Highlights of Central & Southern Vietnam

Morning
The whole morning will be free at your leisure. Enjoy late breakfast and the comforts of your hotel.

Afternoon
Your tour guide will pick you up and take you to the Ancient Quarter of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you will embark on a walking tour visiting the major attractions such as Chua Ong Pagoda, Tan Ky Ancient House, Fujian Assembly Hall with the Chinese influence, and the Japanese Covered Bridge.

Continue to visit the Precious Heritage Museum, home to the permanent exhibition of Réhahn’s Precious Heritage Collection. While transporting you to the furthest reaches of Vietnam, the collection will unveil the rich cultural tapestry of the ethnic tribes

The highlight of the day is the visit to the Reaching Out Tea House, a welcome little oasis of calm in the busy, vibrant Old quarter, owned and operated by the mute and deaf people. Here you will be treated with delicious cakes and incredible tea in the Eastern style.

Move on to the house of a lantern craftsman. There, you can observe the lantern craftsman’s technique before hands-on work through each stage of lantern-making under the guidance of the enthusiastic craftsmen: from bending it into the frame, cutting cloth, gluing, to completing lanterns. Before this trip concludes, you will have your own lantern created by your own hands.

Now, it’s time for your Hoi An street food discovery tour. With your guide, you will weave in and out the tiny alleyways, get to chow down with the locals at stalls you’d never discover on your own. Every day at 4 pm, Hoi An’s streets filled with a myriad of street food carts, stalls, and vendors. The street food tour is a great introduction for you to enjoy a few of the Hoi An specialties cooked up by the locals, to introduce you to the faces behind the stock pots and to teach you how the Hoi An locals deal with those condiment trays!

Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you will be collected by your private guide and transferred in a private vehicle (approximately 4 hours) to the Royal City of Hue. Today the drive over the Hai Van Pass will be one of the most scenic ones on your trip. En route, you will stop to visit the Marble Mountain, Cham Museum and the white sandy 20-mile stretch of My Khe Beach which was home to American GIs during the war.

Arrive Hue around midday and check into your hotel in downtown.

Afternoon
Your guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to the wharf for your dragon boat ride on the romantically named Perfume River. During the boat cruise, you will stop to visit the iconic Thien Mu Pagoda – Hue’s most famous religious site. Explore the pagoda’s landscaped gardens and seven-storey octagonal tower.

The tour comes to an end at Dong Ba Market which runs along the north bank of Huong (Perfume) River. Here you will have a chance to discover a favourite Noddle shop by Anthony Bourdain – the World Famous Chef and TV Producer. Sample the best Bun Bo Hue “Hue Noddle soup”.

Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Overnight in Hue
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
Your day will start with a short visit to Thanh Toan Village where you can see the lively morning market. This is where the locals come to buy their daily food. Nearby are the 300-year-old Thanh Toan bridge and a Cultural Museum, meet and talk to the locals.

Move on to the Royal Complex, former home to the Nguyen Dynasty, the last Monarchy of Vietnam from 1802 – 1945. You will explore the ancient and atmospheric walled Citadel which contains the former Imperial Palace and the Forbidden Purple City.

Continue to visit Cat Tuong Quan Zen House, an oasis of peace and tranquility where you can get ready for a little zen and re-connection to yourself.  At first, you will be given some explanation about the architecture of the building and the purpose of the lady who started it all. After that, you will start a walking meditation session and attending a Qi-Gong class.

Today you will enjoy an excellent Vegetarian lunch at a local Buddhist Monastery, prepared and served by the nuns.

Afternoon
You will visit the final resting place – called the King tomb of Tu Duc, then head to Vong Canh Hill to watch the beautiful sunset over the Perfume River. On the way back to town, you will stop to visit a local workshop where you can see how incense sticks and traditional conical hats are made.

Overnight in Hue
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast, your private driver will you collect you and take you to Hue Airport for a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City, commonly known as Saigon. It is the largest city in Vietnam and is located near the Mekong Delta.

Upon arrival, we will be met by your private guide and driver and taken to the hotel for check-in.

Afternoon
With your guide you will spend the rest of the day visiting some of Ho Chi Minh City’s key highlights. We’ll tailor your tour to suit you, but we particularly recommend visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Rex Hotel, the City Hall, the Opera House, the General Post Office, renowned for its architecture, and Ben Thanh Market.

Later stop at the Reunification Palace and the moving War Remnants Museum to learn more of Vietnam’s turbulent past.

Proceed to the atmospheric Jade Emperor Pagoda before finishing in fine style with a sundowner at the top of the Bitexco Tower, the tallest building in Vietnam.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast, your guide and driver will transfer you to Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh Province.

On arrival, set out to explore the sacred temple and learn more about the fascinating Cao Dai religion, which borrows elements from Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Taoism. You will then take part in the midday mass, admiring the monks in their colorful robes and listening to the mesmerizing chants.

Afternoon
After enjoying lunch at a local restaurant you will be transferred to Cu Chi, a small community located northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, known for its network of deep tunnels that provided shelter and an effective source of infiltration for the Vietcong during the later years of the Vietnam War.  

Upon arrival, you will see original film footage from the period, followed by a walk through the reserve. You will have the chance to go underground into Cu Chi’s hidden network of Viet Cong tunnels which reached hundreds of miles in total length, housed storage rooms, command bunkers, makeshift hospitals and sleeping quarters…etc. This trip offers a unique insight into the ingenuity behind the fighters, and a glimpse of underground life during the war.

Try some of the main food of the Viet Cong Soldiers with a cassava tasting served with a tangy tea and then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Your evening is at leisure, giving you time to enjoy a Vietnamese coffee or a stroll through the night market.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast, your private guide and driver will take you out of HCM City in a private vehicle and onto some beautiful country roads to Ben Tre Town, the heart of the Mekong Delta, popularly known as the “rice bowl” of Vietnam. This picturesque little town is famous for its vast rice fields, numerous waterways, and beautiful landscapes.

After approx 2 hours driving through the lush farming land, you will arrive at Ben Tre town where you will embark on a motorized boat trip around the scenic Ben Tre River, viewing various local industries along the way. During the boat ride, you will stop to visit the small local factories where bricks and sleeping mats are made.

Take a leisurely walk along the village lanes, visiting the local homes to sample tropical fruits, taste honey tea while enjoying a local Tai Tu music show. Continue to visit a coconut mill workshop where the local delicacy of coconut candy is produced and a range of coconut husk and fiber products are skillfully handcrafted.

Next, take a small sampan through palm-fringed back canals, gliding peacefully along the hidden waterways surrounded by an immense variety of tropical plants. The quiet, rural setting is a welcome and restorative retreat to the frenetic buzz of HCM City which seems far, far away.

Enjoy sitting in the back of a Motorised Cart (xe lôi) passing endless rice fields and lush orchard farms while meeting with the local people.

Afternoon
Finish your sightseeing tour and then your guide will take you to a riverside restaurant for lunch, after which you will be driven back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/L/_)

Your private transfer greets you at the hotel after breakfast and escorts you to Ho Chi Minh International Airport where you board your flight home or travel on to more adventures, we will help you with the planning.

Meals: (B/_/_)