Itinerary:
Days 1 and 2: Depart U.S. for Hanoi, Vietnam
Day 3: Arrive in Hanoi and transfer to our hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure; tonight we gather at a local restaurant for a welcome dinner and traditional Water Puppet performance. (D)
Day 4: This morning we take a walking tour of Ba Dinh Square, a popular complex of cultural and historic sites, including the marble and granite mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace, and thousand-year-old One Pillar Pagoda. Following lunch embark on an orientation tour of the city. Later walk the narrow streets of the diverse Ancient Quarter. (B)
Day 5: Early this morning depart for a full-day excursion to Ha Long Bay, a breathtaking waterway sprinkled with 3,000 islands and islets, and surrounded by a fairytale landscape of limestone cliffs, secret grottoes, and hidden caves. Our tour includes a boat ride and seafood lunch. (B,L)
Day 6: Fly to the ancient imperial capital of Hue, whose ruins evoke its past grandeur as home to emperors and mandarins. Visit the Imperial Citadel, housing the Forbidden Purple City where the emperors lived with their families. Also visit the Central Market where locals buy produce, fish, and sundry items. Tonight’s dinner is an outdoor buffet accompanied by traditional music. (B,D)
Day 7: Cruise along Hue’s Perfume River to peaceful Thien Mu Pagoda, a Buddhist monastery. Also visit the palatial Tomb of Minh Mang, with its pavilions and courtyards modeled after the Ming Tombs of China. This afternoon visit the tombs of Tu Doc; and colorful Khai Dinh. (B,L)
Day 8: Encounter the spectacular scenery of Cloudy Pass on this morning’s journey south to Da Nang. Tour the famed Cham Museum. After checking in at our hotel overlooking China Beach, we head for nearby Hoi An, where a succession of Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese traders helped to build an architecturally diverse and colorful village. (B)
Day 9: Travel to the small settlement of Hoa Chau nestled amidst seemingly endless rice paddies in rural Da Nang to witness the daily life of a local farming community. Afternoon is at leisure. (B,D)
Day 10: Fly to Saigon then travel by coach to the Mekong River town of Cai Be. Board a motorized sampan for an introduction to river life, including a close-up look at the floating market where farmers display their goods from bamboo poles suspended over their boats. After lunch at a local farm continue cruising to the island of Vinh Long. Travel by coach and ferry to the river port of Can Tho. (B,L,D)
Day 11: Journey by boat to the bustling floating market at Cai Rang on the Mekong’s lower reaches. Visit the excellent Mekong Museum. This afternoon is at leisure; there is an optional excursion to the Thot Nhot Bird Sanctuary, home to thousands of wild storks. (B,L)
Day 12: Travel by coach to Saigon. Dinner tonight is at the popular Mandarin restaurant. (B,D)
Day 13: Tour the former Presidential Palace, which served as the South Vietnamese government’s wartime head-quarters. Now called Reunification Palace, it was here that the first Communist tanks rolled into Saigon on April 30, 1975. Tour the History Museum with its excellent display on the indigenous people of Vietnam. (B)
Day 14: Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, the infamous underground network from which North Vietnamese forces operated in wartime. This afternoon is at leisure. (B)
Day 15: Today is free to explore as we wish. Tonight we gather for a farewell dinner. (B,D)
Day 16: Depart for the U.S. (B)
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