Vietnam Tour: City to Coast

I wanted to share some exciting news with you all before we launch into our recap of this year’s incredible trip to Vietnam.
Today we are unveiling an additional tour option for our annual trip to Vietnam!

Our yearly sightseeing and cultural tour, has been such a success that we have needed to add a second beach and poolside cultural journey of the beautiful Hoi An for those that wish to return and indulge in some relaxation and tailoring or perhaps only have time for a quick getaway!

Both tours will include our incredible tailoring experience where I will assist you in making very special pieces for your wardrobe.

So, we thought with this announcement we would share with you on our blog today our experience from the last tour and inspire you to join us!

Vietnam 2016 Cultural and Shopping Tour 2016

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh is an incredible rush. There is an extraordinary energy in the air as you experience a busy city holding onto its culture and historical past.

It is vibrant and sophisticated city, it has a French influence to the architecture that is truly unique and beautiful.

It is also such a warm welcome! Coming from the Winter at home it is like a big warm hug! We could not wait to shed our winter layers and feel the sunshine again!

Our accommodation for Ho Chi Minh is always Hotel Caravelle, an incredible historical 5-star hotel with views overlooking the beautiful city from their lounge where we enjoyed canapes and drinks every night.

Our welcome dinner was where we all really got to know each other. After the flight we had already started to connect with one another, and over dinner we shared our life’s experiences and stories.

We soon realised there were going to be life-long friendships being made on this trip.

A great morning of discovery as we are introduced to the excitement and fascinating history of Saigon and its sights. We began with a walking tour through the heart of Saigon’s famous and historic city landmarks including Dong Khoi Street the Rex Hotel, Municipal Theatre, Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame Cathedral.

We visited the US consulate, the former US embassy before visiting the deeply affecting Re-Unification Palace and War Remnants Museum which was a remarkable historical experience. The Reunification palace was a beautiful building with incredible interior design and a colourful history of the King who resided there.

We took our tour to the incredible Cholon, Saigon’s Chinese district and visited the largest wholesale market in Vietnam. Wow. In a word. Wow.

The best part of a guided tour is eating at the best spots as recommended by the locals and today was our very first authentic Pho experience. If you haven’t heard of Pho, it is a famous Vietnamese noodle dish and is both refreshing and filling.

Local market time! More shopping where we visited the famous and most popular markets of the area. Our group bought a variety of handbags, clothing, collagen masks, nail polishes and were amazed by the variety.

Everyone left with bags of items at bargain prices including souvenirs to take home to their families. A lot of our tour decided to return the next day while they explored the city in their own time.

We then embarked on the most breathtaking river cruise along the Saigon. The food was delicious and the sights were breathtaking!

We all let our hair down with music and dancing and everyone had a turn at playing an instrument, everyone really knew each other by this stage and the atmosphere was super fun! We laughed so much and all agreed it was an incredibly memorable night for everyone on the tour!

Travelling onto Hoi An you soon realise it is the perfect place to relax, enjoy the gorgeous town, people and food.

The hotel was incredible, with an incredible private beach and beautiful pool and in house spas.
Nothing compares to meandering through the streets of enchanting Hoi An and of course visiting the beautiful historical landmarks of the World Heritage Sites.

During the day you can visit the beautiful boutiques and the streets come alive with fashion shows. When the sun goes down in Hoi An the night life is magical, the lanterned lined streets are a glow and peppered with markets and street food.

Everyone was so excited to begin their tailoring , where we had a few very special pieces being created! One in particular was a divine wedding dress that we assisted in it’s creation to suit our beautiful client’s shape and proportions.

We had a lot of fun putting together outfits with one off pieces that were designed to flatter to the women’s shapes!

We found most of the tour had completely restocked their wardrobe as they could not believe the difference a fantastic cut makes and how the right colours enhanced their complexion. The brilliance of Vietnam is the quality and tailoring is fantastic but the prices are a fraction of that at home.

We all visited Hoi An’s colourful market and experienced its amazing sights, sounds and aromas. As we walked through the market, we did our best to chat with the local sellers and learn about some of the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later.

We then set sail along the Thu Bon River to the best cooking school in Hoi An. The cooking class is an interesting and fun way to learn about the local cuisine.

 

With any trip the places you visit and the culture you experience is a highlight of course, but some of the most perfect times of our trip were simply relaxing.

The local massage and day spas were divine. Lacey and I visited a mind blowing spa, in the middle of a rice paddy where we were spoilt with facials, body scrubs, body wraps and their famous spa therapies.
Many of the women on the tour indulged in massages, manis, pedis and the incredible collagen mask treatments. We were all truly spoilt, but deservedly so and all at a fraction of the price!

So after our trip feeling incredibly fulfilled, rested and re-energised, we all embarked home armed with incredible wardrobes, memories and life-long friendships, feeling incredibly blessed!

We are now taking bookings for a Shopping and Relaxation tours of Saigon and beachside Hoi An including tailoring.

For all the details please view our Vietnam Luxury Tour Page