Highlights of Vietnam

Name: Highlights of Vietnam
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.8 (12 reviews)

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10 Days from

12 Days from

CAD 2,875

Incl. taxes Excl. flights

4.8/5 from

Culture

Ways to Travel :

Guided Group, Private Group Adventures

Activity :

Culture

Activity Levels :

2 out of 7 - Leisurely / Moderate

Group Size :

4 - 16

Ages :

16+

Trip Code :

ALD

Discover a magical land of paddies and pagodas, mountains and metropolises, caves, coasts and countryside

This highlight-packed trip encapsulates the magic of Vietnam: the conservative north, imperial cities, majestic coastlines, idyllic countryside, sky-scraping mountains, and the effervescent life of Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. Along the way, we see an outgoing culture, where so much happens in the streets: eating, washing, socialising, buying, selling and impromptu games. This intriguing parade of Vietnamese daily life may leave us with our strongest memories, as much as the superb landscapes and amazing cuisine.

Highlights

Explore the underground rivers and caves of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Take a boat trip around the limestone peaks of Ha Long Bay
Discover the Imperial Citadel and Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue
Experience the historic trading town of Hoi An
Visit the Vinh Moc war tunnels
Explore the Mekong Delta by boat
Try the world-renowned national cuisine

Key Information

Seven nights in comfortable hotels
One night on a boat with twin-share cabins
One night on a sleeper train with soft-bed berths

Countries visited: Vietnam

What's Included

All breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Tour leader throughout
Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request)
Visas or vaccinations

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, and cultural-social sensitivities.
This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food and support of other local enterprise.
In Hanoi, we include a dinner at KOTO, an NGO that provides a two-year course in hospitality, English and life skills for 16 to 22-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students also receive accommodation, food, medical check-ups and treatment while they are being trained. Many of the 400-plus graduates have gone on to develop their careers at KOTO restaurants or have gained employment elsewhere.
In Hoi An, we also stop by a shop called Reaching Out, which sells gifts handmade by artisans with disabilities – helping them to develop their talent and independence.
We do a lot to celebrate cottage industries on this tour, as this is not only a way to directly benefit the locals but is fascinating and enjoyable for travellers. For example, in the Mekong Delta, we visit a lot of these small businesses and factories selling handmade coconut sweets, rice paper, soya bean sauce and popped rice among other things.
There is the option to see a traditional folk dancing or water puppet show in Ho Chi Minh City. This encourages local customs to continue and creates employment opportunities.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
Our visit to the Unesco-listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park directly helps to support the site, wildlife and biodiversity conservation.
Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for reusable bottles.
We provide clients with a reusable tote bag at the start of the tour (made in Hanoi), offering an alternative to single-use plastic bags and a souvenir to take home.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

Read about Exodus Travels’ Planet Promise here, including our rewilding and carbon compensation commitments for every customer who travels.
We choose to travel on the overnight train from Hanoi to Dong Hoi as opposed to taking an internal flight.
Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
Vegetarian and vegan options are available at majority of accommodation and restaurants.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own reusable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.
Cultural respect:
- You will be expected to cover your legs and arms (to the elbow) during visits to temples and sacred sites so packing a sarong or other suitable clothing is recommended. Also remember to remove hats when visiting a sacred site.
- Do not rest your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice as this symbolises the burning of incense (which is usually reserved for times of mourning).
- One should not show the soles of their feet or touch someone’s head, both are considered disrespectful.

Itinerary

Depending on your arrival time, you might like to start exploring this fascinating city by strolling the broad tree-lined avenues dating from the French period. There is a faded colonial charm where baguettes and good coffee are sold from doorways of grand buildings from a past era. There is a welcome briefing this evening with your leader followed by a welcome dinner at KOTO, a social enterprise that trains and employs underprivileged young people. The delicious food provides a fitting welcome to Vietnam and a chance to bond with your group.

Accommodation: May De Ville City Centre Hotel (or similar)

Meals Included: Dinner

We have an early start for the approximate four-hour journey to Ha Long Bay, where roughly 3,000 limestone peaks rise from the emerald sea. Here we board a boat, navigate this amazing karst scenery and enjoy a seafood lunch. We stay overnight in twin-share cabins with private bathrooms.

Accommodation: Overnight boat

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We continue to cruise around Ha Long Bay this morning before returning to port. We then drive back to Hanoi where we have a bit of free time to explore. You might like to join the local people by pulling up a plastic stool and sampling one of the many street food offerings; the bun cha (barbecued pork with rice noodles and fresh herbs) is particularly good. Late afternoon, we transfer to the train station to board our overnight train to Dong Hoi, 310mi (500km) south of Hanoi.

Accommodation: Overnight train

Meals Included: Breakfast

Arriving at Dong Hoi at sunrise, we take a short transfer to our hotel to freshen up and have breakfast.

We then journey (approximately one hour) to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2003, it is home to the oldest karst mountains in Asia, plus hundreds of cave systems and spectacular underground rivers.

We first visit Phong Nha cave by boat. After, we stop for lunch before discovering the Thien Duong cave, known locally as Paradise Cave. This was only discovered in 2005 by scientists from the British Cave Research Association with the help of a local man who had heard the mountains ‘whistling’ while farming.

In the afternoon, we return to our hotel in Dong Hoi, where we have time to relax and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation: Sam Quang Binh Hotel (or similar)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

For early risers, there is an optional visit to the Dong Hoi Fish Market, where buyers and sellers haggle over baskets brimming with the latest catch.

We then journey to Hue after breakfast, stopping en route at the Vinh Moc war tunnels. Less well-known than the Cu Chi tunnels in the south, these were predominantly used as bomb shelters during the Vietnam War. Village life carried on underground: children went to school, hospitals were established and films were even played using power from a generator.

We next stop at the Hien Luong Bridge which crosses the Ben Hai River, which formed part of the border between North and South Vietnam from 1954 until reunification in 1975. We arrive in Hue mid-afternoon with free time before an optional group dinner.

Accommodation: Park View Hotel (or similar)

Meals Included: Breakfast

It is said that Hue is the cultural and historical centre of Vietnam, and there is plenty to see. The most outstanding sight is the Imperial Citadel, which has walls 6mi (9.5km) long; inside are the palaces and halls of the Mandarins, and the remains of the Forbidden Purple City, where only the emperor, his eunuchs and concubines were allowed. The Forbidden Purple City was almost totally destroyed during the Vietnam War's Tet Offensive, but the foliage-covered ruins are still atmospheric and the gaping bomb holes reveal the destruction wreaked upon the country.

This morning, we visit the Imperial Citadel and the Thien Mu Pagoda. The pagoda was a centre for anti-government protest in the early 1960s and houses the Austin car that transported monk Thich Quang Duc to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in 1963 where he burned himself in protest against the president. The photograph of his self-immolation was printed in newspapers around the world.

After lunch, we leave for Hoi An via the spectacular Hai Van Pass, 12mi (19km) of road winds up and over the fortress of mountains providing breath-taking views of the coast.

Accommodation: Golden Pearl Hoi An Hotel (or similar)

Meals Included: Breakfast

This morning includes a walking tour of Hoi An, the original European trading port in Vietnam dating to the mid-16th century. It is now a living museum with attractive wooden merchant's houses and pagoda-style temples with Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European architectural influences. It is also a marvellous place to wander around and enjoy the thriving riverside market and shops selling silk clothes.

This afternoon is free. One popular option is to jump on a bike for a ride through the countryside past local markets, schools and villages before continuing to Cua Dai beach (3mi/5km).

Accommodation: Golden Pearl Hoi An Hotel (or similar)

Meals Included: Breakfast

We drive to Da Nang and then fly to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), an exciting and absorbing city where scooters pack the streets and temples stand by modern developments. Devastated by the Vietnam War, it is now a bustling free-market city where anything goes. We include a visit to the Ben Thanh Market, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and War Remnants Museum. The museum has an interesting photographic record of the Vietnam/American War but some images are very graphic.

Accommodation: Huong Sen Hotel (or similar)

Meals Included: Breakfast

Journeying out of the city, we head to the lush countryside that is the Mekong Delta for a day tour. Known as the rice bowl of Vietnam, this region produces most of the country’s fruit, sugarcane and coconuts. We take a boat along the many tributaries and stop to see cottage industries along the way. We journey by sampan, a traditional low-riding wooden boat still used by the local people as the main form of transport. After sampling some of the local produce, we return to Ho Chi Minh City where your leader will organise an optional farewell group dinner.

Accommodation: Huong Sen Hotel (or similar)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Our Vietnam exploration ends today after breakfast. However, if you’re not quite ready for the adventure to stop, speak to your sales representative about our extension to Angkor in Cambodia, probably the standout archaeological site in Southeast Asia.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Post-trip Extensions

Angkor Wat Extension (from Ho Chi Minh City)

Rediscovered enmeshed in the Cambodian jungle in 1860, Angkor, the ancient capital of the powerful Khmer empire, is one of the finest archaeological sites in the world. Built between the ninth and 13th centuries, the wonderfully preserved sprawling complex of temples and palaces is on a par with any world monument, with magnificent towers, sculptures and bas‐reliefs. During this four-night extension, you will also see all the key sites of Phnom Penh, a fascinating city undergoing a huge amount of change. You travel between the sites in a private car or minibus, depending on how many people take part in the extension, accompanied by an English‐speaking local guide. In the evenings, you are free to enjoy the town. The detailed itinerary can be found here.

Please ask your sales representative for more details. Prices listed are starting prices.

Essential Info

Visa

Vietnam

Travellers from the UK normally do not need a visa to enter Vietnam for visits up to 15 days, while US citizens normally do need a visa to enter. Visa requirements for EU citizens vary by country.

Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/vietnam
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/vietnam
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/vietnam
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Vietnam.html

Vaccination

Vietnam

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to speak to your doctor or travel clinic about vaccinations for hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. The risk of malaria is slight, but you may want to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Similarly, dengue and zika, both viral diseases spread by mosquitoes, are known risks in Vietnam. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners are included.

Thanks to the tropical climate, the long coast and the gigantic range of mountains, Vietnam is blessed with a variety of culinary offerings and consequently maintains a reputation as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world that still packs a punch.

Vietnamese food relies on fresh fish, vegetables, rice and a myriad of verdant herbs and spices; lemongrass, ginger, basil and lime all play an important role. The Chinese and French influence is felt throughout the country where you are just as likely to be offered a banh mi (stuffed baguette) as you are a hot bowl of pho (noodle soup).

Also seek out the national drinks: Vietnamese coffee is served iced and sweet with condensed milk, and beer hoi (local beer, brewed daily) is served on most street corners in the north out of large plastic jugs that are perfect for sharing.

Food is cheap in Vietnam and you can generally avoid the spicier food if you wish. Western food is readily available almost everywhere.

Vegetarian food is widely available; however, the offering will be fairly similar in most places. Please advise at time of booking if you have any dietary requirements.

Weather

The weather will be hot and humid throughout with daytime temperatures of 28C-34C (82F-93F). It is only a little cooler at nights.

There is quite a range of seasons between the north and south: the south up to Hue has a distinct dry season between December and April and then a rainy season from May to November when it tends to come in short heavy bursts with bright sunshine in between. Hanoi is cool in autumn, and even gets chilly between November and February (with a drizzly rain).

There is no ideal time to visit Vietnam; it is quite pleasant at any time of year, though due to the shape of the country it is unlikely the weather will ever be perfect for the entire duration of any trip.

Please note, the Ha Long Bay boat trip can be subject to short-notice change if certain adverse weather conditions develop. These could occur year-round, but especially in monsoon season (October-April). Ha Long Bay boat trips are governed by local authorities. If your Ha Long Bay trip is affected by adverse weather, this could either result in a reduced excursion on Ha Long Bay or, less likely, the need to re-arrange the itinerary. While this is not a frequent occurrence, our local team and leaders are well equipped to handle such situations and have long offered appropriate options to groups in the instances where this may occur.

If you go to Cambodia for the Angkor Wat extension, the weather will be hot and humid year-round. The dry season is late October to May and the monsoon is normally between May and October; though there is an obvious transitional time between those settled periods.

The dry season is as it sounds, with hot days and generally clear skies, though you can expect the odd shower. The monsoon is characterised by short, sharp bursts of rain and is generally overcast all day though this does not detract from the enjoyment of the place; you just need to take an umbrella or buy a cheap local poncho.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Leisurely/Moderate). This is a busy itinerary that visits the main highlights of Vietnam. We travel by private minibus and have one night on an overnight train. We also take one internal flight to allow you to experience as much as possible of this beautiful and diverse country in a short space of time. There are some long travelling days on this trip that can be tiring. The weather can be hot and humid and cold in winter in the north around Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Andy Evans

Reviewed October 2019

Great trip leaving you wanting more..

It’s a hectic schedule with so much to cover but the trip was well organised and it offers a great taste into what Vietnam has to offer.

Most Inspirational Moment

It’s hard to pin it down to one as I will take away so many memories from the trip, even the long bus journeys were enjoyable just watching the beautiful scenery rolling by.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chieu was excellent, really friendly and always making sure the group were having a good time. He was happy to listen to some group suggestions for some changes to meal arrangements etc

Advice for Potential Travellers

It’s a busy schedule with a lot of travelling (boats, busses and trains) and not much down time so bear this in mind when considering if the trip is for you. I would have taken a sleeping bag liner for the train trip.

Linda Bratley

Covid-19 refund commitment

You will get a refund if you have to cancel your trip due to COVID-19.

Availability

This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.

Availability

Availability

Availability

Availability

This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.

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