Vietnam Rail Tours
Routes:     Sai Gon - Mekong Delta - Cu Chi - Long Tan - Nha Trang - Da Nang - Hoi An - Hue - Ninh Binh - Ha Noi - Sa Pa - Ha Long Bay
Duration:     18 Days

Itinerary in brief

Day 1.  Arrive Saigon ...Hotel check-in, a welcoming lunch then time for a short walk around the centre of Ho Chi Minh City and become familiar with location of hotel, shops, and the way to cross the busy roads.   A free afternoon before we shake off the jet-lag with a nice little dinner at a rooftop city restaurant and perhaps gather at our hotel bar for a nightcap to gradually close down our first day in Vietnam.    L/D

Day 2.  City Tour/Saigon Post Office/War Museum/Thien Hau Pagoda and busy Binh Tay markets at Cho Lon - Lunch then cruise into some free time to visit shopping venues and markets or simply stroll around the centre of the city ...that's where your hotel is located!.    Dinner with a floor show at the Rex Hotel.   Pretty ladies!    B/L/D

Day 3. Coach tour to visit Cu Chi (tunnels), then continuing to Tay Ninh (ceremony at Great Cao Dai Temple) before taking a nice lunch at a local family-run restaurant in Tay Ninh.    We return to Saigon via a stop at Ben Thanh Market and a pedestrian stroll back to our hotel.     B/L

Day 4.  A coach trip to My Tho on the Mekong delta and a boat trip to Thoi Son Island for a terrific garden lunch and a look at island life and a folk music show - return to Saigon, relax , before a fantastic Dinner Cruise on the Saigon River reminds you that you're on holidays!    B/L/D

OR Day 4* for Long Tan visitors (Additional cost involved).  My Tho trip (as above) followed by coach/car to Vung Tau.   Dinner at our hotel then evening is free to discover "Vungers" ...a drink at Ned Kelly's Eureka Pub?    B/L/D

Day 5. Visit Reunification Palace (former Presidential Palace)/ laquerware factory then Lunch and a shopping break before Dinner and transfer to Railway Station.    Our 1st night on THE TRAIN ....to Nha Trang.   B/L/D

OR Day 5* (Long Tan visitors).  Early start on tour of Vung Tau then off to Long Tan, Nui Dat and Long Phuoc.    Lunch in Baria before rejoining Rail Tour group in Saigon for Dinner then THE TRAIN!

Day 6.  Arrive Nha Trang - beachside hotel.  Brekky then boat trip to visit Tri Nguyen Aquarium and  Hon Tre (Bamboo Island) - Lunch on island.   A beachfront setting for dinner ...order what you like (Aussie steak, NZ lamb, Indian curry) ...Open Menu!     After dinner relax at a coffee shop by the beach opposite our hotel, or maybe try a cyclo ride along the tree-lined promenade. B/L/D

Day 7.  Early rise to practice Tai Chi with the locals on the beach before breakfast.  Visit Long Son Pagoda-Po Na Gar Tower-City Centre then Lunch at our hotel.   Afternoon is completely free time before dinner at a local seafood restaurant.    Relax with a drink in the Dining Car before the train rocks us to sleep as it heads north to our next stop on tour, Da Nang.    B/L/D

Day 8.  AM arrive Da Nang, break then transfer to hotel in Hoi An and some free time.  In the late afternoon we set off on a visit to a silk making enterprise, then a guided pedestrian tour exploring the Old Town.    Check out the Japanese Bridge, Hoi An museum, riverside cafes and the town market before deciding on some dinner ...we know just the place!    B/L

Day 9.  A free day to relax by the pool or the beach, wander Hoi An’s Old Town, or hit the shops (made-to-order clothes).  A garden lunch in town and a rooftop dinner with a dance show (Cham culture) concludes a lazy, entertaining day. B/L/D

DAY 10.    Depart Da Nang by train for breathtaking scenery en route to Hue, the former royal capital.   Visit the tombs of the emperors, the famous Citadel Palace and take a leisurely trip along the Perfume River to the wonderful Thien Mu Pagoda.

Day 10.    Transfer to train for a 4 hour trip via the super-scenic Hai Van Pass to Hue.     Arrive at our hotel mid afternoon before a boat trip along the Perfume River to the wonderful Thien Mu Pagoda.    A cyclo tour of Hue in the early evening takes us to an entertaining Dinner.   Lunch on train.  A BIG DAY ...coach-train-boat-cyclo!  B/L/D

DAY 11.  Visit the tombs of the emperors and the famous Citadel of Hue before farewelling Hue and resuming our rail journey into the North, across the 17th Parallel.   Enjoy spectacular coastal and rural scenes, followed by  an ''Aussie picnic dinner'' before retiring to bed as our train closes the distance to the capital, Ha Noi.

Day 11.   Early start to visit the famous Citadel and the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc before returning to hotel; lunch, then on to Hue's historic railway station.  PM: All aboard to cross the 17th Parallel and into the North.   Dinner on train (a party!) and an overnight trip before arrival in Hanoi early the next morning.  Spectacular scenery and sunsets!  B/L/D

Day 12.   Arrive at Ninh Binh Station (100km south of Hanoi) around 6.30AM and then breakfast at a local tourist restaurant.    We're here to have some fun in boats and visit the spectacular scenery in the region surrounding Hoa Lu and the Tam Coc caves ''poetically (and aptly) called ''Halong Bay on the ricefields''.      By mid morning our group resumes the journey north aboard a tour coach travelling through verdant rural countryside to the national capital, Ha Noi .        Check-in to our hotel in the centre of the city's famed Old Quarter then kick back with a nice lunch and a free afternoon and evening to wander/shop your way around the lake and stores in the city centre, or explore the scenes and bargains available in the fascinating Old Quarter.      Dinner venues are easy to find ...or perhaps some room service and relaxation?   B/L

Day 13.   A coach tour around the city fringes on our way to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and wartime home amid the expansive gardens surrounding the former residence of the French Governor of Indochina.     Later we visit the famous One Pillar Pagoda and the ancient Temple of Literature before it's time for lunch then a free afternoon.     At 6PM we're attending a performance of Hanoi's celebrated Water Puppet Theatre and then the fun continues with dinner at a favourite restaurant.    After dinner we transfer to Hanoi Railway Station ready for an overnight rail trip NW to Lao Cai and the mountain region near the China Border.       B/L/D

Day 14.   Arrive Lao Cai then scenic bus trip to Sa Pa (mountain resort/former hill station) and visit local sites.  PM includes a tour in Russian jeeps and some easy trekking thru local H'Mong Villages   Lunch and Dinner at our hotel.  B/L/D

Day 15. Free morning to laze or experience the kaleidoscope of scenes in Sa Pa town.  Midday checkout then lunch before starting on scenic downhill drive to Lao Cai (train) - includes visit to the China Border and a cold drink or two before the train departs.   Dinner in Lao Cai before our last night on the train as we head back to Hanoi.     B/L/D

Day 16. Arrive in Hanoi, farewell our friendly rail crew,  then transfer to coach for trip to Ha Long Bay ...coffee stop enroute.   All aboard our JUNK before 9AM for breakfast and the start of a relaxing boat cruise around the islands and grottoes of this World Heritage attraction.   Spend a day & night aboard our JUNK and enjoy wonderful seafood for lunch and dinner ...great dining!    B/L/D.

Day 17.  Morning coach trip back to Hanoi then lunch at local restaurant (another favourite!).    Afternoon and evening is free time to rest/shop/walk in the Old Quarter, the museums or around the shops in central Hanoi.    A Farewell Party at our "Final Lunch" on tour then it's time to finish your shopping or party-on in Ha Noi's new, trendy nightspots.      LAST NIGHT IN VIETNAM!     B/L

Day 18.   Morning free for final shopping before Hotel-Airport transfer.