Vietnam officially opened to tourism in the early 1990s and eversince travellers have been captivated by a landscape of greatnatural beauty, the Chinese, French and other colonial influenceswoven into the architecture and cuisine, and an incredibly friendlypeople untroubled by their complex past. From north to south,Vietnam constantly displays its vibrant diversity. Hill tribe villagessurrounded by lush green rice paddies in the mountain valleys ofthe north, gracious French colonial buildings and tiny workshopsin the leafy capital, Hanoi, and fishing boat villages floatingamong the limestone mountains rising out of Halong Bay.

Colourful Chinese temples and sedate wood beam merchanthouses adorn the riverfront trading post of Hoi An, while thecarved sandstone ruins of the Hindu influenced ChampaKingdom in the central Vietnam foothills and the grand remainsof an imperial compound in Hue quietly highlight Vietnam’s longand rich past. With Saigon as Vietnam’s commercial capital withits energetic markets, street culture and canals busy withfloating trade between the villages scattered on islandsthroughout the Mekong Delta, Vietnam never fails to imprint asense of wonder and delight in the hearts of its guests.

Vietnam

Call: 020 7636 7906 • CULTURALTOURS I 19

When to goBecause of its geography, the climate in Vietnam varies greatly from northto south. Tropical monsoons occur from October to April in the north andsouth and from May to September in the centre. It is almost totally drythroughout the rest of the year. It is best to travel between the shifting ofseasons September to March.

Flying timeVietnam Airlines offers direct flights from Gatwick to Hanoi and Ho Chi MinhCity, with a flying time of approximately 12 hours.

Time differenceGMT+7

Passport & VisaVisa Required?British �✓ USA �✓ Other EU �✓Passports must be valid for a minimum of 6 months.

Health requirementsDiphtheria �✓ Hepatitis A �✓ Malaria SometimesTetanus �✓ Typhoid �✓ Yellow Fever �✗

Recommendations do change from time to time and it is important to discussyour personal requirements with your doctor.

Hanoi

Hue

Halong Bay

Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon)

OUR HOLIDAYS ARE FLEXIBLE!

Just phone us with your ideas and how long you wish to stay, our experts will tailor-make the

tour to your requirements. Call 020 7636 7906

Essential Vietnam08 Days/07 NightsHanoi/Halong Bay/Hue/Hoi-An/Saigon

Tour ItineraryDay 01: Arrival in HanoiDay 02: Hanoi city tourDay 03: Hanoi to Halong Bay and overnight Junk CruiseDay 04: Transfer and flight to HueDay 05: Hue Sightseeing and transfer to Hoi AnDay 06: Walking tour of Hoi AnDay 07: Fly to Saigon, tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and

city sightseeingDay 08: Transfer to airport for departure

Highlights of Cambodia 06 Days/05 NightsPhnom Penh/Siem Reap

Tour ItineraryDay 01: Arrival in Phnom PenhDay 02: Phnom Penh city tourDay 03: Transfer to Sambor Prei Kuk for sightseeing

Continue to Siem ReapDay 04: Sunrise at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom tourDay 05: Morning boat trip to Tonle Sap LakeDay 06: Transfer to airport for departure

Laos, Land of a Million Elephants05 Days/04 NightsVientiane/ Luang Prabang

Tour ItineraryDay 01: Arrival in Vientiane and afternoon city tourDay 02: Fly to Luang Prabang with afternoon sightseeingDay 03: Visit Pak Ou CavesDay 04: Excursion to Kuangsi Waterfall and the hill tribe villagesDay 05: Transfer to the airport for your departure

OUR HOLIDAYS ARE FLEXIBLE!

Just phone us with your ideas and how long you wish to stay, our experts will tailor-make the

tour to your requirements. Call 020 7636 7906

Call: 020 7636 7906 • CULTURALTOURS I 23

Cambodia and Vietnam Discovery14 Days/13 NightsPhnom Penh/Siem Reap/Hanoi/Halong Bay/Hue/Hoi-An/Saigon

Tour ItineraryDay 01: Arrival in Phnom PenhDay 02: Phnom Penh city tour and afternoon flight to Siem ReapDay 03: Sunrise at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom tourDay 04: Temples tourDay 05: Flight to HanoiDay 06: Hanoi city tourDay 07: Hanoi to Halong Bay and overnight Junk CruiseDay 08: Transfer and flight to HueDay 09: Hue Sightseeing and transfer to Hoi AnDay 10: Hoi An walking tour and cooking classDay 11: Fly to Saigon and Transfer to Mekong DeltaDay 12: Tour to floating market. Drive to SaigonDay 13: Cui Chi tunnels and Saigon city tourDay 14: Transfer to airport for departure flight

Indochina Discovery 16 Days/15 NightsSiem Reap/Hanoi/Halong Bay/Hue/Hoi-An/Mekong Delta/Saigon

Tour ItineraryDay 01: Arrival in Siem ReapDay 02: Visit the Rulous Group of Temples

Afternoon visits to Ta Prohm and Banteay SreiDay 03: Sunrise at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom tourDay 04: Fly to Luang Prabang and afternoon city tourDay 05: Boat trip to Pak Ou CaveDay 06: Kuangsi Waterfall. Fly to HanoiDay 07: Hanoi city tourDay 08: Transfer to Halong Bay and overnight Junk CruiseDay 09: Transfer and fly to HueDay 10: Hue city tour and afternoon transfer to Hoi-anDay 11: Hoi-An city tourDay 12: At leisure in Hoi-anDay 13: Fly to Saigon and Transfer to Mekong DeltaDay 14: Tour to floating market. Drive to SaigonDay 15: Cui Chi tunnels and Saigon city tourDay 16: Transfer to airport for departure flight