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14 days / 12 nights in in Luxury & Deluxe hotels in Vietnam’s Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Danang, Hue & Saigon and Cambodia’ Angkor Wat. 27 meals. Includes overnight cruise on
Depart the USA on any regularly scheduled flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. Coda can arrange for a stop in Seoul en route, staying at the Park Hyatt or classic Shilla Hotel. A visa is required for entry into Vietnam, which may be obtained prior to departure from the USA or upon arrival at the airport in Hanoi.
A visa is required for entry into Vietnam. It may be obtained prior to departure from the USA or upon arrival at the airport in Hanoi. If you plan to obtain it at the airport, Coda Tours will assist you in getting the necessary permission. The process upon arrival is simple, but it may takes some time if several flights arrive at the same time.
We meet our tour manager, guide and fellow participants in the lobby of the hotel after breakfast for a tour of Hanoi. This morning, we will have a private tour of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, following by a visit to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum on Ba Dinh Square, Uncle Ho’s Stilt House on the grounds of the presidential palace and the iconic One Pillar Pagoda. French architecture is a feature of Hanoi, and the nearby former Governor’s Residence is a fine example. After lunch at Seasons of Hanoi, we tour Hanoi’s Old Quarter with a cyclo ride followed by a walking tour. Established 1,000 years ago by King Ly Thai To around his palace, this densely populated corner of the city has long been a center of commerce, where goods were sold under the street name of a particular guild. A shopper’s and photographer’s haven with a tangle of low buildings, the warren of “36 Old Streets” (today there are more!) include variously Bat Su (China bowls), Cha Ca (roasted fish ), Hang Bac (silver),Hang Dau (shoes and sandals, Hang Gai (silk) and To Tich (mixed fruits). Our Welcome Dinner tonight is at Wild Rice restaurant.
After a morning exploring with the city (with a stop for a group lunch), we dive into the thriving gallery scene this afternoon, stopping it at the exhibition spaces, cultural centers, cafes and gallery spaces scattered across the city. The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum is a superb introduction to contemporary arts in Vietnam. We also visit today the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius. Dinner this evening is at leisure to try one of Hanoi’s best restaurants. Reservation recommended!
This morning we say goodbye to Hanoi and say hello to Ha Long Bay, and Paradise — that’s what our luxurious cruise vessel, built in the style of traditional boats of the bay, is called. We sail at noon from Tuan Chau Island, cruising along myriad emerald islets, limestone towers, arches and caves, pristine beaches and floating villages of this stunning place. Food, accommodations and services aboard are all five-star. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin is dotted with 1,600 islands and islets, many very steep, forested and almost all uninhabited, forming a romantic seascape of limestone pillars and cliffs. The enormous caves sculpted by the sea are out of this world.
Early birds can attend a Tai Chi demonstration on the sundeck— or simply take in the sunrise over the Bay. After the morning to enjoy this amazing place, we return to Tuan Chau Island for disembarkation. Today we are on the move— heading from the ship back to Hanoi, with a break for lunch, for our short flight to Danang. Upon arrival in this ancient capital, we transfer to the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula, designed by Bill Bensley and one of Asia’s leading resorts with a world-class spa, Michelin-starred restaurant and an enviable setting in the hills of the Son Tra Peninsula.
After breakfast this morning we regroup for a spectacular drive to Hue along the coast via Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud). Tonight we are at La Residence, an enchanting Art Deco boutique hotel on the banks of the fabled Perfume River, built in 1930 as the French colonial governor’s mansion. In the afternoon we visit the Imperial Citadel, begun in 1804, continuing to Dong Ba market. We return to the hotel to relax before a festive dinner tonight at the hotel.
This morning we visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and Minh Mang Tomb, the most majestic of the Royal Tombs. Six royal tombs lie to the south east of the citadel on the other side of the Perfume River and one on the same side. Based in Hue, the imperial Nguyen Dynasty ruled from 1802 to 1945, when the Emperor Bao Dai abdicated in favor of Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary government. After lunch on our own, we fly to Ho Chi Minh City late this afternoon and check in at the InterContinental, a leading hotel in the city center minutes away from Notre Dame Cathedral and the Opera House.
This morning we fly to Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor and the immense collection of Khmer temples and palaces built between the 6th and 13th centuries. This afternoon, we visit Angkor Wat, the largest temple in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. It is unlike all the other Khmer temples in that it faces west, and is inspired by 12th century Hinduism. Conceived by Suryavarman II, the temple has been occupied continuously since its foundation.
The morning begins with the monumental magnificence of
We are at leisure until check-out noon with transfers to the airport for onward flights.
Dates on request · Bhutan, Myanmar · with Coda Tours
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Last departure 4–17 Oct 2017 · China · with Coda Tours