
The Golden Center - 5 days
Trip Starts:
DanangTrip Ends:
HueTrip Over View
This amazing 5 days Golden Center tour comprises of outstanding and captivating places like Danang, prehistoric city of Hoi An and the previous colonial capital Hue. This tour is perfect to get familiar with Vietnam’s history, culture and its people.
Danang is the third largest city in Vietnam and with its own charm but often overlooked by tourists. Danang is a wonderful stop point for those looking for a break from touristy areas because it is in close proximity to Hue- 3 hours north and Hoi An- 30 minutes south.At Danang, you can enjoy a French colonial port, the beaches, Cham Museum, further to the south there is My Son, Cao Dai temple and a riverfront boulevard whereas the immediate area includes beautiful attractions like Marble Mountain, Monkey Mountain and Ba Na hill station.
Since as early as 1999, Hoi An have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An is a riverside city well preserved mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and French architecture and between the 15th and 19th century, the city also used to be a prominent Vietnamese trading port. Hoi An is a gem of former Indochina, and truly known as one of the most beautiful cities in Southeast Asia. Known as Fai-Fo or Faifoo previously, Hoi An is so charming and it is a balance between culture, activity, urban, countryside and beach. Also it takes only around half an hour to navigate the whole town on foot but you may plan to spend more time in Hoi An than you think as this place has something enticingly special that makes it so admiring and easy to fall in love with.
Hue is located in central Vietnam on the banks of charismatic Perfume River. This location of Hue plays a significant role in making it quite a popular site amongst the tourists. Hue is distinguished mostly for its historic values and also has been recognized as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Since Hue is often still referred to as “Vietnam’s Imperial City” and lots of things you do here mainly reveal its remarkable history. The city signifies the exceptional display of the power of the disappeared Vietnamese feudal empire, including a complex of monuments, tombs and pagodas attracting tourists from all over. Also the most beautifully sparkling beaches in Vietnam are in Hue along with some mineral hot springs like Thanh Tan in Phong An, Phong Dien where you can totally unwind yourself.
Hue is also an important center of Buddhism where there still are tens of pagodas built more than 300 years ago, and a hundred of temples and pagodas built in the early century in Hue and its surrounding.
Outline Itinerary
Day 1: Danang – Hoi An.
Day 2: Hoi An.
Day 3: Hoi An – Hue.
Day 4: Hue.
Day 5: Hue.
Day 1: Danang – Hoi An
Visit Danang’s Cham Museum, possibly sheltering the best range of Cham art to be found anywhere in the world. There are more than 300 works of art in the museum, many of which dates back to the 4th century. The museum holds a superb assortment sculptures reflecting the 1000 year Cham period.Continue by vehicle from Danang to Hoi An, passing the Marble Mountains and small villages alongside the way. Upon arrival, splurge the rest of the day visiting the attractions in Hoi An, a gracefully conserved trade town which in 1999 was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It brags pictorial riverside surroundings and in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, it was one of South East Asia’s chief international harbors.
Best traveled around by foot, stroll through the paved streets, past low tile-roofed buildings, the busy central market and to the small dock where vibrantly painted boats are anchored. See the Japanese Covered Bridge Pagoda built in 1593 by the Japanese community to connect the town with the Chinese quarters across the watercourse. Visit the Sa Hunyh Museum; the Tran Family Chapel, an old family chapel dating back to 200 years ; Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall, built around 1690 and characteristic of Chinese race that were founded in the area; and a handicraft workshop specializing in Hoi An’s iconic lanterns. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 2: Hoi An
Drive to My Son, which previously was the holy centre of the Champa Kingdom, a sophisticated society which held control over the province from the 4th to 13th centuries. At present, all remnants in brilliantly green surroundings of hills and zigzag streams are the five archaeological spots from different periods. After a short visit to the Visitor’s Centre for general idea of Cham history and culture, visit each ruin in turn, walking along woody trails. Carry on the day with a cycling pleasure trip into the countryside to experience the Wet Rice Civilization. On reaching, meet up local farmers and you share a cup of tea, have a chat with them about their local farming and daily life. Next, get matched up in real Vietnamese farming clothes – a conical hat, boots and a shirt, before trying conventional rice farming process. The guide will explicate about the progression of wet rice cultivation and how it grows. Get familiar with the method the farm operates – see a water buffalo plough, which makes use of a distinctive agricultural water system and try your hand at wet rice planting. Achieve a great gratitude for the hard work and discipline this primeval, conventional work calls for. Take pleasure in a local cuisine with the farmers in their home before cycling back to the hotel.Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 3: Hoi An – Hue
Take a trip from Hoi An via vehicle over beautiful hilly roads with stunning sights over the shoreline. In the middle, between Danang and Hue, there is the spectacular Hai Van Pass, the high separating line between the climate zones of North and South Vietnam. Go onto southwards passing Lang Co, an exquisite stretch of beach bending outwards between clear blue water and the East Vietnam Sea, and the great coastal city of Danang prior to getting there in Hue.Enjoy visiting the primeval house of historian and author Dr. Phan Thuan An who worked at Hue Monuments Conservation Center and has authored many books in Vietnam’s history, culture, literature and the monuments of Hue. Relish a meal with his family and listen to the lecture by a member of his family about Hue and Nguyen Empire along with a video demonstration.Proceed to the Imperial Citadel which is a huge complex constructed in an early 19th century and imitated after the Forbidden City of Peking situated in the heart of Hue, the original walls extended for 10 km and were enclosed by a broad moat. Today, most of the buildings have been ruined due to bombing during the Vietnam-American War but the monuments that stayed behind offers a mesmerizing peep into the court life of the Nguyen Empire. On approach, pass the Flag Tower, where a gigantic Vietnamese flag waves proudly overhead, then along to the magnificent Ngo Mon Gate, the key entrance to the Imperial Enclosure. Enter into an area of large courtyards and tranquil lotus ponds and visit Dien Tho Residence (Dien Tho palace) where the Queen mother used to reside. Visit the Thai Hoa Palace, the brilliantly adorned reception hall; the Halls of the Mandarins; and the original Nine Dynastic Urns.Halt by the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum and then proceed to The Dong Ba market, a local market close to the Imperial City. Overnight in Hue.
Day 4: Hue
Take pleasure in a gentle boat journey down the Perfume River, halting first at the iconic Thien Mu Pagoda, a graceful seven-layered octagonal tower which has become Hue’s most extensively identifiable monument. Persist to sail into the countryside to the Imperial Tomb of Minh Mang, a regal complex of courtyards, pavilions and temples in beautiful natural surroundings. Stop over at Imperial Tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, it is the last monument built between 1920 and 1931 of the Nguyen dynasty and sits grandly on the slopes of Chau E Mountain in Chau Chau Village. The tomb has a long staircase bordered by dragons, ceiling murals and ceramic frescoes. Overnight in Hue.
Day 5: Hue
Departure/Transfer.
Includes
- 3 meals a day.
- English speaking licensed guide.
Excludes
- Drinks, tip and expenses of personal nature.
- Extra expenses due to nature and unforeseen events.
- Travel Insurance.