Vietnam Explorer
For SINGLE TRAVELLERS 26 to 42 years
Saturday 9 - Saturday 23 October 2010 (15 days)
Itinerary
PREMIUM HIGHLIGHTS
- Small group touring - maximum of 18 travellers only!
- All sightseeing and attractions on itinerary are included in price
- Leisure time to make your own discoveries
- Mekong Delta boat tour
- Cycle tours at two destinations; cycle past the town boundaries to witness rural life
- 3 night stay in beach town, Nha Trang
- 3 night stay in Central Vietnam (Hoi An)
- Learn to cook Vietnamese
- Overnight cruise on Halong Bay
- Free evenings - in Vietnam where eating locally is a highlight, it's great to have the freedom of choice for many of the evening meals
- 3 domestic flights to reduce travel time
We offer a pre-departure contact service. With your permission, we share your first name, state and email (or other preferred contact method) to the rest of the group prior to departure. It's a popular choice with many travellers especially as the majority of our guests book solo. It provides the opportunity to get in touch with others prior to departure and especially from your city of departure in Australia. This list is provided after bookings close, about 4-6 weeks prior to departure.
Visas
Australian passport holders require visas for this tour. Your confirmed flight itinerary and 2 passport size photos are required for the application. Details on how to obtain your visa will be provided during your booking process and following payment of your tour deposit.
Day 1 Sat Arrival Day Ho Chi Minh
When you arrive to Vietnam an airport-hotel transfer is provided for all passengers travelling on a group flight. Most of the flights will arrive at in the afternoon, at the end of the day. If you have made your own travel arrangements the transfer to the hotel is by your own arrangement (or you can request a price for a private transfer). The evening is at your leisure. You will probably have met some other group members on the airport to hotel transfer but in any case a meeting point in the hotel lobby is nominated at 8pm for anyone who wants to join as a group and head out for dinner.
When you arrive to Vietnam an airport-hotel transfer is provided for all passengers travelling on a group flight. Most of the flights will arrive at in the afternoon, at the end of the day. If you have made your own travel arrangements the transfer to the hotel is by your own arrangement (or you can request a price for a private transfer). The evening is at your leisure. You will probably have met some other group members on the airport to hotel transfer but in any case a meeting point in the hotel lobby is nominated at 8pm for anyone who wants to join as a group and head out for dinner.
Day 2 Sun Discover Ho Chi Minh Ho Chi Minh Day 3 Mon Mekong Delta Cantho Day 4 Tue Mekong Delta Island (home-stay) Day 6 Thu Boat Tour Nha Trang Day 8 Saturday Hoi An Tour Hoi An Day 9 Sunday Cycling Tour / Cooking Class Hoi An Day 11 Tuesday Travel to Hanoi via Hue Hanoi Day 12 Wednesday City Tour Hanoi Day 13 Thursday The Cruise, Halong Bay Huong Hai Junk, Cruise Day 14 Friday Return to Hanoi Hanoi Day 15 Sat Hanoi Meal Key: B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner
Your first full day in Vietnam starts with a city tour and discovery of all the key iconic places of Ho Chi Minh City; Binh Tay Market, Jade Emperor Pagoda, War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office. In the afternoon there is some free time to make your own discoveries. Tonight, the group heads our for a welcome dinner.
[B, D]
This morning, we head out for an excursion to the renowned Cu Chi Tunnels. Afterwards, the group transfers with a boxed lunch to Can Tho, the gateway city for the Mekong Delta. The evening is at your leisure. Seafood meals are a focus on the local restaurant menus or you may like to try the local mouse that features on some menus!
[B, L]
Today we are up early to make sure you see the best of the local trade on the Mekong Delta with a boat tour (great photo opportunities) of the floating market. For the rest of the day there's a boat tour with various stops along the way as we make our way to the River Island where you will be welcomed by a Vietnamese Family for a homestay. The homestay is at a Vietnamese family's home with a large garden. As a homestay it's simple; dorm-style accommodation and no hot showers but in the hot climate a cold shower will probably be welcomed. It's in a beautiful surrounding, charming and interesting at all once.
[B, D]
Day 5 Wed Boat Tour / Transfer to Nha Trang Nha Trang
There's some time free time in the morning before we transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City for our flight in the afternoon to Nha Trang where we enjoy the next three nights, a city famous for its beaches and tropical waters. Flight: VN456 Departs 17:10 Arrives 18:05. Your tour guide will make a local recommendation for a group dinner tonight.
[B]
It's a must do while visiting Nha Trang; a tropical island boat tour. The boat tour starts with a short ride to the harbour, from where a private boat will take our group to the islands off shore which is now a nature reserve. Underwater there is a lot to see and you will have time to snorkel and swim (snorkel equipment available) and spend time at leisure at one of the beaches. A big lunch will be served at a simple restaurant at one of the islands (the food is mostly seafood). The evening is at your leisure to head out for some great local cuisine and a night spot at this beach resort town.
[B, L]
Day 7 Fri Beach Time / Cycle Tour Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a great beach spot so there's time today to enjoy some beach time. Plus, there's a great cycle trip planned for later in the day, including a visit to the Po Nagar Cham Towers. The Cham towers of Po Nagar were built between the 7th and 12th centuries and this site was used for Hindu worship as early as the 2nd century AD. Today, both ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists come to Po Nagar to pray and make offerings, according to their respective traditions. The evening is at your leisure. Your tour guide can make some local recommendations for dinner tonight.
[B]
This morning we have a flight to Danang, the arrival point for making our way to Hoi An. Later in the day your guide will take you on a walking city tour, the best way to become accustomed with historical Hoi Ann. The tour includes, Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation Hall, Japanese Bridge and Phung Hung House. The evening is at your leisure; ask your guide for a local recommendations for dinner tonight.
[B]
Ever wondered or wanted to know how the Vietnamese cook up such delicious food? Well today get the answers at our special group cooking class at cooking school in Hoi An followed by lunch, of course, dining on the fruits of your labour from cooking school. In the afternoon, there's a leisurely bike tour to get know the city further afield to witness daily life for the rural people of Hoi An. This evening is at your leisure. There are plenty of choices around town to enjoy the local cuisine of Central Vietnam.
[B, L]
Day 10 Monday Free time/beach time Hoi An
It's great to have leisure time and this is a great spot to do it. Enjoy the nearby beach, relax by the resort pool, wander around Hoi An, make time for some souvenir shopping and soak up the town's atmosphere.
[B]
We transfer by coach from Hue via the Marble Mountains and Hai Van Pass, some of the most scenic countryside in Vietnam. On our journey, we will stop for a restaurant lunch and a short afternoon flight to Hanoi. Rest of the day at leisure.
[B, L]
In Hanoi, there's a city tour discovery visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside only), Ho Chi Minh House, Temple of Literature and a cyclo tour in the Old Quarter. The Old Quarter is a legacy of Hanoi's ancient past with a history that spans over 2000 years and is known as the ‘eternal soul of the city.'
[B]
This morning we make our way to Halong Bay for an overnight cruise of the bay. Halong Bay is a world heritage site and includes some 1600 islands and islets forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. This is a major highlight of your Vietnam Explorer tour! Make sure you pack your swimwear.
[B, L, D]
Note for single room bookings; a single cabin can not be guaranteed on the overnight boat tour on Halong Bay and that they may be required to share with another person (of the same gender)
We continue the cruise in the morning before transferring to Hanoi in the afternoon. This evening there is a grand farewell dinner.
[B, D]
Today is at your leisure until time to make your onward journey. A transfer from your hotel to the airport is provided for all group members on the group flight.
[B]
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2012