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Journey through Vietnam 2008 - Detailed Itinerary

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Day 1 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Depart the U.S. and begin your crossing of the Pacific Ocean

Depart from the U.S. for Hanoi. The particulars of your arrival are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Day 2 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Arrive in Hanoi

Arrive in Hanoi. Claim your luggage and clear customs, then meet your VBT representative (who will be holding a VBT sign). This representative will help you transfer to your hotel. Please note: This transfer has been pre-arranged by VBT and does not require direct payment. Please confirm with the driver that this transfer has been pre-paid—if the driver requests funds from you, this is not your scheduled transfer and you should not take it.

Hotel: Melia Hanoi Hotel

Day 3 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Explore Hanoi at your leisure

Sleep in this morning. Stroll down to breakfast at the hotel before exploring Hanoi on your own. There are many fascinating sites to visit. While choosing your activities for the day, you may wish to keep in mind that a guided of the city is included later in the program, featuring visits to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Ba Dinh Square, the exterior of the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's house and One Pillar Pagoda.

Meals: B  Hotel: Melia Hanoi Hotel

Day 4 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Visit Tay Phuong

After breakfast at the Hanoi hotel, meet your VBT representative in the lobby and transfer by minibus (approximately 50 minutes) outside of Hanoi to Tay Phuong Pagoda. Tour the pagoda and take a 3-mile walk. Continue on to nearby Thay Pagoda, first built in the 11th century, where Vietnam's famous water puppetry got its start on a stage in the village lake. Drive back to Hanoi in the early afternoon.

Meals: B  Hotel: Melia Hanoi Hotel

Day 5 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Halong Bay Excursion

After breakfast at the Hanoi hotel, meet your VBT representative in the lobby and transfer to Halong Bay (approximately 3 hours). Board the junk and check in to your cabin. Eat lunch on board as we set sail. One of the world's natural wonders, and a common backdrop for films set in Vietnam, Halong Bay features more than 1,000 awe-inspiring limestone karsts and islands of various sizes and shapes along the 120-km coastline of Bai Chay Beach. Its waters are host to a great diversity of ecosystems including offshore coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and sandy beaches. A folk tale says that the dragons descended from heaven to help locals by spitting jewels and jade into the sea, forming a natural fortress against invaders; these precious stones are represented by the lush green outcrops. Several islands boast beautiful grottoes and caves with contiguous chambers, hidden ponds, and peculiar stone formations. Hike up to a lookout point over the bay, visit a small fishing village and kayak in a scenic lagoon over coral reefs. Tonight, admire the sunset as you dine on board the junk.

Meals: B, L, D  Hotel: Bai Tho Junk

Day 1 of AIR PACKAGE Depart US

Depart from the U.S. for Hanoi. The particulars of your arrival are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Day 2 of AIR PACKAGE Arrive in Hanoi

Claim your luggage and clear customs, then meet your VBT representative (who will be holding a VBT sign). This representative will help you transfer to your hotel.

Hotel: Sofitel Plaza Hanoi

Day 1 of BIKE TOUR Hanoi/Orientation tour (VBT Pre-Trip Extension guests join VBT No-Air & Air Package guests)

After breakfast, your morning is free to do as you please. In the early afternoon, take a short walking tour around this historic city of lakes, tree-lined boulevards and French-Colonial architecture. Later, return to your hotel to meet your VBT Trip Leader, who provides a briefing of the week ahead. Dine with the group at the hotel. VBT Pre-Trip Extension guests: Greet the day with a morning Tai Chi exercise on deck while the sun rises over Halong Bay. After breakfast on the junk, visit a limestone grotto. Then cruise back to Halong wharf. Transfer back to your hotel in Hanoi (approximately 3 hours), where you join the rest of the guests.

Meals: B, D  Hotel: Sofitel Plaza Hanoi

Day 2 of BIKE TOUR Explore Hanoi/Water puppet performance

Sleep in today or join an early-morning walk to experience the city as it shakes off its slumber. You may see locals practicing Tai Chi by the lake, families out for a stroll and street vendors setting out their wares. Then return to the hotel for breakfast before embarking on a tour of the city, including visits to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Ba Dinh Square, the exterior of the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's house and One Pillar Pagoda. Have lunch at a local restaurant, then return to the hotel for a siesta or swim. In the late afternoon, pick up the pace with a cyclo (rickshaw) ride through the Old Quarter. Here, shops sell everything from pungent therapeutic herbs to fluttering prayer flags, shoes, and hardware. The next stop is the theater, where you watch a mesmerizing water puppet performance. Afterward, dine at a local restaurant.

Meals: B, L, D  Hotel: Sofitel Plaza Hanoi

Day 3 of BIKE TOUR Fly to Hue/Take a warm-up ride

After breakfast, explore on your own before transferring to the airport for the flight to Hue. From 1802 to 1945, this was Vietnam's Imperial City; it boasts a vast citadel and the tombs of its emperors. In Hue, check in to the hotel before a safety and bike-fitting session with your Trip Leaders. Then, take a warm-up ride that includes a visit to a local orphanage and the Mausoleum of Khai Dinh. (You may wish to bring along a small gift, such as a book, pen or item of clothing, that would please a child between 4 months old and teenage.) At dinner, feast on local specialties in the hotel's dining room.

Meals: B, D  Hotel: Pilgrimage Village Hue

Day 4 of BIKE TOUR Visit Forbidden Purple City and Imperial City

This morning, cycle along the banks of the Perfume River, where you may see dragon boats, sampans and traditional houseboats with their rooftop shrines. Pedal on quiet country roads until you come to the vast walled citadel. Within the citadel lies the Imperial City and the Forbidden Purple City. There, put your bike aside and take a walking tour of this massive enclosure. After lunch, spend free time in Hue or continue cycling southeast of the city, through rice fields and past duck and fish farms. Watch for small homes with haystacks in their yards. In the village of Cau Ngoi Thanh Toan, look for a small covered bridge, a favorite spot for locals to rest out of the sun, and shop at the local market. Shuttle from here back to the hotel or continue riding to the intersection of Route 1. Tonight, learn more about local life during dinner at the home of Phan Thuan An, a local historian who resides in the former house of the Princess of the Emperor Dong Khanh.

Meals: B, L, D  Hotel: Pilgrimage Village Hue

Day 5 of BIKE TOUR Cycle coastal roads/Shuttle to Hoi An

After breakfast, you will transfer to Thuan An Beach and begin cycling. Ride along the beach road, passing through fishing villages. After crossing the Phu Thu Bridge, you arrive at the American-built Phu Bai Airport, where you reboard a minibus and continue to travel toward Hoi An. Eat lunch en route in Lang Co. Then transfer up the Hai Van pass (“Pass of the Ocean Clouds”), stopping at the top to take photos looking down both sides of the mountain ridge (at 1,600 feet elevation). The minibus passes through the city of Da Nang to an area known as Marble Mountain, then stops at Non Nuoc village, known for its stoneworks. The drive then goes along Non Nuoc Beach, locally referred to as “New China Beach.” This huge expanse of fine white sand is just down the coast from the original. Here, see locals making bamboo basket boats. (It takes 10 days to make one boat!) Then, continue on to Hoi An, where you check in to your hotel on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Try one of the local restaurants for dinner this evening.

Meals: B, L  Hotel: Life Resort Hoi An

Day 6 of BIKE TOUR Walking tour of Hoi An/Cycle to Le Trach

Start the day with a walking tour of the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover the local market, Tan Ky House, Japanese Bridge and a Chinese temple. After lunch, shuttle to Vinh Dien, an area famous for its small, brightly colored family chapels, to begin your route through a hill of eucalyptus to the Bo Bo Monument, which affords a good view of the surrounding mountains and flat valley floor. Continue pedaling to the small town of Le Trach, where you visit and learn about the local rice mill. Tonight, you are free to enjoy dinner on your own at one of the many open-air restaurants on Bach Dang, the waterfront road in Hoi An.

Meals: B, L  Hotel: Life Resort Hoi An

Day 7 of BIKE TOUR Free morning/Fly to Nha Trang

The morning is free for relaxing, swimming at the nearby Cua Dai Beach or last-minute shopping. At midday, transfer to Da Nang for the flight to Nha Trang, a Riviera-style resort town with wide, palm-lined boulevards and open-air cafes. After checking in to the hotel, walk along the seafront or enjoy the beach directly across from the hotel.

Meals: B, D  Hotel: Sunrise Beach Resort

Day 8 of BIKE TOUR Optional early-morning cyclo ride to fish market/Cycle through countryside

If you wish, join an early-morning cyclo ride to see the local fish market and vegetable market in full flow. After breakfast at the hotel, begin cycling directly from the hotel, passing the Opera House and heading into the rice fields and quaint farming villages. Watch some small businesses at work— stone quarrying, mat making, steel production (by hand!), farming and brick making. After a picnic lunch, choose between shuttling or cycling back to the hotel. This evening is free to enjoy dinner on your own.

Meals: B, L  Hotel: Sunrise Beach Resort

Day 9 of BIKE TOUR Fly to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)/City tour

After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Upon arrival, tour the city and then stop at a local restaurant for lunch before continuing to the hotel. In the afternoon, set out on a walking tour to visit the exterior of the former Presidential Palace, the site of the former U.S. Embassy, the Notre Dame Cathedral, City Hall (Hotel de Ville) and the Rex Hotel, famous for the regular press briefings that became known as the “five o'clock follies” during the U.S./Vietnam War.

Meals: B, L  Hotel: Hotel Majestic

Day 10 of BIKE TOUR Cycle the Mekong Delta/Visit to the floating market

This morning, shuttle (approximately 2½ hours) to the Mekong Delta area, then begin cycling through this land rich with orange, papaya, grapefruit, and mango trees. Later, board small wooden boats and cruise downriver to visit the colorful floating market. This evening, visit the former home of the first U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam and meet the current owners during a special farewell dinner.

Meals: B, L, D  Hotel: Hotel Majestic

Day 11 of BIKE TOUR Explore the Cu Chi tunnels/Cycle to Hoc Mon/Fly to U.S. or Begin Post-trip Extension to Cambodia

After breakfast, shuttle (approximately 1 hour) north of Saigon to the district known as Cu Chi and the site of the famous tunnels. Start pedaling to the tunnels, finishing at the Ben Dinh site. Talk with a local Vietcong (VC) before you visit the tunnels themselves. The Cu Chi tunnels are a 75-mile-long underground maze where the Vietcong quite literally dug themselves out of harm's way. After visiting the tunnels, continue to cycle to Ben Nay for lunch, and then ride on to Hoc Mon, where the van waits to shuttle you back to the hotel. VBT No-Air Package guests: Your trip ends in the late afternoon at the Saigon hotel. You are responsible for your own transfer to the Saigon airport for your flight home. You can book a taxi (approximately $6-$9 USD, depending on traffic) direct from the hotel. Please confirm fare with your driver in advance to ensure the most direct route to the airport (approximately 30 minutes, 12 km). VBT Air Package guests: Late afternoon and dinner in Saigon are on your own. Then, meet in the hotel lobby 3 hours prior to your flight departure (subject to change per required check-in time at the airport) for transfer (approximately 30 minutes) to the Saigon airport for your flight home. Most flights depart just before midnight. You arrive one day later in the U.S. VBT Post-Trip Extension guests: If you have chosen the VBT Post-Trip Extension to Angkor Wat, meet in the hotel lobby 3 hours prior to your flight departure (subject to change per required check-in time at the airport) for your transfer (approximately 30 minutes) to the Saigon airport. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, claim your luggage and clear customs. Then meet your VBT representative, who will be holding a VBT sign. This representative will help you transfer (approximately 1 hour) to the Sofitel Phokeethra Royal Angkor Resort. Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

Meals: B, L  Hotel: Sofitel Phokeethra Royal Angkor Resort

Day 1 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Exploration of Siem Reap

This morning, join a guide and start exploring the mysterious Royal city Angkor Thom. Its 50 tower temple is an awe-inspiring sight. At first glance, it seems a shapeless mass of stone, but further scrutiny reveals faces, one after another. Suddenly, you are staring into the eyes of a primitive and remote time. Continue discovering the surroundings within the complex including the Baphou, Elephant Terraces, Leper King Terrace and Royal Place area. In the afternoon, visit the intricately carved Khmer ruins at Angkor Wat, one of the world's most impressive ruins. The temple still owns hundreds of fine carvings of Aspara and scenes from Hindu mythology.

Meals: B  Hotel: Sofitel Phokeethra Royal Angkor Resort

Day 2 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Continued exploration of Siem Reap

After breakfast, drive to the rural outskirts of town (22 miles) and visit Ban Teay Srei, the birthplace of Khmer classical style architecture. This small temple features impressive carvings. Return to the hotel for an afternoon swim or nap, then head out to Phnom Bakheng, the first major temple to be constructed in the Angkor region. The Bakheng's hilltop location makes it the area's most popular sunset viewing spot, so you will not be alone … but you will be rewarded with stunning panoramic views of Angkor Wat and West Baray.

Meals: B  Hotel: Sofitel Phokeethra Royal Angkor Resort

Day 3 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Depart for US

After breakfast, enjoy a final morning of exploration with a visit to the picturesque and haunting Ta Proham, a temple that has nearly disappeared into the jungle. Magnificent tree roots push between the temple's huge stone blocks, emphasizing the legend of a “lost city.” VBT Air Package guests: You may store your luggage with the hotel when you check out of your room, and use the hotel facilities until it is time to depart for your flight home. Meet in the hotel lobby 3 hours prior to your flight departure (subject to change per required check-in time at the airport) and then transfer to the Siem Reap airport (approximately 1 hour) for your flight home (via Bangkok and Tokyo). You arrive one day later in the U.S. VBT No-Air Package guests: You may store your luggage with the hotel when you check out of your room, and use the hotel facilities until it is time to depart for your flight home. Meet in the hotel lobby 3 hours prior to your flight departure (subject to change per required check-in time at the airport) and then transfer to the Siem Reap airport (approximately 1 hour) for your flight to Bangkok, which is where your tour ends. Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

Meals: B