Day 1: Ho Chi Minh Arrival

Xin Chao! Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon – the most dynamic city of Vietnam where modern high-rise buildings sit next to ancient temples. Room is available from 14:00.

Overnight in Saigon.

Day 2   Cu Chi Tunnels – Jeep tour (B,L)

Drive 70kms from Ho Chi Minh City, stopping en route to visit a rice paper making village, and you will reach Cu Chi Tunnels. After an introductory video, viewing various mantraps, the remains of an American tank and numerous bomb craters, you will spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels to see how the Viet Cong survived in this underground network.

Back to Ho Chi Minh city and explore the city by vintage jeep. You’ll pass by historic landmarks and sites of the city. First, visit the Reunfication Palace - the former home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Then heading to FITO Museum to see its collection of 3,000 items of traditional tools and ancient documents, traces the development of traditional medicine in Vietnam. Continue the trip to the District 5 which is one among of the oldest parts of Saigon before dropping you off at your hotel.

Overnight in Saigon

Day 3: Saigon – 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 4: Saigon – Flight to Da Nang – Hoi An (B,L)

After a short flight from Saigon to Da Nang, your driver meets you at Da Nang Airport and drives you to your hotel in Hoi An Ancient town.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 5: Hoi An ( B,L)

Walk the ancient streets of Hoi An, lined with Chinese traders’ homes and wooden houses reincarnated as restaurants, cafés, and outlets for local artists, craftsmen and tailors. Explore the beautiful 16th century Japanese Bridge. Hoi An's unique fusion of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture is well displayed here, in what is arguably Vietnam's most tourist-friendly town.

Next you will enjoy a cooking class. After enjoying your welcome drink, you'll be transferred to Tra Que Organic Village to select fresh herbs for your cooking lesson. You'll stop by the local village market for other ingredients, then arrive at Red Bridge Cooking School and begin your class. Working with the Red Bridge Chef, you'll prepare 4 famous dishes, including ‘Pho’. After the class you'll sit down and savour the dishes you have prepared, then enjoy a leisurely 25 minute cruise along the Hoi An River back to central Hoi An. Bring your swimsuit, after the cooking tour has finished you can enjoy free use of our 20 metre swimming pool.

In the late afternoon, you will sit down and learn how to make traditional lantern out of bamboo and silk.

Overnight in Hoi An

Day 6: Hoi An  (B,L)

You will start the day cycling along back roads witnessing Vietnamese rural life first hand, working the ground with a farmer in an organic vegetable village and riding a water buffalo in a rice paddy field.

Later, you will board a boat to join local fishermen doing traditional net fishing. You will also experience paddling the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boat, rounding out your experience with the local farming and fishing communities.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 7: Hoi An (B)

Free at your leisure to enjoy the beach. Meals on your own. Overnight in Hoi An

Day 8: Hoi An – Da Nang – Fly to Hanoi (B,L)

Take a short flight from Da Nang to Hanoi, one of Asia’s most enchanting cities, full of culture and history. You are met at Noi Bai airport by your local guide and learn a bit about this fascinating city on the way to your hotel.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Vietnam History museum. Established in the 1920s as the Musée Louis Finot, the Vietnam History Museum is housed in an ‘Indochinese style’ structure and traces the history of the Vietnamese people from the earliest times to the present day.

Then leisurely walk to nearby Hanoi Opera House for photos of the most beautiful French architectural buildings left in Hanoi.

Drop by a local coffee and ice cream shop to relax and enjoy the atmosphere while observing the local life. 

Explore the Old Quarter at a casual pace on golf cart style buggies, so you can enjoy the scenery and take photos. This is a place you must see to experience Hanoi, where you will find shopping and cultural/historical sites all wrapped into one.

Overnight in Hanoi

Day 9: Hanoi (B,L)

In the morning you will take a walk on the Ba Dinh Square and visit the Ho Chi Minh complex. This complex features the mausoleum of the founder of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh. If it is open, you can walk through the mausoleum to view his body. You can also see the Presidential Palace and Uncle Ho's house on stilts in the park-like complex.

Continue with the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius, was built in the 11th century. It was the first university in Vietnam and students still come here to burn incense. You will find a peaceful atmosphere tinged with incense smoke, and sunken lotus ponds populated by fish and turtles. Enjoy lunch at KOTO restaurant.

Located on the outskirts of Hanoi by the banks of the Red River, Bat Trang is a traditional handicraft village specializing in ceramics. Discover the small, hidden alleys of this village and visit a local workshop to interact with the craftsmen and observe the complete production cycle, from preparing the clay to shaping the products, painting them and firing them in the kiln.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 10: Hanoi – Halong (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 11: Halong Bay – Hanoi - Departure (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. Back at the dock, where you will be met and transferred to Hanoi for your departure flight. End of service.

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