Vietnam is a country with immense geographic and cultural diversity. The country’s varied climate and landscape range from four seasons in the mountainous North.Visitors to the country almost always comment on the friendly locals and the delicious cuisine. When visiting the country you can choose to travel at various levels of comfort, staying in anything from deluxe to budget accommodation, using various forms of transportation and dining in fine Vietnamese and International restaurants or in more local style eateries.
ITINERARY
HIGH LIGHTS
FINE PRINT
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Day 1
Depart Home – Hanoi, Vietnam
Begin your journey with the international flight to Hanoi
Meet and transfer to the hotel with your tour manager
In-Flight
In-Flight Meal
Day 2
Hanoi
Visit Temple of Literature, and the Ethnology Museum
Visit Ho Chi Minh’s Former Residence
Visit the West Lake, Lake Hoan Kiem,
Experience the old quarters and a downtown pedicab ride (1 hour)
Evening show includes the famous Water Puppets (1st class seats)
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3
Hanoi - Halong Bay
This morning drive to Halong Bay, 170km from Hanoi (it takes approximately 3 hours).
Stopover at the ceramic and hand embroidery workshops en route.
Take the option for Halong Bay cruise:
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Board your private boat for a beautiful cruise along Halong Bay (4 hours), a world heritage site recognised by UNESCO in 1994.
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Visit some magical grottoes and relax in the best scenic beauty Vietnam has to offer. A fresh seafood lunch is served on board.
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Take a short city tour of Ha Long Bay after disembarkation. Overnight in Halong Bay .
You could visit the local night market after dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4
Halong – Hanoi – Hoi An
Drive 3 hours for Hanoi airport for the flight to Danang, After arriving in Danang, visit the Cham Sculpture Museum, which boasts the finest collection of Cham sandstone sculptures in the world
Transfer to Hoi An in the afternoon. Free to enjoy some time on the beach
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5
Hoi An
Morning tour in the old town, afternoon is free on your own to enjoy Hoi An old town and beach
Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, and Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in high grade silk which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics…Nowadays Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailor shops, and numerous cafes… Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6
Hoi An – Hue
After breakfast, leave Hoi An for Hue along the way you will travel over the Hai Van Pass, stopping at the top to take in the stunning views of the Lang Co beach before arriving in Hue
This afternoon we embark on a tour of the city. A visit to Hue would not be complete without taking in attractions such as: the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and the Dong Ba market.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7
Hue
Board a private boat and cruise the romantic Perfume River heading out for the countryside. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to some of these tombs will be the focus of today's itinerary.
The charming Thien Mu Pagoda “Lady Pagoda” will be the first stop of the day. You will have a great view of the Perfume River and the surrounding area. Thien Mu Pagoda is considered the unofficial symbol of Hue, and center of Buddhism in central Vietnam. From there you process to the king Tu Duc's tomb and the king Minh Mang's tomb followed by the king Khai Dinh's tomb.
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8
Hue – Saigon
After breakfast, leave Hue for flight south to Ho Chi Minh. Warmest welcome at Tan Son Nhat Intel’ airport and take you to your hotel for check in.
Spend you free time at leisure to enjoy or find out the street-life as you wish. Welcome dinner at one of the city's best restaurants.
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9
Saigon City Tour
Today spend full day to visit the dynamic city of Saigon. Over the past few centuries, Saigon was called the “Pearl of the Far East” and was an important trading centre for Chinese, Japanese and Western merchants who travelled along the Saigon River.
Sightseeing tour includes visiting bustling Cho lon (Chinatown), Thien Hau pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas of the Chinese in the area and colourful Ben Than Market. Notre Dame Cathedral inaugurated in 1880 became the spiritual and cultural crucible of the French presence in the Orient as was the Post office designed by Gustav Eiffel and resembling a grand railway station. Photos stop at the former Presidential Palace, renowned for its symbolic role in the fall of Saigon in 1975 and continue to visit the War Remnants Museum.
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 10
Excursion to Mekong River
Enjoy a full-day excursion to My Tho, 75km south of Saigon, a peaceful town along the bank of the Mekong River
The tour comprises of a cruise on the Mekong River, a visit to the orchards and local homes, a sampan ride along palm-shaded creeks, a taste of seasonal fruit & honey tea and a performance of traditional southern singing
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11
Cuchi Tunnel
Cu Chi Tunnels consist of more than 230km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. The remaining tunnels nowadays have become a major tourist attraction, giving you a unique experience and a feel of what underground life must have been like during the U.S.-Vietnam War.
Free time to explore Saigon by yourself in the afternoon
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12
Saigon
Today is free day in Saigon for your own arrangement
Breakfast
Day 13
Departure
This morning is at leisure and transferred to airport to take scheduled flight back home
Breakfast
Vietnam
Hanoi - Hanoi Capital of Vietnam: Visitors to Vietnam should not miss out on a holiday in Hanoi, the 1,000-year-old capital, a low-rise city of lakes and peaceful parks. A Hanoi holiday is a pleasant, unhurried experience of exploring the historic Old Quarter with its arts and crafts bargains, and strolling the streets of the French Colonial sector.
Halong Bay, An unique way to discover amazing Halong bay with moderate grade kayak, Overnight on the perfume wooden Junk, Enjoy fresh seafood of Halong bay. This special activities offer for an impressive trip in Vietnam.
Cham Sculpture Museum , The Museum of Cham Sculpture was built in Cham architectural style, using thin lines that are simple and gentle. Cham architecture originates from the period between the 5th and 15th centuries, when a matriarchal society prevailed. At present, the museum displays approximately 300 sculptures, among which some are made from terracotta. The sculptures were collected from Cham Temples and towers throughout Central Vietnam, more specifically the area stretching from Quang Binh to Binh Thuan. All the sculptures are displayed in ten showrooms named after the localities where the pieces have been discovered. After viewing the pieces in the showrooms, there are exterior exhibitions that can be visited.
Hoi An Old Town - Coming here, tourists can see a series of old-architectured lanes and houses with nearly 100% cristinely left from their initial buildings with mossgrown walls, deeply plain roofs, old furniture in their cristine past arrangment etc. Hoi An is fortunate to be a cultural crossroads of the Cham culture in the very first southward expansion of Dai Viet (the Vietnamese nation more than 5 centuries ago encroaching on the Indianized Kingdom of Champa, which covered much of what is now central Vietnam), the Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Indian), and the Western ones during their trading here in the 16th century. These diverse cultural influences remain visible today. Colourful guildhalls, founded by ethnic Chinese from Guangdong and Fujian provinces, stand quietly, a testament to the town's trading roots.
Ho Chi Minh - Fasten your seatbelts as Ho Chi Minh City is a metropolis on the move – and we’re not just talking about the motorbikes that throng the streets. Saigon, as it’s known to all but city officials, is Vietnam at its most dizzying: a high-octane city of commerce and culture that has driven the whole country forward with its limitless energy. It is a living organism that breathes life and vitality into all who settle here, and visitors cannot help but be hauled along for the ride.
Fine Print for Grand Vietnam – Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Hue, Ho Chi Minh 12 Nights
Tour Arrival Date: April 29, May 7, 21, Sep 10, 17, Oct 15, 29, Nov 12
Hotel: Skylark in Hanoi or similar, Mithrin Hotel in Halong Bay or similar, Ancient House resort in Hoi An or similar, and Edn Saigon Hotel or similar
• Voucher price is based on double occupancy
• Promotion tour is non-refundable from Merry Travel after air ticket is issued
HOW TO BOOK
1.
Complete Online Reservation Form at www.merrytravelus.com
2.
Choose a valid date based on option purchased.
3.
Mention your VOUCHER number and provide your credit card information to pay the balance of payment (tipping, single supplement (if applied), and other related fees
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
1.
International flight and airport taxes
2.
Vietnam domestic flight and airport taxes
3.
Airport transfer for arrival and departure at scheduled arrival and return date in Vietnam
4.
Hotel accommodations
5.
Daily breakfast and meals in the itinerary
6.
Sightseeing admissions
7.
Local transportation in Vietnam
8.
English speaking tour guide
PACKAGE EXCLUDES:
1.
Visa stamp fee US$45 pp cash payable to customer officer upon arrival
2.
Optional activities if any, payable upon booking
3.
Tour tipping US$140 per person payable upon booking
4.
High season surcharge refers to voucher terms, or contact us upon booking
5.
Return date change US$100 per person plus fare difference (extra stay's accommodation not included)
6.
Single traveller surcharge US$500 to get own room payable upon booking
7.
Travel Insurance
8.
Personal expense
9.
Meals and drink other than specified
10.
Luggage fee refers to airline luggage policy
11.
Trip delay, or interruption by airline schedule change
12.
Extra cost or missing tour caused by flight delay or cancel
13.
Cost for anything not specifically mentioned in the listing above
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All Traveler information must match exactly what is on the government-issued ID you use when travelling. Passport photo page coy must be provided upon booking for ticketing. PLEASE NOTE: CREDIT CARD DETAILS REQUIRED TO COLLECT MANDATORY TIPPING AND VISA CHARGES AS WELL AS ANY ADDITIONAL TOURS PURCHASED ABOVE.
TRAVELER'S NAME MUST BE EXACTLY SAME AS PASSPORT NAME. AIRLINE PENALTY FOR NAME CORRECTION $100 AND ANY OTHER AIRLINE FEES WILL BE APPLIED.
