Best of Vietnam & the Central Highlands
Travel through central Vietnam, along the country’s spine, to see ethnic minority groups, small villages lost amidst vast landscapes and some of Vietnam’s most representative scenery.
The Central Highlands region is known as the backbone of Vietnam. Home to a large number of ethnic minority groups, it is sparsely populated, with small villages lost amidst the vast landscape. Travel through the region to see the country’s mountainous topography and explore some of its less-visited highlights, stopping at local homestays to experience daily life, before visiting Hanoi, where traditional and modern life sit side-by-side.
3 nights Saigon • 2 nights Dalat • 1 night Buon Ma Thuot City • 1 night Pleiku • 1 night Kontum • 3 night Hoi An • 2 nights Hue • 2 night Hanoi • 1 night Halong Bay
Day 1: Flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Depart the UK for your flight to Ho Chio Minh City (Saigon)
Day 2: Arrive at Ho Chi Minh City
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh. You will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to spend at your leisure.
Stay: 2 nights Grand Hotel
Day 3: Saigon City Tour
Saigon is a cultural melting pot with something to offer every traveller. Boasting many historic, French-built landmarks, bustling local markets and vibrant street scenes, as well as interesting museums and peaceful pagodas. This menu style tour enables you, together with one of our knowledgeable local guides, to tailor-make your tour specific to you own interests. Prior to departing, your guide will meet you at your hotel and talk you through the various options to ensure you make the most of your day.
Day 4: Cu Chi Tunnels
Journey west from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi. On arrival you will be guided through the famous tunnels used by the communist guerrillas during the Vietnam War. The tunnel network stretches over 250km and extends to three levels underground providing you with a remarkable insight into the hardships, courage, determination and terror of a guerrilla war.
Day 5: Saigon - Dalat
Transfer to Saigon airport for your flight to Dalat. Upon arrival at Dalat, you’ll be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.
Stay: 2 nights at Ana Mandara Villas Dalat
Day 6: Dalat
Free to spend at your leisure.
Day 7: Dalat - Buon Ma Thuot
Today, drive to Buon Ma Thuot City.
Stay: 1 night at Dakruco Hotel
Day 8: Buon Ma Thuot - Pleiku
Today, drive to the little town of Pleiku. This town and its surrounds, in southern Vietnam played host to the first conventional battle of the Vietnam War. Today the village stands reconstructed as a quiet, friendly frontier town. The NVA (North Vietnamese Army) attack on Pleiku in 1965 sparked what became known as the Rolling Thunder campaign. Some 10 years later Pleiku was abandoned; little of the town was left standing, although since the 1990’s much of it has been recreated. Be sure to head out on an early morning stroll along Tran Phu and into the town’s colourful markets where you’ll see all kinds of produce being hawked.
Stay: 1 night in Hoang Anh Gia Lai Hotel
Day 9: Pleiku - Kon Tum
Today, drive from Pleiku to Kontum
Stay: 1 night at Dong Duong (Indochine) Hotel
Day 10: Kon Tum To Hoi An
Depart Kontum early in the morning for a full day’s driving as you leave the Central Highlands and head towards the coastal plateau. The drive is truly spectacular and takes you through beautiful rolling hills, many small villages and past cotton, rubber and cassava plantations as well as small terraced rice paddies. The small town of Hoi An is the perfect place to break your journey midway through Vietnam. Located on the country’s magnificent central coast, this one-time trading port retains an old world ambience and a rich historical quality that resulted in its recent listing as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Stay: 3 nights at Life Heritage Resort Hoi An
Day 11: Hoi An
Free to spend at your leisure.
Day 12: Hoi An
Free to spend at your leisure.
Day 13: Hoi An - Hue
Drive to Marble Mountain, which is an important religious site with a number of impressive caves, temples and viewpoints. After visiting the area you’ll drive the short distance to China Beach with a chance to enjoy a refreshing swim in the South China Sea. It’s then on to Danang City to visit the Cham Museum. The Cham people occupied this area of Vietnam from the 2nd to the 17th century and in the museum you will find the best examples of Cham sculpture anywhere in the world. In the afternoon drive over the spectacular Hai Van Pass to arrive in Hue mid- afternoon.
Stay: 2 nights at Ana Mandara Hue
Day 14: Hue City Tour
Take a full day city tour of Hue. You will visit the impressive home of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors, the Citadel. Much of the Citadel was destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968 but is gradually being restored. Also visit the tombs of the fourth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, Tu Duc and the second last emperor, Khai Dinh. In the afternoon travel by dragon boat along the Perfume River to the much-revered Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s oldest and most beautiful. You will also have the chance to visit Dong Ba market before returning to your hotel where the tour ends.
Day 15: Hue - Hanoi
Transfer to Hue airport for your flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival at Hanoi, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.
Stay: 2 nights at Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel
Day 16: Hanoi City Tour
Take a city tour with a cyclo ride through the fascinating Old Quarter, 36 ancient streets where you can observe the daily bustle of life around the markets where peddlers continue to trade as they have done for centuries. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Quarter, dedicated to the father of modern Vietnam, Uncle Ho, to see his mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, his ’house on stilts’, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the One Pillar Pagoda. After stopping for lunch continue your tour with a visit to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, which is now dedicated to Confucian worship. Also visit Tran Quoc and Ngoc Son Temples and then the ’Hanoi Hilton’, the nickname given to the place where U.S pilots shot down over North Vietnamese airspace were imprisoned during the Vietnam War, which has now been converted into a museum. Finish your day with a relaxing walk around Hanoi’s famous Hoan Kiem Lake, then return to your hotel or continue with your own exploration of this beautiful city.
Day 17: Hanoi - Ha Long Bay
Journey east to Hon Gai, the gateway to amazing Halong Bay. Considered Vietnama’s greatest natural wonder, Halong Bay boasts over 3,000 islands that rise out of the sea to provide a spectacular natural environment. En route enjoy the captivating rural scenery and see fields of busy workers farming their rice fields using traditional methods of cultivation. At noon, you will get on board the Halong junk and set sail through the bay while lunch is served. In the afternoon, visit an interesting floating fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Spend some more time exploring the bay or swimming before enjoying cocktails while watching sunset. In the evening, enjoy an extremely special experience, dining in style inside Tien Ong cave.
Stay: 1 night Ginger Cruise - Cabin type: Ginger
Day 18: Halong Bay - Hanoi airport
Greet the day with a morning Tai Chi class and an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay. Cruise past some of the best sites Halong bay has to offer whilst enjoying a fantastic buffet brunch. You will also have the chance to take part in a hands-on cooking demonstration before cruising back to the dock and transferring to your hotel at Hanoi airport for your onward/return flight.
Best of Vietnam & the Central Highlands itinerary map
Prices from
Prices from: £2,739 to £3,729per person, twin share
Valid for Travel: 01 August 2011 to 24 December 2012.
Package includes: Return international economy flights with Vietnam Airways from London, 17 days tailormade touring as specified.
Terms & Conditions: Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and change; normal booking conditions apply.
Please note that surcharges may apply at peak times including Christmas and New Year.
To book, call 0845 643 6561
To book this travel offer, call one of our tailor-made travel experts now, quoting reference WEX102431.
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