Uncle Ho's Magical Mystery Tour
-
Overview
Forget everything you know about traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, helmets and stop signs. They don’t matter here. Wait until you're safely on the other side before you start high-fiving your success.
(Was Vietnam South to North)
Itinerary
Day 1 - Ho Chi Minh City
You know when you’re camping, how you can sit and watch the fire crackle and spark for hours? That’s what it’s like watching the people in Ho Chi Minh. Grab an outside seat, a bowl of pho and prepare to be mesmerised.
- Arrive in Ho Chi Minh and explore this fascinating city
Day 2-3 - Mekong Delta
Three things you’ll learn here: how soy sauce is made, whether or not you like the taste of elephant ear fish and what a popcorn factory smells like. Stay overnight with a local family before heading back to cruise the canals, rivers and backwaters.
- Join the boat at the small market town of Cai Be
- Cruise the canals, rivers and backwaters and discover how the local people lead their lives
- Visit a congested flotilla of boats selling all manner of fruit and vegetables at Cai Be's floating market
- Stop by some family-run industries, which include a rice paper, popcorn and popped rice factory
- Learn the process involved in making some of the products for which the Mekong Delta is famous – including fish sauce, soy sauce, tofu and clay floor tiles
- Arrive at asimple home-stay situated on an island in the middle of the Mekong River
- Enjoy a dinner including the Mekong Delta's famous “Elephant Ear Fish” as well as a number of other Mekong specialties
- Take a walk along the island's trails and a sampan ride through some of its small creeks and canals
- Set off on the riverboat back to Cai Be and return to Ho Chi Minh in the afternoon
Breakfast | DinnerDay 4 - Cu Chi Tunnels
Leave your claustrophobia at the door if you want to squeeze into these teeny tiny tunnels. Then jump on a bike and check out some of Ho Chi Minh’s best, including The Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market and Notre Dame Cathedral.
- Crawl through a section of the Cu Chi Tunnels
- Learn how the brave men and women of Cu Chi built underground hospitals, kitchens and meeting rooms during their struggle
- Spend the last afternoon in Vietnam shopping in the city’s main business district, or take a cyclo ride through the busy city streets to Ho Chi Minh’s Chinatown district, Cholon
BreakfastDay 5-6 - Dalat
The French had it right, building villas up here to escape the heat of Ho Chi Minh City. Cycle around the tea and coffee plantations, see the summer palace of Vietnam’s last emperor and pick which place has been dubbed “Crazy House”.
- Join a local bus for the day-long drive to Dalat
- Mix with locals and other travellers on board the bus
- Journey past rubber and teak plantations before ascending the jungle-clad pass to Bao Loc
- Continue past tea and coffee plantations, where the people and their houses look very different to those in Ho Chi Minh
- Enjoy a full free day to explore some of the more interesting sights in Dalat, including the old railway station, Bao Dai, and the Hang Nga Guesthouse, known as the 'Crazy House'
- Perhaps pay a visit to one of Dalat's most notable residents, Buddhist monk/artist, Vien Thuc, and purchase his black ink on paper paintings and calligraphy for approximately US$5 a piece
- Why not try lunch is the upstairs 'mezzanine' floor of the fruit and vegetable pavilion in Dalat's central market
- Take an optional trip out to 'Lat Village' – a local ethnic hill tribe community located just outside Dalat
BreakfastDay 7-9 - Nha Trang - Island Cruise
This is the part where your friends get jealous: cruising the islands, jumping off the boat for a swim and a snorkel then tucking into a seafood lunch.
- Enjoy plenty of time to worship the sun during two full days in Nha Trang
- Head out onto the water for a day to cruise around the islands
- Spend stacks of time swimming and snorkelling
- Indulge in a lunchtime feast of freshly caught seafood and other delights for non-fish eaters
- Board the overnight sleeper train bound for Danang
Breakfast | LunchDay 10-11 - Hoi An
If Hoi An was a kid, you’d want to pinch her little cheeks: cute winding streets, charming heritage architecture and some of the prettiest sunsets ever.
- Drive through the busy streets of Danang and pass by the massive former US airbase that was, in 1968, the busiest airport in the world
- Take a walking tour of Hoi An
- Enjoy free time - there’s such a broad choice of things to see and do, and they can all be experienced without difficulty
- Perhaps rent bicycles and set off to explore the surrounding countryside, take a boat trip on the river, relax on the nearby beach, enjoy the cuisine on offer at some of the town’s numerous cheap cafes or have some clothes made up
- Why not venture further afield to Vietnam’s world famous ‘China Beach’ and the adjacent Marble Mountains
- An optional visit to the Kingdom of Champa, the ancient ruins at My Son, can be completed in half a day
- Leave Hoi An and take the day train to Hue.
BreakfastDay 12-13 - Hue
Bit of bike riding, bit of walking and a bit of cruising down the Perfume River. Chat with the locals on the overnight train to Hanoi.
- Mount local ‘shopping’ bikes and cycle down to the riverside
- Place the bikes on board a ‘Dragon Boat’, and enjoy a cruise up the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu pagoda
- Choose to either cycle back into town from here, approximately 8km, or staying on the boat to head back down river to the Citadel
- Spend a couple of hours exploring Hue’s massive walled citadel and the Forbidden Purple Palace enclosed within
- Perhaps cycle out to one of the Royal tombs such as the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, one of the best remaining examples of its kind
- Alternatively, set off on an optional motorcycle tour of the sights in Hue and some surrounding villages
BreakfastDay 14-15 - Hanoi
Back on solid ground, with free time to say hi to Uncle Ho at One Pillar Pagoda, geek out at the Temple of Literature or grab some pho in the Old Quarter.
- Begin by visiting the One Pillar Pagoda near the Soviet-inspired mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh
- Walk to the Temple of Literature - Vietnam’s first educational institute
- Visit the Hoa Lo Prison, probably better known to most as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’
- Enjoy a free afternoon to wander around town and check out the lifestyles of Hanoi’s people
- Perhaps stop by the city’s Old Quarter, situated to the north of the lake
BreakfastDay 16-18 - Halong Bay - Hanoi
Swim, snorkel, eat a freshly caught seafood lunch, grab a cocktail and watch the sunset. Fingers crossed for a clear night so you can sleep out on the deck under the stars.
Day 16
- Take a drive through the fertile Red River Delta to the bayside town of Bai Chay
- Board a chartered boat and enjoy a full afternoon lazing on deck as you cruise through the seascape
- Indulge in a seafood lunch is served on board
- Perhaps go for a swim before going ashore on one of the islands to explore colourful limestone caves
- Be lucky to witness a sunset over Halong Bay before enjoying dinner prepared by the crew
Days 17-18
- Enjoy free time in Hanoi to get in some sightseeing or shopping before the trip ends
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner -
What to Know
-
Map
Map Itinerary
-
Dates
Trip Dates and Prices
Show more departures...Start Date – End Date Trip Status Price 22 Jun 2013 - 09 Jul 2013 7 Available US $1,405On Sale Sale: US $1,195 Book Now 06 Jul 2013 - 23 Jul 2013 4 Available US $1,405 Book Now 20 Jul 2013 - 06 Aug 2013 7+ Available US $1,405 Book Now 17 Aug 2013 - 03 Sep 2013 7+ Available US $1,405 Book Now 28 Sep 2013 - 15 Oct 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 26 Oct 2013 - 12 Nov 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 02 Nov 2013 - 19 Nov 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 09 Nov 2013 - 26 Nov 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 16 Nov 2013 - 03 Dec 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 23 Nov 2013 - 10 Dec 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 30 Nov 2013 - 17 Dec 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 07 Dec 2013 - 24 Dec 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 14 Dec 2013 - 31 Dec 2013 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 21 Dec 2013 - 07 Jan 2014 2 Available US $1,595 Book Now 28 Dec 2013 - 14 Jan 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 04 Jan 2014 - 21 Jan 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 18 Jan 2014 - 04 Feb 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 25 Jan 2014 - 11 Feb 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 01 Feb 2014 - 18 Feb 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 08 Feb 2014 - 25 Feb 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 15 Feb 2014 - 04 Mar 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 22 Feb 2014 - 11 Mar 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 01 Mar 2014 - 18 Mar 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 08 Mar 2014 - 25 Mar 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 15 Mar 2014 - 01 Apr 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 22 Mar 2014 - 08 Apr 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 29 Mar 2014 - 15 Apr 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 05 Apr 2014 - 22 Apr 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 12 Apr 2014 - 29 Apr 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 19 Apr 2014 - 06 May 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now 26 Apr 2014 - 13 May 2014 7+ Available US $1,595 Book Now -
Reviews
Past Travellers' Ratings & Comments
There’s no feedback available on this trip yet. If you’ve been on this trip and would like to contribute a review, rating or simply make a comment then please get in touch.
Calendar
Trip Selected
Nuts+Bolts
#GTSN
