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Vietnam Remembrance Tour
14 Nights Nov 2009
Trace the steps of Australian soldiers on this remarkable journey through the most important sites from the Vietnam War. Pay your respects at Long Tan, Saigon, Nui Dat, Khe San and many other poignant locations associated with bravery and sacrifice. In addition, enjoy an exotic blend of sightseeing, shopping and cuisine to discover the full flavour of modern Vietnam. To add to the experience, the tour also includes daily breakfast and dinner each night at a local restaurant.
DAY 1
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and transfer to your hotel. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner - an excellent opportunity to meet your guide and fellow travellers.
DAY 2
This morning enjoy a walking tour of Saigon's famous and historic city landmarks. The tour will take you through the heart of the city along Dong Khoi street (formerly Rue Catinat), past the Rex Hotel, Municipal Theatre and Notre Dame Cathedral. Stop at the site of the former US Embassy then tour inside the impressive Re-Unification Palace and War Remnants Museum. Travel to Cholon, the city's bustling Chinese district, where you will visit the Binh Tay wholesale market and a colourful Chinese temple dedicated to the goddess of the sea, Thien Hau. This afternoon journey west from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi. On arrival you will be guided through the famous tunnels used by the communist guerrillas during the Vietnam War. The tunnel network stretches over 250km and extends to three levels underground providing you with a remarkable insight into the hardships, determination and terror of a guerrilla war.
DAY 3
This morning you will be met at your hotel by your guide for a full day tour travelling south from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho, the gateway to the Mekong Delta. Known as the 'rice bowl' of Vietnam, the Delta is the most fertile region in the country, and the main producer of rice and tropical fruits. From My Tho, board a boat and travel to one of the islands located in the middle of the Mekong River. On the island visit a fruit orchard and sample some of the local produce, before boarding a smaller sampan that winds along narrow canals. You'll also have the opportunity to visit a local family's house and enjoy their hospitality and share with them some tea or rice wine. After lunch in My Tho return to Ho Chi Minh City by late afternoon.
DAY 4
Today is Remembrance Day, and what a wonderful way to commemorate it. This morning take a hydrofoil to Vung Tau, see the white villa, the fishing village located behind the hills and the former area known as 'Flags'. Also visit the former Task Force Base Nui Dat passing what is left of the Horseshoe on the way (the Horseshoe was mined several years ago and entry is no longer allowed). Also visit the Long Tan cross memorial site.
DAY 5
Return to Saigon and transfer to airport for a flight to Danang. Arrive and transfer to Hoi An.
DAY 6
Learn about Hoi An's unique cuisine and beautiful surrounds with the Red Bridge Cooking Class. Begin with a visit to Hoi An's colourful market and experience its amazing sights, sounds and aromas. As you walk through the market, you will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about some of the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later. You then board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. On arrival, explore the cooking school's herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of Hoi An's and Vietnam's well-known dishes. The cooking class is an interesting and fun way to learn about the local cuisine - the class runs for about an hour and 15 minutes, and includes demonstrations from the school's chefs as well as the chance for you to help prepare some dishes. Included in the demonstration is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). Enjoy some of your creations for lunch.
DAY 7
Today you will be met at your hotel, where you will be guided on a walking tour through the quite streets of this enchanting, World Heritage-listed town. You will visit a traditional ancient house, the Hoi An Museum, a Chinese Assembly Hall and the Japanese Covered Bridge before returning to your hotel by 'cyclo', a Vietnamese bicycle taxi.
DAY 8
A full day visit down the coast to the site of the 1968 American massacre at the village of My Lai. En route, stop at what is left of the old US Naval base at Chu Lai with a view from the Vietnamese Army memorial inland via a quarry from the main coastal road.
DAY 9
This morning you will be met at your hotel in Hoi An by your guide and transferred to Marble Mountains, which are an important religious site with a number of impressive caves, temples and viewpoints. After visiting the area you will drive the short distance to China Beach with a chance to enjoy a refreshing swim in the South China Sea. It's then on to Danang City to visit the Cham Museum. The Cham people occupied this area of Vietnam from the 2nd to the 17th century and in the museum you will find the best examples of Cham sculpture anywhere in the world. This afternoon drive over the spectacular Hai Van Pass to arrive in Hue mid-afternoon.
DAY 10
Today you will visit the impressive home of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors - the Citadel. Much of the Citadel was destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968 but is gradually being restored. Also visit the tombs of the fourth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, Tu Duc and the second last emperor, Khai Dinh. This afternoon travel by Dragon boat along the Perfume River to the much-revered Thien Mu, Hue's oldest and most beautiful pagoda, before returning to your hotel.
DAY 11
Depart Hue in the morning and travel north along the road once known as “the street without joy” towards Dong Ha and the Demilitarized Zone. Between 1954 and 1975 the 17th Parallel was the unofficial border between the former North and South Vietnam and was, perhaps, the most hotly contested piece of territory on earth. We spend today travelling through the former North-South border area, with a chance to see the Rockpile - an apparently unassailable observation post and the former US airbase at Khe Sanh, close to the border with Laos. We also visit Hien Luong Bridge and the Vinh Moc Tunnels before returning to Hue by late afternoon.
Day 12
This morning, transfer to the airport for a flight to Hanoi. On arrival in Hanoi, enjoy a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple and the Opera House.
Day 13
On this half day tour, we visit the Ho Chi Minh Quarter, dedicated to the father of modern Vietnam - Uncle Ho, to see his mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, his 'house on stilts', the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the One Pillar Pagoda. We also visit the Temple of Literature - Vietnam's first university now dedicated to Confucian worship. Also visit the 'Hanoi Hilton' - the nickname given to the place where U.S pilots shot down over North Vietnamese airspace were imprisoned during the Vietnam War - now converted into a museum.
DAY 14
This morning we will travel east to Hon Gai, the gateway to Halong Bay. En route you will pass fields of busy workers farming their rice fields using traditional methods of cultivation. You will have four hours aboard your boat cruising around this magnificent bay. Considered Vietnam's greatest natural wonder, Halong Bay boasts over 3000 islands that rise out of the sea to provide a spectacular natural environment - you will also have the opportunity to stop at one of the many grottoes. You may wish to have a swim in the clean, warm waters of the bay. Returning to Hanoi you will stop at a ceramics village where you can see artisans create superb ceramic vases and other masterpieces in their kilns and have the opportunity to purchase many of their products at a fraction of the price that you could expect to pay outside of Vietnam. On arrival in Hanoi you will return to the hotel. Enjoy one last dinner with your group and guide before, sadly, our Vietnam tour ends.
DAY 15
Transfer to Hanoi airport for your onward flight. Speak to your Iconic Tours agent about extending your holiday and discovering even more of Asia!
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Our tours
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Iconic Tours offers a range of escorted group tours to some of the world's most enticing travel destinations.
Each tour is designed to allow you to expand your horizons by showcasing an experience or theme. We have tours that explore cooking, history, sport, dining, special events and a host of other activities, all certain to add an extra dimension to your next holiday.
In addition, our tours are all fully escorted by specialists in their field, offering you a very special travel experience, no matter the theme or destination.
Our tours are long enough to allow you to immerse yourself in the destination, but short enough that you have the option to extend your holiday before or after the tour.
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