Classic Tours

Essential Vietnam
The two great metropolises of the country are the elegant capital city Hanoi and the dynamic, economic powerhouse Ho Chi Minh City. Since 1993 UNESCO has declared five World Heritage Sites in Vietnam, four in central Vietnam and one in the north. The four sites in central Vietnam are former imperial capital Hue, the historic trading port of Hoi An, the centre of the former Cham Kingdom, My Son, and Phong Nha Caves. The fifth World Heritage Site is the spectacular natural wonder that is Halong Bay in northern Vietnam.

Hanoi Stopover
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, its political and cultural center. Such a statement, however, cannot do justice to what Hanoi has been a city begat by mythology, inspired by legends, a survivor of countless violent struggles and political intrigues, sustained on patriotism, ideology and the willful independence of its people. This is a city that has experienced an eventful millennium.

Ho Chi Minh City Stopover
Knowing Vietnam’s difficult history, many visitors are surprised by Ho Chi Minh City’s vibrancy. As Vietnam’s financial and commercial hub with a population of over 5 million, it is growing and modernizing at an astonishing rate, attracting entrepreneurial spirits from everywhere – foreigners, Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese alike. Today the city is an urban metropolis where traditional Chinese, colonial French, Buddhist, Indian, Muslim and 60′s American influences mix with modern day architecture and culture to create a place that is uniquely Ho Chi Minh City.

Highlights of Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta, often referred to as Vietnam’s rice basket, is the biggest rice-growing region in the country, the rich alluvial soils producing three harvests a year. Despite being a predominantly rural region, the Mekong Delta is one of the most densely populated areas in Vietnam and most of the land is under cultivation. Other delta products include coconut, sugar cane, fruit and fish. The main towns of the delta are My Tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho and Chau Doc. Driving south from Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho is the first major Mekong Delta town you come to. Its proximity to Ho Chi Minh City has made My Tho the most popular destination for day-trippers to the delta looking for a taste of authentic delta life. Here visitors can take a sampan along the waterways, visit tropical fruit orchards and try the local delicacy, Elephant’s Ear Fish.

Vietnam Heritage Road
In 1802, Emperor Gia Long, founder of the Nguyen dynasty, moved the capital from Hanoi and built his Imperial City in Hue. From then on, the Nguyen dynasty ruled Vietnam from Hue until the abdication of Emperor Bao Dai in 1945, though the French seized the city in 1885, leaving them as nominal rulers only. During the 1968 Tet Offensive the Vietnamese Army (VA) held the city for 25 days, and in the ensuing counter-assault the city was all but levelled. Seven years later, on March 26, 1975, the VA were back to liberate Hue, the first big town south of the Seventeenth Parallel. The huge task of rebuilding received a boost in 1993 when UNESCO listed Hue as a World Heritage Site.

Grand Vietnam
The country can be conveniently divided into three distinct regions, the south, the centre and the north, corresponding to the three administrative regions of Cochinchina, Annam and Tonkin under the French colonial rule. The north of the country was the first to be settled and is characterized by the rich farming lands of the Red River Delta. The centre contains the Truong Son Mountain Range running along the border with Laos in the west and the narrow coastal strip bordering the Eastern Sea in the east. In the south, the Mekong Delta is the country’s most fertile region and Vietnam’s major rice and fruit producing area.