Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Today, start your journey to the highlights and hidden gems of Hanoi at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing structure that houses the remains of the revered former president who led Vietnam’s campaign for independent from colonial rule. Next, head onward to the Temple of Literature, an ancient collection of courtyards, gardens and architecture built in homage to the Chinese scholar Confucius. Considered the oldest university in Vietnam, the Temple of Literature dates back nearly one thousand years!

Enjoy your lunch at a restaurant specializing in traditional Hanoi delicacies.

Follow your guide’s lead while you weave through some of the Quarter’s 36 streets named for the products historically sold here. Along the way, pass by some of the only remaining streets that continue selling the goods of their namesake, including Tin and Bamboo street. Head through labyrinthine back alleys well off the tourist trail and see Hanoi at its authentic best. Peer into temples and traditional houses, hear the stories of the ancient city and meet the people who call this fascinating city home. Wrap up your guided walk with a strong Vietnamese coffee at a café overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake – an important symbol of Vietnamese folklore – before heading to your final stop at Ngoc Son Temple on the tiny island on the lake. Enjoy a water puppet show for a look at traditional performance art in Vietnam before heading back to your hotel.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the train station.

Take the night train Hanoi – Lao Cai/ sharing cabin.

Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

This morning jump in a jeep that will whisk you to the starting point of your trek. Today you will walk through the lush Ban Ho Valley to Thanh Phu Village, stopping off to meet members of the Tay ethnic minority group. Take a peek into their homes to see what rural life is like in the mountains. After lunch, continue walking to your homestay in Sin Chai Village, where the residents are from the Red Dao group. Tonight over dinner, have a chat with your hosts and learn about their culture and traditions.

Overnight at homestay.

After breakfast, the day’s trek begins with a leisurely walk downhill to My Son village, which belongs to the Xafo ethnic group. The Xafo are one of the smaller ethnic groups in northern Vietnam, and most visitors to Sapa don’t have the opportunity to meet them. From My Son, continue walking for another 90 minutes to the Red Dao village of Nam Toong, for lunch. Then descend to Ban Ho village for a well-earned dip in the nearby La Vie waterfall. Towel off and drive back to Lao Cai, where you will take an overnight train back to Hanoi.

Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

Depart from Hanoi and travel about four hours to the port of Halong Bay. Take a small tender boat to meet your junk, which will be anchored just offshore. After a short safety briefing, set sail to the outer reaches of Bai Tu Long Bay, passing by stunning limestone karsts jutting out of the jade waters. Explore the well-hidden Thien Canh Son cave before relaxing on a white sandy beach. In the evening join in a cooking demonstration before a pleasant evening on board.

Overnight Cruise in Halong Bay.

Take a traditional rowboat to the floating fishing village of Vung Vieng. Watch as the people go about daily lives shaped by the ageless rhythms of the sea. Enjoy your last glimpses of Halong Bay over an early lunch as you cruise back to the port. While returning to Hanoi, stop at Yen Duc Village to see a traditional water puppet performance, an ancient art form of the Red River Delta. Afterwards continue to Hanoi, arriving in the late in the afternoon.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight.

Upon arrival, visit Phong Nha Cave. Cruise along the Son River directly into the heart of Vietnam’s second largest cave, stretching almost 8 kilometers underground and with 14 intricate grottoes. Travel along the subterranean river through one of the world’s largest limestone structures, before enjoying a local lunch above ground!

Back your hotel for check-in and day at leisure.

Overnight in Quang Binh.

Dark cave is a branch of Phong Nha cave system with the length of 5,558m and the height of 80m. It has a primitive beauty with thousands of several spectacular stalagmite and stalactites. Exploring Dark cave is really an amazing experience. We will kayak along Chay river, walk through the dark with with just head torches and plunge into a narrow cavern full of thick, wonderfully gloppy, gooey mud. You will be surprised in front of the beauty hidden in the dark. Inside Dark cave, you will have the opportunity to have a natural mud bath and swim in the cool lake. Besides, you can join many activities such as swimming, zip line, high-wire, and kayaking.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Located in the middle of the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Paradise cave is beautiful as it name. It was discovered and labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent dry cave by scientists from the British cave research association in 2005 and has become a favorite destination of tourists. When discovering Paradise cave, you seem to get lost in the penglai place on Earth. To be easy for tourist to visit and to protect this cave, local government built a wood bridge in the cave. This bridge makes the cave more beautiful and sparkling.

Overnight in Quang Binh.

Depart this morning and drive north to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) along Highway 1, a mountainous road offering views of cascading ranges. This narrow strip of land running west to east from the Vietnam-Laos border to the sea once included the wartime boundary between North and South Vietnam. And contrary to its name, it was the site of ferocious fighting. The tour includes stops at some of the DMZ’s best-known combat sites where you will hear the stories of a country at war. First is the Citadel of Quang Tri, the site of a major 1972 battle between US backed South Vietnamese forces and their North Vietnamese adversaries.

Next, cross Hien Luong Bridge, that spans the Ben Hai River at the middle of the DMZ and marks the former border between North and South Vietnam. The tour continues at the nearby Vinh Moc Tunnels, which housed an entire Vietnamese village for two and a half years! Visit the small museum displaying photos that depict their difficult underground life. After a Vietnamese lunch, you will visit Khe Sanh, the site of a landmark 1968 battle near the Vietnam-Laos border. Battle weary and tired, you will be in Hue late afternoon.

Overnight in Hue.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before embarking on a day of exploring Hue’s famous royal tombs and the illustrious examples of grand dynasties past, the garden houses.

Hue was the Vietnamese capital during the Nguyen Dynasty 1802-1945 and ruins of the city’s regal past can still be seen inside the Citadel and the Imperial City. Created in the 19th century, the Imperial City was modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing and holds many palaces and temples inside its giant walls. Many of the buildings have been damaged by war over the years and are now being restored to their former glory.

Spend some time wandering through the citadel before taking a short journey into the surrounding countryside to see the final resting place of the Emperors at two of the most impressive Royal Tombs and take a boat trip along the Perfume River, visit Thien Mu Pagoda.

Overnight in Hue.

Today drive south to Hoi An over the scenic Hai Van Pass probably the most scenic stretch of coastal road in Vietnam!

On the way to Hoi An, you will stop to visit Marble Mountain and Cham Museum.

Lunch at local restaurant.

In the afternoon, begin your tour of Hoi An, a former trading port that welcomed Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab merchants between the 16th to 18th centuries. Today Hoi An is famous for its restored architecture, homemade silk, expert tailors and delicious noodles and seafood. Its relaxed vibe and pedestrian streets make this town a pleasure to walk around and discover new things.

The tour includes stops at several famous landmarks. The first is Chua Ong Pagoda, dating back to 1653 and built in honor of the Chinese general Quan Cong, who is worshipped by many as a symbol of loyalty and justice.

Next, pop into Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, to see the Jinshang Temple which is dedicated to the goddess of the sea and the protector of sailors. From there it’s a short walk to Tan Ky House, a 200 year old ancestral house and finally, stroll across the often photographed 17th century covered bridge built by Japanese craftsmen. The beautifully built bridge doubles as a temple and is a major landmark of Hoi An. End your afternoon with a boat trip along Thu Bon river.

Overnight in Hoi An

Day at leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight.

Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and driven to the city’s Central Post Office, which was designed by the renowned French architect Gustav Eiffel.

Next, stroll toward the Saigon River along Dong Khoi Street, which figured prominently in Graham Greene’s famous Vietnam novel, The Quiet American, to the Saigon Opera House, a commanding building completed in 1901. Shelled during World War II, it was used to shelter French citizens fleeing North Vietnam in 1954, the year Vietnam earned its independence from France.

The tour continues with a stop at the Reunification Palace, where a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates in 1975 to end a war that killed an estimated 58,000 Americans and three million Vietnamese. You will also visit the War Remnants Museum, where Vietnam’s government has assembled presentations – some of them graphic – of wartime hardships and atrocities.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Leave the city behind this morning as you travel about two hours to reach Cai Be, a gateway to the Mekong Delta. Then hop aboard a small boat and travel along the winding waterways to take a peek into life on the water. Stop off at Dong Phu and An Binh where you will see small home-based factories that produce oil, matting, candy and even wine from coconuts! Then visit an old French colonial house that is more than 150 years old. After a quick stop for lunch, hop aboard another boat that will take you to the ferry hub of Vinh Long and then drive to Can Tho arriving in the late afternoon.

Overnight in Can Tho.

It’s an early start to the day as you go by boat the daily floating market of Can Tho. Experience the flurry of vendors trading their wares as boats teeming with fruit, vegetables and household goods ply the waters. Then it’s off to Chau Doc, a sleepy riverside border town, about three hours by road.

This afternoon drive approximately 20kms from Chau Doc to Tra Su Forest and travel by sampan through endless waterways flanked by mangroves and lush greenery. This eco reserve spans 850 hectares and is an ecological haven for fauna and flora, with more than 100 species of water birds and colonies of bats. The best time to visit Tra Su is from September to November when the water is high, although it is accessible all year round. On the way to the forest you will visit a small village of ethnic Khmer, where you will learn about the importance of Buddhism in the community and have the opportunity to chat with monks at the local monastery.

Overnight in Chau Doc.

Say good bye to the delta and travel to Ho Chi Minh City about seven hours by car. There will be plenty of stops along the way to stretch your legs and take photos.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight.