The 24-day trip brings you to these two magnificent countries Vietnam and Myanmar where the history, culture, people and traditions that have evolved over the years waiting for your deep exploration Staring your trip in Ho Chi Minh City – a dynamic city of Vietnam seems like fantastic, continue exploring the daily life of local people in the Mekong river before flying to the city of love – Dalat to be immersed in the speciality of climate here. Nha Trang with a long beach waiting for your relaxation . Heading to Hoi An and Hue to get another experience of the life and atmosphere here where we have a feeling that time is stopped. Hanoi and Ha Long Bay are two famous destinations in the North of Vietnam which should not be missed in your tour. From Hanoi, it’s easy to catch a flight to Yangon – Myanmar where you will enjoy an excursion on historic and colonial structures in Yangon, Bagan and Mandalay. Finishing your wonderful trip in Inle Lake by taking a boat along the lake and visiting local villages and people is really a good way I just came to my office and the 1st mail was yours. Thank you so much for arranging the wonderful trip. I am very happy and satisfied with all the services provided. Thank you once again for everything. B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, G=Guide Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City arrival (G) Up on arrival in Tan Son Nhat airport, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel for check in. Then, you’ll be free to do what you wish. Your overnight stay will be in Ho Chi Minh City. Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City tour (B, L, G) After breakfast, you’ll start your city tour including the History Museum (special exhibition of the 5thC ‘Oc Eo’ civilisation), the Museum of War Remnants (very partial, but riveting, recollections of the ‘American War’: not for the squeamish), the huge Ben Thanh market (one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City), the Jade Emperor Temple (superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries) and a lacquer workshop. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City/My Tho (B, L, G) At 8:00 you’ll be picked up at our hotel to travel to My Tho. On arrival, boat cruise on Mekong river to the Thoi Son island: rowing through small canals and walking along small village road to visit fruit gardens, elementary school, spirits distilling house, and see the daily life of villagers. On your visit you’ll have chance to enjoy some of tropical fruits and traditional music show. After lunch at a local restaurant on island, you’ll continue to cruise to visit a coconut candy workshop. In the afternoon, return to Ho Chi Minh for overnight Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City/Dalat (B, L, G) Morning drive to Dalat – a highland city. Afternoon visit Linh Phuoc Pagoda – an interesting architecture with dragon statue made off La Rue beer bottles, and the embroidery workshop in a lovely garden setting. Overnight in Dalat. Day 5: Dalat/Nha Trang (B, L, G) In the morning, you’ll have a ride in cable car to Truc Lam Pagoda and Tuyen Lam Lake and visit the Flower Garden. After lunch, visit to King Bao Dai’s Summer Palace, the Crazy House, and Da Lat market. In the afternoon, you will drive to Nha Trang, the home of tens of thousands of descendents of the Cham people. You’ll spend the night in Nha Trang. Day 6: Nha Trang (B, L, G) A whole day boat cruise to the Mun Island for snorkeling. Seafood lunch on boat, wine and fruit party at the Mot Island. Rowing bamboo-basket at a fishing village on the Mieu Island. Overnight in Nha Trang. The boat trip is a ‘fun’ event. You’ll join a boat party of tourists, with a Vietnamese crew who act as guides, cooks, and musicians. Plenty of wine is included (Vietnamese – very good after the first few glasses), and you’ll be offered the local delicacy of ‘sea-urchin soup’ – definitely an acquired taste. The coral around Mun Island is good, provided you swim away from the area where the boats tie up. You should get back to the land in time for a visit to the hot spring spa near the Cham tower in the town – you can wallow in mud, shower in spring water, and bathe in a large hot mineral water swimming pool set in beautiful gardens for just over $3 – amazing value! Please let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send a quotation for this arrangement Day 7: Nha Trang/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G) After breakfast, you’ll be free until the driver and guide come and take you to the airport for your flight to Danang. On arrival, you’ll find the driver and guide waiting for you to take you to Hoi An. On the way, you’ll have a brief visit to Cham Museum, then continue to travel to Hoi An. After lunch, a guided visit to the Ancient Town. Overnight stay in Hoi An. The town is an ancient trading port, once the largest in Indochina and a meeting point for many cultures that left their mark in the different architectural features of its wooden buildings. Day 8: Hoi An/My Son (B, L, G) Morning drive to My Son Sanctuary – World Heritage Area. Free afternoon and overnight in Hoi An. Once the My Son Sanctuary was the spiritual capital of the Cham Kingdom that dominated SE Asia for nearly a thousand years. Its remarkable brick towers were badly bombed by the Americans, but are still impressive as is its remote valley setting Day 9: Hoi An/Hue (B, L, G) After breakfast, you’ll drive to Hue. On arrival, you’ll have a boat cruise to visit Thien Mu Pagoda (beside the Perfume River – very tranquil). Then, having a visit to King Minh Mang’s Tomb (the most majestic of the Royal Tombs) and drive to visit the Dong Ba market. Overnight in Hue Day 10: Hue (B, L, G) Morning visit to the Imperial Citadel of Hue and the Antiquity Museum. Afternoon drive to visit King Tu Duc’s Tomb (the poet King, the simplest Royal tomb set in a beautiful garden) and visit to Garden Houses – (a cultural characteristic in Hue). In the evening you’ll be picked up to enjoy a Hue musical show on a boat in the Perfume River for about one hour. Overnight in Hue Day 11: Hue/Hanoi (B, L, G) Having a breakfast at your hotel, then, you will get the flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, you’ll have a city tour including the Temple of Literature, (the first university in Viet Nam dating back to the 11th C), the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Ethnology Museum and the centre of Hanoi, including the Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ngoc Son temple and the bustling Old Quarter with a complex of architecture – traditional tube houses, religious buildings and the colonial houses. In the evening, you’ll have tickets for a performance of Cheo (an traditional music typical for the Northern Viet Nam). Overnight in Hanoi Day 12: Hanoi/Halong (B, L, D, G) A morning drive to Ha Long Bay, (one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas – the world’s largest marine ‘karst’ landscape). Travel by traditional-style boat to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Includes swimming, fishing, hill (not mountain) climbing for Bay overviews, exploring sea level caves in a small sampan, etc. All meals will be provided on board and your accommodation will be on the boat in a twin room with en suite toilet and shower Day 13: Halong/Hanoi (B, L, G) Morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by lunch and then return to Hanoi for an overnight stay. Day 14: Hanoi/Yangon (B, G) After breakfast, you’ll be free until the driver and guide come and take you to the airport for your flight to Yangon. After check in your hotel, you’ll have a city tour including the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda which dates back about 2500 years and was built to house eight sacred hairs of the Buddha. Its bell-shaped superstructure is covered in about 60 tons of gold leaf. The National Museum holds several interesting exhibits, including the mammoth Sihasana Lion Throne as well as many treasures of Burmese royalty. The Sule Pagoda has a 48 meter/52 yard high golden dome used, when it was rebuilt in the 1880s, by the British as the nucleus of their grid pattern for the city. Over night in Yangon. Day 15: Yangon (B, L, G) An interesting experience today includes mingling in the Bogyoke Aung San Market, also known as Scott Market, and its 2000 little shops. The Kyaukhtatkyi Pagoda contains a gaudy, modern, 70m/76 yard-long reclining Buddha built in 1966 and housed in a formidable iron pavilion. The temple doubles as a monastery, as well as a center for the study of Buddhist manuscripts. Mailamu Pagoda has a series of interesting images of the Buddha in his previous incarnations as well as a lovely reclining Buddha image. Over night in Yangon. Day 16: Yangon/Bagan (B, L, G) A short flight gets us to Bagan with its spectacular plain dotted with thousands of ancient temple ruins. Although human habitation in Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian era, Bagan only entered its golden period with the conquest of Thaton in 1057 AD. Our tour includes Ananda Pahto, one of the finest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples thought to have been built around 1105, and the Shwegugyi temple, built in 1311. We also visit Thatbyinnyu Pahto, Nathlaung Kyaung, Bagan’s only Hindu Vaishnavite temple, and the Pahtothamya. Gawdawpalin Pahto, one of the largest and most imposing of the Bagan temples. Bupaya is a cylindrical Pyu-style stupa said to be the oldest in Bagan; local residents claim it dates to the 3rd century. Over night in Bagan. Day 17: Bagan (B, L, G) Our excursion to Mount Popa, gives us an interesting picture of life in the countryside. We also visit Salay famous as the historic home of Salay U Ponya, a Bagan Era writer/poet. We go to many interesting sites including Payathonzu, an interconnected complex of three brick shrines; Thadanayaunggyi Kyaung, an ancient monastery in continuous use for several centuries, and Mogok Vipassan Yeiktha, a meditation center. We will also have the opportunity to see Nan Paya, home to a large lacquer Buddha dating back to the 13th century, and an old brick and stucco Buddhist scripture library. We finish the day with a visit to Youqson Kyaung, the oldest surviving wooden monastery hall in the Bagan area. Over night in Bagan. Day 18: Bagan/Mandalay (B, L, G) This morning we depart by road to Mandalay, the last capital of Myanmar before the British took over. Mandalay is of great cultural and historical importance and is the most “Burmese” of Myanmar’s large cities. Mandalay’s Buddhist monasteries are the most important in the country – about 60% of all the monks in Myanmar reside in the Mandalay area. Over night in Mandalay. Day 19: Mandalay (B, L, G) Constructed in 1857, Mandalay Fort (Fort Dufferin) is an imposing walled palace compound encircled by an impressive moat. We get a glimpse of history at the Mandalay Museum and Library, known for their large collection of Mandalay regalia, royally commissioned art and palm-leaf manuscripts that were formerly housed in the palace. Next we visit the Kyauktawgyi Pagoda, home to a huge seated marble-image of the Buddha; the Sandamani Paya, a cluster of slender whitewashed stupas and the Shwenandaw Kyaung, fine example of a traditional Burmese wooden monastery. Over night in Mandalay. Day 20: Mandalay (B, L, G) Today we visit the one time capital of Inwa followed by Sagaing and Amarapura where we visit Nanmyin, Maha Aungmye Bonzan, and Bagaya Kyaung, a monastery built of teakwood and supported by 267 teak posts. Sagaing is widely regarded as the religious center of Myanmar and is popularly known as ‘Little Pagan’ as the Sagaing ridge is littered with around 600 pagodas and living monasteries. We also visit Thabyedan Fort, Kaunghmudaw Paya, Sagaing’s most important temple, Tupayon Paya with its unique architecture and Hsinmyashin Paya, known as the Pagoda of Many Elephants. Amarapura means City of Immortality, however its period as capital was brief. We visit Pahtodawgyi, and Bagaya Kyaung – a museum and library known for its collection of palm-leaf manuscripts. Over night in Mandalay. Day 21: Mandalay/Kalaw (B, L, G) Our destination today is Kalaw, a popular hill station in the British days. Kalaw sits high on the western edge of the Shan Plateau and is still a peaceful and quiet place with an atmosphere reminiscent of the colonial era. The small population is a mix of Shan, Indian Muslims, Bamar and Nepalis making for an interesting cultural experience. Our afternoon tour includes Aung Chang Tha Zedi, a glittering stupa covered in gold-colored mosaics, Dhamma Yon, a two-story temple provides a fair view of the town, Dhamma Yanthi Paya and the ruins of the Hsu Taung Pye Paya. Nee Paya, and Christ The King Church, wrap up our days sightseeing. Over night in Kalaw. Day 22: Kalaw/Inle Lake (B, L, G) We drive to Inle Lake, located in Shan State. The lake is beautiful, with its serene waters dotted with patches of floating vegetation and fishing canoes. High hills rim the lake on both sides creating a cozy and tranquil setting. The lakeshore and lake islands bear 17 villages on stilts, mostly inhabited by the unique Intha people. Over night in Inle Lake. Day 23: Inle Lake/Heho/Yangon (B, L, G) This morning, we enjoy a boat trip on the serene Inle Lake followed by a scenic and countryside drive to Heho where we catch our flight back to Yangon for overnight stay. Day 24: Yangon Departure (B, G) Today we bid farewell after what will have been an awe-inspiring journey. We are transferred to the airport for our departure flight with unforgettable memories of extraordinary cultures. Price includes: Price does not include: Hotel list for Five Star standard: Hotel list for Four Star standard: Hotel list for Three Star standard: If, at the time of booking, any hotels or rooms in the list above are fully booked, we will endeavour to find accommodation of a similar standard elsewhere. If the only available accommodation is of a higher or lower standard, we will revise the price accordingly and consult you immediately.VIETNAM AND MYANMAR TOUR 24 DAYS
EXPLORE THE HISTORY, CULTURE, PEOPLE AND TRADITIONS
Ho Chi Minh City/Mekong Delta/Dalat/Nha Trang/Danang/Hoi An/My Son/Hue/Hanoi/Ha Long Bay/Yangon/Bagan/Mandalay/Kalaw/Inle Lake/Heho
PROGRAMME IN DETAILS FOR VIETNAM AND MYANMAR TOUR 24 DAYS
From / Person
SUNIL DESHPANDE
Destination: Ho Chi Minh City/Mekong Delta/Dalat/Nha Trang/Danang/Hoi An/My Son/Hue/Hanoi/Ha Long Bay/Yangon/Bagan/Mandalay/Kalaw/Inle Lake/Heho
Price in US$ per person:
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