| country: | Vietnam |
| location: | Mekong Delta, North Vietnam, South Vietnam |
| departures: | Departs weekly and fortnightly December to March. One departure in August. Trips depart on Sundays |
| price: | From £1379 - £1585 (16 days) including flights from the UK, from £679 - £715. Based on 2 people sharing. Single room supplement £100. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This tour offers a great overview of Vietnam including all the major highlights. Explore ancient cultures through walking tours and enjoy Vietnam's beauty by boat and train.
Hanoi & Ha Long Bay: Arriving in the beautiful city of Hanoi we visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and the humble cottage in which he lived. We also take time to wander through the street markets of the Old City, named after the crafts on sale - Silk, Paper and Basket.
Then, travelling to Bai Chay, we'll enjoy a cruise among the awesome limestone cliffs and clear waters of Ha Long Bay - one of Vietnam's most scenic areas.
Reunification Express to Hué: We board the famous Reunification Express train as our journey turns southward. Arriving next morning at the old Imperial capital of Hué, we have two days to explore this charming city. We'll see the treasures of the old Nguyen dynasty, the Museum and Citadel, and take a boat trip on the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda. Then, driving via Danang, we'll visit 'China' Beach and Marble Mountain before reaching historic Hoi An.
Old Saigon & Mekong Delta: After enjoying a full day boat trip at Nha Trang, we board the train to Ho Chi Minh City - Old Saigon. Our sightseeing here includes the Cu Chi Tunnels - an underground base that hid 10,000 Viet Cong troops - and the Cao Dai temple at Tay Ninh with its curious mix of world religions. There's also the chance for an optional visit to the Mekong Delta, travelling by boat along its waterways to discover a beautiful and fertile region with colourful markets full of interest. See blue route on map
Hanoi & Ha Long Bay: Arriving in the beautiful city of Hanoi we visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and the humble cottage in which he lived. We also take time to wander through the street markets of the Old City, named after the crafts on sale - Silk, Paper and Basket.
Then, travelling to Bai Chay, we'll enjoy a cruise among the awesome limestone cliffs and clear waters of Ha Long Bay - one of Vietnam's most scenic areas.
Reunification Express to Hué: We board the famous Reunification Express train as our journey turns southward. Arriving next morning at the old Imperial capital of Hué, we have two days to explore this charming city. We'll see the treasures of the old Nguyen dynasty, the Museum and Citadel, and take a boat trip on the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda. Then, driving via Danang, we'll visit 'China' Beach and Marble Mountain before reaching historic Hoi An.
Old Saigon & Mekong Delta: After enjoying a full day boat trip at Nha Trang, we board the train to Ho Chi Minh City - Old Saigon. Our sightseeing here includes the Cu Chi Tunnels - an underground base that hid 10,000 Viet Cong troops - and the Cao Dai temple at Tay Ninh with its curious mix of world religions. There's also the chance for an optional visit to the Mekong Delta, travelling by boat along its waterways to discover a beautiful and fertile region with colourful markets full of interest. See blue route on map
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Hanoi |
| Day 2: | Arrive Hanoi |
| Day 3: | City tour including Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum; afternoon walking tour of Old Quarter |
| Day 4: | In Hanoi; drive to Ha Long Bay |
| Day 5: | Cruise in Ha Long Bay; drive Hanoi and overnight train to Hué |
| Day 6-7: | In Hué; visit Museum and Citadel; boat trip on Perfume River |
| Day 8: | Drive Danang; visit 'China' Beach and Marble Mountain; continue to historic port of Hoi An |
| Day 9-10: | In Hoi An; visit My Son; optional visit to My Lai |
| Day 11: | Drive Danang; fly Nha Trang |
| Day 12: | In Nha Trang; full day boat trip; overnight train Ho Chi Minh City |
| Day 13-14: | In HCM City; walking tour and day trip to Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh; optional visits available to the Mekong Delta |
| Day 15: | Fly London |
| Day 16: | Arrive London |
award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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We visit several Unesco World Heritage sites: Halong Bay, Hoi An and My Son Cham Towers. The entrance fees that we pay contribute to the upkeep of these special places. We use two overnights trains to travel the length of the country, both to experience the joys of rail travel in Vietnam and because train travel is far more environmentally friendly than air travel.
We use an entirely local crew, i.e tour leader, drivers and guides. The hotels we use are locally owned. We only include breakfast on this tour so that passengers eat out at a variety of small restaurants and street stalls, thus spreading their spending wealth and also getting to sample the best of the fantastic local cuisine. On our journey to Halong Bay we visit the Huong Ngoc Humanities Centre. This is a project where disabled people are trained in various crafts such as embroidery and painting. Their works are on sale with profits going to support the centre. By far the most rewarding experiences come from the independent experiences and encounters our travellers have during their free time on tour. We do not believe in shepherding our groups and our tour leaders actively encourage independent exploration during the unstructured periods we have built in for personal exploration. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |











