Get a taste of adventure in Vietnam on an 11-day nature, culture and food focused escapade from north to south. Travel from French-influenced Hanoi to heaving Ho Chi Minh City on a journey that takes in a whole range of Vietnam's most intriguing sights. Explore the countryside around Hue by bicycle, and kayak between limestone karsts off the coast of Cat Ba Island. With plenty of time to relax in the historic haven of Hoi An and the seaside setting of Phan Rang, the only thing you’ll be worrying about is whether to get a banh mi or banh xeo for lunch. Let an expert local leader take you around this vivacious nation as you discover the real Vietnam.Highlights
This trip gives you plenty of free time – perfect for the traveller who appreciates a bit of independence. Food crawl in Hue? Beach hopping in Phan Rang? Market mania in Hanoi? You choose!
Lan Ha Bay is a paradisiacal enclave of green waters and strange rock formations. Explore them by boat and kayak, then spend the night on nearby Cat Ba Island.
Some of the greatest entertainment in Vietnam is watching the traffic in Hanoi. Sit back and enjoy the show – your group leader will give you a tutorial on crossing the road like a local!
With all of this exploring, you deserve some time to yourself. Spend two days at your own pace in the beachside haven of Phan Rang – swimming, snorkelling and chilling out is all on the cards.
What better place to finish up than Ho Chi Minh City, where you'll have free time to see the Reunification Palace, Cu Chi Tunnels or join the locals exercising in the park.
- You will visit the following places:
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Hoi An
Hội An is a beautiful city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, cut through with canals. Vietnam’s most atmospheric and delightful city, the Old Town of Hoi An is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city also possessed the largest harbour in south-east Asia in the 1st century and was known as Lâm Ấp Phố (Champa City), which controlled the strategic spice trade with Indonesia from the 7th to the 10th century and was a major international port in the 16th and 17th centuries - and the foreign influences are discernible to this day.
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Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, formerly named Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam. It was once known as Prey Nokor, an important Khmer sea port prior to annexation by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Today, the city's core is still adorned with wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. The are so many prominent structures in the city center to be amused at. Some of the historic hotels are the Hotel Majestic, dating from the French colonial era, and the Rex Hotel, Caravelle hotel some former hangouts for American officers and war correspondents in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Huế
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Hanoi