Vietnam round trip 2 weeks

Day 1

Welcome to Vietnam! After passport control and picking up your luggage, your driver will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel in downtown Saigon. After lunch you will visit the Ben Thanh Market and get a first impression of the centre of this bustling 10 million city. Overnight stay in Saigon

Day 2

Visit of the Cu Chi tunnels in the morning: You leave the hotel and enjoy the drive through the rural area where workers are employed in the rice fields. You will learn how to make rice paper which is used to make the delicious spring rolls. You will visit the famous tunnels, which were built during the Vietnam War and are 200 km long. These included hidden entrances, army hospitals, kitchens, shelters and meeting rooms.
Afternoon city tour of Saigon: This tour includes a visit to the War Museum, which documents the Vietnam War very impressively. We continue to the FITO Museum, the first museum about Vietnamese medicine. Afterwards you will visit the post office built in 1880 and the Notre Dame Cathedral built in the late 19th century. Finally you will visit a typical Vietnamese cafe. Overnight stay in Saigon

Day 3

You start for the 2-day trip to the Mekong Delta. After a short stop at the Cai Be Cao Dai Temple you will take a boat trip and visit the Floating Market, a market on the Mekong for fruits and vegetables. Afterwards you will watch the production of coconut candies. After lunch, you will take a boat ride on narrow canals further out to see traditional wooden houses and watch local farmers at work. As a next activity you will try your hand at fishing and cook us our dinner. Dinner will be enjoyed with traditional Vietnamese music. Overnight stay in Tien Giang.

Day 4

After breakfast you will set off with your bicycles. You will see a kindergarten, stop at a farmer's house and learn how to make a cake from a jackfruit. Afterwards you ride through a bonsai garden where lunch is waiting for you. A boat will take you back to your vehicle, which will then drive you back to Saigon. Overnight stay in Saigon

Day 5

In the morning the flight leaves for Hue. You will visit the imperial citadel and the forbidden purple city. The city was heavily destroyed by the war but the imposing city walls give a good view of Hue. After dinner you will continue to the Tiger Arena and the Voi Re temple. Later you will visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, which has been a landmark of Hue since 1601 and is still used by Buddhists to pray. The program is rounded off by a ride on the dragon boat on the Perfume River. Overnight stay in Hue

Day 6

An impressive ride over the cloud pass to Hoian awaits us. On the way you will visit Thuy Thanh Village, visit a local market and a farmer's family. In Danang you visit the Cham Museum. Arrived in Hoian you will visit different sights like the Japanese bridge or the Chinese assembly halls. Hoian (Unesco World Heritage Site) is especially beautiful at night with all the coloured lanterns reflected in the river. You will also attend a workshop where you can make your own lantern. Overnight stay in Hoian

Day 7

Today you grab a bike and explore the wonderful landscape. A boat will take you to Kim Bong, famous for wood carvings. You will cycle past rice fields to the next village where you will have a short rest. Afterwards you will visit a factory, which produces furniture from bamboo. You will have dinner with a local family and learn how they grow herbs and vegetables. After a herbal tea your trip ends here. Overnight stay in Hoian

Day 8

Today we go to My Son, a large collection of ruins of Hindu temples, which were built between the 4th and 14th century. After this visit you will have free time until you are picked up for the flight to Hanoi. Overnight stay in Hanoi

Day 9

A 2-hour coach ride takes you to Ninh Binh Province, the first capital of Vietnam in the 10th century. You will visit the "King Ding Tien Hoang" and the "King Le Dai Hanh" temple. The temples are rather small, but of historical importance. You will also see beautiful sculptures made of wood and stone. The journey continues to Tam Coc, which is also called Inland Halong Bay. Arrived at the hotel you can explore the village on foot or by bike or visit a pagoda. Overnight stay in Ninh Binh

Day 10

After breakfast you will drive to Halong City. After a briefing there you will be taken to our junk, where you will spend the next 2 days. After a delicious lunch, which the kitchen has prepared with love, you will go on a kayak tour, explore caves, swim and relax. Halong Bay covers a total area of 1,553 km². There are 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of which have a name. Halong Bay is internationally known and has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Overnight stay on the junk

Day 11

After breakfast on board you will visit a large cave and go kayaking again or just enjoy the stunning view. After lunch, which will be served on the deck, you will go to a pearl farm where we will be told everything about pearl farming. Before dinner there is happy hour or just time to relax a little. If you want, you can practice squid fishing with the help of the crew. Overnight stay on the junk

Day 12

You enjoy the last hours on board before you prepare your luggage and disembark at 11.00 am. Our bus will take you back to Hanoi with a stopover at a ceramics factory. There is still some time left before dinner at the hotel. The evening is at leisure in the centre of the capital. If you wish, you can visit the night market or just walk through the narrow streets. Overnight stay in Hanoi

Day 13

Today you visit Hanoi and start with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh lived and worked here and is also buried here. Afterwards you will visit a pagoda and the ethnological museum. In the afternoon you will visit the opera house and the "Hanoi Hilton", a prison where Senator John McCain was imprisoned. With the bicycles you ride through the old town of Hanoi also known as "The 36 Street". A wonderful place to observe the daily life of the Vietnamese. You will enjoy the traditional water puppet theatre as it has been performed in North Vietnam for 1000 years. Overnight stay in Hanoi

Day 14

This is already the last day of this wonderful journey. The morning is free and in the afternoon you will be taken to the airport and fly back to Switzerland.

Day 15

Arrival in Zurich in the morning at 8 am.