Saigon Heritage
Culture
4 Days
Trip Overview
Gain a deeper perspective of Vietnam’s past and present on this 4-day cultural escape to Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in the country. Browse private artist collections and join different workshops by day while sipping cocktails from the best rooftop bars by night. In addition, this package includes many opportunities to taste different varieties of southern Vietnamese fare.
Highlights
- Exploring the art scene of past and present Vietnam with an expert
- Sampling traditional Vietnamese cuisine with a modern take
- Creating silver jewelry in Chinatown with local artisans
- Attending the ground-breaking A O Show at Saigon Opera House
This Tour is Perfect for
- Art lovers, culture aficionados, and history buffs
- Honeymooners and Couples
- Leisure travel in a relaxed, upscale style
- Extending for a few days to northern or central Vietnam
Detailed Itinerary
Topas Travel creates tailor-made tours for our guests according to their specific requests. This itinerary has been designed to show you just one of many options
In Brief
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City Arrival
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City
Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City Departure
Day 1: Welcome to sophisticated Saigon | Ho Chi Minh City Arrival
Xin Chao and welcome to evocative Saigon, known officially as Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, a Topas representative will welcome you before heading to the heart of the city to your cozy accommodation for the next few days.
Enjoy the day at leisure exploring old Saigon’s most popular attractions, mainly Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office before heading to the historic Caravelle Hotel for Happy Hour, sipping cocktails with a view of what you’ve seen from above. Then, sup at the contemporary Quan Bui Original for dinner amidst modern office skyscrapers, Oriental styled pagodas, and food stalls, sensing the dynamic urban feel of the new Ho Chi Minh City.
Included meals: Dinner
Distance and activities: 45’ drive
Day 2: Saigon through the years | Ho Chi Minh City
Discover Saigon through the years with Sophie this morning, a long-term resident of Ho Chi Minh City and an expert in Vietnamese art. View private collections of work housed in a traditional Saigon villa, seeing the similarities between Vietnamese students of the 1920s and their contemporaries in Paris. Then, move on to a private home converted into a gallery to see a collection of Vietnamese Combat Art and Propaganda Art, created during times of war. End the fascinating experience at the impressive HCMC Fine Arts Museum, learning about how artists were used by the government during resistance, revolution, and finally, the reunification of the country.
Lunch at Dining Room, a traditional Vietnamese Restaurant with a contemporary plating and enjoy the flavors of the set menu, which depend on the day.
The afternoon is at leisure for you to discover Ho Chi Minh City on your own until making your way to the Saigon Opera House in the early evening for the award-winning A O Show. A mix of cirque nouveau, acrobatics and modern dance, this performance brings tales of rural and urban life to the stage through usage of bamboo props and unique live music.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 3h sightseeing tour – 1.5h A O Show
Day 3: Evocative Saigon | Ho Chi Minh City
Leave the glitz and glamor of district 1 and discover a whole new world in the exotic alleys of Cho Lon, Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown. Peer inside ancient temples, traditional medicine shops, and more on your way to Vietnam Silver House. Learn about the history and development of the silver industry in Vietnam before joining a silver-making workshop guided by artisans and try your hand at both simple and complicated techniques to create your own masterpiece.
Return to district 1 for lunch at Bloom Saigon, a vocational training restaurant working to empower disadvantaged youth in Ho Chi Minh City by providing culinary training. The food is a mix of traditional Vietnamese and Asian fusion, served in a big French Colonial Villa.
The afternoon is at leisure to discover Ho Chi Minh City on your own.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 1.5h sightseeing tour – 1.5h silver workshop
Day 4: Farewell for now…| Ho Chi Minh City Departure
Savor your last moments in Ho Chi Minh City until your transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for onward booked travel.
Included meals: Breakfast
Distance and Activities: 45’ transfer
Tour Inclusions
- 2-way private A/C airport transfer
- All accommodation indicated as twin-shared room
- All meals as indicated in the program
- All workshops and tours mentioned in the program
- Refillable water in vans (Please check with your guide or driver)
- 1 x English speaking local tour guide on days with activities
- Government VAT
Important Notes
Tour Exclusions
- Drinks and alcohol
- Vietnam visa (On request with additional charge)
- Travel insurance (Compulsory with Topas Travel programs)
- Upgrades to higher standard rooms or single supplements
- Personal travel items (Please visit our Vietnam weather page for more information)
Essential Information
This program utilizes comfortable accommodation in the form of carefully curated hotels, lodges, and homestays. Hotels and lodges have been selected with the active traveler in mind, offering standard services and located as close to nature and local engagement as possible. Homestays are simple and equipped with western toilets and amenities such as fans and mattresses. If you have a specific property in mind you wish to stay at, please let your travel designer know so they can work it into your program.
