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Vietnam Summer hoilday 8 Days

TOUR PROGRAMME

Day 1:

Arriving at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. You’ll have time to relax after your journey. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Alternative option: Nightlife by Vespa.
In the evening, you’ll be picked up at your hotel for a Vespa tour. Your first stop is at Café Zoom to "watch the world go by" (quote by The Lonely Planet) and enjoy a cocktail and appetizer (inclusive) before adventuring to some favorite local eating spots. You’ll experience the nightlife of Saigon the way locals do, all from the back of a vintage Vespa scooter. Then the tour will continue to a hidden Vietnamese-style coffee shop for a taste of Vietnamese music (live) as a local. Your overnight stay will be in Ho Chi Minh City.

The tour will start with a ride to Chinatown and then head to District 4 through busy streets and alleys to see the night life of locals and enjoy street seafood and cold drinks at places few foreigners would be found. Leaving district 4 to district 3, the tour passes through downtown district 1 to take in the sights on the way to eat Banh Xeo, a specialty of Saigon, and other southern foods with the locals.

Day 2:
From Ho Chi Minh City’s urban sprawl, you’ll travel to Cai Be District in Tien Giang. Arriving at Dong Phu Pier, you’ll step aboard a boat to cruise the Mekong River and enjoy the peaceful beauty of this place where local people seem to spend most of their time on boats. Disembark to walk along Cai Thia Canal and visit the church, My Luong Temple and a brick factory, then continue by boat to visit a village where you can see rice paper being made at a local house. Enjoy a one hour cycling excursion exploring Hoa Loc mango village, pedaling beautiful rural pathways and along tranquil waterways. You will see traditional wood and palm leaf houses, and have the opportunity to talk with farmers and prepare some local specialty cakes with them to enjoy with hot tea. Lunch will be served on the boat as you relax, cruising along the river. On arrival in Rach Tre, a rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside via small canals where you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the true delta environment. Arrive at Cai Thia fishing village around 3.00pm, where you will be picked up by your car and driven back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 3:
After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your flight to Hue. When you arrive, you’ll be met by your guide and driven to your hotel for check-in. After that, you’ll cruise on a cyclo (a tricycle taxi) for a visit to the Imperial Citadel of Hue and the Dong Ba Market. You’ll spend the night in Hue.
Alternative option: Dinner at a garden house.  In the evening, you’ll sit down for dinner in the pleasant surroundings and comfortable atmosphere of one of Hue’s garden houses. The owner will prepare and serve a traditional meal based on the distinctive characteristics of classic Hue cuisine. You’ll spend the night in Hue. Garden houses are a unique feature of Hue. The houses are traditional, privately owned, and set in attractive formal gardens. Some have connections with the old Royal Imperial Court. Hue traditional architecture has long had close associations with the natural environment, and the garden houses reflect this association. Each is highly individual - house and garden, people and scenery, plants, clouds and water co-exist and blend with each other in a harmonious context. The narrow streets and abundant flora give the garden house area a country village feeling.

Day 4:
In the morning, your bicycles will be at your hotel ready for you to ride through Hue’s rural villages towards the Thanh Toan Bridge (roofed in Chinese style). Nearby, a local market will provide you with views of daily life and local products. You'll then return to Hue city centre and visit en-route the Ngoc Son Princess ‘garden house’. It has an attractive family altar and the owner is an expert on Hue’s culture and history – he will be pleased to explain the geomantic principles underpinning the building and garden construction. After lunch, your route will take you past the Imperial Citadel to visit some of the garden houses in Phu Mong Kim Long village, then toward one of the handicraft villages in Hue’s hinterland that specialises in a single product range of traditional cakes, ‘banh it’ and ‘banh phu the’, before looping back to your hotel for overnight accommodation.

Day 5:
In the morning, your car will drive you to Danang. On the way, you'll cross the Hai Van mountain pass. The views from the top are excellent – you should be able to see Lang Co Beach and village, and the lagoon far below, with Danang spread out before you to the south. Upon arriving in Danang and pausing for a brief look at the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum, you’ll arrive at Hoi An. After lunch, you’ll have a guided visit through the Ancient Town of Hoi An and spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 6:
Today will be free for strolling the town, lazing on the beach, or whatever takes your fancy. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.
Alternative option: Hoi An – From Farmer to Fisherman Tour ½ day. The day starts with cycling the narrow roads through the countryside, passing by rice paddy fields, water buffalos, bamboo bridges and local farmers on their daily work. You’ll then board a boat to the mouth of the Thu Bon estuary where the river meets the Cua Dai Sea and cruise along the coastline observing the lives of the local fishermen. After joining the fisherman to try your hand at catching fish from a traditional ‘Thung Chai’ basket boat, you will meander through the water palm coconut canal. During the American War, Viet Cong soldiers made use of this area as a highly effective hiding place from enemy attacks through their long struggle. Following an insightful visit to a local fishing village, you’ll be free to relax and enjoy a fresh seafood lunch before cycling back to your hotel. Thung Chai Basket boats, similar in style to coracles used across the ancient world, are widely used throughout Central Vietnam, and are highly suited to the local terrain and lifestyles of local fishermen due to their relative light weight and portability, often doubling as a carrier for various handy items. Circular, constructed of bamboo and tarred for waterproofing, these small boats can typically carry up to five people, and represent a fun-filled opportunity to touch the authentic rural soul of Vietnam. As a precaution, life jackets are provided for your safety during this excursion.

Day 7:
Today, you'll enjoy another free day at leisure in Hoi An.
Alternative option: Hoi An Cooking Class at Green Bamboo Cooking School. This morning, you’ll be picked up around 8.30 from your hotel and go to the local market to purchase ingredients. Local restaurateur Mrs. Van, owner of Green Bamboo Cooking School, will teach you how to cook some of Hoi An’s traditional cuisine. You will select a dish in advance from her menu and will learn to prepare and cook your chosen dish, so the group as a whole will have the chance to learn up to 10 dishes in the day. The class will end around 3.30pm and you will return to your hotel. For the rest of the afternoon, you’ll be free to stroll around the Ancient Town or travel to Cua Dai Beach. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.
Day 8:
You’ll be free until your driver picks you up for transfer to the airport to board your departure flight to Hanoi. Or, you are free to advise us if you wish to extend your trip with more nights in Hoi An or other destinations in Vietnam.