Day 1: Hanoi Arrival

Upon arrival to Hanoi, our guide and driver will be waiting to provide transport to the hotel for check in. Room is available from 14:00. The rest of the day is spent at leisure after your long-haul flights!

Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B)

You will experience a full-day tour of Vietnam’s capital city, including the Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, his traditional stilt house and the thousand-year-old Temple of Literature, also known as the “First University of Vietnam”.
In the afternoon, pay a visit to the Museum of Ethnology to learn about Vietnam’s diverse culture (54 ethnic groups in all).

After that, climb into a traditional cyclo for a tour of the city’s traditional 36 streets in the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake vicinity with ancient Ngoc Son Temple. Complete your experience of Hanoi in the early evening with a traditional water puppet show perhaps followed by a walk around Hoan Kiem lake.
In the early evening, enjoy water puppet show.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Note:
– Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Fridays
– The Museum of Ethnology is closed on Mondays

Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L, D)

Leave Hanoi in the morning and head straight to Halong Bay, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site with its 3,000 islands of towering limestone dotting the bay and Gulf of Tonkin. Upon arrival in Halong, you will board a beautiful boat for an overnight cruise in the bay with an excellent menu of fresh seafood.

Overnight on board

Day 4: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Da Nang – Hoi An (B)

Wake up early in the morning to enjoy the aquamarine waters of the bay at its best. After tea/coffee and pastries have been served, the boat will continue to cruise quietly through the spectacular limestone formations of Halong Bay. Enjoy this more isolated part of the bay’s spectacular and unique islands. Overland to Hanoi Airport where you take onward flight to Da Nang. Then transfer to Hoi An for overnight. 

Day 5: Hoi An (B)

After breakfast, you will depart the hotel for a discovery tour around Hoi An. Start with a boat ride to the mouth of Thu Bon river to enjoy the daily activities of the fishing people such as throwing a fishing net and trading their products. Your boat will then continue cruising for about half an hour to a fishing village where you will change to a smaller bamboo boat (a coracle) to discover a distinctive mangrove forest. This excursion will also give you a chance to admire skillful fishermen working in the forest.

You will head back to the main land in mid-morning and will then take a stroll through the small streets of the town to explore some of the two-century-old Chinese houses. Sites include the Japanese Bridge, the Chinese Temple, and Tan Ky trading house.

Then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at Reaching Out – a special teashop where all the waiters and waitresses are deaf staff who are given a chance to have a self–reliant life and integrate into the community by being professionally trained to work there. It will be a peaceful moment for you to enjoy the silence and savor the taste of the coffee. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 6: Hoi An – Da Nang – Saigon (B)

Transfer to Danang Airport to take the midday flight to Saigon. From the airport you will travel to the city to start your exploration of this dynamic metropolis. You will visit the historic sites including: the Old Post Office, the Notre Dame cathedral, Dong Khoi Street. You will be back at your hotel later in the afternoon. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 7: Mekong Delta (B, L)

Our one day cruise excursion starts at 8:00 am from the lobby of your hotel in Saigon with a drive to Ben Tre. While there, you can take a walk along the waterfront, lined with French era shops and houses, and you'll see plenty of coconuts being unloaded from boats for dispatch around the country. Then, jump on a boat for a couple of hours of cruising on the Mekong River. You will enjoy your delicious lunch at a local restaurant or on board. The excursion will end at around 4:00pm where the vehicle will await you for your transfer back to Saigon. Dinner is on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 8: Saigon – Departure (B)

Free at your leisure until departure flight. Room is available until 12:00. Ends of service.

ACCOMMODATION