Day 1: Hanoi arrival (-/-/D)

Hanoi - Airport: 30km, ~40min drive

Upon your arrival at Noi Bai Airport, meet your guide and driver who then escort you to the city centre. After making sure of a successful hotel check-in, they will be pleased to leave you for free time to have some lunch and recover after a long flight.

In the late afternoon, we will enjoy a truly Vietnamese ‘water puppet show’, the unique Vietnamese traditional art. This art is originated from rural festivals and involve the artists standing waist-deep in the water to manipulate the puppets, making them move, talk, laugh and even dance on the surface of the water. A must do in Vietnam! Dinner will be at a popular local restaurant.

Meals Included: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Day 2: Hanoi City - Overnight train to LaoCai (B/L/-)

Hanoi - Lao Cai: 270km, ~7-8h on train

After a wholesome breakfast at the hotel, we start the day with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex. This famous site comprises Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (closed on Mondays & Fridays), his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh Museum. Following this, we head to the Temple of Literature constructed in 1070 to worship Confucius. Otherwise known as the first university of Vietnam, the site also honours the eighty-two Vietnamese doctorates that each passed a number of rigid exams in the medieval ages. Their names, birthdays and birthplaces are each engraved in headstones perched on stone tortoises. It is widely believed that touching the heads of these tortoises will bring luck. Its peaceful green compound with its neatly maintained lawns, gardens and lotus ponds make it a tranquil hideaway from the city’s bustle and heat. Lunch will be served at a popular local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we visit Museum of Ethnology dedicated to Vietnam's fifty-four officially recognised ethnic races. While the in-house exhibition is particularly informative, the outdoor display continues in the museum’s garden with fascinating examples of traditional houses, from the Kinhs to the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands. We then enjoy a 1-hour-cyclo tour to the Old Quarter where you can see streets with century-aged trees and French Colonial buildings. We then head to Ngoc Son Temple set on a tiny islet in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake. Ngoc Son Temple dates back to the 13th century, and the lake itself is the picturesque heart of Hanoi, frequented by both tourists and locals.

Time is then free until transfer to Hanoi Railway Station for an overnight train to Lao Cai leaving at around 10p.m.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Overnight on train

Day 3: Lao Cai - Sapa - Cat Cat – Ma Tra Village (B/L/-)

Lao Cai - Sapa: 40km, ~1h drive

Arrival Lao Cai Train Station at around 6:00 am, our guide and driver will meet and transfer you to Sapa, situated just 40km from Lao Cai. After breakfast, we will explore Sapa town, founded by the French as a holiday resort.

In the afternoon, we will visit Cat Cat village, home to H’Mong people. They are excellent “tho cam” weavers, a kind of brocade fabric. The tho cam of Cat Cat village is of especially high quality, as it is dyed with natural colours, polished with beeswax and embroidered with unique designs. Cat Cat silver jewellery such as necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings are known for their sophisticated production techniques. A walk through this old village offers a glimpse into traditional customs and practices of the ethnic Black Hmong. We will stop at a beautiful waterfall and the remains of a hydroelectric plant built by the French during their colonisation of Vietnam.

If time permits, visit Ma Tra Village. Located only about 5km to the south-east of Sa Pa town, Ma Tra Village was added recently into Sa Pa’s growing list of stunning destinations. The village is a new must-see for visitors preferring a less commercial track. The village only boasts around 50 homes and they survive using their craft such as weaving brocade, silk, forging farming tools and carving silver. They generally only make such items to meet their own needs, but since the growth of tourism in Sa Pa, many H’mong women make decorated cloth to sell on the main streets.

• Morning: 3km, 2h30m walking
• Afternoon: 3km, 2h trekking

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa

Day 4: Lao Chai - Ta van - Train back to Hanoi (B/L/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, we embark on a lovely walk that will take us along small paths and trails and through several hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Ta Van, home to H'mong, and Dzay people. This is an absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people one can meet. We stop for a picnic lunch on the way at a family house in Ta Van village. There’s the opportunity to meet with local people and study the art of making batik and local weaving from the Black H'mong and Red Dzao. In the afternoon, we get back to Sa Pa to prepare for our overnight train back to Hanoi.

• Distance: 8km
• Duration: 3h30m trekking
• Speed: Average     

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Overnight on train

Day 5: Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L/D)

Hanoi - Halong: 180km, ~3h30m drive

We will arrive at Hanoi train station at 5:30am where you will be picked up and brought to a small hotel to freshen up and have breakfast. We then depart for Halong Bay via Thai Binh and Nam Dinh. Sit back and enjoy the peaceful countryside symbolic of the Red River Delta. We will arrive at Halong Bay’s wharf around noon and embark an elegant wooden junk for an overnight cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Halong Bay. Here we enjoy the striking scenery of this World Heritage Site. While being on board, we will be served a fresh local seafood lunch followed by swimming and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. Witness one of the world’s best sunsets before you sit down for a lush dinner. The captain then will anchor for the night nearby a remote island where you’ll have the option for some night fishing or just sit out on the deck and relax under the stars.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Overnight on Junk

Day 6: Halong Bay - Hanoi (Br/-/-)

After waking up surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the bay, we have time for an early morning dip. Then it’s time for breakfast whilst you watch the sun rise over the bay. The cruise continues to move around in order for us to discover more secluded areas. We then go kayaking and continue swimming. The boat will be near us at all times for those who prefer to relax on board. Around midday, we will return to the main harbour before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for the three-hour journey to Hanoi.

Meals Included: Brunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Day 7: Hanoi - Flight to Danang - Hoi An (B/L/-)

Hanoi - Danang: 767km, 1h15min flight

After breakfast at the hotel, your driver will meet and transfer you to the airport for your flight to Danang. From here you will be driven to Hoi An ancient town. En route, we visit the Cham Museum and handicraft villages at the bottom of Marble Mountain. Upon arrival in Hoi An you will check into your hotel and be given an hour or two to recuperate.

That afternoon, we take a walking tour to Hoi An Ancient Town - an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th century. We start our day with one of Vietnam’s most iconic attractions, the Japanese Covered Bridge. The bridge was created by the Japanese living in Hoi An in the 1590s as a way to reach the Chinese quarter across the water and is a beautiful historical piece of Japanese architecture. However, no visit to Hoi An is complete without a visit to Tan Ky House - one of the many ancient houses that make up Hoi An Ancient Town. Built two centuries ago with both Japanese and Chinese influences on architecture, this house has been preserved through several generations.

We will continue our walking tour and encounter many other quintessential Hoi An houses from wealthy Chinese merchants. Another ‘must-see’ is the Phuc Kiem Assembly Hall. Built in 1690, this hall is, in fact, a temple dedicated to the sea goddess Thien Hau. It is widely considered an outstanding work of architecture and was a uniting presence to the many cultures that influenced Hoi An.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Day 8: Hoi An Cooking Class (B/L/-)

After breakfast at our hotel, we start the day at 8:45 am with a drink at Hai Scout Café. Our guide will escort you to a colourful market where you can experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of the marketplace. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and purchase some of the ingredients to be used in our cooking lesson. From here, we board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise along the Hoi An River and arrive at our destination: Red Bridge Cooking School. Before we arrive you get a chance to view local river life, so, make sure your camera is handy! On arrival, we explore the cooking schools herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of Hoi An and Vietnam’s well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – each dish is first demonstrated by the Red Bridge chef then we prepare the same dish ourselves. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat exactly what we have cooked. Delicious! As we make our way back to the hotel we will stop for a cold beer or ice coffee.

Recipes:

1. Making fresh Rice paper
2. Fresh Rice Paper Rolls of Shrimp
3. Crispy Hoi An Pancakes with Shrimp, Herbs & a Peanut Sauce
4. Seafood Salad mixed Vietnamese Herbs served in Half a Pineapple
5. Quang Nam Style Fresh Noodles with Chicken
6. Food Decoration - Pineapple Boat, 3 Colored Flowers & Vietnamese Hand Fan

Vegetarians are provided with replacement ingridients

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Day 9: Hoian - Free (B/-/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, time is free for your own exploration and shopping. Hoi An is home to some of the most skillful tailors in Vietnam. You can get your clothes custom-made at a fantastic price.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Day 10: Hoi An - Danang - Flight to Saigon (B/-/-)

Danang – Saigon: ~850km, 2h flight

After breakfast at the hotel, our driver will meet and transfer you to Danang Airport for your flight to Saigon. Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport, meet your new guide and driver who then escort you to a hotel in city centre for check-in. You will then have time for your own lunch and some relaxation.

In the afternoon, your guide will arrive at the hotel for your first official tour of Saigon. We begin with some beautiful French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office. Notre Dame Cathedral was built between 1877 and 1883, and the stones used to create it were exported entirely from France. Apart from the religious meaning, the most captivating point of this Cathedral is its special neo-Romanesque style of architecture. Next door to the cathedral stands the Old Saigon Post Office, finished in 1891. It is another fine example of French architecture and is Vietnam's largest post office. The tour continues along Dong Khoi Street, where the Opera House and the Peoples Committee building were built in 1897 by French architect Ferret Eugene.  The 800 seat Opera House served as the home of the Lower House Assembly of South Vietnam after 1956. After this, we head to the Reunification Palace which is the former residence of the President of South Vietnam. This is until April 30th, 1975 when North Vietnamese tanks came crashing through the front gates thus marking the end of the Vietnam War. 

Continuing on, we will visit the War Remnants Museum formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes. This is a poignant display of the futility of war. For a more relaxing end to the afternoon, we visit Thien Hau Pagoda located in Cho Lon, Chinatown. This pagoda is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. The most impressive features of the structure are the intricate decorations and the carved tableaus towards the front of the pagoda. Another site which cannot be missed is the bustling Ben Thanh Market. There are a number of vendors and food stalls which provide fresh & delicious dishes. No doubt you will find many gifts to bring home!

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Day 11: Saigon - Tay Ninh - Cu Chi (B/L/-)

Saigon - Tay Ninh: 100km, ~2h30m drive; Tay Ninh - Cu Chi: 70km, ~1h50m drive

After breakfast, you will be picked up 8:00am to drive through archetypal southern Vietnamese countryside heading towards Tay Ninh Province. Upon arrival, we visit the Cao Dai Holy See temple where the followers of this religion practice a unique religious blend of all the major faiths of the world. The temple is dominated by the all-seeing eye and is an architectural wonder due to its influence from contributing religions. The daily service is impressive where worshippers wear robes of different hues denoting their function and status, and kneel in blocks whilst they pray and perform complex rituals. Moving on we have scheduled a special lunch of the local cuisines in a popular local eatery for your taste of Tay Ninh.

After lunch, we drive to the incredible Cu Chi tunnel, a 250 km underground tunnel system which was created manually by Vietnamese resistance fighters often known as Viet Cong during their long struggle for independence. Also on display are various booby-traps and the remains of an American tank as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500 pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers. We then drive back to Saigon for your last night.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Day 12: Saigon - Le Cochinchine Cruise (B/L/D)

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel lobby at 8:30 am and taken to Cai Be about 100km from Saigon. Upon arrival, you will board “Le Cochinchine” to explore the lively Cai Be floating market. You then take a walk to visit the handicraft villages, visit the old houses and sample various tropical fruit. At 10:00 a.m, the cruise continues to Can Tho via Cho Lach and Tra On. At 12:00 noon, we disembark at Cho Lach village to take a walk or cycle tour along the countryside to discover tropical fruit orchards and local life. The cruise continues to Tra On where you enjoy a magnificent sunset on the river. We continue the leisurely cruise up the Mekong River whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery and an unforgettable dinner.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Le Cochinchine Cruise

Day 13: Le Cochinchine Cruise - Saigon (B/-/-)

The noise of the floating market will wake you up early in the morning. After breakfast, the cruise continues to Can Tho where you can enjoy a magnificent sunrise on the river.

Arriving in Can Tho, a small boat will take you to explore Cai Rang market, one of the most bustling floating markets in the Mekong Delta with hundreds of small boats jostling for space as owners attempt to sell their goods. We glide on through the palm-shaded creek to see local houses and green orchards. You will disembark the boat around 10:00 am where your driver will meet and take you back to Saigon for the night.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Day 14: Saigon - Nam Cat Tien (B/L/D)

Saigon - Nam Cat Tien: 150km, ~3h drive

After breakfast, we will depart for Nam Cat Tien National Park, situated about 150km from Saigon. This park is located in the middle of three provinces: Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc and is home to over 600 varieties of plants, 240 types of birds and 50 species of mammals. We will arrive around 12:00 pm, enter the park and proceed to the resort by electric car. After check-in, you will have lunch at the Forest Floor Lodge overlooking the river and jungle.

At 2:00 pm, we will trek into the jungle to discover the plant and animal life that live here. You will then have some free time to explore the park on your own, go cycling or just relax. After having dinner at the restaurant, you will go on a one-hour private jeep ride for animal spotting before returning to the lodge.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Guesthouse in Nam Cat Tien

Day 15: Nam Cat Tien - Mui Ne (B/L/-)

Nam Cat Tien - Mui Ne: 190km, ~4h20m drive 

Rising early to the sounds of the forest, we will have breakfast before taking a trip to Bau Sau otherwise known as Crocodile Lake. The lake is a 20-minute drive in a private jeep. The trek is about 5km long and will roughly take us an hour. You will then board a boat and paddle around the lake for an hour. Here we’ll see birds, crocodiles and wild lotus before having lunch. At 2:00 pm you will commence your 230km return journey to Mui Ne. Upon arrival, check into the hotel and it’s time for some well-earned relaxation.

For your reference: Mui Ne offers a number of exciting activities. If you are one for an adventure, rent a motorcycle and go on a discovery tour of this little vibrant town and surrounding fishing villages with their gentle friendly people. Also worth visiting in this area: Suoi Tien (Fairy Spring), the Ong Hoang Building, and the Poshanu Cham Tower (about 5km out of Phan Thiet on the way to Mui Ne).

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Mui Ne

Day 16: Mui Ne - Free (B/-/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, the day is completely yours. Relax!

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Mui Ne

Day 17: Mui Ne - Free (B/-/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, the day is completely yours to relax on the beach, participate in water sports or discover the old town.

Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Mui Ne

Day 18: Mui Ne - Saigon (B/-/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, the day is completely yours to relax on the beach, participate in water sports or discover the old town until our driver meet and transfer you to Saigon.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Day 19: Saigon - Departure (B/-/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, time is free until your driver meets and transfers you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your flight to your next destination or back home. Thank you very much for travelling with us!

Meals Included: Breakfast