VIETNAM ITINERARY
February 6-22, 2009
Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, is home to the Cao Dai sect, an odd mix of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity, and has Winston Churchill as a patron saint. We will view a ceremony at the Cao Dai Great Temple. After lunch at a local restaurant we will visit Cu Chi, where a series of tunnels (180 miles and many layers deep) supported the revolutionary forces in the French and American wars. Return to Saigon and dinner on your own.
We take a morning express boat to the Mekong Delta, stopping to visit the Vinh Trang Buddhist Pagoda, and villages to view the making of rice noodles and popcorn. We will stop for lunch on Anbinh Island in Vinh Long and visit the bonsai trees and nursery of Mr. Tam Ho. After lunch we will view the busy life of the Delta including boat building, brick making and farming. Arrive Can Tho and transfer to hotel. Dinner in Can Tho.
Morning free to walk around. Depart by coach to Saigon, viewing the Mekong Delta countryside, busy villages and having lunch en route. Fly to Hue in the afternoon and transfer to hotel. Time to walk around and dinner at Y Thao Garden.
Hue was the capital of Vietnam until the early 1900s and generations of royalty lived in the Forbidden Purple City inside the walled exterior of the Citadel. We will explore these sites in the morning before departing on a boat trip up the Perfume River to the Royal Tombs and beautiful countryside. We will take a coach to Danang, have lunch at a beach restaurant and drive to Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important trading port in previous centuries. There we will combine a dinner at the Cargo Club with some walking around, shopping, visiting tailors and the like.
This morning we will take a walking tour of Ancient town including Japanese Covered Bridge, the produce market, Tang Ky House and the Fukhien Association. Lunch will be the local specialty, Cao Lao noodles. In the afternoon we will have free time to visit shops and galleries. Several optional activites include a boat trip on the Thu Bon River and a cooking class with a local chef. Dinner on your own.
We depart early for a drive to Danang and a flight to Hanoi. After transferring to our hotel we will have lunch at Kato Restaurant and meet with Chuck Searcy, a Vietnam Veteran who runs an NGO assisting Vietnam in removing landmines. An afternoon walking tour will visit Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter with 36 commercial streets dating back many centuries. Dinner at Wild Rice Restaurant.
Today we explore the famous sites of Hanoi including Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and his house, One Pillar Pagoda, and the Temple of Literature. After a lunch at Tamarind Restaurant you will be free for the rest of the afternoon and have dinner on your own.
Early departure for Halong Bay and to set sail on the Ginger, a five star junk, to view the magical scenery of the bay, thousands of sculpted limestone islands that rise from the water like a dragon. After a lunch we visit fishing villages, do some hiking or swimming and spend the night in the bay. Dinner while cruising Halong Bay.
Greet the day with Tai Chi exercise and a view of the sunrise over the bay. Visit Sung Sot Grotto followed by a breakfast while cruising back through Halong Bay to the pier. Disembark Ginger and return to Hanoi for a late afternoon flight to Siem Riep Cambodia. Transfer to hotel and dinner on your own.
Again we will do early morning temple visits including Banteay Srei temple and Ta Prohm with free time until our early afternoon flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. After transferring to our hotel we will visit the Royal Palace and the Victory Monument. Dinner tonight at a local restaurant.
We begin the morning with a visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum and the grim reminder of the horror of the Khymer Rouge. Afterwards there will be some free time for exploring before our afternoon flight to Bangkok. We will stay at an airport hotel in Bangkok as the international flights home leave very early the next day. After check-in we will have time for some exploring in Bangkok and a closing dinner at one of the city’s great restaurants. Transportation will be provided to our closing dinner.
Depart very early on international flights and (due to international dateline) arrive home in USA on the same day.
Not included are airfare from the U.S. to
Vietnam and back, passport and visa fees, meals not specified on the
itinerary, alcoholic beverages, excess baggage charges, trip-cancellation
and medical evacuation insurance, independent airport transfers, incidentals
such as internet access, laundry, phone and fax calls, medical expenses.
(Note: Not including airfare gives you the flexibility to use
frequent flyer miles or search the internet for the best available
fares.)
