XII. Pre or Post-conference tours

One pre conference and three post conference tours are proposed below; details (including some photographs taken on previous tours) can be found by clicking on the relevant tour. There is already (15/05/2006) enough participants to guarantee the organization of all the Tours.

If you are interested in participating in any of these tours, do not wait to fill in the online tour registration form (Hotel reservations have to be made early enough).

For certain parts of these tours, you are advised to bring a decent pair of walking shoes!

• Tour 1: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi from Saturday August 12th (14h00) to Monday August 14th morning. Price with full pension: 130 US$ (sharing room) and 180 US$ (single room). This price includes : Accomodation full board, air conditioned vehicule, boat trip, english speaking guide and entrance fees.
• Tour 2: Hanoi –Vinh - Phong Nha - Hue - Da nang - Hoi An - Nha Trang - Dalat - Ho Chi Minh City from Monday August 14th morning to Thursday August 24th morning. Price with full pension: 850 US$ (sharing room) and 1 150 US$ (single room). This price includes : Accomodation full board, air conditioned vehicule, boat trip, english speaking guide and entrance fees.
• Tour 3: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Sapa - Hanoi from Saturday, August 12th (14h00) to Friday August 18th morning. Approximate cost with full pension: 500 US$ (sharing room) and 680 US$ (single room). This price includes : Accomodation full board, air conditioned vehicule, boat trip, english speaking guide and entrance fees.
• Tour 4: Hanoi - Hoa Lu Tam Coc - Hanoi (Inland Ha Long Bay" day trip) : Sunday August 6. Price 30 US$

  Note that Tour 1 and Tour 2 are compatible, i.e. Tour 2 will not leave until Tour 1 has returned!

  Detailed description of Tours 1, 2, 3 and 4 are given below; click the thumbnail pictures to see larger versions.

  
  

  Tour 1: Ha Long: 12-14 August (2 days )
  Aug. 12
  13: 30 Departure for Halong
  16:30 Check in at Hotel in Halong
  18:30 Dinner at hotel
  Aug. 13
  8: 00 Breakfast
  8: 30 Boat trip to visit Halong Bay
  12: 30 Seafood lunch on boat
  14: 30 Return to hotel
  15: 00 Return to Hanoi.
  19: 00 Check in at Hotel in Hanoi
  Aug 14 Breakfast
  End of the tour

  Note : This tour is compatible with Tour 2

  A view of Ha Long Bay

  Tour 2 : Ha Noi to Saigon : August 14 -24 (10 days)
  Aug. 14
  Departure from Hanoi at 7 am sharp: drive to Ninh Binh region, to explore (in small rowing boats) the Tam Coc caves, a remarkable region geologically not unlike Halong Bay, but with rice paddies in place of the sea, from which emerge limestone rocks and hills eroded into strange shapes (see Tour 4 for a couple of pictures). The region is sometimes referred to as the "Inalnd Ha Long Bay". Lunch, followed by a visit to the Phat Diem Cathedral. Drive to Vinh. Overnight stay in Vinh.
  Aug. 15
  Drive to Dong Hoi. Tour of the Phong Nha grotto, included by UNESCO in their list of World Heritage sites. Overnight stay at a beach hotel in Dong Hoi.
  Aug. 16
  Tour of the town of Dong Hoi. Drive to Hue, the old Imperial Capital. Registration at a hotel in Hue.
  Aug. 17
  Tour of the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, followed by a boat trip along the Perfumed River. Guided tour of several Imperial sites, including Minh Mang and Tu Duc. Visit to the Children's Centre and the French bakery school at Thuy xuân. Hotel in Hue.
  Aug. 18
  Guided tour of the Imperial Palace and the Citadel. Drive to Da Nang. Visit to the Cham Museum. Registration at the beach hotel in Hoi An.
  Aug. 19
  Tour of My Son, a major archeological site of the ancient Champa Empire. Free time at Hoi An, a town famous for its artisans, formerly an active centre of commerce and meeting point of several civilisations. Hotel in Hoi An.
  Aug. 20
  Flight from Da Nang to Nha Trang. Guided tour of the town. Overnight stay in Nha Trang.
  Aug. 21
  Drive to Dalat. Visit of the Cham Towers at Poklong Garai, near to Phan Rang. Tour of the area around Dalat, formerly a health resort. Dalat features a remarkable and very active market, selling produce from the local agricultural communities (vegetables, flowers etc) but also from around the world. Visit of the SOS Children's Village of Dalat. Hotel in Dalat.
  Aug. 22
  Visit of Dalat's botanical garden, in which thrive many rare and exotic plants. Drive from Dalat to Saigon. Registration at a hotel in Saigon.
  Aug. 23
  Panoramic tour of Saigon, then of the old Cho lon district and its market. Visit of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, followed by a visit to the Central Post Office (unlike any post office you are likely to have seen!). Hotel in Saigon.
  Aug. 24
  Morning: breakfast and end of tour
  

  Inside the Phong Nha grotto	Phat Diem stone cathedral	Entrance to the Citadel at Hue	A relic of the Cham civilization
  A fishing village on a lake	Getting a haircut in Dalat	The central market in Dalat	One of Saigon's canals

  Tour 3 : Ha long Bay and Sapa : August 12 -18 (6 days)
  Aug. 12
  13: 30 Departure for Halong
  16:30 Check in Halong Hotel
  18:30 Dinner at hotel
  Aug. 13
  8: 00 Breakfast
  8: 30 Boat trip on Halong Bay
  12: 30 Lunch on boat
  14: 30 End of boat tour
  15: 00 Bus parture for Hanoi
  19:00 Arrival in Hanoi. Dinner. Transfer to the railroad station
  21:30 Night train to Lao Cai (4 berths per carriage).
  Aug. 14
  5:00 Arrival in Lao Cai. Transfer to Sapa
  14: 00 Dragon's Jaw Mountain, orchids, villages of ethnic minorities in the Sapa region; Cat Cat village of the H'mong people.
  Aug. 15:
  Departure from Sapa early in the morning to visit the Coc Ly market, an important meeting place for local tribespeople to sell and buy goods of all kinds. Short trek to the nearby Black Dao village, to get a feeling for the life of one of the minority tribes. Continue with a boat trip along the Chay River and visit the Flower H'Mong, Trung Do village and the town of Bao Nhai.
  Aug. 16
  Visit Giang Ta Chai Village, appreciate the daily life of the Red Dzao people, via a trek along the paths that meander through the terraces and bamboo forests. Visit a waterfall and a ratan suspension bridge. Cross the river to visit a H'Mong village. On the return trip to Sapa, visit an ancient stone circle.
  Aug. 17 Exploration of the mountainous region around Sapa, with its ethnic minorities, archeological curiosities and natural beauty.
  Transfer to the Lao Cai train station (for night train to Hanoi).
  Aug. 18
  Arrival in Hanoi at 5 am; breakfast and end of tour.
  

  A street vendor in Lao Cai	Children from an ethnic minority in the Sapa area	The traditional dress of an ethnic minority in the Sapa area	A view of rice paddies in the Sapa area
  	Market day in a village in the Sapa area

  Tour 4 :Hanoi - Hoa Lu Tam Coc - Hanoi ("Inland Ha Long Bay" day trip) ; Sunday, August 6, 2006
  

  Departure of the tour at 8:00 from the Hotel.
  Visit to Dinh King and Le King Temples. Lunch at a local restaurant. Sampan ride along the river to visit the Tam Coc caves (sometimes referred to as the "Inland Ha Long Bay", a remarkable region geologically not unlike Halong Bay, but with rice paddies in place of the sea, from which emerge limestone rocks and hills eroded into strange shapes.
  Return to Ha Noi at 18:00. End of the tour.
  

  Views of the Ninh Binh region ("Inland Ha Long Bay")