Day 1: Saigon Arrival
Flight Suggestion:
PR591 MNL-SGN 06.50-08.35
Arrival into Tan Son Nhat Airport, time to be confirmed.
We’ll begin with a short orientation tour (walking / driving) of Old Saigon Streets and Iconic Buildings. Appreciate the splendidly restored exteriors of the Opera House and the former Hotel de Ville which are still two of the finest buildings in Saigon.
(Opera House)
Wander up to the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires based on the original construction from Paris. Then head across the square to the Central Post office, designed by the French architect, Gustav Eiffel before he had risen to fame for the Eiffel Tower.
(Central Post office)
Pink Church – Tân Định church (Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) is a church built during the French colonial period in the 1880s when Vietnam was part ofFriench Indochina. The church is situated at 289 Hai Bà Trưng street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and belongs to Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City.
The church architecture features Roman style architecture. It is the second largest church in Ho Chi Minh City, after the Saigon Notre- Dame Basilica (Vietnamese: Nhà thờĐức Bà Sài Gòn) in District 1.
Continue to your hotel for check in.
The remainder of the day is free for you to explore the locality.
Meal: Lunch
Overnight at hotel in Saigon
Day 2: Saigon - Hue
Pick-up from your hotel and visit Ky Dong Church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help).
Ky Dong Church is located at 38 Ky Dong, Ward 9, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The church was built in 1949 and completed in 1952.
Ky Dong Church is one of the best local churches in Ho Chi Minh City which impresses visitors with the triangle blocks and semicircular door arches, especially the statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
The design of the church is simple, a mixture of modern and traditional Roman style, but still exudes solemnity.
Then we will visiti bustling Ben Thanh market which has been the focus of the city’s commercial life since it was completed under French rule nearly a century ago. It has outgrown the main structure and now spills over into the adjacent streets.
It’s a great place to start an education in local cuisine – very local. It’s all there for you to see and sample for next to nothing. Pho, Bun – the full collection of tasty southern Vietnamese soups are on sale and much more.
It’s a great place to stock up on souvenirs, T shirts, bags, coffee and other local products that sell at higher prices in the city’s more upmarket shops. But even if you’re not on a shopping mission, Ben Thanh Market is a must see.
After this, we’ll transfer you to the airport for your approx. 1.5 hour domestic flight to Hue City, where you’ll be met at Hue airport by your local guide and transferred to your 4 star hotel in the city.
Estimated afternoon flight from SGN to HUI
Meal: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight at hotel in Hue City
Day 3: Our Lady of La Vang – Hue Citadel
After breakfast we will visit Phu Cam Cathedral which is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Hue, and is one of the largest, the most famous and the oldest church in Hue.
Then we drive north of Hue to Our Lady of La Vang – A major pilgrimage center for Catholics in Vietnam, spending time for praying then back to Hue city for lunch.
In the afternoon, we will depart to visit Citadel, which is located on the North bank of Huong River (Perfume River), inside Hue city.
It is a huge complex covering an area of 520 ha and comprising three circles of ramparts, Kinh Thanh Hue (Hue Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel). The rule of the last Vietnamese Emperor lasted until the mid-1900s. At the time, the Purple Forbidden City had many buildings and hundreds of rooms. It suffered from termite and cyclone damage, but was still very impressive. Many bullet holes left over from the war can also be observed on the stone walls.
After ending a meaningful day, we take time to enjoy the atmosphere at Thien An Monastery.
It is located in Thuy Bang, Huong Thuy, Thua Thien Hue, in a romantic, airy space in the middle of the forest of pine. After many years of establishment, with type of design as convent church, Thien An Monastery still retains its intimacy, harmonize with nature, and be beautiful between forest. We will have a great time there.
Meal: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight at hotel in Hue City
Day 4: Hue – Cloudy Pass – Bana Hills – Hoi An Ancient Town
After breakfast, Following National Highway 1 to Hue City is around 4 hours drive. We’ll stop at Da Nang Beach, followed by a scenic drive over the stunning Hai Van Mountain Pass. This is the highest pass in Vietnam (500m above sea level).
The rugged pass is the final section of the Truong Son Range stretching to the sea.
Hai Van is translated “Sea Clouds”, since the peak of the mountain is in the clouds while its foot is close to the sea.
The views over Lang Co Bay are stunning. We’ll make stops along the way for photos and refreshments as required.
Passing by Da Nang we head to the Ba Na Hills. This hill resort, inherited from the French, has refreshingly cool weather and gorgeous countryside views.
Until WWII, the French were carried up the last 20km of rough mountain road by sedan chair, but now a 5.7km (the world’s longest) cable car system has opened up access. The ride involves a rise of almost 1400m, a truly spectacular trip over dense jungle and waterfalls.
Folklore says that when the French arrived in this region, they saw a lot of bananas and gradually this morphed to Ba Na!
Walk the Golden Bridge…
This amazing construction has attracted visitors worldwide, eager to see a novel piece of architecture famed for its unusual design.
The pedestrian walkway, sits at over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) above sea level and extends over the treetops from the edge of a leafy cliff face, offering visitors uninterrupted views of the majestic landscape beneath.
The bridge was designed to evoke the image of the ‘giant hands of God’, pulling a strip of gold out of the and to connect the cable car station with the gardens and to provide an amazing scenic overlook.
We’ll remain flexible as to the walks and sites visited.
Lunch is included, following which we’ll continue to Hoi An to arrive by around mid to late afternoon.
After check in hotel in Hoi An, we will visit Hoi An ancient town, evening walking in the old town.
Located on the banks of the poetic Thu Bon River, Hoi An ancient town is an Eastern oriental classic captivation. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Hoi An was a prosperous trading port, with a number of foreign occupations. These included the Japanese and Chinese, and and also western (Dutch and Spanish) during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Today, this UNESCO World Heritage listed ancient town is home to well-preserved buildings, pedestrianized streets, a quaint riverside and unique cuisines. The narrow lanes are ideal for a 3 hours walking tour to give you a glimpse of an ancient town with its illustrious past. You will visit the Japanese Bridge, the Assembly Hall of Chinese, an old merchant’s house – Tan Ky beautiful town of all lanterns by night.
Meal: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight at hotel in Hoi An
Day 5: Our Lady of Tra Kieu – Tra Que Cooking Class
After breakfast at hotel, we will visit Our Lady of Tra Kieu, which is the holy mountain church where pilgrimages gather to pray and memorize the glory and the victory that Our Lady who gave to the faithfuls when they were in the war of self-defense against the Can Vuong Movement in 1885.
After that we will drive to to Tra Que, which is a charming little village located just a few kilometres northeast of Hoi An. The village is famous for growing many kinds of vegetables and herbs including: lettuce, salad, houttuynia, flagrant knoutwed, basil and coriander.
We will learn about the planting and growing of vegetables and herbs. Enjoy a herbal foot massage before taking a short informal cooking class with a local family, to learn how to make (and then eat) some local delicacies.
The rest day will be free at your leisure
Meal: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight at hotel in Hoi An City
Day 6: Departure
Free at leisure until transferring to airport for your flight home.
End of your Vietnam Catholic Tour.
Estimate flight:
VN117 DAD-SGN 09.10-10.40
PR598 SGN-MNL 15.30-19.30
Meal: Breakfast
Included: All services listed in the tour plan
Excluded:
Traveling with us in the meaning of “CONNECT and SHARE”, you will see how life becomes special to catholic communities and it is a great chance to understand more about Vietnamese culture and catholic stories through the real local catholics.
Ho Thi Suong Lan
0161000885230
Vietcombank – Hue
Viet Orchid Travel Co., Ltd.
16 Doan Huu Trung, Phuoc Vinh Ward, Hue City,
Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam.
(+84) 914 544 660 – 234 3623 896
Fax: 0234 3935 621
