We’ve always been huge fans of Ken Burns’ and Lynn Novick’s documentaries. And given that the latest one – “The Vietnam War” – hits so close to home, we’re especially excited to see how this conflict is portrayed.
Click here to watch the extended trailer for the mini-series.
We’re also excited to be partnering with KNPB – our local PBS station in Reno, Nevada – to offer this special 10-day Vietnam tour for two which will take travelers through many of the key areas highlighted in the documentary, and allow people to hear first-hand accounts from survivors of the “American War” as they call it in Vietnam. We are donating one tour for two to KNPB’s upcoming fundraiser, and we will also donate 10% of the profits of any additional tours booked to the local PBS station of your choice.
Day 1 Saigon: Arrival
Arrive on your flight. Arrive in Saigon where you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
Meals Included: None
Overnight at Grand Hotel – 1Double Ancient Wing Grand Executive
Day 2 Saigon: All Day City Tour
Our guides are the experts so we leave you in their capable hands to discuss and decide what you want to see and do with your day. There are some great markets if you are in the mood to shop or you can visit some of the museums like the History Museum, or some pagodas, like Thien Hau Lady Goddess Pagoda and Jade Emperor Pagoda. If you are interested in the history of the Vietnam War, then we recommend that you take the time to visit the Reunification Palace, and the War Remnants Museum. The Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Museum gives another insight into Vietnamese culture. Chat with your guide and decide what suits you!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Grand Hotel – 1Double Ancient Wing Grand Executive
Day 3 Saigon: Cao Dai, Cu Chi and Veteran Meeting
Today is an 8am start. Leaving Saigon behind and heading northwest in to Tay Ninh province you will find the Cao Dai Great Temple (approx. 3hrs). Along the way if you wish you can stop for a short break to stretch your legs and meet Kim Phuc’s family (The Girl in the Picture). Later at the temple you will see where Cao Daism is practiced and witness the midday mass. Cao Daism is a unique religion worshiping Jesus, Confucius and Buddha! Have lunch at a local restaurant in Tay Ninh. After lunch you will be driven back in a southeasterly direction to arrive at the Cu Chi tunnels (approx. 90mins). First you will also have a unique opportunity to meet and chat with a war veteran. Then you will learn about, and be given the opportunity to descend into, the tunnels themselves where the guerilla fighters constructed an amazing underground base and village network during the French Resistance, and the Vietnam War. You will finish the day by returning full circle to Saigon for your evening at leisure (approx. 90mins).
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Grand Hotel – 1Double Ancient Wing Grand Executive
Day 4 Hoi An: Wander the Ancient Town
You will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the airport for your onward flight – Vietnam Airlines VN112 departing from Saigon at 08:00 & arriving in Danang at 09:20.
Your guide will meet you at your hotel for your private transfer (around 45 minutes) to your hotel in Hoi An for check in.
Your guide will meet you at your hotel at 8am and together you will head out on a walking tour of Hoi An for a few hours. Visit the Ancient Town, which is home to the beautiful Chua Cau, (roofed bridge), as well as Hoi Quan, the ancient meeting places, some ancestral family homes and some of the lovely hidden pagodas. Time permitting, you have the option to head outside the Ancient Town and learn more about the Hoi An of today. In the spirit of tradition, you’ll also have the chance to enjoy the famous cuisine of Central Vietnam in a local restaurant in the old part of town.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at La Siesta (Essence) Hoi An Hotel – 1Double Deluxe with Balcony
Day 5 Hue: Hue Citadel
Your guide will accompany you on your 3.5 hour, private road transfer on to your next destination. The route will take you along the spectacular central coastline and the edges of the Annamite Mountain Range to where it finally meets the sea. During the drive, your guide will also run through the next phase of your itinerary.
Please note: If you transfer through the Hai Van area after 5pm, your driver will take the Hai Van Tunnel rather than the scenic Hai Van Pass for safety, as we do not recommend driving over the steep and twisting pass at night.
After checking into your hotel you can visit a local restaurant and then you will visit the historical Imperial Citadel. Often referred to as ‘ancient’, Hue’s Citadel is comparatively modern in European terms, built over thirty years in the early part of the 19th century, the Citadel encompasses three ‘courts’ covering a total of 6 km. The Imperial City, built along the same lines as the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, was the country’s administrative center. Senior mandarins, court officers and civil servants would have entered by the ‘Ngo Mon’ (noon gate). Directly behind were the Dai Trieu Nghi (great rites courtyard) and the Thai Hoa Palace (throne hall) where the Emperor would meet foreign rulers and emissaries, high-ranking ministers and other dignitaries. At the heart of the Imperial City was the ‘Tu Cam Thanh’ (Forbidden Purple City). Only members of the royal family, the Emperor’s concubines, and trusted senior mandarins and officers such as the royal doctor were allowed through the sole entry gate. Inside were various palaces and the Emperor’s private apartments. Despite more than fifty years of decay and attrition, the Citadel is still imposing, and recent renovation work has restored several of its buildings to their previous glory.
Tonight, your guide will take you to Tha Om Ancient House located in Kim Long Village near Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue. This is a beautiful home with gardens exemplifying the use of Feng Shui in ancient architecture. The owner of the home is from mandarin royal family descent and designs houses. He will give you a personal tour and you can then stay and enjoy a home cooked meal with the family served in the Ancient House.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at Saigon Morin Hotel – 1Double Premium City Deluxe Room
Day 6 Hue: DMZ with Cua Tung Beach
Your driver and guide will meet you at 11:30am at your hotel. Lunch will be in the town of Dong Ha, located about 1.5 hours from Hue. With your guide spend the afternoon visiting the infamous DMZ, and the old Hien Luong Bridge. Spend some time to walk over Ben Hai River, which was used to demarcate the division between North and South Vietnam. Some of the bloodiest battles were fought at the Vinh Moc Tunnels during the Vietnam/American War. Take a fascinating tour of these tunnels kept as a monument to the determination of the Vietnamese to continue living in their traditional village areas. Whole villages moved underground and lived in these tunnels and caverns. Late afternoon after exploring the tunnels, start the drive back to Hue, stopping along the way at the fishing community at Cua Tung beach, where you can relax and get some great shots of the area. End your day back at your hotel in Hue around 6pm.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Saigon Morin Hotel – 1Double Premium City Deluxe Room
Day 7 Hanoi: Arrival, Cyclo Tour and Water Puppet Show
Your guide will meet you at your hotel for your 45 minute private transfer to the airport for your onward flight – Vietnam Airlines VN1542 departing from Hue at 10:30 & arriving in Hanoi at 11:50.
Arrive at Noi Bai airport where you will be met by your guide and driven the 1 hour journey to Hanoi.
Take a one-hour cyclo tour of this charming capital city. Your guide will tell you about the places you are passing amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life that will surround you.
Attend a water puppet show unique to Vietnamese culture. Water puppets tell the stories of daily life of an older Vietnam when people traditionally worked the fields. After the rice harvest farmers and the local community would celebrate and entertain each other with musical tales using puppets they held up as they stood waist-high in the water of the harvested rice paddy field.
Enjoy a relaxing meal sampling the delicious cuisine of Vietnam. Your guide will be on hand to transfer you to and from the restaurant, and to help you select your meal.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Hanoi La Siesta Classic Hotel – 1Double Deluxe Room
Day 8 Hanoi: Full Day City Tour
Hanoi, originally named Thang Long or “City of the Ascending Dragon,” was the first capital of Vietnam in A.D. 1010. Situated in the center of Northern Vietnam, Hanoi ranks in the top 20 biggest cities of the world. Among Hanoi’s sightseeing highlights is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, where you can see ‘Uncle Ho’ laid out to rest. Ho Chi Minh was the founder and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Highlights also include the National Art Museum or Fine Art Museum; the Hoa Lo Prison; central Hoan Kiem Lake where Hanoians enjoy their early mornings with Tai Chi and “Vietnamese style” aerobics in the peaceful atmosphere; the Old Quarter where streets are named after the trades practiced here since the 15th century; the Hanoi Hilton museum where John McCain and other prisoners were held during the war; the Ethnology museum; and the Temple of Literature which serves as an excellent example of Vietnamese architecture. Hanoi is Vietnam’s cultural center, and the galleries, puppetry, music, and dance performances are worth staying at least a few days to take in. This morning start by discussing options with your guide what you would like to do and see today. Your guide will be with you all day so discuss what suits you and then have fun!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Hanoi La Siesta Classic Hotel – 1Double Deluxe Room
Day 9 Dragon’s Pearl Day 1
Your guide will meet you at your hotel at 8 am. Today, you leave bustling Hanoi behind on your private transfer to your cruise connection point. Your journey will take around 3.5 hours by road and along the way our team will advise you of the best places to stop for a comfort break and photo opportunities depending on your timing.
Arrive at Halong city by midday where you will transfer to the pier to board your junk. Enjoy a welcome drink before relaxing with a fresh seafood lunch, while cruising through the magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay (the peaceful northern part of Halong Bay, commonly overlooked by most visitors). Take in the breathtaking serenity of your surroundings, before stopping mid-afternoon to visit Thien Canh Son cave. A short cruise further will bring you to Hon Co Island where you can spend the late afternoon relaxing on board the junk or on the white sandy beach. If weather permits, enjoy some kayaking around the bay. You will finish the day on board with dinner around 7pm followed by time to relax and reflect on your day.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Overnight at Dragon’s Pearl Junk Cruise – 1Double Cabin
Day 10 Dragon’s Pearl Day 2
Today’s early start with breakfast around 7:30am is a wonderful opportunity to admire the bay waking up around you. After breakfast you will be taken on rustic rowboats to Vung Vieng Fishing Village, which once housed hundreds of residents. Today the village is a museum of floating houses, a school and pearl farms allowing a glimpse into the floating lifestyle of its past residents. Enjoy your lunch as you cruise back to Hon Gai Harbor to disembark at the pier around midday.
Your guide will meet you as you disembark and will transfer you to Noi Bai Airport. Along the way you will have the opportunity to take a comfort break and stretch your legs. You will arrive at Noi Bai airport in time to connect with your flight – .
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
PLEASE NOTE: This itinerary is currently in progress and does not reflect hotel room availability. The pricing is not final until the itinerary has been confirmed and booked.
Tour Rate: $ 2,800 per person based on 2 people traveling.
Price includes:
- Air tickets Saigon – Danang / Hue – Hanoi
- Boat tickets as specified above
- Accommodation as specified above
- Air-conditioned car/van with driver
- Licensed English speaking guides
- Tours and admission fees as mentioned above
- Meals as specified in itinerary, including water
Price excludes:
- Personal expenses
- Visa fees
- Drinks (except water) and meals not mentioned in itinerary
- Tips
