Vietnam Tet Holiday 2012

Day 1: Hanoi arrival (D, GP)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. Later on, your guide will take you to some bustle and hustle flower markets where you will find a wide range of bonsai, flower plants for sale. In the evening, you will have dinner at a good restaurant. Your overnight stay will be in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi orientation (B, L, G)

In the morning, you’ll visit the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century. You’ll then join a cooking class in a lovely restaurant in the Old Quarter and learn to cook some northern traditional dishes. Lunch will be in the restaurant.

In the afternoon, you’ll drive to Dong Ho village - famous for its woodblock traditional paintings, which are more popular during Tet. After that, you’ll drive to Tam Tao village to enjoy its traditional Quan Ho music performed by villagers in the commune house. The singers have recently been officially designated as part of Vietnam’s ‘living heritage’. In the late afternoon, your guide will take you to an amazing flower garden where Tet trees are cultivated.

Day 3: Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D, G)

After an early breakfast, you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay. There you’ll board a wooden junk to take you to the busy World Heritage area and then to an island beach. Weather permitting, you’ll be able to swim, fish, and climb a hill (not a mountain!) for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape. From there, you’ll board a tender to visit a fishing village - you’ll also have an opportunity investigate one of the bay’s sea level caves in a small sampan or a kayak. The route is designed to avoid the busy areas and includes a very quiet location for your overnight stay.

Day 4: Ha Long/Hai Phong (B, L, G)

You’ll wake in fresh air of the bay with a swim and/or a Tai Chi session on the large sundeck (beginners welcome!). After a light breakfast pastry and tea or coffee, you’ll dock to visit one of the most famous caves in the Bay. You’ll return to the junk for a brunch while cruising back to dock around noon whereupon you’ll leave for Hai Phong. On arrival, you’ll check in at your hotel then cycle (with car support for those who are not keen on cycling) along narrow country roads through the rural area of Hai Phong, passing villages, rice paddies and pagodas. You’ll spend the night in Hai Phong.

Day 5: Hai Phong/Hanoi (B, L, G)

A short drive takes you to a temple where a mysterious Vietnamese historical scholar is worshipped. From there, another trip to a neighbouring village provides an opportunity to see a traditional communal house and enjoy water puppetry performed by the villagers – the real thing, not the tourist version. You’ll be able to wander around the village and visit traditional ‘family worship houses’. In the afternoon, you’ll drive back to Hanoi to spend the night.

Day 6: Hanoi/Hue (B, D, G)

In the morning, you’ll have free time for shopping in the bustling Old Quarter of Hanoi or at your leisure before pick up to the airport for a noon flight to Hue. After pick up and check-in, you’ll visit the Imperial Citadel of Hue and the local Dong Ba market, followed by the visit to one of the best garden houses in Hue. The owner will introduce to you the architecture and the history of the house. His wife will guide you how to cook some royal dishes before dinner in a private “beam house”. You will spend the night in Hue.

Day 7: Hue/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G)

In the morning, your car will arrive to drive you to Danang. On the way, you'll cross the high mountain pass of Hai Van. The views from the top are excellent – you should be able be able to see Lang Co beach and village, and the lagoon far below, with Danang spread out before you to the south.

Upon arriving in Danang, you’ll have a brief look at the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum before leaving for Hoi An. After lunch, you’ll have a guided visit to the Ancient Town of Hoi An. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 8: Hoi An rural life (B, L, G)

After breakfast, you’ll ride a bicycle through the rural scenery of Hoi An to a small village located on the banks of the Tra Que lagoon, three kilometres northeast of the old town. You’ll join local people in their daily work of planting and watering vegetables. You’ll then return to the old town to learn how to make silk lanterns at a local house. You’ll also be able to view the complex process of creating Hoi An-style lanterns. Your lunch will be prepared by the family. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 9: Hoi An free (B)

The day will be free for strolling in the town, lazing on the beach, or whatever takes your fancy. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 10: Hoi An/Danang/Ho Chi Minh City (B, DP, G in Ho Chi Minh City)

You’ll have a free morning until you’re picked up for an afternoon flight to Ho Chi Minh City. After transferring to your Ho Chi Minh City central hotel and checking-in, you’ll be free to wander around the city centre. Nguyen Hue Street, from city hall to Saigon River, will be designated as Flower Street during Tet holiday. The area becomes a popular place for photographs as Tet come closer.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City Orientation (B, L, G)

After breakfast, your guide will arrive to show you around Ho Chi Minh City in some last days of the lunar year. The city becomes extremely busy with lots of traffics. You’ll visit the Reunification Palace which used to be the official residence of the Presidents of the former South Vietnam government. Your guide will take you to Ben Thanh market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City, is packed with every conceivable commodity, then to Chinese town – one of the busiest area in the city. You’ll also call in at the Jade Emperor Temple. It’s one of the best Taoist temples in Vietnam, with superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and somewhat incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries. The remainder of the day will be free for shopping. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long (B, L, D, G)

After escaping from Ho Chi Minh City’s urban sprawl, you’ll travel to Vinh Long. There, you’ll cruise on the Mekong River, visit fruit orchards, a traditional family-run brick kiln, and drop in to look at some traditional cottage industries - a workshop making the huge coffins unique to the Mekong is particularly interesting. You’ll sleep in a family house to experience the hospitality of the local people, how they prepare for Tet and learn making “banh tet” – a Tet’s traditional dish in the south.

Day 13: Vinh Long/Can Tho (B, L, G)

In the morning, a boat cruise will include visits to a bonsai garden, the old house, local houses making confectionery and Cai Be floating market. You’ll then drive further through the Mekong Delta to Can Tho - the ‘capital’ of the Mekong Delta.

Day 14: Can Tho/Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, G)

The day begins with boarding a boat to cruise to Cai Rang floating market on the Mekong Delta – both the journey and the market provide insights into the Mekong rural lifestyle. The market becomes busier before Tet holiday as it’s time to prepare for Tet. The inhabitants buy everything fruits, flowers and vegetables for at least one week as the market will only be held again after day 10th of the New Year. After lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll return to Ho Chi Minh City where you’ll spend the night.

Day 15: Ho Chi Minh City departure (B, L, G)

After a late breakfast, you’ll start the day by a visit to Vinh Nghiem pagoda to see prayers happening. Most temples and pagodas will be very crowded by people coming to pray for the luck, health and wealth. If you are lucky, you’ll be able to see Unicorn dancing. It’s so popular in Ho Chi Minh city that most big shops or restaurants invites Unicorn dancing groups to perform in front of their house to invite the Fortune God come and give them wealth. Most dancers are quite young and study martial art so that they can dance on very high column.

The rest of the day will be free for relaxing and visiting flower exhibition until your private car and driver arrives to take you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departure flight. Tour ends.

Book this tour and save 10% on our below selling rates.

Price is in US Dollars per person for private tour of:

Number in group	2	3 – 4	5 - 8	9 - 12	13 - 16	Supplement for single hotel room occupancy*
Mid-range	1,816	1,571	1,326	1,205	1,141	514

These prices are valid until February 29, 2012 and based on twin/double share basic. Please note that bank transfer fees are not included.

Enjoy our special offer of ‘worry-free’ visa services. Please choose 1 in 2 below options for Vietnam visa.

Option 1: visa in advance

We send you a form requesting basic information (full name, passport details and so on). You fill in one for each person and send them to us. We will then apply for the visas at the Immigration Office in Hanoi. After about five working days, we'll be able to pick up the approval paper and fax it to the Vietnamese Embassy in your country. We’ll let you know so you can send your passports to the Embassy by post with a cheque to pay the visa fee. Alternatively, after we fax the approval paper to the Embassy, you can go there to pick up your visas in person. Please ring the embassy for their opening hours, cost of visa stamps and for other arrangements. For this service, we charge US$20 per person for the application procedure and fax and this fee is not included in the tour price.

Option 2: visa on arrival

We can apply for visas upon arrival for you. For this, we will send the approval document direct to you by fax or by scanned attached file. If you’re asked about your visa status at your departure airport, the approval document will be sufficient. When you arrive at any Vietnam airport, please ensure that you pick the visa form near the custom check points and fill in the details before you queue for immigration. You need to prepare a colour passport photo and the fee for the visa stamp (about $25 at present) and pay this directly to the Immigration clerk. For this type of visa, we have a service charge of US$ 20 for the application and this fee is not included in the tour price.

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