VIETNAM: Historic Villages, Volunteering and Homestay
Day 1 - Hanoi Arrival – Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital and is described by almost all who go there as ‘an old-fashioned city.’ Old-fashioned in style, it is a city of lakes, parks, trees, villas, mansions, and an area called the Old French Quarter where crumbling houses are crammed into narrow alleyways that are still named after the goods that were traded there – Silk Street, Gold Street, even Fried Fish Street!
Hanoi has sidewalk cafes, pavement barbers, wide tree-lined bicycle-filled boulevards, and elegant colonial French mansions. There is the grandeur and solemnity of Ho Chi Minh’s monumental Mausoleum, the incongruous rustic simplicity of the house in which ‘Uncle Ho’ lived out his final years, the barely concealed misery of the Hoa Lo Prison, the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ where so many prisoners of war were incarcerated, the religious pride that constructed the beautiful temple of Literature compound – it’s all here in Hanoi, a microcosm of the Vietnamese culture.
Day 2 – Hanoi – In this morning, you will visit Ba Dinh Square where silent sentries guard the marble and granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state. (Subject to opening times the interior of the mausoleum can be visited). See the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked, Nearby, visit the Ho Chi Minh Museum, an extraordinary tribute in abstract form to the life of the ‘father of the country’ and the evolution of Vietnamese independence.
French architecture is a feature of Hanoi, and the nearby former Governor’s Residence is a fine example. See also the One Pillar Pagoda, and hear the legend of its construction, born from the love of an emperor in the 11th Century. Lunch will be at a local restaurant then you’ll continue with an afternoon Hanoi Highlights tour for a thorough exploration of this Paris of the Orient
Enjoy an orientation of the tree-lined streets of Hanoi, resplendent with French colonial architecture, including the recently restored Opera House. Pass by Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as Lake of the Restored Sword from the legend that surrounds it en-route to one of the city’s fascinating museums (Army, History or Fine Arts, depending on your preference). Continue to the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and then dedicated to Confucius, it is a serene retreat from the busy streets outside, and later became Vietnam’s first university. Visit the Army Museum, the Quan Thanh Temple, then take to the streets on foot for a walking tour of the Ancient Quarter or 36 Streets District. This densely populated corner of the city was once a centre of commerce where goods were sold under the street name of a particular guild. Still a thriving community of sellers today, you will see street names such as Sugar Street, Tin Street and Paper Street. Ancient homes and temples are interspersed with stores in this souvenir hunter’s paradise!
Day 3 – Hoa Binh Peace Village – Hoa Binh peace village, a specialist school and medical centre providing relief to the child victims of Agent Orange, Dioxin poisoning, and other mental and physical disabilities. The children suffer from a whole range of symptoms, including mental under-development, or stunted or deformed limbs and spines. Most arrive unable to walk, speak, or read and some aren’t even able to respond to their own names. Here, you will have a chance to talk and play with the children and help out around the school for a day of change in action!
Full volunteer project day: Clean up the classes and public area, help paint, and look after the children
After your volunteer work, you’ll head back to your hotel to relax and freshen up before your Welcome dinner at a Vietnamese local restaurant.
Day 4 – Ha Long full day - Start out early this morning on an overland drive to Halong Bay. Made famous when it was featured in the French film Indochine, Halong Bay is dotted with thousands of limestone islands, their jagged points jutting out of an oceanic area of over 1500 sq. kilometres. Considered Vietnam’s natural wonder, it is also believed to be home to its very own Loch Ness monster!
Upon arrival, enjoy a peaceful cruise onboard a traditional junk on the Bay, stopping at some of the grottoes and caves on the islands to explore on foot. A seafood lunch will be served onboard.
Disembark the boat in the afternoon then return to Ha Noi in early evening for dinner at local restaurant.
Day 5 – Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Take the morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon is surely one of the most evocative place names in Asia and definitely one of the most extraordinary cities in the world. The most Western in atmosphere of Vietnam’s cities, Ho Chi Minh City (to use it’s official name – although to residents and visitors alike it is universally and affectionately known as Saigon) has a population of 5 million, and a booming free-market economy. It is a city of amazing contrasts: elegant new international hotels, exclusive restaurants and trendy bars side-by-side with roadside noodle stalls, street children and vociferous cyclo drivers. Saigon – a city that is almost indescribable and completely unforgettable.
Upon arrival at the Saigon Airport, you will be met by our professional guide and transferred to the city for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you’ll take a guided tour of the city. In this essential highlight tour, you’ll visit the former Presidential Palace, which is now preserved as a museum, including the underground communications bunkers, headquarters for the Saigon Government during the American War. Continue to the History Museum, which houses an excellent display tracing the origins of the indigenous Vietnamese. Take the opportunity to see a delightful performance of Water Puppetry in the grounds. Visit Notre Dame, an impressive neo-Romanesque cathedral in the centre of city, the ‘wedding cake’ styled hotel d’ville and Dong Khoi street, formerly the centre of haute couture in Saigon when it was known as Rue Catinat.
Dinner will be at a local restaurant.
Day 6 – Cu Chi Tour – Get up early morning to join in a Tai Chi Class at Tao Dan park as well as experience the urban lifestyle when getting start the day. After that, journey out of the city centre to the Cu Chi regions, where you will visit the vast underground network of tunnels built first as a defence against the French, and later expanded during the American war. It was from here that the North Vietnamese waged their guerrilla warfare and you will marvel at their ingenuity and resilience. See secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms. The more adventurous may explore the deeper second, and even third level tunnels. For those preferring to remain above ground, there is ample opportunity to view excavated areas from above. Your guide will advise you of the length and level of difficulty of each tunnel before entering – some are easily accessed by stairs. We recommend good walking shoes and sun protection for this tour and advise you may get a little dirty!
Lunch will be at a local restaurant in Cu Chi area. The remainder of the day is at leisure, and dinner will be at local restaurant.
Day 7 – Saigon-Mekong Delta & Cai Be Home stay – Journey south of Ho Chi Minh City by road for approximately 3 hours to the Mekong River town of Cai Be, where you will board a motorised sampan for an introduction to life on the river.
Cai Be is known for its large floating market, where displays of food and produce are hung from bamboo poles over the host boat in order to attract custom. From here, the journey continues across the upper reach of the river to a maze of tributaries and fruit plantations. Barges ply the route, overloaded with rice husks used as fuel for the regions numerous brick kilns. Visit a house factory of ceramic and tiles, floating fishing village, and a Bonsai garden. Bike through peaceful villages to feel the Mekong Delta rural atmosphere. Lunch at local restaurant in an ancient house during folk song performance.
Cooking class in the afternoon and dinner will be following.
Day 8 – Cai Be – Saigon – After breakfast, you’ll visit the floating market and a craft village, both excellent places to pick up souvenirs for friends and family, then you’ll head back to Saigon in late morning.
Day 9 - Departure – Free at leisure until departure time to airport for flight home
