have been used in the war for living and working.

Lunch is served at a local restaurant. Dinner on your own account. Overnight in Phong Nha.

In the morning, you will be picked up by the local tour guide and head to the demilitarized zone (DMZ). You will stop on road to see some of the famous DMZ sights, such as the Vinh Moc tunnel, a strategic site that was the target of endless bombing during the Vietnam War. You will descend into this underground village, which was dug by the population who occupied it for two years, to explore a system of three-floor tunnels consisting of small cells, kitchens, toilets, wells, and a hospital where seventeen children were born.

Stop at a local house and visit the host to know more about local life during and after the war. 

You will also visit the famous Hien Luong Bridge, as well as the Doc Mieu Base, the closest American base from the DMZ, Quang Tri Citadel. After all the visiting, you will be transferred straightly to Hue for hotel check in.

Firstly, we visit the majestic Imperial Citadel of Hue, built in 1804 and located along the Perfume River. After that, you will pay a visit to a garden house named Tha Om to enjoy the traditional architecture and quiet garden paths. Your host, of the royal heritage, would share with you with a few stories of his ancestral roots. This house - set in charming gardens with lotus ponds and pavilions - offers an excellent opportunity to relax and enjoy traditional Vietnamese hospitality. 

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. This afternoon, you continue to visit one of the most impressive tombs of Nguyen dynasty emperors. 

Return to the city in the late afternoon. 

In the morning you will depart from Hue to Danang city, taking the spectacular "Hai Van Pass" route. This road, which overlooks the bay, will offer you an incomparable panorama. You will make several stops along the way, including one at the paradise beach of Lang Co. You will arrive in Hoi An at the end of the morning.

In the afternoon, discover the old town of Hoi An, a World Heritage Site classified by UNESCO. The originality of the place is a mixture of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and French architectural elements. Along the small streets you will see Chinese houses dated more than two centuries old, the famous Japanese pagoda bridge, a Chinese temple and the house of Tan Ky (which belonged to a rich Vietnamese merchant 200 years ago and has been kept original ever since). At the end of the afternoon, relax during a boat trip on the Thu Bon River and enjoy the sunset.

Setting off in the early morning, you will ride your bicycles for 1 hour to the Cam Thanh countryside. After arriving at the local boat pier, you will board a boat that will transport you for 30 to 45 minutes to the seaport of Cua Dai, at the mouth of the Thu Bon River, which runs through Hoi An. At this point, two very different activities will be waiting for you to enjoy.

Firstly, you will be initiated to a method of fishing using huge nets raised by special pulleys, the catch, accessed only by paddling out in “basket boats”. After this first fun activity, a bamboo basket boat will take you into the mangrove forest. As a reward for your morning's efforts, you will be accompanied to a local family’s house to enjoy a lunch consisting of local dishes, carefully prepared by the fishermen.

The rest of the day is free at leisure.

Today, you are free to enjoy your time in Hoi An as your wishes. You can walk along the charming Ancient Town to marvel at the yellow houses, canals, the unique architecture that was influenced by the Chinese, Janpanese and French. And then finish your day by relaxing on the beach with an exotic cocktail on hand. 

Enjoy your free time in the morning until your driver will escort you to the airport for your flight to Saigon. Upon your arrival at Saigon airport, you will be warmly welcomed by a local English-speaking guide and head to your hotel for check in. 

In the early evening, you will be picked you up at the hotel before making a stop at "café zoom" to enjoy a cocktail and an apéritif before venturing into the city. As a passenger, you will have the chance to visit many off-the-beaten places. The tour will continue towards a well-hidden Vietnamese café to enjoy some live Vietnamese music. Then, you will finish at a lively bar where you can have a drink and listen to some more contemporary music, or even enjoy a dance! You will finally be escorted back to your hotel at the end of this exciting night tour.

After breakfast, you will pay a visit to Cu Chi Tunnels, located one hour from Ho Chi Minh City. You will be accompanied by Mr Duc, a veteran who will give you a clearer picture of history.

You will begin the visit by watching a documentary on the tunnels and the war in the 60s-70s, then you can pass through various narrow underground ducts in order to discover the rooms: offices, kitchens, meeting rooms, weapons stores and even hospitals. At the end of the tour you will have the chance to taste the specialty of Cu Chi, the khoai my luoc (boiled cassava), a Vietnamese dish eaten daily during the war.

After your visit, you will return to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch and a rest before this afternoon's exploration.

Walk with a local guide today to feel a very different Saigon vibe that a few tourists know about. We’ll indulge in a maze of flowers at a flower market that’s busy from early morning till midnight. Stop for rest on the bank of Saigon River to have amazing views of the city over the iconic river. After that, you will reach the symbolic tower to enjoy a cocktail at a rooftop bar, admiring the sunset and an incredible view of the city and its famous monuments, both old and new. Return to your hotel, then free. 

In the morning, you will depart from Saigon to explore Ben Tre in the Mekong delta, also known as the “Green Venice” of Vietnam. After visiting a brick factory in Phong Nam, you will make several stops along the way to discover different local workshops. Ride a bicycle to wander around the village and enjoy the peaceful daily life and landscape in Ben Tre. You will see traditional farms, rice fields and vegetable plants, before stopping at a small local restaurant to taste a delicious (and generous) lunch made of regional specialties, such as “elephant-ear fish” and freshwater shrimps. In the afternoon, you will get back on the sampan for some leisure time along the narrow canals and return to Saigon. The rest of the day is free to explore the city by night.

Free day until the private transfer with guide to the airport for your departure flight.