Difficulty Information
This holiday is classified as Category B
The difficulty of our travels varies greatly. Added to this is the fact that travel difficulty is a very personal perception. To give an impression of the difficulty of a particular holiday we have developed a classification system.
Category A: Light travel, possible for anyone. Short distances, good hotels and slow travelling speed.
Category B: Feasible for anyone who prepares for the trip. Sometimes longer distances, good hotels or camping facilities, some adventure nights, average travelling speed.
Category C: Feasible for anyone who prepares well and is flexible, but some parts of the journey are difficult, distances may be long or require a day’s walk, there may be some basic facilities.
Category D: Reasonably difficult trip because of long travel distances, often-primitive facilities or tents, long walks.
Category E: Difficult trip. The traveller knows him/herself and is well prepared, he or she realises that the holiday can be demanding.
The Vietnam trip is a Category B holiday. Any reasonably healthy individual can make the trip. In the summer the trip is considerably more difficult than during the rest of the year. Although in the cities we stay in simple medium-priced hotels, remember that you are travelling in a developing country with much lower living standards than you are used to at home. Also, roads may be temporarily blocked because of the weather or owing to their state of repair, in which case a detour is unavoidable. Some journeys are very long. A flexible and positive attitude is just as important as a good physical condition.
Nature of the Trip
This is a unique tour of Vietnam that brings you all the highlights of this compelling country, from the watery Mekong Delta in the South to the fairytale bay of Ha Long in the North. You will meet ethnic groups in the mountains near Sapa and see the monumental remnants of ancient civilisations. Vietnam is a charming, stylish country, with much to offer historically, culturally and culinarily.
Day-to-day schedule
Day 1 -
2: Ho Chi Minh City
You can wander around this busy metropolis for hours and still hardly scratch the surface of everything there is to see. It is a city where everybody seems to be going somewhere, by bicycle. Everybody is busy building, crafting or trading. Delicious food is sold on the street and in the countless small restaurants where you must eat with chopsticks, of course! Ho Chi Minh City is full of museums, pagodas, temples, colonial buildings and churches. The Giac Lam Pagoda, the oldest in the city, is one of the must-see tourist sites. A visit to the bustling Chinese district of Cholon is also strongly recommended. Some interesting museums include the unique War Memorial Museum (formerly known as the American War Crime Museum) and the Vietnamese History Museum. Noteworthy examples of colonial buildings left standing are the Post Office and the old Town Hall. Bicycle is the ideal form of transport for getting acquainted with the city. On day 2 there is an optional trip to Tay Ninh and Cu Chi. Tay Ninh is the centre of the colourful Cao Dai religion. Cao Dai is the product of an attempt to create an ideal religion through fusion of both Eastern and Western philosophies and religions. This has yielded an interesting ideology whose followers number around 3 million, especially in the region of Tay Ninh. At midday you can witness the daily ceremony in the extravagant temple that resembles a cross between a French church and a Disney castle. After that we shall travel to Cu Chi, the impressive underground tunnel network. The complex was built by the Vietminh in the 1940s in resisting the French colonists and the Japanese occupation, and later used by Vietcong guerrillas for surprise attacks against American troops during the Vietnam War.
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh Trang pagoda - Cantho
Today we will travel into the luxuriantly green landscapes of the Mekong Delta, the centre of rice production and a region full of water, facilitating numerous rice, coconut and banana plantations. On the way we will visit the beautiful Vinh Trang pagoda. Cantho is the most prominent University City in the region. As a vital key to land and water transport in the Mekong Delta, Cantho functions as a sort of provincial capital city. The busy, industrious nature of the city can be seen at the market, which stretches along the river and through the backstreets. As well as fruit, vegetables, rice, fish and meat, you can buy electronic goods, textiles and books. The floating market is also quite banging and well worth a visit.Day 4: Cantho - Cai Rang - An Binh Island
First we visit the Cai Rang floating market, before arriving at An Binh Island, where we stay in a simple homestay.
Day 5: An Binh Island - Ho Chi Minh City - Danang - Hoi An
This morning we will travel from Cantho back to Ho Chi Minh City and take a domestic flight to Danang, usually in early evening. From there the tour heads south along the picturesque Vietnamese coast to Hoi An, formerly known as Faifo.Day 6 -
7: Hoi An
Hoi An is a city of traditional houses and is seen by many visitors as one of the most atmospheric and enjoyable areas in Vietnam. You can visit the market, over-populated by baskets full of exotic fruit, vegetables, fish and shrimp. Dozens of ancient wooden houses and historical buildings are remnants of the region’s history. Several Chinese houses are open to visitors. These houses are decorated and furnished to resemble the style prevalent many centuries ago. A number of ancient Chinese temples in the region are still used today. You can then make a short boat trip to the quiet Hoi An beach. You can also visit the beautiful Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son), a series of around 50 hills with many caves, 12 miles from Hoi An. You could also choose to tour the region by bicycle, or visit the many sites of historical significance such as the ruins of the Cham temple in the city of My Son. .Day 8 -
9: Hoi An – Marble Mountains – Chan Museum – China Be – Hué
On day 8 we will travel northwards, first to Danang, where you can visit the Cham Museum. The museum has the largest collection of Cham art in the world; over 300 sandstone statues and sculptures from between the 7th and 15th centuries. Sculptures from the period, 600-1000AD display Hindu influences from India and Indonesia, while the period, 1000-1500 is dominated by Khmer influences from Cambodia. You can also visit the Marble Mountains or the China Beach. After a spectacular journey along the coast we shall arrive at the old, atmospheric colonial city of Hué, with its French-style houses, broad avenues and the Parfum River. The city has a population of only 200,000 people and its most notable feature is the Huong Giang (‘sweet smelling river’). In the afternoon you can visit the extensive Forbidden Purple City, one of the greatest constructions in Vietnamese history. The oldest quarters trace back to the time of the Nguyen emperors. The extravagant tombs of the emperors are situated in the rolling terrain around the city of Hué. The most pleasant way to visit them is by boat, and on day 9 there is an optional boat-trip across the Parfum River to visit the Imperial tombs and pagodas just outside the city. The 69-feet, 7 storeys tall Thien Mu Pagoda is on the north bank of the river. Built in 1844, it was, for a long time, the quintessential symbol of Vietnam. On every floor there is a different statue of Buddha.
Day 10: Night train from Hué to Hanoi
Today is a free day until we catch the night train to Hanoi. Second class soft sleeper cabins will have been booked, and the train generally departs in the late afternoon.
Day 11 -
12: Hanoi
The train arrives in the capital city, Hanoi early in the morning. We spend two nights here, and you’ll find plenty to keep you amused. Hanoi is a sight for sore eyes, filled with small shops, lively markets, lakes and cafes. Despite having a population of millions, Hanoi retains a village atmosphere, although this is beginning to change; the number of cars and mopeds doubles each year. The tree-lined avenues and streets lined by French villas still have a charming and unspoilt air about them. Aside from the tranquillity, there is another striking difference between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, namely the personable attitude of the local population. Hanoi residents are more laid back, but are well known for their hospitality. This can be partially explained by the strong influence of Confucianism and Chinese culture on the Northern Vietnamese. Although Hanoi is the oldest capital city in South-East Asia, the buildings are relatively new. There are a handful of attractive temples and pagodas, and the market in the centre of Hanoi is very beautiful. Many types of rice, tropical fruits, flowers, herbs, vegetables and craftwork (baskets, crockery) are on sale at the market and the streets that surround it. Live animals are also sold in the market, such as dogs, parrots and snakes. For the early birds among you, a morning walk in the district around Hoan Kiem Lake is recommended. At that time the park is always swarming with Vietnamese folk practising badminton or tai chi. You may also wish to pay a visit to the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, or watch a performance by the Water Puppeteers.
Day 13: Night Train from Hanoi to Lao Cai
Day 13 is scheduled as a free day until boarding the night train. Again, second-class soft sleeper cabins will have been booked. We will leave late in the evening.
Day 14: Lao Cai – Can Cau (Saturday market) – Bac Ha
Get ready for a weekend of shopping! After arriving in Lao Cai, early in the morning, we will visit the colorful Saturday market of Can Cau, about 20 kilometres from Bac Ha. The Can Cau market takes place against the backdrop spectacular mountain scenery. Finally we travel on to Bac Ha, where you will want to get an early night ready for the market the next morning!
Day 15: Bac Ha (Sunday market) – Sapa
The most famous weekend market in Northern Vietnam takes place today. From the surrounding area many colorful tribes such as Flower Hmong, Tay and Nung come to Bac Ha to sell their produce.
Day 16: Sapa
Today we travel onwards to Sapa, a former French military outpost in a breathtaking valley close to the Chinese border.
Free time to explore the area around Sapa on your own.
Day 17: Night Train from Lao Cai to Hanoi
Today we go to Lao Cai, where we board the night train back to Hanoi, departing in the evening.Day 18: Hanoi - Ha Long Bay
Early in the morning we will arrive back in the, by now familiar. City of Hanoi. From here we take the bus to the stunningly beautiful nature reserve of Ha Long Bay (the bay of the Descending Dragon). For centuries, this extensive area (over 600 square miles) has been one of the most significant attractions in Vietnam, and rightfully so. The cliffs of the Tonkin Gulf that seem to rise straight up out of the waters, the several Chinese junk ships passing through, and the region’s 3000 islands and bays make this an unforgettable destination. We will then take a boat trip through this fairytale paradise and stay overnight on the junk!Day 19: Ha Long Bay - Hai Phong - Ninh Binh
We take a ferry today, from Cat Ba to Hai Phong, North Vietnam’s major port. The importance of Hai Phong, as a centre of industry and shipping, dates back to the colonial period. With its 1.6 million inhabitants it is the most important city in Vietnam after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We then travel by bus to Ninh Binh, a small town in a picturesque setting, about 60 miles from Hanoi.Day 20: Ninh Binh - Hoa Lu - Hanoi
In the morning of day 20 we will ride Chinese bicycles through an area rarely visited near Tam Coc and Hoa Lu. The views are the stuff of dreams. The chalk mountains rise steeply from the flat ground, amidst rice fields, bamboo patches and small country villages. Water buffalo splash around carefree in cooling mud baths and farmers carry their harvest home on their backs. The tour ends upon arrival in Hanoi.
It is the last day of your tour but rather than being about ‘Goodbye’ your thought should be ‘Go further’!
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