|
Day 1: Arrive Danang-Hoi An
Arrive in Danang and transfer to Hoi An Ancient Town. Overnight in Hoi An
Day 2: Hoi An (L)
Hoi An was a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries and its architecture and relaxed lifestyle has changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit former merchants’ houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall and the colorful market. In the afternoon take a 3-hour cruise on the Thu Bon River with stops at Thanh Ha pottery village, Kim Bong carpenters’ village and the shipbuilding yard. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 3: Hoi An – Hue (L)
Leave Hoi An after breakfast by road for Hue via the scenic fishing village of Lang Co and the Pass of Ocean Clouds. Arrive in Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam at noon. In the afternoon visit the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. Board a cyclo and ride for an hour and thirty minutes and explore some of the least-known parts of the Hue Imperial Citadel. Along the way, you take a look at the royal lake and the citadel moat that surrounds the wall. Today, on top of this 27-meter large wall, the locals have created vegetable gardens where you may meet someone who will reveal to you some of the ingredients that make Hue cuisine so famous. In the premises of the citadel fortification, bunkers dating back from the Vietnam War time contrast with the peacefulness of the local houses sheltered away from the bustling city.
Day 4: Hue (L)
The morning involves a boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River for visits to Hue’s best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the mausoleum of former emperor Minh Mang, in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. In the afternoon visit the elaborate mausoleums of emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. In mid-afternoon leave the center of Hue and its historic buildings for a bicycle ride through the rice plantations and the bucolic Vietnamese countryside to the Thanh Toan Village, located eight kilometers away. The village shelters a covered bridge dating back more than two centuries; offered to the villagers by the wife of a high ranking Mandarin. Continue along the river with its banks dotted with temples. At the edge of the river banks the mothers wash their linen while their children are biking back home from school, many who will be astonished to see Westerners lost in this corner of countryside.
Day 5: Departure Hue
The morning is at leisure until transfer to Hue Airport for onward flight.
Note: We can arrange additional customized trips for you if the above itineray does not match your expectations.
| 
