Central Vietnam Highlights 6 days 

This trip is ideal for those who have an interest in the cultural heritage of Vietnam. It begins in Hue, the old Imperial City, which served as Vietnam's capital under the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945. It includes the picturesque town of Hoi An, one of Southeast Asia's major trading ports between the 17th and 19th centuries; Danang - one of Vietnam's major international ports and finishes in My Son Sanctuary (Quang Nam province), which was the central praying and worship ceremony place of Cham Pa reigns in the past.
 
 

 

10.00  From Hanoi depart to Noi Bai airport (30km) - (you should have breakfast before). Take the flight at 12.40  
Arrive in Hue at 13.50 - 14.30  
Rest in hotel.

 

The imperial tomb of Tu Duc is considered to be the most beautiful Imperial tomb of every Hue. This tomb set in a beautiful natural and bathed by a Lake, 6 km outside of Hue, was used by the Emperor Tu Duc in life as Summer Palace and spiritual retreat. The Imperial of the Emperor Tu Duc Tomb (Tự Đức) is an architectural complex which covers 12 hectares of surface and in its interior we can find 50 buildings between palaces and pavilions. The Tomb Imperial it took to build 3 years (since the year 1864 to 1867) and the imperial tomb of Hue that best fuses with the nature that surrounds it is.

 

Tu Duc Tomb
 

18.30 Have dinner and rest at hotel.

 

 
The Imperial City at Hue is the best-preserved remnant of a vast citidel and royal quarters that once existed on the site. To put the ruins into context, it is important to consider how they were originally used. By the time the last Emperor of Vietnam stepped down in the mid 20th century, the Purple Forbidden City had acquired many dozens of pavilions and hundreds of rooms. Although improperly maintained (the city suffered from frequent termite and typhoon damage) it nevertheless remained an imposing spectacle. All of that changed in 1968, when American military forces in Vietnam, reacting to the communist takeover of Hue, ordered the city retaken. American bombs blasted the majority of the city into rubble, sparing only a handful of buildings. Nowadays the city has been declared a UNESCO site and the remaining buildings have been lovingly restored.
 

 

 

The Imperial City at Hue

12.30   Have lunch and rest at hotel.
 

 
The temple of Hon Chen is standing just on the bank of the Perfume River inclined to poetic dreams and 10km upstream of Hue city. Hon Chen temple was built for cult of Po Nagar, the Goddess of the ancient Cham minority. After then, the Vietnamese continued the cult and name the Goddess as Heaven Goddess Y A Na. This temple for Goddess appeared in this place centuries ago, but with a very simple design, and after then, reconstructed with a larger and more beautiful architectural scale in 1886. Hon Chen temple is situated at a lovely site seated on the slope of the mountain Ngoc Tran (Jade - cup) with sheer cliff and mirroring in the deep blue water of the Perfume river.

 

A festival at Hon Chen Temple
 

 
Thien Mu is a well-known pagoda in Hue. The pagoda is located on Ha Khe hill, Huong Long commune, Hue city. It possesses an ancient architecture style which is regarded as one of the most beautiful places in Hue. The pagoda is surrounded by gardens of trees and flowers which make the atmosphere more peaceful. There is a poetic forest of pine trees behind the Pagoda. Thien Mu Pagoda was once destroyed in 1943. Since 1945, Thich Don Hau, a bonze has successfully carried out the 30-year long reconstruction to rescue the pagoda. Today, Thien Mu Pagoda continues to be repaired and reconstructed to welcome visitors from all regions of Vietnam as well as all over the world.

 

Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue
 

18.30 Have dinner and rest at hotel.
 

 

 
-The Museum of Cham Sculpture is at the junction of Bach Dang street and Tran Phu street, Hai Chau district, near the Dragon bridge. It is a graceful building and an eclectic mix of French-colonial architecture and Cham elements set in picturesque surroundings by the Han river. The history of the museum starts in 1891 when Charles Lemire started to collect Cham sculptures that had been discovered in scattered areas of Quang Nam province and brought them to Danang. The number of items increased to 90 by 1895 and they were housed at the "Tourane Garden", where the museum would later be built.




 

 

 

The Cham Sculpture Museum in Danang
 

11.00   Have lunch and rest at hotel.
 
 

 
Tourists are advised to spend their time admiring 18 statues of Arhat with all of the expressions of joy, anger, love and hate as they are great pieces carved meticulously by skillful artisans. A large yard where all the statues are located will lead visitors to a giant gate with three doors. This is where tourists can relax their minds once they look at the boundless sea below where numerous boats bubble on the water surface and Ngu Hanh Son Range in the distance or cast off all your worries as you look at the gentle face of the Goddess of Mercy statue on the right side of the gate. Inside the statue, which is the equivalent to a 25-storey building, there are 17 levels which allow tourists to admire the view from different heights.


 

 

 

Linh Ung Pagoda in Danang
 

18.30  Have dinner and rest at hotel.
 
 

 

 
Mountains, temples, caves blends with the outside natural landscape of relics, antiques, epitaphs, ancient Chiness literature and the group of statues with bold traces of Champa culture that is existing in Ngu Hanh Son are the invaluable assets. The temple tower buildings marked the cultural heyday of the Nguyen Dynasty. After visit Thuy Son, tourists will visit the Non Nuoc art stone village at the bottom of the mountain. This is the traditional village existed over 3th century and is one of the famous villages of Vietnam. Stone produced here includes various kinds taken from inside and outside the country with a rich variety of designs.

 

Non Nuoc Tourist Area in Danang
 

 
11.30  Have lunch and rest at hotel.
 
 

Located on the banks of the poetic Thu Bon River, in central Quang Nam province, 30 kilometers south of Da Nang, Hoi An ancient town is an Eastern oriental classic captivation. With the strategic location on the banks of the great river, with one seaside border (East), it used to be one of the major trading centers in Southeast Asia during the 16th century due to the early western trader occupying period. Since Hoi An is an old Town, its places of interest are of full historically classical meaning and image.


 

 

Hoi An Ancient Town

 
18.30  Have dinner and rest at hotel.
 
 

 

 
Situated inside the 2-kilometer wide valley in Quang Nam province, the My Son Sanctuary temple complex was ever the central praying and worship ceremony place of Cham Pa reigns. My Son is also a tool to assist the reigns to contact with God and Saints. The land accordingly become the significant religious and cultural center of Cham Pa reigns. All of the Chăm towers were built on a quadrate foundations and each comprises three parts: a solid tower base, representing the world of human beings, the mysterious and sacred tower body, representing the world of spirits, and the tower top built in the shape of a man offering flowers and fruits or of trees, birds, animals, etc., representing things that are close to the spirits and human beings.


 

 

 

My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam

 

10.30  Back to Hoi An.

12.00  Have lunch and rest at hotel.

13.30  Check out hotel, go to Da Nang airport. Get on the flight 14.20 to Hanoi.

17.00  Arrive in Hanoi. Car will pick you up to the departure location.