Taste of Vietnam: South and Central

ITINERARY DETAILS

day 1Arrive in Saigon. This afternoon enjoy your first taste of the city, experiencing Old Saigon´s streets and iconic buildings, including the Opera House, the former Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Gustav Eiffel-designed Central Post Office, a fitting introduction to Saigon.

day 2In the morning, visit Cholon (Chinatown) and the vibrant Binh Tay Market, featuring fine examples of early 20-century Chinese-French architecture and over 2,300 stalls selling everything from ceramics to wet noodles. Continue your tour of Saigon at Thien Hau Pagoda, often known as Woman's Pagoda due to the traditional worship of the Goddesses of Fertility, which takes place here. Afterwards, learn more about wartime Saigon with a visit to the Reunification Palace, the symbolic site of the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Also, visit the War Remnants Museum, the former home of the US Information Service. This emotive museum graphically recounts the war from the perspective of the Vietnamese. (B)

day 3Travel by speedboat through the verdant Mekong Delta, home to Vietnam's important rice and fruit farmers. Stop off to visit local temples, workshops and markets before enjoying an atmospheric lunch at a pagoda, featuring locally grown produce and freshly caught fish. (B, L)

day 4In the morning, visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, located outside of Saigon. Dug by hand during the French Indochina war, they were expanded to over 250 km of tunnels and chambers during the Vietnam War. Home to local residents and Viet Cong, it is a fascinating insight into life during the war. After lunch, transfer by domestic flight to Da Nang and then by car to Hoi An. Explore the afternoon at your own leisure. (B)

day 5Explore the narrow lanes of UNESCO World Heritage listed Hoi An, a well-preserved former trading port, and learn more about its most famous buildings including the Japanese Covered Bridge, Assembly Hall of the Chinese and Tan Ky's House. In the late afternoon, head out by bicycle to sample Hoi An's unique food before ending up for a beer overlooking the lanterns by night. (B, D)

day 6This morning we head out to a local market to learn about the ingredients used in Vietnamese cooking, before giving it a try yourself! Learn to make dumplings, rice paper, Cao Lau and take the recipes home for your friends. After lunch, transfer to your outbound flight from Da Nang. (B, L)