12-Day Vietnam Highlights with Beach Time

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After breakfast, visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum before exploring his house on stilts. A short walk from the mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda and then the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam. In the afternoon, visit the iconic train street for that famous photo on the trains and walk around the Old Quarter, stopping at Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. At night, you will go to the Water Puppet Show.

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After breakfast, drive to Ninh Binh. Upon arrival, visit Hoa Lu - Vietnam’s former capital and the remains of Dinh and Le Kings’ Temples. In the afternoon, take a boat along the canals and enjoy the beauty of Tam Coc while going through the caves. Take a bicycle ride to Bich Dong temple, declared “Vietnam’s second most beautiful grotto”. Climb up Ngu Nhac Son, be charmed by the marvellous scenery offered by the mountains, rivers and pagodas. At the end of the day, transfer back to Hanoi.

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After breakfast, depart to Ha Long Bay, a World Heritage Area of outstanding natural beauty. Travel through the farmlands of the Red River Delta and Vietnamese villages. Board your cruise and enjoy a welcome drink before checking into your cabin. The cruise starts with lunch served on board. The cruise meanders among many karst rocks and islets in their many unique shapes. In the evening, dinner is served on board. Then you can go night fishing, enjoy drinks on the rooftop or get a massage.

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In the morning, there is a Tai Chi class is available for "early birds" while the sun rises. Then, enjoy tea, coffee and a light breakfast before visiting a cave carved inside the karst formations with impressive stalactites and stalagmites. An early lunch will be served while the cruise is returning back to the pier. Our guide will pick you up for a ride back to Hanoi and go straight to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. You'll be transferred to your hotel on your arrival.

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Drive north-west to the Cu Chi tunnels. Dug in 1948 for the guerrillas to hide from the French. the tunnels served as communication routes, food and weapon cache, hospitals and living quarters for guerrilla fighters. In the afternoon, visit the War Remnants Museum, the Reunification Palace, the location of the Fall of Saigon in 1975. The day ends with the charming Notre Dame Cathedral, the Post Office, the Saigon Opera House and the Ben Thanh Market.

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After breakfast, head to Ben Tre in the heart of the Mekong and hop on a boat on the Ben Tre River. The first stop is at a brick kiln then a coconut processing workshop. Return to the boat and motor through creeks to a village and enjoy some local fruits. Take a tuk-tuk or bicycle along shady paths, green rice fields and vegetable plains. Lunch will be at a local riverside restaurant. After lunch, we’ll take a rowing-boat along a beautiful water palm creek before transferring back to the pier.

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After breakfast in Ho Chi Minh City, you'll take a private car to Mui Ne, your beachside location for the next four days. Once checked into your resort, you'll have the remainder of the day to kick back by the pool or at the beach. Your resort sits right by Mui Ne beach, one of the most beautiful in Phan Thiet, popular for kite surfing as, during the summer months, its positioning on the corner of Vietnam brings strong winds.

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Another day in paradise! Today, you could wake up with the sun and head to the white sand dunes to catch the sunrise. The way the sun hits the sand is truly spectacular and one of the best things you can do in Mui Ne. After breakfast, spend the remainder of the day by the pool or at the beach. At night, you have to head to one of the restaurants on the beachfront, it's one of the best seafood experiences you can find.

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Today might be an adventure day for you. In the morning, you may want to go to the Fairy Springs, where you follow a stream past otherworldly rock formations and local vendors selling juice and souvenirs until you reach a small waterfall. Cambering over the rocks, you can take a rest and enjoy its natural beauty.

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On your last day exploring the highlights of Vietnam, you may want to try out kite surfing with lessons available from any of the huts on the beach. Relax by the pool or on the sand before heading out to the red sand dunes to mark the end of your time in Mui Ne, catching the sunset while trying out sandboarding on one of the plastic sheets from a local is a fun and memorable way to do it. Head to another seafood restaurant tonight to get your last fix of Vietnamese food.