January 14, 2004 -- Interest in Vietnam continues to grow, the more adventurous many travelers become. It remains inexpensive with hopeful populace known for its surprisingly kind treatment of American visitors. A few tour operators have moderately priced packages, too, often combined with visits to nearby Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and or Hong Kong.
One happy combo is a 12-day/10-night Vietnam and Hong Kong package offered by Pacific Delight Tours, starting at $2,099 from Los Angeles or San Francisco. Departures from NYC are just $70 more. This pricetag includes the roundtrip transpacific air, the air and land transport in and between Hong Kong and Vietnam, an escorted tour throughout Vietnam, local host in Hong Kong, ten nights in deluxe and superior first class hotels, ten breakfasts, four lunches, five dinners, roundtrip transfers, baggage handling, hotel taxes and service charges, sightseeing tours, cultural entertainment and flight insurance (although we always recommend trip insurance from something other than the company you're purchasing travel from).
Three of your ten nights are spent in Hong Kong, seeing the usual sights like Stanley Market, Repulse Bay, the Aberdeen sampan community, and Victoria Peak. In Hanoi, sights include the One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Opera House, Den Ngoc Son Temple, and a Water Puppet Theater performance. In Hoi An, you visit Danang's China Beach, a museum, a covered bridge, pagoda and temple. Hue highlights include the Citadel's Imperial City, Thai Hoa Palace, Hall of the Mandarins and the Forbidden Purple City. In Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), check out the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Palace of the Jade Emperor, Ben Thanh Market, Trun Hung Dao Pagoda and the neighborhood of Cholon.
To contact Pacific Delight Tours, phone them at 800/221-7179 or 212/818-1781 on weekdays from 9 to 7 EST or visit www.pacificdelighttours.com. Tours this winter include departures on January 21, February 4 and 18, and March 3 and 17.
Almost half as expensive per night is an 18-day/15-night package from our friends at Djoser, taking you out of Los Angeles from $1,795; out of New York from $1,845, though prices vary by $100 or $200 depending on season. Departures in early 2004 are for February 10, March 9, April 6 and May 18. This package includes international and domestic flights, transportation, hotels, tour leader, and excursions according to the program. Not included are insurance, visa costs, admission fees, meals, personal expenses, tips, airport tax and the like. The land-only price is $1,245.
Within Vietnam, you visit Hanoi, Lao Cai, Sa Pa, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang, and Ho Chi Minh City, using planes, overnight trains and boats. If you want to add on another five days and nights, you pay a total of $2,195 from Los Angeles or $2,245 from New York, and visit Cambodia, where you spend one night in the capital of Phnom Penh and three nights in Siem Reap, site of the fabulous Angkor Wat. To contact the Pennsylvania office of Djoser, visit www.djoserusa.com or phone 877/356-7376.
If you want to see a lot of "fiercely modern artists" in their homeland of Vietnam, consider signing up for the relatively expensive Art Encounter program being offered by Indochina Travel based in Ho Chi Minh City. The departure date is February 15, and lasts for 12 days and 10 nights, costing a minimum of $3,150 for Vietnam alone, land only, plus your airfare, which they say Cathay Pacific will provide for about $850, and the fee for visiting Cambodia (phone them to find out the damages!). You'll meet artists face-to-face and greet some important people, your guide in Angkor Wat, for instance, being the Under Secretary of State for Tourism. Contact them at www.indochinatravel.com or phone the San Francisco office at 415/731-3360.
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