Day 1: Hue Arrival
Meal: n/a | Accommodation: hotel
Upon arrival, transfer group to Hue downtown. Check-in and free at leisure. Overnight in Hue
Day 2: Full day city tour
Meal: breakfast and lunch | Accommodation: hotel
In the morning, we’re boarding a boat for a trip on the Perfume River to visit the towering Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the most famous Vietnamese landmarks. Differing legends explain how the pagoda came to be - one tells of an old woman who instructed Lord Hoang Nguyen in 1601 to walk contemplatively along the river with a lit incense stick and to build a city at the spot where the incense stopped burning.
We then take a short drive into a lush valley of the river where seven tombs were built for seven Nguyen emperors. Each is an expression of the unique personality of the man whose remains it holds and each is comprised of three elements: a temple dedicated to the worship of the deceased emperor and his queen, a stone stele that records the biographical and historical high points of his life, and the royal tomb itself. We will visit two of the tombs of emperors Minh Mang and Tu Duc before driving outside of town for a lunch of classic Hue cuisine at a restaurant in a beautiful garden setting.
In the afternoon, we return to the center of Hué city. The massive Kinh Thanh Citadel is the most well known and iconic site in Hué. Begun in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long, it is actually a sprawling complex comprised of the Imperial City, several museums, lakes, and lovely gardens, all laid out in a series of concentric circles. We also visit the Forbidden Purple City, originally built in the early 1800s for the personal use of the emperor and staffed by eunuchs who posed no threat to the royal concubines. Nearly destroyed in the Tet Offensive, the ruins today house the Royal Library and the grounds flourish with mimosa plants and vegetable gardens.
Day 3: Hue – Da Nang - Hoi An
Meal: breakfast, lunch | Accommodation: hotel
Drive to Danang, pass by Lang Co Beach and stop on top of the Hai Van Cloudy Pass for magnificent view. Next stop is Marble Mountains where “Viet Cong” hid during the Vietnam War with American, and the natural caves of Buddhist sanctuaries. Not only we will climb the mountain to see these caves, but see also traditional stone-carving workshops located at the foot of the Marble Mountains.
Have lunch in Hoi An town
After relaxing lunch, we’ll have a walking tour in Hoi An ancient town, visit ancient house, local market, traditional handicraft workshop, Chinese community’s assembly halls and Japanese Bridge Pagoda. Rest of this afternoon, it’s time for relaxing at nice river-front place with local cocktail or cool draught beer.
Day 4: Hoi An – My Son sanctuary – Hoi An
Meal: breakfast | Accommodation: hotel
08:00am Drive about 50km from Hoi An to the My Son sanctuary. This was the site for religious ceremonies of kings of the Champa dynasty, and was also a burial place for Champa’s royalty and national heroes. The My Son temples are one of the largest Hindu complexes in southeast Asia and are a premier heritage in Vietnam. Though much of the complex has been destroyed over time, we can still see many majestic ruins of temples and learn what archaeologists can tell us about the deep history in this area.
Afterwards, we head back to Hoi An and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 5: Hoi An – Danang City - Departure
Meal: breakfast | Accommodation: n/a
Free at leisure until transfer to airport for departure flight.