Experience Vietnam Highlights 12 days

Day 1: Arrive HCMC (D)

You will be welcomed to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), which is the largest and busiest city in Vietnam with a population of 7 million people. Much of the daily life takes place on the streets, which are lined with shops, stalls and vendors with their wares spread out on the footpath. Don’t miss the bustling Ben Thanh Market, a fantastic place for bargains of every kind!

Based on your flight schedule, our driver will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. You will then have some free time until the time for gathering with the group for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant and a short briefing for the trip with the tour guide. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

Day 2: HCMC & Cu Chi (B/L/D)

In the morning, you’ll have an excursion to the famous Cu Chi tunnels . This network of tunnels, which stretched for over 200km, became legendary during the 1960s. The Cu Chi tunnels played a vital part in the U.S.-Vietnam War in that they allowed the Viet Cong to control a large rural area only 30 to 40 km from Saigon. At its height, the tunnel system stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border. The network, parts of which were several levels deep, included innumerable trap doors, specifically constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and feel of what underground life during the war must have been like. The tunnels have been widened for our benefit (otherwise we would not be able to enter them!). For those interested there’s even the opportunity to try an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range.

The afternoon will have you touring HCMC, including The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, Remnant War Museum, Giac Lam Pagoda, China town with ancient pagodas and temples, and bustling Binh Tay Market. You will have a 30 minute foot massage at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Blind School before dinner on Bon Sai Cruise. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

Day 3: HCMC - Can Tho (B/L/D)

You will leave HCMC to lush My Tho where we cruise on a private boat through the green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where we are treated to a delicious lunch in a bonsai garden in the heart of the Mekong, complete with tropical fruits. We also visit the snake farm Dong Tam that breeds snakes for, among other things, snake wine and enjoy a bonsai garden in Trung Luong, visit Vinh Trang pagoda (a combination of Asian and European style) before heading to Can Tho city, in the heart of the Mekong Delta. You will stay overnight in Can Tho.

Day 4: Can Tho - HCMC (B/L)

You will wake up to the sounds of the Mekong River welcoming a new day and take a boat trip to join in the Cai Rang floating market, one of the most bustling floating markets in the Mekong Delta with hundreds of small boats barging and jostling for space to sell their goods. After sampling local fruits, our guide will escort the guests back to the hotel through myriad canals. You will have lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight stay.

Day 5: Fly Danang - Hoi An (B/L)

Following breakfast is you are free until transfer to the airport for a flight to Danang. Upon arrival at Danang you will be greeted by our guide who will begin by escorting you on a tour of Danang City, including the Cham Museum where you can find out more about this ancient but advanced civilization. After leaving Danang we will make our way the short distance to the Marble Mountains, where there will be the opportunity to climb to the top and admire the temples that have a commanding view over the surrounding district. We will continue to the delightful town of Hoi An, approximately 30km away. You will check in stay overnight in Hoi An.

Day 6: Hoi An (B)

From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in the high grade silk, which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics.

Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerous cafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century. We enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the ancient quarter visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200-year-old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Hoi An is now one of five UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites in Vietnam. In the afternoon, you are free to meander in Hoi An, unwind at Cua Dai Beach or take an optional half day trip to My Son Cham Ruins. You will stay overnight in Hoi An.

Day 7: Hoi An - Hue - Hoi An (B/L)

At 7:30 a.m, you will be greeted at the hotel by our driver and guide and transfer to the ancient Capital of Vietnam, Hue City. On arrival you will board the Dragon Boat for cruising on the romantic Perfume river heading out for the countryside. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to the most beautiful tombs will be the itinerary for today.

The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day. You will enjoy a great view on the Perfume River and surrounding area. Thien Mu Pagoda is considered the symbol of Hue , and of Buddhism in Vietnam . Enjoy lunch at local restaurant before you continue to visit King Minh Mang’s tomb and King Tu Duc’s tomb. From here you rejoin your car to visit Hue Citadel and Dong Ba market. You will have a late afternoon transfer back to Hoi An for an overnight stay.

Day 8: Fly Hanoi - Half Day City (B/D)

After leaving Hoi An, we make the 60 minute drive from Hoi An to Danang airport. From Danang we take the one-hour flight to Hanoi, where we transfer directly to our centrally located hotel.

This afternoon there will be a city tour, and you will take a 20 minute-drive from your hotel to the very impressive Museum of Ethnology, among the finest of Vietnam’s museums. You will see many exhibits, photographs and actual houses inhabited by some of the 54 ethnic people in Vietnam . It will offer a truly colorful introduction to these ethnic tribes. From here, you enjoy a one hour cyclo tour of Hanoi ‘s vibrant Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, the focal point of the city. Lastly, in the late afternoon, you will be enchanted by the legends and stories told at the Thang Long Water Puppet show that no one should miss while visiting Hanoi before transferring to a charming local restaurant for dinner. You will stay overnight in Hanoi.

Day 9: Hanoi - Free & easy (B)

Today you’ll be able to explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops, selling silk clothing, lacquer ware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. You can take a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake, enjoy people-watching at one of the numerous stylish cafes or shop for modern art in the city’s myriad galleries.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 10: Hanoi - Halong (B/L/D)

In the morning, you will leave Hanoi at 08:00 AM for Halong Bay, arriving at the jetty around 12:30 pm. You will be welcomed aboard and set sail through the bay while lunch is served. After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, go swimming on a quite beach or sunbathe on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, visit an interesting fishing village with the opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. Back on board, enjoy cocktails while watching the sunset and later unwind at a restaurant for a lavish dinner. You will stay overnight on the deluxe junk.

Day 11: Halong - Hanoi (Brunch)

Greet the day with a morning Tai Chi exercise with an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay. After breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto then go back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Checkout is at 11:45 am and then you drive back to Hanoi, where you will stay overnight.

Day 12: Departure (B)

There is no planned activity for today. Based on your departure flight schedule, we will transfer you to Hanoi International airport.