Vietnam
THE BEST OF SOUTHERN VIETNAM — 10 Days/9 Nights (EVN/BSV)
This program includes the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh, and the
lifestyles of the Mekong Delta (near the Cambodian border) with its rice fields
and canals. Travel on to Dalat, the French colonial hill station, and relax at
Nhra Trang, with its white sandy beaches and palm trees.
Day 1: Arrive Ho Chi Minh City
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City. Meet your guide and transfer to hotel. The rest of
the day is at leisure. Overnight in HCMC.
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi - Ho Chi Minh City (B)
A morning city tour of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many
locals, takes in the former Presidential Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old
Saigon Post Office, a lacquerware factory and Thien Hau Pagoda in the city's
bustling Chinatown. In the afternoon visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an
incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance
fighters during the long struggle for independence. Overnight in HCMC.
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho (B)
Leave Ho Chi Minh City after breakfast and head south to Can Tho deep in the
Mekong Delta. Break the journey at My Tho, 2 hours drive south of HCMC, to visit
the ornate Vinh Trang Pagoda and a family-run rice-noodle factory. Arrive in Can
Tho and check into hotel. Leave the hotel mid-afternoon for Thot Not 45km to the
north of Can Tho. Visit the bamboo basket-making hamlet of Long Thanh before
continuing to the Thot Not Stork Sanctuary. Watch from a viewing tower above the
tree tops as thousands of egrets and herons arrive to roost in the branches.
Return to Can Tho in the late afternoon. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 4: Can Tho - Chau Doc (B)
After breakfast check out the hotel and head northwest to Chau Doc, situated on
the Cambodian border. Transfer to hotel on arrival. In the afternoon take a boat to
visit fish farms where fishes are bred in wooden cages suspended under floating
houses on the river. Continue by boat to visit a village of stilt houses
belonging to the Cham minority where colorful traditional textiles are woven on
old wooden looms. Return to the dry land in time to drive up Sam Mountain to
watch the sunset over the Cambodian border. Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 5: Chau Doc - Vinh Long - Ho Chi Minh City (B)
Leave Chau Doc after breakfast and head back towards Ho Chi Minh City via Vinh
Long. Break the journey at Vinh Long to take a boat trip to visit Phan Thanh
Giang Confucian Temple and the cottage industries of Cho Cua village. Visit a
ceramic tile factory, a tofu and fish sauce factory, a blacksmith's, a roof
thatcher's and a rice husking factory. Continue to Cai Be Floating Market and
rejoin the car to drive to HCMC. Overnight in HCMC.
Day 6: Ho Chi Minh City - Dalat (B)
Leave HCMC after breakfast for a scenic drive through rubber and tea plantations
en route to the cooler climate of Dalat, 300km from HCMC. Established as a hill
station at the beginning of the century, Dalat is reminiscent of an alpine town
with its French chalets and pine forests. An afternoon of sightseeing in Dalat
takes in the art deco former summer residence of Emperor Bao Dai, the old Dalat
Railway Station, Xuan Huong Lake, the Central Market and Lam Ty Ni Pagoda where
a Buddhist monk, Vien Thuc, produces his abstract paintings and writes poetry.
Overnight in Dalat.
Day 7: Dalat - Nha Trang (B,L,D)
Leaving for Nha Trang after breakfast, the road descends to the arid coastal
city of Phan Rang. Break the journey here to visit the 13th century Po Klong
Jarai Cham Towers perched high on a rocky hill surrounded by prickly pear cacti.
After Phan Rang Highway One turns north and follows the coast past salt ponds
and vivid green rice fields to Nha Trang. On arrival in Nha Trang transfer to
hotel. An afternoon city tour includes the Po Nagar Cham Towers and Long Son
Pagoda with its enormous white Buddha statue. Overnight in Nha Trang.
Day 8: Nha Trang (B,L)
A morning boat trip on Nha Trang bay visits some of the nearby islands and there
are opportunities to swim and snorkel in the clear warm waters. Return to shore
after a fresh seafood lunch on one of the islands in the bay. The afternoon is
free to relax on the beach. Overnight in Nha Trang.
Day 9: Nha Trang - Ho Chi Minh City (B)
At leisure until transfer to airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Transfer to
hotel on arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. The rest of the day is at leisure for
further exploration or shopping.
Day 10: Depart Ho Chi Minh City (B)
At leisure until transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for onward flight.
Please contact us for updated rates.
** Plus one way air fare Nha Trang - Ho Chi Minh @ approximately $65.00
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