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. All
aboard for a ride you'll never forget! Travel from Hanoi to Ho
Chi Minh City on one of the most fascinating train journeys on
earth. The Reunification Express is a vital lifeline between
north and south Vietnam. Along its path we experience the many
scenic, historical, cultural and culinary highlights of this
marvellous country. For most of this century the service has
been out of action due to various wars but in 1975 the
re-establishment of the rail link between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
City became a symbol of unity for all Vietnamese, hence the name
Reunification Express. This trip is far more than just a rail
journey though. We spend around 30 hours on the train, the rest
of the time is carefully balanced exploring stately Hanoi and
the natural wonder of Halong Bay, majestic Hue, relaxing Hoi An,
the beaches and islands of Nha Trang and the dynamic and vibrant
city of Ho Chi Minh. This is one of our most popular trips.
highlights
Explore the Old
Quarter of Hanoi, Cruise Halong Bay, Experience life aboard the
Reunification Express, Visit imperial Hue, Embark on a shopping
spree in Hoi An, Swim in the South China Sea, Homestay on the
Mekong River.
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 - Nha
Trang -
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 Halong 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 we keep cruising for more exploration of Halong Bay before
heading back to port, we may be able to visit Dong Trieu ceramic
village as we make our way back to the capital Hanoi, 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
Days 9-11 Nha
Trang
Boarding the
Reunification Express, we marvel at the breathtaking scenery
outside the window during our journey to the beachside city of
Nha Trang. It is a long but interesting journey (approx. 9
hours). We arrive in Nha Trang in the early evening and will be
transfered to our hotel.
Once referred to as the 'Cannes of the Orient', Nha Trang is one
of Vietnam's most attractive coastal towns, with its charm
derived from a harmonious combination of mountains, islands, sea
and sand. The sandy palm-lined beach and island dotted bay
remain an idyllic picture, and a cosmopolitan feel prevails in
the town itself.
A highlight for most CTV passengers on this trip is
our boat cruise, complete with seafood lunch, the cruise also
offers the opportunity to swim in the warm turquoise waters of
the South China Sea. For those who rise early, an experience not
to be missed is early morning exercise on the beachfront. Very
much a resort town, Nha Trang boasts restaurants of all
cuisines, a variety of bars and nightlife, it also has an
excellent local market for exploring
On the evening of day 11 we re-board the train for our final
overnight journey to Ho Chi Minh City.
Overnight:
Que Huong hotel or
similar
Meals
included: Breakfasts
Day
12 Sai Gon
We have an early
arrival in the economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City. Our hotel is
located close to Ben Thanh Market and the city's main shopping
district, so there is much for you to discover on your own.
Overnight:
Tan Hai Long 1 hotel or
similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Days
13-14
Mekong
Delta homestay - Cu Chi tunnels
On
day 13 we travel south to Cai Be (approx. 3 hours), we board our
waiting boats to cross the upper
Mekong
River
and explore its intricate waterways. This is our introduction to a
world where life depends on the river. We visit a fruit orchard
where we can sample tropical fruits, before continuing on to visit
some local cottage industries. Around sunset we make our way up
one of the many canals to our homestay. Our treat this evening is
a wonderful meal of Delta specialities before settling down under
our mosquito nets for the night.
Overnight:
Homestay in Vinh Long
Meals
included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
MEKONG
DELTA & HOMESTAY
Making
its way from the plateaus of Tibet through China, Laos and
Cambodia, the Mekong fans out as it reaches Vietnam, originally
forming nine tributaries that gave the delta region its Vietnamese
name ‘Cuu Long” (meaning nine dragons). Once aboard a little
wooden boat you’ll find yourself in amongst the water highways
that are used to transport everything from school children, to
mountains of rice husks and baskets of glisteningly ripe fruit.
The delta supports a mass of cottage industries and at every turn
there are people making rice paper, or piling pots into smoking
kilns and bashing out tools for harvesting the plentiful supply of
rice. After chilling out in a hammock over lunch you’ll get to
jump in a rowing boat and don a conical hat for a peaceful trip
downstream (experienced rower provided!). Home for the night is
courtesy of a local family in a house on the edge of the river
where their amazing hospitality has to be experienced to be
believed. After exploring the area, feasting on an excellent
dinner and washing it all down with rice wine it is heaven to
watch the fireflies flicker about and have the sounds of the river
soothe you to sleep. We sleep in army-cot style bed complete with
basic bedding and a mosquito net, but you will need to bring a
towel. Shower facilities are also available to help freshen up for
the following morning of discovering life around this beautiful
region.
Activity starts early in the
Delta, so we're up with the birds. After breakfast we visit the
busy Cai Be floating market before re-boarding our bus 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 afternoon (approx. 2 hours).
Overnight:
Tan Hai Long 1 hotel or
similar
Meals
included: Breakfast
Day
15 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.
