Bellevue, WA—The eyes of the world are on Vietnam this week with President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un meeting in Hanoi. For travelers whose interest has been sparked, World Spree offers a very affordable and appealing tour that covers all the highlights of this increasingly popular destination. (Travel expert Pauline Frommer led a recent group.)
The 13-day Amazing Vietnam tour, which starts at $1,599 from Los Angeles and San Francisco ($100 more from New York), includes round-trip international airfare, ground transportation in Vietnam, accommodation in deluxe hotels (like the Hanoi Nikko and Grand Hotel Saigon), daily buffet breakfast, five other meals, an overnight cruise on Halong Bay, sightseeing tours with entrance fees, professional English speaking guides, baggage handling and audio earphones.
The tour starts in Hanoi, Vietnam’s lovely capital, full of parks and French-colonial mansions and a fascinating Old Quarter of tiny shops and street vendors. Sightseeing here includes monuments associated with Ho Chi Minh and there’s an optional tour of the Old Quarter and the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison. Next comes a tour highlight: an overnight cruise on a traditional-style junk through the beautiful waters of Halong Bay, which is celebrated for its spectacular seascape of towering limestone pillars and some 1,600 islets.
A flight south to Da Nang and a short ride past China Beach brings the tour to Hoi An, a charming market town that retains much of its traditional architecture, with well-preserved temples and pagodas, not to mention shops that can produce a bargain-priced dress in 24 hours. On to Hue, the old imperial capital and its wealth of royal palaces, temples and gardens. Sightseeing here includes the impressive Citadel and its Forbidden City and there’s an optional cyclo excursion through the old town, ending with a very special banquet.
And finally, the bustling metropolis called “Saigon” (officially Ho Chi Minh City), where skyscrapers are rising beside ancient temples and French-colonial landmarks. Here there are two not-to-be-missed optional excursions: the Mekong Delta, known as Vietnam’s “rice basket,” and the truly unbelievable Cu Chi Tunnels.
Prices are per person, double occupancy, and are subject to availability. For more information, log onto www.worldspree.com, click Vietnam and then Amazing Vietnam, or call toll-free 1-866-652-5656.
World Spree Travel, which started 15 years ago as China Spree, with tours of China, is a tour operator renowned for 5-star trips at 3-star prices. Based in Bellevue, Washington, World Spree has expanded all over Asia and now operates tours to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bali, Myanmar and, yes, Peru and Ecuador. Foodie tours are on the horizon. Some 70% of World Spree’s tour participants are repeat clients who value well-planned trips at a reasonable price.
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