Day 1 (September 6th - Saturday): Hanoi arrival at 21:35 from Seoul - transfer to hotel
Have beers at train street (if it's still open), discuss about the next day activities
Overnight at Centre Point Hotel Hanoi
Day 2: (September 7th - Sunday): Hanoi city tour
- Good morning Vietnam - enjoy the very first day in country with a cup of egg coffee at Giang cafe
- Hoa Lo prison aka Hanoi Hilton where 591 US POWs were held until the release in early 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming
- D67 House - headquarter of North Vietnamese politbureau meeting for 1975 Ho Chi Minh campaign
- Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (better to visit this day since it's close to D67 House. Visit on Sep 8th if closed on this day)
- B52 lake where the B52 wreckage is still present after the shot down on 27 December 1972 during operation Linebacker 2 a.k.a. Christmas Bombing
- John McCain memorial at Truc Bach lake where naval aviator John McCain was shot down on 26 October 1967 and captured
- Visit newly-opened Vietnam military history museum (visit on Sep 8th if closed on this day)
- Enjoy Banh cuon nong, Pho Ly Quoc Su
Day 3 (September 8th - Monday) Hanoi city tour (continued)
- Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (if not visited on Sep 7th)
- Vietnam military history museum (if not visited on Sep 7th)
- Watch Vietnamese traditional art of water puppet show, have a stroll along Hoan Kien lake to see Hanoi at night
- Enjoy Bun Cha Dac Kim or Bun cha Obama, Banh Mi 25
Day 4: (September 9th - Tuesday) Hanoi - Vinh
- Tam Coc boat ride - one of the most famous tourist destination of Vietnam. During the war, some caves here were used as shelters
- Phat Diem cathedral (Phat Diem diocese is the place where most of the catholics moved South after 1954 Geneva accords)
- Enjoy eel soup or pigeon porridge specialty of Nghe An province
Day 5: (September 10th - Wednesday) Vinh - Ho Chi Minh trail - Phong Nha
- Ho Chi Minh hometown and birthplace at Kim Lien village
- Dong Loc intersection - extensively bombed out part of Ho Chi Minh trail. This site is dedicated for 10 young female volunteers who were killed in action while maintaining the Ho Chi Minh trail
- Experience the brand new expressway in Vietnam
- Visit Commander Cave to understand more about Ho Chi Minh trail and experience the NVA combat activities in a jungle cave. You’ll become a truck driver driving by a hot spot of Ho Chi Minh trail with many obstacles (constant bombing, heat, rock and gravel falling down, smell of gun powder, vibration of the no-windshield truck, …)
- Phong Nha cave - used as hospital during the war
Day 6: (September 11th - Thursday) Phong Nha - DMZ - Vinh Moc tunnel - Dong Ha
- Visit Bomb House (house made from bombs), visit Truong Son national military cemetery where more than 10.000 NVA rest in peace. Most of the NVA buried here belongs to Group 559 whose duty was to maintain the Ho Chi Minh trail (skip this attraction if we do Con Thien firebase hike)
- Hike firebase Con Thien - part of the so-called McNamara line (upon request). Con Thien was an US Marines northernmost outpost infamous for the siege in Sep 1967 almost the same time as battle of Dak To and Hill 875 with the intent of fixing American attention to the hinterlands in preparation for Tet Offensive 1968 (skip this attraction if we do Bomb House and Truong Son cemetery)
- Lunch with specialty of tapioca dumplings and chicken/rabbit specialty
- DMZ freedom bridge (bridge crossing river at 17th parallel)
- Vinh Moc tunnel - bomb shelter for civilians North of the DMZ during operation Rolling Thunder after Gulf of Tonkin incident
- Enjoy dinner fresh spring roll with sticky rice paper, pork and vegetables
Day 7: (September 12th - Friday) Dong Ha - Khe Sanh - Ashau valley - Hamburger Hill - Hue
- Mine Action Visitor center (display of efforts and activities of cleaning up unexploded ordnance, explosive remnants of war, support for post-war victims, mine-risk education)
- The Rockpile - US Marine artillery base and observation post used to stop North Vietnamese Army infiltration from the North into the South
- Khe Sanh combat base infamous for 77 days siege during Tet offensive 1968. The siege at Khe Sanh played as a distraction for the whole Tet offensive.
- Drive along Ho Chi Minh trail in Dakrong river valley parallel to Vietnam - Laos border up to Ashau valley. This drive is reminiscent of the operation Dewey Canyon in 1969
- Hike to Hamburger Hill where in May 1969 took place one of the bloodiest battle of the war in jungle. This battle shows the futility of the whole war
- Drive the windy roads from Ashau valley down to Hue city through many 101st Airborne firebases like Bastogne, Birmingham, Veghel, ...
- Have a stroll on Walking Street of Hue and find a nice spot for dinner with local foods
Day 8: (September 13th - Saturday) Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An
- Battle of Hue 1968 Tet Offensive urban warfare - the first time the war comes to the populated areas. Many iconic photos of the Vietnam war taken here. You will have a lot of now-and-then photos as souvernir. After Walter Cronkite report about this battle, president Johnson sought no more re-election
- Rickshaw ride around imperial city of Hue
- Drive past firebase Tomahawk where 9 men from Indianapolis killed in action
- Beach landing of first US ground troops deployed to South Vietnam on 8th March 1965
- Drive past booming city of Da Nang along the My Khe beach aka China beach or Vietnam's Miami. Photo stops at Dragon bridge and Marble Mountain upon request
- A short visit to Cam Ne village where CBS reporter Morley Safer was critical about US Marines operations in the area (if time permits)
- Hoi An lantern city by night
- Enjoy local food: Banh Khoai, Nem lui, Mi Quang specialty of Da Nang
Day 9: (September 14th - Sunday) Hoi An - My Lai massacre memorial
- Chu Lai airbase - one of the biggest airbase in southern I corps used by US Marines and Army
- My Lai massacre site and memorial - one of the darkest chapter of the whole Vietnam war when 504 civilians killed by the G.I.s
- Ky Anh tunnel of Vietcong (if time permits)
- Vietnamese Heroic Mother monument dedicated to Mother Nguyen Thi Thu who has 11 sons and grandsons killed in 2 wars from the French time to American time (if time permits)
- Enjoy Anthony Bourdain Banh Mi, Cao Lau specialty noodle of Hoi An
- Enjoy Vietnamese folk music and Champa dance (if time permits)
Day 10: (September 15th - Monday) Hoi An - Dak To and Hill 875 - Kon Tum
- Drive on Ho Chi Minh highway parallel to Vietnam - Laos border to Dak To
- Siege of Kham Duc (last border camp used for surveillance of Ho Chi Minh trail in I Corps abandoned) - part of so-called Mini-Tet in preparation for Paris Peace Talks
- Photo stop at triborder area of Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia
- Hike Hill 875 - one of the hill fight battles in 1967 along with other hill fight battles around Khe Sanh in preparation for Tet offensive (This hike is one of the exclusive activity of the 15-day trip)
- Visit Dak To base camp - one of the biggest US base camp North of Central Highlands
- Enjoy Goi cuon la specialty of Kon Tum
Day 11: (September 16th - Tuesday) Kon Tum - Ia Drang valley - Buon Ma Thuot
- Jonn Paul Vann helicopter crash site of John Paul Vann - the main character in Neil Sheehan Pulitzer-winning book's A BRIGHT SHINING LIE
- Ia Drang valley and LZ X-ray - first major battle of the Vietnam war between 2 regular armies US and NVA. The battle of Ia Drang was portrayed in Mel Gibson's movie "We were soldiers". This battle is also notable for its first large scale helicopter air assault and also the first use of Boeing B52 Stratofortress strategic bombers in a tactical support role.
- Dak Lak museum about Buon Ma Thuot battle 1975 (if time permits). Buon Ma Thuot is the capital of Central Highlands in Vietnam. The French used to say that who control Central Highlands would control Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia). The conquest of South Vietnam began with the battle of Buon Ma Thuot in March 1975 with the aim of cutting South Vietnam into 2 halves. This time there were no American ground troops or air support to come to the rescue for the ARVN after the Case-Church Amendment.
- Enjoy coffee at Trung Nguyen coffee museum - coffee capital of Vietnam, grilled beef served with ant salt
- Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant of Ede ethnic people in a traditional long house
Day 12 (September 17th - Wednesday) Buon Ma Thuot - An Loc - Trang Bang
- Drive along Vietnam - Cambodia border to Phuoc Long
- Visit Phuoc Long museum about the The Fall of Phuoc Long in 1974 (a test of American reaction after Watergate scandal)
- Battle of An Loc 1972 (ARVN stand against 3-pronged Communist Easter offensive with massive US air support at Quang Tri, Kon Tum and An Loc)
- Site of the famous Vietnam war's defining photo 'The Terror of War' showing the 'napalm girl' Nguyen Thi Kim Phuc taken by photographer Nick Ut showcasing the carnage of the war. This photo won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for Breaking News Photography (do this attraction the next day if we come here late in the afternoon)
- Drive by Michelin rubber plantation and cashew nut plantation of Binh Phuoc province
- Drive by area of War Zone C and Ion Triangle where many big operations have take place during the Vietnam war like Operation Junction city, Operation Cedar Falls, Operation Attleboro, ...
Day 13 (September 18th - Thursday) Trang Bang - Cu Chi tunnel - Mekong river delta - Saigon
- Cu Chi tunnel - a 250km long underground complex for Vietcong guerrillas fighting against the French and the US for decades
- Ap Bac - the first victory of the Vietcong against ARVN equipped with advanced US weaponry and advisor like John Paul Vann
- Mekong delta - experience daily life of the local people of Mekong river delta and enjoy sampan ride in small canal
- Enjoy folk music Don ca tai tu, seasonal fruits, learn how to make coconut candy, bee honey
Day 14 (September 19th - Friday) City tour Saigon
Reunification palace aka Independence palace where many presidents and vice presidents of South Vietnam used to live and work. This building is site of the tank 843 (displayed at Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi) crashed into the gate marking the Fall of Saigon and the end of Vietnam war
Freedom ladder last chopper flying out of Saigon on 29th April 1975 famous for the iconic image of the Saigon evacuation, part of the operation Frequent Wind
Vietcong secret weapons bunker used for attacking Independence palace during 1968 Tet offensive in Saigon
Enjoy best Michelin Pho in Saigon
Enjoy a drink at a cafe atop Rex Hotel where the 'Five O'clock Follies' military press briefing took place
Day 15 (September 20th - Saturday) City tour Saigon (continued) Saigon departure
War Remnant museum - one of the most popular and not-to-be-missed-out museum while in Vietnam
Site of Monk Thich Quang Duc self immolation in protest against South Vietnam's suppression of Buddhism in 1963 turmoil leading to the assassination of president Diem of South Vietnam and many coup attempts in South Vietnam goverment
Site of General Loan executes Vietcong Nguyen Van Lem - a shocking picture of Vietnam war which caused the US public against the war
Enjoy traditional foood of Com tam or broken rice with BBQ pork
Go back to hotel take a shower and take a rest before going to Tan Son Nhat airport at Terminal 2
Departure and great farewell for flight to Seoul at 23:45
