Nursing in Vietnam with the Australian College of Nursing

Itinerary at a glance

Pre -Tour Extension: Halong Bay 6 - 8 October 2023

• Pre Tour Day 1: Hanoi (Fri, 6 Oct) Arrive Hanoi and transfer (not included) to the Silk Path Hotel.
• Pre Tour Day 2: Halong Bay Cruise (Sat, 7 Oct) Set off early for Halong Bay, where thousands of steep-sided islands tower above the emerald waters as junk boats cruise languidly among them. In the early afternoon board the elegant Orchid Trendy Junk, in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon in the bay with ample time to stop and explore, visit islands or kayak.
• Pre Tour Day 3: Halong Bay (Sun 8 Oct) Morning coffee on-board and return to port and transfer to Hanoi arriving late morning. Start the main tour in the afternoon.

Main Tour: 8 - 19 October 2023

• Day 1: Hanoi (Sun, 8 Oct) Arrive and transfer to the Silk Path Hotel. Walk through Hanoi’s ‘36 Streets’ where each street is named after the produce that was sold there. Take a rickshaw ride around Hoan Kiem Lake. Local dinner that evening.
• Day 2: Hanoi (Mon, 9 Oct) On a sightseeing tour visit the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature.Visit the Private Vinmec International General Hospital, meet with nurses and gain an understanding of private health care and nursing in Vietnam.Dinner that night is at Aubergine, a bustling local restaurant.
• Day 3: Hanoi (Tue, 10 Oct) Visit Bach Mai Hospital, built by the French in 1911 and now one of the country’s leading teaching hospitals.Have lunch at KOTO, an Australian-Vietnamese based charity. The afternoon at leisure to further explore, shop or relax.
• Day 4: Hanoi / Hue (Wed, 11 Oct) Fly to Hue and take a boat trip along the Perfume River and visit the elegant Thien Mu Pagoda. Return to Hue and check into the elegant Saigon Morin Hotel. This is a beautifully restored colonial era hotel situated on the Perfume River.
• Day 5: Hue (Thu, 12 Oct) Visit the vast Hue Citadel, which was home to the nation’s last royal family. The vast citadel defended the Imperial City itself, its huge outer walls still bearing the scars of battle. Visit the Quang Hop Integrative Medicine Clinic.Dinner is at Y Thao with the nurses from the Quang Hop Clinic Team.
• Day 6: Hue – Hoi An (Fri, 13 Oct) Visit the Kim Long Charity Clinic to learn of the work carried out by its team of volunteers and nurses, providing healthcare and support free of charge to impoverished rural populations. Board the train for one of the great railway journeys of the world. Travel along the South China Sea, via Ocean Cloud Pass. Arrive in charming Hoi An and check into the luxurious Almanity Resort. Dinner is at Tam Tam, an old merchant’s house on the river.
• Day 7: Hoi An (Sat, 14 Oct) Hoi An was once a thriving port popular with European, Chinese and Japanese merchants. On a walking tour of its old quarter, see ancestral homes, Chinese Assembly Halls, traditional acupuncturists, tailors’ emporiums, lantern and lacquerware shops. Afternoon at leisure or option of a silk lantern making workshop. Enjoy dinner at Secret Garden, a little gem of a restaurant, hidden away in old Hoi An.
• Day 8: Hoi An (Sun, 15 Oct) Take a boat across Thu Bon River and visit the village of Kim Bong. Explore some of the surrounding villages and visit a family-run vegetable and herb farm. Sample some of their fresh home-grown ingredients for lunch and enjoy a relaxing foot massage.
• Day 9: Hoi An /Ho Chi Minh City (Mon, 16 Oct) Fly south to cosmopolitan Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still often referred to by its inhabitants. Visit the French era Notre Dame Cathedral and the palatial Central Post Office. Talk ‘Australian nurses at war’. Check into the stylish Liberty Riverside Hotel. Early evening drinks at the rooftop bar of the Rex Hotel, where the media briefings known as the ‘Five-o-Clock Follies’ took place during the conflict. Dinner at Quan Ngo.
• Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City (Tue, 17 Oct) Visit the famed Binh Tay market with a cooking instructor and take a tour of the market. Take part in a cookery class and enjoy your cooked lunch! Visit the Traditional Vietnamese Medicine Hospital.
• Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City (Wed, 18 Oct) Visit the Reunification Palace and take part in a tour of this landmark, impressive and kitsch building. Afternoon at leisure before a farewell dinner.
• Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City (Thu, 19 Oct) Depart or take extension to Cambodia.

Post-Tour Extension: Angkor Wat: 19 - 21 October 2023

• Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City / Siem Reap (Thu, 19 Oct) Fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Transfer to hotel Lotus Blanc. Relax before dinner at the Foreign Correspondents Club.
• Day 13: Siem Reap (Fri, 20 Oct) Start early to visit the atmospheric Bayon Temple and Ta Prohm, still intertwined with enormous tree roots hundreds of years old. Continue to visit Angkor Wat, part of the city of Angkor which was built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD. Afternoon is at leisure with options to visit the excellent Angkor National Museum or the landmine museum. Dinner is delicious Cambodian cuisine at a local restaurant.
• Day 14: Siem Reap (Sat, 21 Oct) At leisure before departing for airport.