Day 1 – Hanoi 

Arrive in Hanoi and transfer to your hotel. This modern-day capital of Vietnam, still retains the mystery and charm of past centuries. Narrow lanes and traditional shop houses invite an exciting exploration by walking.

Visit the Temple of Literature a peaceful series of walled courtyards and graceful gateways and Vietnam’s first university. Next visit the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Stilt House and One Pillar Pagoda. Take an electric car through the city to see Quan Su Pagoda, Silk Road, Hanoi Railway Station, Hoa Lo Prison and Hanoi Opera House.

This evening enjoy a home-cooked meal with a local family. Sit down to enjoy traditional Vietnamese dishes prepared by your host using fresh handpicked ingredients. Chat with your hosts and learn all about their cuisine, traditions and customs, gaining an insight into their daily life. After dinner you will have the chance to enjoy some traditional music played on handmade instruments. Overnight in Hanoi

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2 – Hanoi – Halong

Today set off to Halong Bay where you board a charming traditional junk for a cruise through the majestic Halong Bay. After boarding lunch will be served as you set sail.

Following lunch witness rock formations with names like Stone Dog, Incense Burner (Dinh Huong), and Fighting Cock (Ga Choi). Visit the enchanting cave named Surprise Cave (Sung Sot), before enjoying time at Titov Island. Sail past floating villages, fishermen casting their nets and pearl fisheries and observe the rhythms of daily life on the bay. Overnight in Halong

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3 – Halong – Hanoi – Danang – Hoi An (Breakfast: Hotel )

Drive to Hanoi airport for your flight to Danang where you are met and transfer to Hoi An. Overnight in Hoi An

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4 – Hoi An

Today enjoy sightseeing in Hoi An, this exquisitely preserved merchant town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its colourful shop houses and temples, dating back to the 16th and 17th century. Once a major port for Western, Chinese and Japanese traders. Today it is a thriving centre of traditional crafts and a shopper’s paradise, best explored on foot.

Wander through cobbled streets, visiting a private house. Here members of the same family lived continuously for centuries. Visit a traditional Chinese-style Pagoda or assembly hall. Next Sa Huynh Museum, with exhibitions from the earliest period of Hoi An’s history and lastly the famous Japanese Covered Bridge, first constructed in 1593.

In the afternoon, board a local boat and cruise down the Thu Bon River, enjoying the unspoiled countryside. Stop to visit a pottery and woodcarving village before returning to Hoi An. Overnight in Hoi An

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 5 – Hoi An – Hue

Today head to Hue where you will visit the Imperial Citadel, a vast complex built in the early 19th century. The original walls stretched for 10 km and were surrounded by a wide moat. Gain a fascinating glimpse into the court life of the Nguyen Dynasty. Visit Dien Tho Residence (Dien Tho palace) where the Queen mother lived, Thai Hoa Palace, the magnificently decorated reception hall, the Halls of the Mandarins, the original Nine Dynastic Urns and the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum.

Later visit the Imperial Tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh with it’s long staircase flanked by dragons. Overnight in Hue

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 6 – Hue

Firstly visit Thien Mu pagoda a historic temple and symbol of Hue. Next board a boat for a scenic cruise to Thuy Bieu village. Where you enjoy a tour of the senses with an authentic Cooking Class. Head to Thuy Bieu, a local market with the chef, to buy ingredients for the cooking class. Then prepare your meal under the instruction of the chef. Afterwards it’s time to taste the traditional dishes you have prepared.

Enjoy time to stroll or bike around peaceful village or relax by steeping your foot in medicinal herb water, a traditional therapeutic practice.

Later visit the Imperial Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc with time to soak in the tranquil atmosphere, and wander among the gracefully proportioned pavilions, courtyards and lotus pond. Overnight in Hue

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7 – Hue – Saigon

Today Fly from Hue to Saigon before heading to the Cu Chi Tunnels an important Vietcong base during the American War. Stretching over 200 km, this incredible underground network, dug by hand, with connecting command posts, hospitals, shelter and weapons factories. Walk through the area and learn about the day to day life of the Vietcong, and even venture inside the tunnels.

In the evening enjoy a Dinner cruise on the Saigon River aboard the Bonsai Cruise, a traditional wooden barge. Enjoy a delicious international buffet while watching the live entertainment and the passing scenery. Overnight in Saigon

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8 – Saigon

Set off to the small town of Cai Be in the heart of the Mekong Delta. Were you will embark on a local boat to explore the riverside village. Here you will see how they make local delicacies and have the chance to sample traditional treats such as dried longans, rice pancakes and puffed rice candies. Continue the trip across a main flow of the mighty Mekong then follow narrow waterways through peaceful lush green orchards and also lively scenes of well inhabited canals before returning to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 9 – Saigon

Enjoy a day of sightseeing in Saigon. This vibrant metropolis, Saigon teems with energy, activity and motion. Everywhere you look, you see the convergence of traditional and modern life. Includes visits to the Reunification Palace, the Emperor of Jade Pagoda, the Neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. Pass by landmarks such as City Hall, the old Opera House before ending up at the central Ben Thanh Market, where vendors display a vast array of goods and handicrafts, appealing to every taste. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Meals included: Breakfast

INCLUDED SERVICES:
– Program is based on English speaking guide. For other languages a supplement charge will apply.
– accommodation as mentioned above or equivalent.
– where very early morning flights are scheduled, a breakfast box may replace the standard ABF.
– meals according to itinerary
– flight ticket(s), in economy class unless otherwise specified, according to the itinerary.
Flight from Hanoi to Danang
Flight from Hue to Saigon
– Porter fees at the airport where guide service is booked.
– Current fuel surcharges included, however, subject to change prior to tour start date.
– boat ticket(s) according to the itinerary.
– ground transportation in private A/C vehicle.
– 1 complimentary bottle of drinking water and 1 cold towel per person per half day tour/ 2 bottles of water and 2 cold towels per person per full day tour.
– sightseeing incl. admission fees according to itinerary.
– International and domestic airport taxes in Vietnam are included in ticket.

EXCLUDED SERVICES:
– visa fees, drinks, personal expenses. ** Visa Procedures: Vietnam
For bookings of roundtrip or module packages, we will confirm one of the hotels mentioned above according to the selected category.
Please note that compulsory gala dinners and peak season surchargesmay apply during peak periods surrounding the public holidays of Christmas and New Year and Lunar New Year (TET Festival)
– these surcharges will be confirmed at the time of booking.