Vietnam world heritages discovery 11 days 10 nites

Upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport you will be welcomed by your guide and transferred to the hotel. Overnight in Ha Noi

After breakfast at hotel, take a full day city tour of Hanoi-capital city of Vietnam. Hanoi is center of political, culture and intellecture of whole country. Ha Noi was acknowleged by UNESCO as Peace city in 1999 and the imperial citadel of Thang Long was list in UNESCO’s world heritage site in 2010. The city tours we will discover this charming city with Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature. After lunch in town, we will drive to The imperial citadel of Thang Long which was the cultural complex comprising Thang Long imperial during the Ly, Tran, Le Dynasties and Ha Noi citadel during the Nguyen Dynasty. The royal palaces and most of the structures in Thang Long were destroyed in the late 19th century and the remains are roughly where the Hanoi citadel stands today, then visit history museum. At the end of the day, we have an hour to cyclo tours in Hanoi. Overnight in Ha Noi.

After breakfast, take 3.5 hours drive to Halong bay, a World natural Heritage site and new seven natural wonder of the world. Journey takes you through the rich farmlands of Northern Delta, one of two biggest Deltas in Vietnam. You observe everyday life of Vietnamese Villages as you see villagers work on their rice fields, transplant rice seedlings, plough the fields with their water buffaloes and take water in to channel with buckets. Upon arrival, transfer to a junk for a cruise around Ha Long Bay. You will discover Halong Bay, listed as a World Heritage of outstanding natural beauty, known in Vietnamese as “Dragon descending to the sea“. The picturesque Halong Bay has more than 3,000 limestone islets rising from the clear emerald water, many of them containing beautiful grottoes. The cruise passes by many rocks and islets in many funny shapes. You will visit Amazing cave and climb to top of Titop Island to have panorama view of Ha Long bay. Enjoy full board sea food menu on board. Overnight on board.

n the morning, continue the cruise to Man’s Head Island and Tortoise Island. After an early lunch, we return to the quay side and drive back to Hanoi. On the return to Hanoi, we stop on the way in Bac Ninh, for visiting a special place which was the cradle of Buddism and Vietnamese folklore music in the Red River Delta. We will ride a horse-drawn cart through country lanes to visit the Dinh Bang Communal House and the Do Temple that was the place of worship for 8 (eight) of the kings of the Ly Dynasty (1010-1225). Following that, we will enjoy Quan Ho folk songs (duets of love songs) which were acknowleged by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 1999. Free time in Hanoi until the transfer to Hanoi railway station for the overnight train to Dong Hoi (approx 13hrs).

Arrive at Dong Hoi Railways Station, meet local tour guide and have Vietnamese breakfast at local restaurant. Drive up north to Phong Nha, take a boat trip from a critical point of the Ho Chi Minh trail to go inside and visit Phong Nha cave, known as the longest and most beautiful karts cave in the world, another World Heritage Listed site. We reach the cave by boat along the Son River and once inside explore the cave’s fine sand beaches, spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. We return to the dock for lunch in a local restaurant and drive back to Dong Hoi where the remainder of the day is free to relax. (Overnight in Dong Hoi)

After breakfast we drive to Hue. En route we stop at the Hien Luong Bridge in the former DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between north and South Vietnam before reunification. We arrive in Hue in the afternoon and board a dragon boat to cruise along the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda. In the evening there is the option to dress up and enjoy a Hue ‘Royal Banquet. Overnight in Hue.

Today, we will have full day city tours of former imperial capital city of Vietnam which was acknowledged world heritage in 1993 and “ Hue Nha Nhac court music” was recognized in 2005 by Unesco as a Materpiece of the Oral and Intangible heritage of humanity. Hue served as Vietnam’s capital under the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Although time and warfare have taken their toll, Hue’s atmosphere of regal serenity remains in tact. In the morning we will visit Imperial Citadel and then we will drive through countryside and visit Tu Duc and Khai Dinh Royal tombs. Back to Hotel and the rest of time at your own leisure. Overnight in Hue.

In the morning we leave Hue by road for Hoian. The scenic drive through rural central Vietnam takes approximately 4 hours. On the way, we will visit Cham museum where you will see intensive and diverse collection of Cham breathtaking sculptures dating from 7thto the 15th centuries. We will arrival Hoi An in lunch times, after lunch we have a guided walking tour of Hoian old quarter with its Chinese Assembly Halls, colorful pagodas, ancestral houses and the Japanese Covered Bridge – the symbol of Hoian. The rest of the day is free to stroll around the narrow, winding traffic free streets. You may like to seek out one of the many tailors in the market and have a dress or suit made to measure.Overnight in Hoian

After breakfast we have a half-day guided tour of My Son – an important archaeological site containing a number of Hindu temples dating from the 4th to 14th century and created by the once mighty Cham Empire, which at its peak ruled much of central and southern Vietnam. The temples are dedicated to the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. In 1999 My Son was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. We spend around an hour at My Son before returning to Hoian where there is free time for more sightseeing or picking up that tailor made outfit! Overnight in Hoian.

We depart Hoian for Danang and the short internal flight to Saigon, now more commonly referred to as Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive at Tan Son Nhat airport and transfer to our hotel. In the afternoon we explore the downtown area by cyclo visiting the moving War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office and the Reunification Palace. The reminder of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Saigon.

Free time until your transfer to Saigon airport for your flight home or to start another adventure