Colonial Luxury Vacation

An example of a 12-day exclusive private tour visiting the major French colonial cities of Vietnam, with luxury accommodation in carefully restored period hotels.

Highlights: Hanoi, evening cyclo tour round the Old Quarter, meeting local craftsmen and artists, Hue’s Citadel, Royal Tombs and garden houses, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City architecture, and Dalat’s ‘counter-culture’

Your tour begins with three days in Hanoi, starting with....
... time to recover, a ‘Welcome’ dinner and some light entertainment to introduce you to Vietnamese rural culture

On the following days, your time will be taken up with the cultural aspects of the city – history, architecture, art, traditions, customs, and so on. If you’re keen on museums, there’ll be a free morning to visit one or two.

Meals: two breakfasts, two lunches and one dinner
Escort/guide: transfers, first evening, and two days

Two days in Hue
The first Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty acceded to throne via the support of the French military forces. Thereafter, the power balance steadily moved towards the French. Apart from showing you the famous Citadel, Imperial City, and the mausoleums of the Emperors, your guide will explain the interaction between the two authorities and trace the path to the Vietnam War and the present day.

You’ll also make contact with the Imperial past when you dine in one of Hue’s unusual ‘garden houses’.

Meals: two breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner
Guide: transfers and a day and a half from arrival

Three days in Ho Chi Minh City
Be prepared for a complete contrast! Instead of Hanoi’s elegant boulevards, tree-shaded walks and relatively calm atmosphere, you find Ho Chi Minh City is brash, noisy and frenetic. It’s also very exciting! You’ll visit the sights, of course – the Jade Emperor Pagoda is a particular favourite for many of our clients - but you’ll also have time to wander around Vietnam’s best shopping area.

Under the French, and known as Saigon, the city was the capital of French Indochina and became a very chic destination. One of the famous itinerant visitors was a regular in the hotel where you’ll be staying – you might like to try our Graham Greene pedestrian tour as it takes you to some excellent examples of colonial architecture. You won’t need a guide.

Meals: three breakfasts and three lunches
Guide: transfers and one day

Three days in Dalat
After a free morning in Ho Chi Minh City, a noon flight whisks you to Vietnam’s most misunderstood city. Here, it’s described as ‘romantic’, because thousands of Vietnamese couple go there for their honeymoon. However, the attraction is the cool temperature, not moonlight and roses. Once a sophisticated mountain resort under the French, it’s now Vietnam’s capital for kitsch. Nevertheless, there’s plenty to see and do, particularly Emperor Bao Dai’s Summer Palace – the comparison between the grandeur of the Citadel and what resembles a large suburban house graphically illustrates the collapse of the last member of the Nguyen Dynasty to puppet status. Then it’s time to fly back to Ho Chi Minh City

Meals: three breakfasts, three lunches and one dinner
Guide: transfers, one full day and two half-days.

Time to leave!
You’ll be free until your car arrives to take you to Ho Chi Minh City airport for your transfer or departure flight.

Meals: one breakfast

This tour is twelve days/eleven nights
It includes:
All transfers and domestic flights
All accommodation
Eleven breakfasts, nine lunches and three dinners