FROM HO CHI MINH TO HANOI-VIETNAM. Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi 13 DAYS

Transcription

1 FROM HO CHI MINH TO HANOI-VIETNAM Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi 13 DAYS

2 UNIQUE CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN BEAUTIFUL VIETNAM Vietnam is an incredible country from the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City, the limestone islands of Hanoi bay, incredible food, beaches and mountain s Vietnam seems to have it all. Vietnam will leave you breathless and aching to travel more. EXPLORING VIETNAM PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Traversing the country from south to north, this program will give you a glimpse of the many faces of Vietnam. Starting out in Ho Chi Minh City, a visit to the famous Vietnam War-era Cu Chi Tunnels brings history to life, while you ll also get a feel for old Saigon city through its temples and markets. A fascinating boat cruise along a tributary of the Mekong brings you to a small village where you ll be hosted by an engaging local and witness an entirely different way of life. In the central province of Kon Tum, you ll be immersed both in indigenous culture and breathtaking landscapes during a 3-day stay, where you ll be exploring by bicycle as well as on foot in an overnight trek. Here you can connect with locals, learn about their lifestyle, and get hands-on by helping out on the farm or in the kitchen. Finally, you will travel north to explore the bustling city of Hanoi, experienced through the many local flavors of its cuisine as well as touring some amazing sites and watching the daily life of the residents. The program is capped off with a two-day boat cruise on a traditional wooden junk in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, which really has to be seen to be believed! PROGRAM ITINERARY A note: All of our itineraries are flexible. Our philosophy at Crooked Trails is to let the country guide our experiences and not live by a strict itinerary. If unexpected events arise, we may change plans to take advantage of the situation or deal with an issue. However, we will do all we can to offer you everything that is on the schedule. Please be flexible yourself and allow the program to unfold. Our focus has always been on providing our clients with the opportunity to meet the local people. = MEALS INCLUDED (BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER) A CULTURAL EXHANGE AND ADVENTURE IN VIETNAM

3 DAY 1 HO CHI MIN CITY Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival to Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat Airport your driver and guide will meet you and they will transfer you to your hotel. Check-in and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City MEALS =NONE DAY 2 HOH CHI MIN-CHU CHU TUNNELS At 8:30 you will meet your driver and guide. A morning drive will take you to visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels. The tunnels are 75 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, in an area that played an important role during Vietnam's wars for independence and reunification. More than 200 km of tunnels were built here by the Vietnamese guerrillas and are often the highlight of South Vietnam touring. This morning you will be able to explore the bedrooms, meeting rooms, air-raid shelters, smokeless kitchens, and experience life underground in this extraordinary tunnel complex. After visiting the tunnels, you will return to city center. In the afternoon, you will head to Chinatown and visit Binh Tay Market, stopping over at Thien Hau, a 150 year old Chinese Temple, followed by the remarkable sites of the Reunification Palace. Then explore the Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Central Post Office and XQ embroidery workshop. End the trip with a visit to Ben Thanh Market with time for shopping Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. MEALS DAY 3 HO CHI MINH CITY - BEN TRE - CHO LACH This morning, after breakfast, you will travel to Ben Tre. Upon arrival, enjoy a boat cruise along a tributary of the Mekong. Take a short walk to various local businesses where you can witness how local people work, including visits to the brick kiln, the fruit orchards, and a coconut candy workshop. The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience village life, visit a mat weaving house where straw mats are woven by hand you can even have a try at weaving yourself. Take xe loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) to a riverside local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, it is time to board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. Pick up your bike and start cycling through the orchards to Mr. Khanh s house. Khanh is a passionate antique collector and his house is packed with fascinating artifacts from Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia, as well as family albums dating back to French colonial time. You will then cycle back to the river to board your boat and return to the dock, continue to Can Tho where you will arrive in the late afternoon. Overnight at homestay. MEALS DAY 4 CAN THO - HO CHO MINH After an early breakfast you will board the local boat to visit the Cai Rang Floating Market, the most famous floating market in the Mekong Delta. Here you will witness the scenery and the bustling activity of the market. You will further venture through small canals visiting a rice husking mill and a shop where rice noodles are being produced. When the tour finishes, you will head towards Ho Chi Minh City where you will have the rest of the evening free at your leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. MEALS

4 VIETNAM FASCINATES THE ADVENTURER DAY 5 HO CHI MINH - PLEIKU - KON TUM You will have free time until being transferred to the airport for the flight to Pleiku. Meet your guide and driver upon arrival. Drive to Kon Tum, the capital of Kon Tum province, about 50 kms from Pleiku. Check into the hotel. Your guide will take you for dinner to one of his favorite restaurants in Kon Tum. Overnight in Kon Tum. MEALS DAY 6 KON TUM Your guide will meet you at the hotel at 8:30. Today we will explore this quiet, friendly town and outskirts by bicycle. First, we will do some shopping for our lunch. We will visit several Bahnar villages that are located on the fringe of Kon Tum. The Bahnar are an ethnic minority. They have their own language, traditions and customs. You will meet villagers and learn about Bahnar culture. Each village has a communal house called Rong House. The Rong House is the place where village ceremonies and festivals take place. It serves as a court of justice and as a meeting place where important decisions are being made. This house is really the heart of the village and is visible from far away.the Rong houses of the Bahnar are very beautiful. They stand up to 30 meters high and the roof is curved. They will show you their gongs used at ceremonies and you will learn about the Space of the Gongs, which has been declared an intangible UNESCO World Heritage. You will learn how they make their rice wine, which is consumed through long bamboo straws out of jars. You will also be able to participate in a farming activity, depending on the season. Enjoy a simple but delicious lunch in a village house. You can help the guide prepare lunch. After lunch we pedal back to Kon Tum. We will visit the Catholic Seminary, a beautiful and imposing building, dating back from It houses an interesting exhibition on Kon Tum and the minorities living around the town. Next we visit the wooden Bahnar church. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Kon Tum. MEALS

5 DAY 7 KOM TUM Your guide and driver will meet you at the hotel. You can leave your luggage at the hotel and should prepare only a light backpack for the overnight trekking adventure we are about to embark on. Page 3 of 7 First we will visit the market of Kon Tum where we will do some shopping for the coming two days. You will learn how to bargain in Vietnamese and do some shopping on your own. It s great fun! After this we will head in easterly direction to the Kon Ray area. At the Jo Long village of Kon Du we will start our trek. The Jo Long are a sub-group of the Bahnar. We admire their Rong House before taking off on our hike to the foot of the mountain. We enjoy a picnic lunch with local specialties. After lunch we start to hike up the mountain through thick jungle. Towering trees, vines and ferns form the scenery. We enjoy the serenity and sounds of the forest and stop regularly to take pictures. Before dark we arrive at a simple cottage. We can freshen up while our guide prepares dinner. You can assist him and learn some highland cooking at the same time. After dinner it s time for stories. Overnight in a basic cottage in the jungle. MEALS DAY 8 KON TUM Rise early, and enjoy the fresh mountain air in the morning. Your guide will prepare breakfast. After breakfast we will start our descent of the mountain. We take our time and enjoy the big trees and the tropical vegetation. We have a picnic in the forest before we head back to Kon Du. Here you will join in an agricultural activity with local people, depending on the time of season. It is a lot of fun connecting with these generous and friendly people. Here we will take a short rest before we drive back to Kon Tum. On the way back we will stop at an impressive church along the way. We check back into our hotel and enjoy a hot shower. A great place to relax and meet local people is one of the terraces along the Dakbla River which is a great place for sunset as well. Dinner tonight is on your own. Overnight in Kon Tum. MEALS DAY 9 KON TUM - PLEIKU - HANOI Free at leisure until transfer to Pleiku Airport for flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, transfer to hotel for check-in and the rest of the day is free at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.MEALS

6 DAY 10 HANOI Meet your guide and driver and head towards Hoan Kiem Lake. It is a cultural thing in Vietnam to wake up very early (6am) and start the morning with some exercise. It is very interesting to see Page 4 of 7 how the local people, mostly women of varying ages, start their busy routine. Several groups of people can be found practicing tai chi and aerobics. Be part of Vietnamese culture and join the locals in their morning routine! After having a Vietnamese iced coffee, caphe sua da, you will start a walking tour to see the beautiful French architecture used in different Vietnamese buildings. You will also visit some typical houses which have been restored by UNESCO. Next, you will head towards Quan Thanh Temple, a Taoist Temple dated from the 11th Century, as well as the impressive Tran Quoc Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda located in a small island in the center of the West Lake. Vietnam is very well known for its wonderful food, so trying some specialties is a must. In the old quarter you can try dishes such as Pho Bo (Hanoi s excellent beef noodle soup), Nom (green papaya salad with seasoned beef), Banh Goi (Pillow-shaped pastry with minced pork and mushroom), Banh Cuon (hot rice paper with pork and fried onion) or Bun Cha (fresh noodle with grilled pork). After your super local lunch, you will visit the Temple of Literature, built in Vietnam s first university was established within this temple to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The university functioned for 700 years and its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam s past. The day will finish with evening beers at the well-known and authentic Bia Hoi, a local drinking spot where you will enjoy local draft beer. Overnight in Hanoi. MEALS DAY 12 HA LONG-HANOI Enjoy the views of the bay and surrounding islands. Your cruise will continue around the bay while brunch is served. The vessel will cruise at a slow pace back to the harbour for disembarkation. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to Hanoi. En route, you will make a rest stop at Dong Ky village a craft village in Bac Ninh Province where highly skilled artisans produce beautiful wooden crafts which are available to buy. Overnight in Hanoi. MEALS DAY 13 HANOI DEPARTURE Today you will have free time until your driver and guide pick you up and transfer you to the airport for your flight back home. MEALS DAY 11 HANOI-HA LONG This morning, you will depart from your hotel to Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world s largest marine limestone karst landscape. On arrival you will board your boat, a wooden junk built to model the old Vietnamese court vessels. This typical boat, with sails, wide stern and a rectangular superstructure will take you to the World Heritage area, where you can enjoy an array of activities. All meals will be provided on board. Overnight on boat. MEALS

7 TRIP DETAILS COST PER PERSON: $2,050 PER PERSON BASED ON DBL OCCUPANCY. FLIGHTS PRICE PER PERSON IN USD: HOH CHI MINH CITY-PLEIKU $88 PP PLEIKU-HANOI $148 PP **FLIGHT TARIFFS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY THE AIRLINE** SERVICES NOT INCLUDED: AIR TICKETS BOTH DOMESTIC,INTERNATIOAL INSURANCE PERSONAL EXPENSES ALL DRINKS VISA FEES/AND OR VISA AUTHORIZATION TIPS OTHER EXPENSES NOT MENTIONED IN ITINENARY ANY COMPULSORY AND PEAK SEASON SURCHARGE (NORMALLY NEW YEARS PERIODS) SERVICES INCLUDED: ALL AIRFARE TRANSFER AND TRANSPORT PER PROGRAM ALL ACCOMODATIONS AS PER PROGRAM ENGLISH SPEAKING GUIDES DAY 1-12 ALL MEALS AND MENTIONED ALL ENTRANCE FEES ON TOURS ALL BOAT TRIPS

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