Past, Present and Future of Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City – Vung Liem – Can Tho – Hue – Hoi An – Hanoi – Halong

12 Days & 8 Nights

Duration
12 Days & 11 Nights
Group Size
Max 10 people
Place Visited
Vietnam
Minimum age
Travellers need to be at least 8 years old
Transport
Airplane
Best time to go
From January to April

Highlights

  • Discover the variety of Vietnamese culture, from Khmer heritage to the Young Artists Generation.
  • A limited selection of the best museums
  • A quick look at the future of arts in Vietnam with gallery curators and local artists

Itinerary

Discover the beauty of Vietnam – 12 Days & 11 Nights

You will be greeted and driven to your hotel for check-in. In the evening you will travel to the A O show. “A O” is the name given to a new kind of art performance, commonly acknowledged as “new circus” across the globe.

Traveling just a short distance from the city center, you will arrive Gallerie Quynh, Vietnam’s leading contemporary art gallery, which has already spent over a decade promoting contemporary art in the country. After Quynh gallery, you will meet your guide and driver to travel to The Factory Contemporary Arts Center, the first purpose-built space for contemporary art in Vietnam. In the afternoon you will start to visit the highlights of Ho Chi Minh City.

Note: Notre-Dame Cathedral is closed for renovations until early 2020-Exterior only

In the morning, you will leave Ho Chi Minh City and travel to the Vung Liem district in the Mekong Delta. After some free time to enjoy the scenery, you will start to cycle through the countryside. After a break you will embark on a small boat and navigate through a small canal of the Mekong Delta in the shadow of the water-coconut trees with the gentle sound of your boatman rowing.

Distance & duration of the cycling tour : 8 kilometers – 1 hour

Level 0

Early in the morning, you will embark on a boat and reach a local market after 40 minutes on the Mekong. You will then come back to the boat and start to discover the life in the Mekong Delta area, you will make a quick stop at a Cao Dai temple by the river and at a coconut factory where impressive mats are made.

You will then travel to Tra Vinh and discover this beautiful town of the Mekong delta, whose population is one-third Khmer people. First, you will stop at the Qui Nong pagoda, an impressive Khmer pagoda. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a music show with a local artist who plays instrument and performs Apsara dance and Khmer dance. Then, you will head to the Hang pagoda, a beautiful Khmer pagoda, where local people practice carving and monks study. After the pagoda, you will travel to Can Tho, arriving at the end of the afternoon.

Early morning flight to Danang from Can Tho. After the arrival in Danang Airport, you will stop at the must-visit Cham Museum to see the last of the Cham sculptures. You will then head by car to My Son (which mean: “The beautiful mountain”) – the most important Cham archaeological site in the center of Vietnam. After exploring the area, you will continue to Hoi An.

Early visit of Hoi An recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site for its well-preserved ancient streets and houses and time at leisure

In the early morning you will travel to Hue via the panoramic “Hai Van Pass” route. You will reach An Bang Cemetery also named the city of ghost. Once arrived, visit this incredible place where graveyards are bigger than houses and really colorful. The perfect moment to learn about the Vietnamese worshiping culture and the recent population movement of locale people after the Vietnam War. Then you will travel to the Chuon Lagoon (part of the famous Tam GiangLagoon) and board a local boat to discover the local life of the fishermen. On late afternoon you will continue to Hue.

In the middle of the day you will travel to Danang and embark on your flight for Cam Ranh airport. Upon arrival you will head to your hotel and enjoy some free time on the beach.

In the morning you will depart to airport and fly to Hanoi. Upon arrival you will begin your full day discovery of the capital with the Temple of Literature, then, continue your way to Ba Dinh district and visit the Manzi Art Space, situated in a peaceful colonial house, a fabulous modern art exhibitioncenter and an Hanoian coffee. Then you will discover the Old Quarter and the surroundings of the Sword Lake.

In the morning you will travel outside of the Old Quarter and arrive at a small, local market, where you will meet with the chefand enjoy a cup of tea. Then, you will begin to prepare traditional Vietnamese food under the supervision of your host and enjoy your lunch.

In the afternoon you will meet with a famous artist Dao Anh Khanh for 1 hour. He is at once a painter, a sculptor and a dancer and one of the most revered celebrities in Vietnam. He will tell you about the influences of modern art in Vietnam and will provide you with anecdotes about his own life and answer all the questions you may have about his work or Vietnamese art.

In the morning, you will travel to Halong where you will embark on a cruise in the must-see Halong Bay. This world-famous bay is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam. and classified UNESCO World Heritage since 1994. You will be served lunch and dinner aboard with excellent and freshly caught fish from the bay. At the end of the day, you will have the chance to enjoy a night fishing session on the boat.

Early in the morning and depending on the season, you will wake up to enjoy sunrise over the aquamarine waters of the bay. Then the cruise will tour around the bay until you disembark at the end of the morning. After that, you will then return to Hanoi for your international flight.