Folklore singers entertain
guests in Hanoi.
Agents with clients planning visits to Vietnam can benefit from the
expertise of Trails of Indochina, a Southeast Asia specialist
well-versed in all aspects of travel to the region, offering a
compelling lineup of itineraries featuring themes ranging from
adventure and archaeology to cuisine and culture.
Tu Nguyen, director of marketing at Trails of Indochina’s U.S.
office, works with agents in creating customized itineraries for
both FITs and groups.
A native of Vietnam, Tu takes requests by e-mail and phone and
aims to get everything right down to the last detail.
“Our goal is to maximize time and efficiency, and if necessary
we can turn around an itinerary within 24 hours,” said Tu. “Vietnam
is an especially hot destination right now and our business is up
50 percent over the same period last year.”
Two of the company’s best-selling tours are Living Traditions
(10 days, nine nights) and Artistic Journeys (12 days, 11 nights).
The Living Traditions itinerary is built around the many flavors of
Vietnamese cuisine and illustrates how these native foods connect
past and present Vietnam.
Highlights include three days in Hanoi during which participants
can join Buddhist nuns for a vegetarian meal in an ancient pagoda.
The tour also spends two days in Hue, during which there are visits
to palaces built during Vietnam’s last dynasty and a stop at the
former home of a princess to learn recipes once served in the royal
court. The itinerary concludes in Ho Chi Minh City, where a cooking
session can be arranged at the private residence of Cam Van, the
Julia Child of Vietnam.
The Artistic Journeys tour provides an inside look at several
galleries and studios in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and also visits
the workshops of artisans carrying on traditional folk art forms
passed down through families for generations dating back more than
a thousand years. The tour ends with three days in Cambodia and
includes a visit to the capital, Phnom Penh, where a Cambodian
artist meets with the group for a discussion of Khmer art.
| THE DETAILS
While Vietnam is its number-one destination, Trails of Indochina
also customizes tours for four other countries in Southeast Asia
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). Some of the more
intriguing itineraries are a 10-day, nine-night Vietnam-Cambodia
program called Archeology Indochina, a 12-day, 11-night Spiritual
Laos and Burma itinerary and a 12-day, 11-night Wild Laos and
Thailand tour.
www.trailsofindochina.com |
