Day 1
Overnight international flight to Hanoi.
Day 2
Upon arrival in Hanoi, airport reception and transfer to your hotel in a private vehicle. Depending on your arrival time, spend the remainder of the day at leisure.
Day 3
Morning tour of the Ho Chi Minh Complex with your private guide. Visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state. See the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked and visit the nearby Ho Chi Minh Museum – an extraordinary tribute to the life of the “father of the country.” Carry on to the Governor’s Residence, a fine example of Hanoi’s French architecture, followed by a stop at the One Pillar Pagoda to hear the legend of its construction.
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant followed by a private afternoon tour of the Hanoi City highlights. Orient yourself to the tree lined streets on your way to the Opera house and pass by Hoan Kiem Lake en route to one of the city’s fascinating museums of your choice – the Military, History or Fine Arts Museum. Continue to the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, for a quick escape from the busy streets. Afterwards, enjoy a private guided walking tour of the Ancient Quarter, also known as the 36 Streets District, where you will find a nice mix of ancient homes, temples and small shops.
Day 4
Morning excursion outside of Hanoi City for a trip to the surrounding countryside with your private guide. Rich in Buddhism, the north of Vietnam is home to the country's most colourful and revered pagodas and temples. The Thay Pagoda (Master's pagoda) is located 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Hanoi. While a temple is a place to worship the dead, a pagoda is a place to worship the Lord Buddha. Thay Pagoda is widely known for its finely carved statues in lacquer and gold of Buddha in his past and present form and for its colourful Buddhist ceremonies performed here during auspicious dates of the Lunar calendar.
Only 6 kilometres (4 miles) away lies Tay Phuong Pagoda, situated at the top of a small hillock. Built in 1794 the pagoda is famous for its vast display of finely carved wooden statues of former monks from the 18th Century. Afterwards, return to Hanoi to enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 5
Morning transfer to the Hanoi airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Upon arrival, airport reception and transfer to your hotel. After check in, enjoy an afternoon tour of China Town with your private guide. Cholon, which literally translates to “big market," is the focus of the Chinese community in Saigon. See Cha Tam Church where President Diem sought refuge shortly before his assassination in 1963. Visit the impressive Thien Hau Temple dedicated to the goddess of the seas, who is said to protect fishermen and sailors. Here huge coils of incense hang from the ornate ceiling, and can burn for up to three months at a time. Visit Binh Tay market and the surrounding area, which bustles with trading activity. On your return journey, stop at a tiny Cao Dai temple, where one small sect of this eclectic religion worship daily.
Day 6
Morning city tour with your private guide. In this essential highlight tour, visit the former Presidential Palace, which is now preserved as a museum, including the underground communications bunkers, headquarters for the Saigon Government during the American War. Continue to the History Museum, which houses an excellent display tracing the origins of the indigenous Vietnamese. Take the opportunity to see a delightful performance of Water Puppetry in the grounds. Visit Notre Dame, an impressive neo-Romanesque cathedral in the center of city, the “wedding cake” styled Hotel d'Ville and Dong Khoi street, formerly the center of haute couture in Saigon when it was known as Rue Catinat.
Lunch at local restaurant followed by a privately guided half day tour to Cu Chi tunnels. Journey out of the city centre to the Cu Chi region, where you will visit the vast underground network of tunnels built first as a defence against the French, and later expanded during the American War. It was from here that the North Vietnamese waged their guerrilla warfare and you will marvel at their ingenuity and resilience. See secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms.
The more adventurous may explore the deeper second, and even third level tunnels. For those preferring to remain above ground, there is ample opportunity to view excavated areas from above. Your guide will advise you of the length and level of difficulty of each tunnel before entering - some are easily accessed by stairs. We recommend good walking shoes and sun protection for this tour and advise you may get a little dirty! Return to Saigon in late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.
Day 7
Morning transfer approximately 3 hours, in your private vehicle, to the Mekong River town of Cai Be. Board a motorised sampan for an introduction to life on the river with your private guide.
Cai Be is known for its large floating market, where displays of food produce are hung from the bamboo poles over the host boat in order to attract customers. From here the journey continues across the upper reach of the river to a maze of tributaries and fruit plantations. Barges ply the route, overloaded with rice husks used as fuel for the region’s numerous brick kilns. Depending on the season, a sample of local tropical fruit will be served with lunch in a local farmer’s home before re-joining your craft for the leisurely cruise to Vinh Long. From here, drive and ferry to the Delta’s economic hub city of Can Tho.
Check into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 8
Early morning cruise with your private guide to Cai Rang, which is a bustling market town. Enjoy a sampan ride through the colorful congestion of women and children jostling for space and vying to sell their goods. Return to Can Tho town to visit their museum and a Khmer pagoda in Can Tho city. After lunch at a local restaurant, depart the town for a visit to the Bang Lang Stork Garden and the Binh Thuy Ancient House. Return to your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.
Day 9
Private morning transfer to Chau Doc near the Cambodian border. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant en route and in the afternoon visit Sam Mountain, a popular pilgrimage center for many Vietnamese and home to a collection of ornate and colorful temples and pagodas. Climb or drive to the top of the hill for an unparalleled 360 degree vista of nearby Cambodia.
The Mekong River at this point is decorated with hundreds of floating homes, each a self-contained farm where local families raise and sell fish to passing boats. With your private guide, you will have the opportunity to visit some of them before returning to the hotel in Chau Doc for the evening.
Day 10
Private transfer back to Saigon for your flight home or continue with the Yampu Tours add-on of your choice.
Note: Check out of the hotel is at 12 pm. Late check out may be available directly at the hotel subject to availability. Regardless, you may store your luggage at the hotel until the time that you are ready to leave for the airport.
Vietnam
Mekong Delta
Hanoi Opera House
Notre Dame in Saigon
