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Timeless Vietnam: Secrets of the Past and Present
offered by supplier M17099 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 13
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 12
people
Destination(s):
Vietnam
Specialty Categories:
Ecotourism
Archeology/History
Season: April
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 3395 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 3395 US Dollar (USD)
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I invite you to join me on this unique exploration of Vietnam's past and present. We'll learn about Vietnam's history by visiting some of its ancient cities like Hoi An, where Mr. Tran Van Nham, a famous historian, will accompany our group on a walking tour. In Hanoi we'll visit the Museum of Ethnology in the company of Mr. Mark Rapaport, M.D., (collector of many of the artifacts within the museum), as well as ancient villages still inhabited by local people. We'll discover thousand year old traditions and modern artistic movements living side by side in cities and towns where every street has its own rich history and where the work of hands is a vital part of personal and national identity.
"Timeless Vietnam" is designed for the person who enjoys delving into the history and culture of a country while also enjoying its beauty and charm.
Brief Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Hanoi, Apr 3.
Day 2: Ancient Villages, Apr 4.
Day 3: Hanoi City Tour, Apr 5.
Day 4: Hanoi / Halong, Apr 6.
Day 5: Halong / Hanoi / Hue (flight), Apr 7.
Day 6: Hue, Apr 8.
Day 7: Hue, Apr 9.
Day 8: Hue / Hoi An, Apr 10.
Day 9: Hoi An, Apr 11.
Day 10: Hoi An, Apr 12.
Day 11: Hoi An / My Son (or free day), Apr 13.
Day 12: Hoi An / Danang / Saigon (flight), Apr 14.
Day 13: Saigon / Onward, Apr 15.
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Hanoi, Apr 3.
Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival in Hanoi, we will be met and transferred to our hotel. A welcome dinner will be held in the Old Quarter. Includes: (D)
Day 2: Ancient Villages, Apr 4.
In the morning, we’ll depart Hanoi for an interesting day trip to some of the oldest surrounding villages. The first one is the ancient village of Duong Lam, found on the outskirts of Hanoi. Duong Lam is also known as a museum of laterite, and is home to around 300 houses built many centuries ago with lateritic bricks. The village has also been described as the last stronghold of the wet rice farming culture in northern Vietnam. Here we will explore the architecture of the ancient houses while wandering the charming narrow alleyways. Visit temples dedicated to the two kings born here, and most interesting of all, chat with the locals who live in these ancient homes. Lunch will be in the home of a local family.
Later in the afternoon we will visit our second ancient village, Cu Da, located on the banks of the Nhue River about 22 miles southeast of Hanoi. This village is famous for having hundreds of ancient houses built in different stages, with the oldest constructed during the Le Dynasty some 300 years ago. Return to Hanoi for our overnight. Includes: (B, L)
Day 3: Hanoi City Tour, Apr 5.
After breakfast, we’ll have a full city tour of Vietnam’s charming capital city Hanoi, with its ochre-colored colonial style buildings, tree-lined avenues and many lakes. We’ll see the One Pillar Pagoda, fashioned in the form of a lotus flower on its stalks (it emerges from the water resting on a single stone pillar). Inside there is a statue of the Goddess of Mercy with its legendary “thousand arms and thousand eyes”. We’ll then make our way to the Temple of Literature for an overview about Hanoi culture and history.
In the afternoon, we’ll visit the beautiful Museum of Ethnology to enhance our understanding of Vietnam's diverse culture through its unique presentation of objects and dress from a variety of Vietnam’s ethnic groups. This tour will be led by an expert in the field, Mark Rapaport, M.D. Afterwards, we are free to explore the Old Quarter on our own. Tonight you’ll have the option to attend a traditional water puppet show, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form especially designed for depicting scenes of rural life as well as many episodes of national history. Includes: (B)
Day 4: Hanoi / Halong, Apr 6.
After breakfast, we’ll be driven to Halong City (approx. 3 1/2 hours), stopping en-route for a brief rest and coffee break. Depending on the time, we may be able to visit a very unique pottery studio. Arriving around noon we’ll board our deluxe junk boat, the Halong Ginger, where welcome drinks will be waiting. After a relaxing break, we’ll dine on a delicious seafood lunch while cruising through the Bai Tu Long Bay.
Later on, we’ll have an opportunity to trek or swim at Soi Sim Island. We’ll further cruise to visit the Hang Doi water tunnel by rowboat. In the evening the boat will dock as we enjoy dinner. Overnight on the Halong Ginger. Includes: (B, L, D)
Day 5: Halong / Hanoi / Hue (flight), Apr 7.
In the early morning, watch the sunrise on the bay along with a Tai Chi demonstration on the boat’s sun deck, all the while relaxing with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Enjoy a shore excursion to visit the splendid Sung Sot Grotto and a nearby fishing village. Enjoy a late buffet brunch on board while cruising back through Halong Bay. Return to the pier where we’ll say our farewell’s to our crew. We’ll then return to Hanoi for our flight to Hue. Upon arrival in Hue, we will be met and transferred to our hotel. Includes: (B, L)
Day 6: Hue, Apr 8.
In the morning we’ll ride on a dragon boat upstream to visit the seven floored Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s most preserved religious monument. Then it’s off to visit the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen emperors once ruled Vietnam. Lunch will be served in the form of Royal Cuisine at the Restored Royal House of Vinh Tu. After lunch we’ll continue by road to visit the elaborate Tu Duc Royal Tomb which was designed to blend with the natural setting of the landscape, and the Khai Dinh Royal Tomb with a different architecture and atmosphere that has elements of eastern and western art designs. The rest of the day is free to explore on our own. Includes: (B, L)
Day 7: Hue, Apr 9.
After breakfast, we’ll enjoy a walking tour through a peaceful village in the countryside where we’ll have the unique opportunity to interact with the local people. Return to town where the rest of the day is free at leisure. Includes: (B)
Day 8: Hue / Hoi An, Apr 10.
After breakfast, we depart Hue for Hoi An (approx. 3 ½-hour drive). We’ll stop en-route at the Lang Co fishing village for some wonderful photo opportunities. As we continue the scenic drive over the Hai Van (Ocean Clouds) we’ll pass the summit which presents a spectacular panoramic view of the central coastline. En-route, we’ll also visit the Cham Museum in Danang, and China Beach before arriving in Hoi An.
Hoi An, once known as Faifo, was a major international port in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the foreign influences are discernible to this day. The heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shops and houses. While most shops now cater to the tourist trade, the area has been largely preserved as is, which is unusual in Vietnam and renovation has proceeded slowly and carefully. If you are interested in having silk clothing made just for you, Hoi An is definitely the place to do so. Includes: (B)
Day 9: Hoi An, Apr 11.
After breakfast, we’ll enjoy a walking tour led by the famous historian, Mr. Tran Van Nhan, a member of UNESCO. He will accompany our group around the ancient town including the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, the Assembly Hall of the Cantonese Chinese Congregation founded in 1786 (the Phuc Kien Pagoda), the Tan Ky House built almost 200 years ago and the central market. We will also have the unique opportunity to visit the studio of a local artist named Hoang Trong Tuyen, who is famous for his unique form of painting. He uses his fingernails as a brush! We’ll watch his performance before he guides us in making our own work. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore this ancient town or visit the Thanh Ha pottery village. Overnight at hotel. Includes: (B)
Day 10: Hoi An, Apr 12.
Today we’ll experience a day with the local people in the rural outskirts of Hoi An. In the morning, we’ll embark on an interesting trip to the Tra Que market garden village. Stroll around the vegetable gardens, join the farmers in preparing the land and learn how they fertilize it with seaweed from the local lake. See how they cultivate the vegetables by raking, sowing, watering and picking greens and other interesting gardening methods. We’ll have a home-hosted lunch with a local family, which will include many local delicacies like “Tam Huu”, a type of spring roll made from Tra Que vegetables. After lunch, we’ll continue on to the Thanh Nam fishing village to work with the locals and learn their traditional methods of fishing. After we’re briefed on some simple traditional fishing tools, we’ll embark on a boat with some local fishermen to learn how to cast a net - and hopefully catch some fish! The day ends at the Dai Chiem Estuary to visit the peaceful waterways with the colorful boats and wharf. Return to Hoi An where we’ll overnight. Includes: (B, L)
Day 11: Hoi An / My Son (or free day), Apr 13.
In the early morning we’ll be driven to My Son, some 30 miles southwest of Danang, the site of the most important Cham intellectual and religious center which dates back to the late 4th century. My Son has only 20 monuments still standing today, and is considered a Cham counterpart to the grand cities of southeast Asia’s other Indian-influenced civilizations. The monuments are set in a verdant valley surrounded by hills and overlooked by the massive Cat's Tooth Mountain. We’ll continue the drive to My Lai, passing through a beautiful countryside of rice paddies, manioc patches and vegetable gardens shaded by casuarinas and eucalyptus. Arrive in My Son, a life-size memorial to a village where horrific war atrocities took place one day in 1968. We’ll walk to the village and memorial hall before returning to Hoi An for the night. Includes: (B, L)
Day 12: Hoi An / Danang / Saigon (flight), Apr 14.
After breakfast, we’ll transfer to the Danang airport for our morning flight to Saigon. Upon arrival, we will be met and transferred to the downtown area for a city tour of Saigon’s historic landmarks including: The post office and Notre Dame Cathedral circa 1880, the former Presidential Palace and either the Historical Museum or the War Remnant Museum. In the afternoon, we’ll visit Saigon’s "twin city", the Chinese district of Cholon, to enjoy the bustling wholesale quarter of Ho Chi Minh City, Thien Hau Temple and the ancient Giac Vien Pagoda which houses 153 beautifully carved statues. This evening, dinner is served at the former residence of the famous US Ambassador to South Vietnam, Sir Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Includes: (B, D)
Day 13: Saigon / Onward, Apr 15.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your onward departure. Includes: (B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
Vietnam
Ecotourism
Archeology/History
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