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Itinerary
for Vietnam Overland TET Tour |
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Included meals are indicated as B =
Breakfast, L =Lunch, D = Dinner |
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02.02.11
(D) |
Depart Brisbane at
9.30am on SQ256, arriving in Singapore at 3.15pm.
Depart Sydney at 9.35am on SQ220, arriving in Singapore at 2.45pm.
Depart Melbourne at 11.20am on SQ238, arriving in Singapore at 3.55pm.
All passengers depart Singapore at 5.40pm on SQ186, arriving in Saigon
(Ho Chi Minh) at 6.45pm.
You will be met and transferred to the hotel for check-in.
Enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel and revel in the fireworks
from the rooftop
restaurant of the hotel at midnight. The atmosphere of the gathering of
millions of people on the street at midnight to celebrate "TET", the
traditional new year of the Vietnamese, is fantastic.
Overnight at the Huong Sen Hotel.
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03.02.11
(B,L) |
In the morning
there is a half day Saigon tour including a short walking tour around
downtown to the Opera House, City Hall , Notre Dame Cathedral and the
Central Post Office. Visit the former Presidential Palace
(Reunification Palace), War Remnants Museum and China Town to see the
Thien Hau Temple which is the oldest Chinese temple dedicated to the
Sea Goddess.
Enjoy a "TET" lunch with traditional food and free flowing drinks at a
local
family home.
The rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy the "TET" atmosphere, with
beautiful flower festivals and decorations in the streets to mark this
special occasion. |
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04.02.11
(B,L) |
Morning departure
from the hotel for a coach trip to My Tho which is an interesting
two hour drive
from Ho Chi Minh City. My Tho is a prosperous town of 200,000
inhabitants in the Mekong Delta. It is famous for its extensive
orchards and immense rice fields. Enjoy a 4-5 hour boat ride on the
Mekong and visit an orchard on an island, coconut candy workshop and
a bee
farm with lunch at a farmer's house. Return to Saigon late afternoon. |
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05.02.11
(B,L) |
A half day tour to
Cu Chi, a fascinating tunnel network built by the Viet Cong in the
Vietnam War.
Pho (traditional noodle soup) & spring rolls for lunch. The rest of
the day is at leisure. |
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06.02.11
(B,L,D) |
Depart Saigon for
Dalat, a cool mountain resort built by the French in the 1920's as a
hill station. Its lakes, waterfall, evergreen forest and gardens make
Dalat one of the most enjoyable places in Vietnam.
A beautiful drive through rubber, coffee and tea plantations, with a
stopover
at La Nga floating village, and lunch at Lien Do restaurant in Bao Loc.
Upon arrival in Dalat we check-in to our hotel.
Dinner tonight at a nice local restaurant. |
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07.02.11
(B,D) |
Morning Dalat city
orientation tour with a 15 minute cable car ride overlooking
beautiful pine forests and
flower and vegetable gardens, we then visit the Crazy House, Bao Dai's
summer villa, city flower garden and an embroidery workshop. Free time
to wander around the market area.
In the late afternoon, leave Dalat for Lat village to enjoy an
interesting Gong, music and dance show of the local ethnic minority
people of
the area. Dinner at a local restaurant. |
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08.02.11
(B,L) |
Depart Dalat for
Nha Trang, a very popular beach resort for Vietnamese and foreign
tourists. On the way visit Poklongiarai Cham tower before enjoying a
picnic
lunch. Arrive Nha Trang mid afternoon, check-in to our hotel. |
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09.02.11
(B,L) |
This morning enjoy
a boat trip to visit Tri Nguyen Aquarium and Mieu Island then Mun
Island for swimming and skorkelling. Lunch at a nice local restaurant.
This afternoon will be at leisure for your own exploration of Nha Trang. |
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10.02.11
(B,L,D) |
Today you will
enjoy a beautiful
drive through prawn, crab farms, sugar cane and rice paddies. Lunch on
the way. Arrive in Qui Nhom mid afternoon, with free time to wander
around this interesting town.
Dinner tonight is at the hotel. |
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11.02.11
(B,L,D) |
Today
we drive to the My
Lai memorial where 504 villagers were killed by the American soldiers
in 1968, six weeks after Tet offensive. Enjoy a picnic lunch before
continuing on
to Hoi An. Upon arrival check-in to our hotel.
Dinner tonight at an excellent cafe in town "LY". |
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12.02.11
(B,D) |
This morning there
will be a short walking
tour to orient you with the town.
Discover historical Hoi An, which was a prosperous seaport
city during the 16th to 18th centuries. Its community of foreign
merchants resulted in a unique architectural style with Vietnamese,
Chinese, Japanese and French influences. Hoi An is a good place
for shopping,
especially tailoring, and is a very laid-back town, only 4km to the
beach. A
good place to relax.
In the afternoon, we will have a one hour cruise on the Thu Bon River
before a beautiful
dinner with a cooking class in a nice local restaurant, 'Morning Glory'. |
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13.02.11
(B,L) |
A half day tour
today to
visit My Son, the imperial city of the Champa Empire from the 4th to
12th centuries. My Son Sanctuary is a large complex of religious ruins
comprising more than 70 architectural remains. UNESCO recognized the
Cham architecture in My Son as a cultural heritage site in 1999. Lunch
at a local restaurant in Hoi An.
The rest of the day at leisure.
(The bus will be available to take everyone to the beach and back to
the
hotel this afternoon.) |
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14.02.11
(B,L) |
Depart Hoi An for
Hue, the homeland of the Nguyen dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam
which ruled the country from 1802 to 1945. We travel over the Hai Van
Pass (Pass of the Ocean Clouds), passing through many pretty red-tiled
villages with fruit orchards, enjoying spectacular views of sky and
sea. Stop over at the 5 marble mountains and China Beach, where the
Americans came for R&R during the Vietnam war. Lunch at a nice cafe
in Hue 'The Mandarin'.
This afternoon we will enjoy a one hour cyclo ride around this
interesting city. |
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15.02.11
(B,D) |
Morning
tour to the Citadel which was built from 1804-1833 then to Thien
Mu Pagoda, a famous one in Hue and Vietnam, boat trip back to the hotel
along the Perfume River.
In the mid afternoon we visit the tomb of Tu Duc, the 4th emperor of
the Nguyen dynasty which ruled the country from 1848 to 1883 and the
tomb of Khai Dinh, the 12th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty which ruled
the country from 1916 to 1925, which is a beautiful mosaic building.
Dinner at a nice local restaurant. |
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16.02.11
(B,L,D) |
Depart Hue for
Vinh, a city in the north badly damaged by the American bombing in the
war, which was rebuilt by East Germany. This is the homeland of a very
famous person in Vietnam and the world, Ho Chi Minh. Stop at Ben Hai
River known as the DMZ. Lunch in Dong Hoi. Arrive in Vinh in the late
afternoon. Dinner tonight is at the hotel. |
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17.02.11
(B,L,D) |
A tour visit to
Vinh where Ho Chi Minh (called by the people Bac Ho, uncle Ho) was
born and grew up. Depart Vinh for Hanoi, the capital of the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam, a very strong French influenced city which is one
of the 10 most beautiful cities in Asia. On the way stop over at Tam
Coc known as Dry Halong Bay. Lunch at Dzung restaurant in Tam Coc.
Arrive Hanoi early evening. Dinner in the hotel. |
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18.02.11
(B,L,D) |
In the morning, we
will enjoy a city tour of Hanoi with visits to the excellent Ethnology
Museum and the Temple of Literature, built in the 11th century,
which is known as Vietnam's first university. Lunch at KOTO.
In the afternoon a one hour interesting cyclo tour around the Old and
French quater of Hanoi.
In the evening enjoy the water puppet show, the unique art of the
Vietnamese from the 11th Century. Dinner at a nice local restaurant. |
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19.02.11
(B,L) |
This morning we
will have a half day tour with visits to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum,
museum and residence, The One Pillar Pagoda and a short walking
tour around the old quarter before lunch at 'Little Hanoi' restaurant.
The rest of the day is at leisure. |
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20.02.11
(B,L,D) |
Morning at
leisure. Lunch at 'Al Fresco' cafe.
In the afternoon, we leave Hanoi for Halong Bay. Dinner at a local
restaurant. |
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21.02.11
(B,L,D) |
Today we have a 7
hour cruise on Halong Bay with a seafood lunch on board.
Halong Bay is listed as a World Heritage area of outstanding beauty.
'Dragon descending on the sea', as it is known in Vietnamese,
picturesque Halong Bay has around 1,969 limestone islets rising from
the clear emerald water, many of them containing beautiful grottoes.
There will be a visit to a beautiful cave and an oppurtunity for a swim
during the cruise.
Tonight we will enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel. |
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22.02.11
(B) |
Transfer to Hanoi
international airport.
Depart Hanoi at 1.30pm on SQ175, arriving in Singapore at 5.55pm.
Sydney passengers depart Singapore at 8.40pm on SQ221, arriving in
Sydney at 7.35am (23.02.11).
Melbourne passengers depart Singapore at 9.00pm on SQ227, arriving in
Melbourne at 7.15am (23.02.11).
Brisbane passengers depart Singapore at 9.10pm on SQ235, arriving in
Brisbane at 6.50am (23.02.11). |