by Katy Yocom, associate director

In 2025, a Naslund-Mann group will travel to Vietnam, spending September 19-28 there on a cultural trip designed for students and alumni. As Kathleen Driskell explains, after nearly two decades of summer travel, we’ve shifted our travels to the fall, as part of students' independent study course.
This is not a residency. We'll spend most of our time out exploring the culture rather than convening in classrooms. Instead of workshops and lectures, we'll incorporate writing enrichment elements such as journaling, reading from our own work, and discussing a book in common—activities that will be expected of students but also available to alums. If you're interested in joining Kathleen, me, and perhaps another faculty member or two in exploring this fascinating country, read on.

Our itinerary begins in the country's far south in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Then we'll travel north on a two-hour flight to to Hanoi, finishing with a cruise on beautiful Ha Long Bay. Our expected daily itinerary is as follows:
Friday, Sept. 19: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and gather for our welcome dinner.
Saturday, Sept. 20: A cultural tour of the city by motorcoach, including the Presidential Palace, colonial-era Post Office, and War Remnants Museum.
Sunday, Sept. 21: A free day to rest. Travelers may book their own tours according to their interests.

Monday, Sept. 22: Full-day excursion to the Mekong Delta. We'll visit the lush countryside and a quiet village, traveling by bicycle (or motor-tricycle) and spending time on the water in traditional boats.
Tuesday, Sept. 23: Today we fly to Hanoi. The rest of the day is free to rest or explore on your own.

Wednesday, Sept. 24: Cooking class with the social enterprise KOTO (Know One, Teach One), which provides professional culinary training to former disadvantaged and at-risk youth. Lunch is included. Today also includes a brief cultural tour of the city by motorcoach, including the Opera House, the Temple of Literature, and a walk through the labyrinthine alleyways of the Old Quarter.
Thursday, Sept. 25: A free day to rest or take a tour of your choosing.

Friday, Sept. 26: Travel to Ha Long Bay and begin our peaceful two-day cruise in an iconic seascape dotted with spectacular karst rock formations.
Saturday, Sept. 27: Ha Long Bay cruise.
Sunday, Sept. 28: Depart Ha Long Bay and transfer to the airport to fly home, or continue your travels on your own.
During our free day in each location, you can explore on our own. A multitude of private guides and group tours can be found online, offering options from museum visits to architectural tours to foodie tours by Vespa. Or if you prefer, just stay in the hotel and rest.
The ground package price of $2,973 per person includes the following items:
Shared lodging in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, in four-star hotels walking distance to sights, restaurants and shopping.
Shared cabin on Ha Long Bay cruise
All breakfasts
Welcome dinner in HCMC
KOTO lunch in Hanoi
All meals on our Ha Long Bay cruise
Two-hour domestic flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
Airport transfers and ground transportation throughout our trip
Group tours and experiences mentioned in the itinerary above: cultural tours in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Mekong Delta day trip, KOTO cooking class and lunch, and Ha Long Bay cruise
Professional, English-speaking local tour guides during included outings
Gratuities for guides and waitstaff for all included meals
A WorldStrides team member traveling with us for the entire trip
24/7 emergency support
24/7 medical and mental health care by telehealth consultation
Medical insurance
Not included:
International flights
Meals not listed above
Activities arranged on your own
Single rooms. However, single-room upgrades in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi may be purchased for $534 (which includes both cities) and $281 for the Ha Long Bay cruise. A single-room upgrade for the entire trip costs $815.
Travel insurance is not included but is recommended. Travelers may opt for the travel protection plan offered by WorldStrides or may use an outside insurance company.
Southeast Asia is a long way away. Some of us may arrive a day or two early to adjust to the time difference, or spend extra time in the region before or after the Spalding trip. If you’re interested in sites associated with the Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as the American War), you might visit Hue, Da Nang, and the tunnels at Ky Anh or Vinh Moc. For history, visit Hội An and its Ancient Town, a UNESCO-listed heritage site known for its remarkable sense of timelessness.
Other destinations accessible from Vietnam include Cambodia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and beyond.
Registration with WorldStrides, our educational travel provider, opens January 27 and closes March 17, 2025. Registration is first come, first served. The trip is capped at 34 travelers, including students, alumni and traveling companions.
Here in the Naslund-Mann office, we're very excited about this trip—our first to Southeast Asia. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact me at kyocom@spalding.edu. I'd love to talk Vietnam with you!

Katy Yocom is associate director of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing and associate editor of Good River Review. She has been planning travel abroad for the Spalding MFA program since their first trip abroad, to Paris in 2007.