6D5N Cultural Immersion Trip to Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Ho Chi Minh City Tour, visiting various famous and historic sites in HCMC
• Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta tour, learning Vietnam’s history and cultures through experiences
• Cultural Exchange Program at a Local School, connecting and sharing cultures with Vietnamese students
• Samsung Showcase Outlet Visit, exploring Samsung products and the magnificence of Landmark 81
• STEM Business Sharing Session, hosted by a local entrepreneur – Garastem
• Company tour at a Local SME Company – DIGI-TEXX, observing the reality of operating a company
• Engagement Session at Consulate – General of Republic of Singapore in HCMC, deepening inquiries into the connection between Vietnam and Singapore
• Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, diving into the beauty of fresh flowers in Vietnam
• Night Street Food, enjoying numerous delicious Vietnamese local cuisines
• Factory tour at Yakult Factory, gaining real-life experiences on manufacturing and distributing dairy products
• Charity Workshop at Maison Chance, empathizing with and gifting handmade toys to the unlucky children
• Industry Guest Talk session with a Singaporean entrepreneur working in Vietnam
• Flexible food choices: Vietnamese food, Halal food, Vegan food

DAY 1: ARRIVAL AT HO CHI MINH – CITY TOUR (Urban Amazing Race)

(Lunch/Dinner included)                                    

Arriving at Tan Son Nhat – Ho Chi Minh Airport, you will be greeted by our enthusiastic local tour guides, waiting at the arrival gate with their hands waving our Luco Travel flags.

Then, we will enjoy local Vietnamese cuisines (Halal food/Vegan food on request) together for lunch.

Our City Tour will be integrated with various small activities for students to enhance their learnings in each location and gain more knowledge on Vietnamese history and cultures.

• Beginning our Ho Chi Minh City Tour at 2 P.M., you will have a chance to visit Saigon Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral, two must-visit destinations for any traveller located in the heart of HCM City. Here, students will given a challenge called ‘Architectural Treasure Hunt & History Match’, which aims to help students understand colonial influences in Saigon’s architecture.
• If weather permits, we will have a walking tour in the city centre, ending at the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
• Then, we will pass by Saigon Opera House, built in 1898 by the French architect – Eugene Ferret, following the “flamboyant” style of the French Third Republic. Here, students will face another challenge ‘Pose & Present – The Power of Architecture’, giving students an opportunity to observe and appreciate French colonial architecture and its symbolic use in Saigon.
• Finally, we will visit one of the most significant historical sites in Vietnam, showing the heroic past of the nation – The Vietnam War Remnants Museum – a poignant display of the futility of multiple Vietnamese wars. Here, students will be tested their history knowledge gained from the exhibits through the challenge ‘Curated Questions & Reflection Puzzle’.

Moving on, we end our first day with a cozy Vietnamese dinner (Halal food/Vegan food on request) before go to the hotel and rest.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh, organized by Vietnam Educational Tours

DAY 2: CU CHI TUNNEL – MEKONG DELTA TOUR

(Full-day meals included)

After having breakfast at the hotel, we will head to Cu Chi Tunnels – a historic remnant of Vietnam Wars against the French in the 1940s and the American in the 1960s.

• The tunnels were dug with simple tools and bare hands during the wars to provide refuges and a defensive advantage for Vietnamese soldiers over the enemies. Despite all the bombings, the Cu Chi people were able to continue their lives beneath the soil, where they slept, ate, planned attacks, healed their sick, and taught their young. Specifically, we will have a quick look at the Vietnam Wars’ stories and have a chance to walk beneath the tunnel, watch some videos which talk about how to build it, while enjoying a local special food called “Cu mi”.

After having lunch at a local village restaurant, we will visit Mekong Delta – one of the longest rivers in the world, where students will have the opportunity to ride a rowboat to discover a natural canal of Ben Tre province and learn about the importance of waterways in both the past and present of ASEAN countries.

Finally, we will have a Cottage industry visit at a Coconut candy-making factory, where students will experience operation of a local small business and gain an insight into the soft skills that make these businesses work.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh, organized by Vietnam Educational Tours

DAY 3: LOCAL SCHOOL VISIT – SAMSUNG – LANDMARK 81

(Full-day meals included)

This is a day of building connections and new discoveries, as we will have Local School Visit and a Company Tour. Specifically:

• In the morning, after having breakfast at the hotel, students will be invited to attend a Cultural Exchange Program at a local University (Subject of the program will be later determined).

• In the afternoon, after lunch, students will be guided to visit Samsung showcase outlet at Bitexco Financial Tower. Afterwhich, it will be time for them to explore Vincom Landmark 81, which is a skyscraper in HCMC and is currently the 2nd tallest building in Southeast Asia.
• Then, after dinner, we will be back to the hotel and attend a sharing session by a local start up company Garastem in the sector of STEM business.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh, organized by Vietnam Educational Tours

DAY 4: COMPANY VISITS: SME COMPANY & CONSULATE – GENERAL OF REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

(Full-day meals included)

This is a full day of real-life corporate experiences as students get to visit a corporate and the Singaporean Consolate in HCMC, where they will have a chance to connect with experienced bussinessmen and learn from them. Specifically:

• In the morning, after having breakfast at the hotel, we will depart for a Company tour at a local SME Company – DIGI-TEXX, which is the first 100% German-invested company specializing in Business Process Outsourcing and Digital Services in Vietnam since 2003. For the last 20 years, the company have gained experience in providing advanced digital transformation services to global clients in different industries: E-commerce, banking, insurance, construction, historical archive, accounting, NGOs, Manufacturing and healthcare.
• In the afternoon, after lunch, we will visit the Consulate – General of Republic of Singapore in HCMC. Through the Engagement Session there, students will be able to deepen their inquiry into the connections between Vietnam and Singapore and how this is a reflection of larger ASEAN connections.

In late evening, students will dive into the beauty of Ho Thi Ky flower market – the most famous flower market in Ho Chi Minh city before experiencing Vietnamese local night life at the Night Street Food.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh, organized by Vietnam Educational Tours

DAY 5: YAKULT FACTORY TRIP – VSIP – SOCIAL ENTERPRISE VISIT   

(Full-day meals included)

Another day of real-life corporate experiences, coupled with a charity experience, students will be given an opportunity to visit a factory and a social enterprise at HCMC. Specifically:

• In the morning, after having breakfast at the hotel, we will hop on a Factory tour at Yakult Factory located at Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park, where students will participate in a Yakult tasting session, then observing the manufacturing process through the viewing glass panel, eventually, ending with a Q&A session with the factory representatives about automatic system to apply into production and management.

• Then, after lunch, we will depart to join a charity workshop at Maison Chance (a social enterprise) – a springboard for orphans, street children, disadvantaged people and the physically handicapped in Vietnam, they provide housing, health care, education and vocational training, and a place where the under-privileged children and the disabled can study and work at Take Wing Centre. Students will be taking part of the “Stuffed Toy Workshop”, where they will make and give the stuffed toys to the under-privileged children.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh, organized by Vietnam Educational Tours

DAY 6: DIALOGUE SESSION WITH SINGAPOREAN & BUSINESS OWER – DEPARTURE 

(Breakfast/Lunch included)

On this last day, we will end the trip with a short City tour and an Industry Guest Talk session. Specifically:

• Checking out of the hotel at 8 P.M., we will head to the Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace – which symbolizes Vietnam’s victory, peace, and territorial integrit, where students will be learning and sympathizing with Vietnam’s history of consistent fight to obtain national freedom and independence. Based on their observations and learning, they will be challenged with the ‘Rooms of Power’.
• Then, students will be invited to join an Industry Guest Talk session with a Singaporean entrepreneur working in Vietnam to learn about the challenges of staying abroad with cultural differences.
• After lunch, we will visit Ben Thanh Market – the most popular tourist market in HCMC – and learn about sustainable tourism along the way. Here, they might just normally exploring and purchasing souvernirs or they might participate in the ‘Trade Game’ contest, which aims to help them practice negotiation and communication in a real-world market setting and understand the principles of trade-offs, value, and local economic behavior.

Finally, our lovely tour guides will escort you to Tan Son Nhat Airport for returning flight back home.

Have a great journey with Luco Travel!!!

Quality Guarantee:

• All local Tour guides are proficient in English and experienced, licensed for guiding youth groups.
• Transportation safety will be carefully secured.
• Every possible risks are already projected and planned for management.

Kindly note:

• Rates are in SGD per person.
• Please note for any kind of payment: Bank fee is responsibility of the sender.
• Above itinerary is only a proposal and is subject to change.
• At time quotation, no reservation has been made / no confirmation of visit at time quotation.
• Approval with local school is subject to approval and confirmation

Tour Price Includes:

• Private all transfers and transportation with air-con vehicles 29-45 seats
• 05 Breakfast, 06 Lunches, and 05 Dinner mentioned in itinerary
• All of entrance frees mentioned in Itinerary
• All activities mentioned in Itinerary
• Unlimited drinking water with at least 2 bottle/pax/day
• 05 nights hotel in Ho Chi Minh
• English-speaking Tour Guide
• Tip for tour guide and driver
• Material cost to buy necessary things for VIA activities and school immersion
• Itinerary is flexible and can be suited according to requirements

 Tour Price Excludes:

• Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature
• Visa & international flights in and out the country
• Other services & meals than mentioned
• Bank transfer fee if any.
• Tips, travel insurance