· Return airfares from Sydney to Saigon, plus three flights within Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines.

· There will be four nights in bustling Saigon; four nights in Nha Trang, Vietnam’s favourite beach resort; and five nights in beautiful Hanoi, the “Paris of the East”.

· City tours in Saigon and Hanoi.

· A full-day boat cruise of wonderful Halong Bay.

· Good three star accommodation. The hotel rooms are all air-conditioned and have their own bathroom and toilet.

· Breakfast daily, plus three lunches.

· All transfers between the airports and hotels.

· The service of an Australian tour leader, plus local Vietnamese tour guides.

There will also be available a full programme of optional half-day and full-day tours.

We will make every effort to match up single travellers who wish to travel at twin share rates. For anyone requiring a single room, there will be an extra charge of $395.

Connecting Qantas flights from Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra are available for an extra $110 return.

Itinerary For Vietnam Explorer Tour – March 2005

16.03.05
There will be connecting flights from Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane to Sydney with Qantas.
Depart Sydney at 11.35am on Vietnam Airlines flight VN782, arriving in Saigon at 3.55pm. Transfer to the Palace Hotel (or equivalent) in central Saigon for a four night stay.


17.03.05
There will be an included morning tour of Saigon, visiting the Thien Hall Pagoda, the former presidential palace and war rooms, the war museums and a lacquerware workshop. The included lunch will be at the excellent No.19 Restaurant. Afternoon is free.


18.03.05
Optional full day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels and Tay Ninh with lunch. Visit Cu Chi Tunnels (70km north west of Saigon), an amazing complex of underground tunnels used during the Vietnam war. Continue to Tay Ninh church central of the unusual Cao-Daism religion, which combines Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Confucianism. See this spectacular church with worshippers attending the noon service in their colourful tunics. The included lunch is at a good restaurant in Tay Ninh. Cost $58.00

19.03.05
Optional full day Mekong Delta tour including lunch.

An unforgettable day trip into the Mekong Delta. Coach trip to My Tho. After a visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda enjoy a boat trip on the Mekong River with a stop by an island to visit fruit orchards and taste some fruit. Continue on small sampans through the canals to see more local life. Return to Ho Chi Minh city by coach. Cost $54.00


20.03.05
Transfer to airport for flight to Danang on VN 324 at 11.40am. Meet our guide at Danang Airport and transfer to Hoi An. Staying at Hoi An Hotel (or equivalent).

21.03.05
Optional full day sightseeing tours in Danang and Hoi An.

We drive to Danang city and stop at Marble Mountains with its beautiful grottoes and temples, which can be reached by climbing steep steps (please wear appropriate shoes) then visit Cham Museum. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Drive back to Hoi An. A short boat trip across the river brings you to a boat-builder’s yard and woodcarvers as well as a pottery and brick-making village. After that discover the Hoi An ancient town, known to early Western merchants. Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of Southeast Asia in the 16th century. Hoi An has a distinctive Chinese atmosphere with low, tiled-roof houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets is still virtually intact. Many of the houses were constructed of rare timbers and decorated with lacquer panels engraved with Chinese characters and pillars carved with ornamental designs. During a leisurely discovery tour on foot you will visit some of the historic merchant and community houses, places of worship and famous bridges. Return to the Hoi An Hotel Cost $48.00


22.03.05
Optional tour to My Son, the imperial city of the Champa Empire from the 4th to 12th centuries. My Son Sanctuary is a large complex of religious ruins comprising more than 70 architectural remains. UNESCO recognized the Cham architecture in My Son as a Cultural Heritage site in 1999. Cost $36.00


23.03.05
Free day in Hoi An.


24.03.05
Morning free in Hoi An. Transfer to Danang Airport. Departing at 2.45pm on VN 314. Arriving in Hanoi at 3.55pm.

Transfer to Galaxy Hotel in central Hanoi. In the evening there will be an optional excursion to the world famous Water Puppet Show. Cost: $17.00 including transfers.


25.03.05
Today there is an included half-day city tour of Hanoi. Visit the Temple of Literature, One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s residence, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. The tour finishes with a simple lunch of Vietnamese noodles (pho).


26.03.05
Full day tour to Hoa Lu and Tam Coc (Dry Halong Bay). Drive 110 km south to visit Tam Coc Caves famous as the so-called Dry Halong Bay. During a two hour boat ride in a sampan enjoy the serene limestone rocks towering over the rice fields. After lunch continue to Bitch Dong Pagoda and the temples of the Dinh and Lee dynasties. Cost $72.00 (including lunch)


27.03.05
Optional half-day tour to Bat Trang Pottery Village.

Visit the famous pottery village of Bat Trang situated among fertile land 10kms outside Hanoi. Watch the villagers as they form, paint and glaze their products, which are then baked for several days in huge kilns. Cost $15.00


28.03.05
Today journey east to Hon Gai, the gateway to Halong Bay. En route pass fields of busy workers farming their rice using traditional methods of cultivation. Halong Bay has been compared with the magical landscape of limestone islets at Guilin in China and Krabi in southern Thailand. These tiny islands are dotted with innumerable beaches and grottoes created by the wind and waves.

In the afternoon cruise magnificent Halong Bay with its 3000 islands rising from the clear emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, one of the natural marvels of Vietnam.

This province shares a common border with China in the north and harbours some of the most stunning scenery in Vietnam. Bizarre rock sculptures jut dramatically from the sea and numerous grottoes have created an enchanted timeless world. The sails of junks and sampans add further to the beauty of the scene. Halong Bay was made famous to westerners in the French film “Indochine”. You will also have the opportunity to stop at one of the many grottoes before returning to port. Seafood lunch included.

Return to Hanoi for overnight.


29.03.05
Morning free in Hanoi.

Transfer back to Hanoi Airport.

Depart Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines Flight VN 783 at 5.00pm.

The flight goes via Saigon

30.03.05
Arrive Sydney at 9.35am with connecting flights to Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

Please note: Vietnam Airlines may alter their flight schedule and this may result in having to alter the program to a small extent.