Highlights of Vietnam

Upon arrival at Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport, you will be greeted by our airport representative who will provide a private vehicle transfer to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Enjoy an early breakfast this morning, meet your driver and depart your hotel at 8:00 am for the 2.5-hour drive through rural northern Vietnam to the site of Vietnam’s first capital, Hoa Lu. Visit temples dedicated to Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang of the Dinh Dynasty (968-980), and Emperor Le Dai Hanh of the Le Dynasty (980-1009). The ancient Hoa Lu Citadel, most of which has since been destroyed, once covered an area of three square kilometres. Complete your visit to Hoa Lu, if time and energy levels permit, by taking a half-hour walk up one of the surrounding limestone karst hills. The climb is rewarded with spectacular views. In the late morning, depart for Tam Coc Town and enjoy a Vietnamese lunch. En route stop to take pictures of local villages and the stunning landscape.

After lunch, visit Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a relaxing boat ride on a peaceful river passing through a series of caves. Trang An is a spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, some of which are submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs. As the boat gently slices through the water, notice the enormous limestone karsts jutting out from the green rice fields giving rise to another name, ‘Halong on Land’. Officially designated as an ‘eco-tourism’ area, the only interruptions here are the sound of birds and the gentle paddle of the oar upon the crystal-clear river.

Meet your driver, and the transfer returns to the hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

This morning after enjoying breakfast at your hotel, check out and meet your driver who will provide a private vehicle transfer of between 90 mins to 140 mins to HaLong Bay. On arrival at Tuan Chau Marina, board your junk boat and complete check-in formalities before meeting in the dining room for a cruise briefing as the junk slowly pulls away from the marina and sets sail into HaLong Bay. Enjoy a relaxing lunch on board and in the afternoon, enjoy some time relaxing on board. Towards the end of the day, the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations, and enjoy dinner on board as the sun sets over HaLong Bay.

Choose to rise early and enjoy a Tai Chi lesson on the top deck as the sun rises followed by coffee, or enjoy a well-earned sleep-in. As the junk cruises back to Tuan Chau Marina you will enjoy Brunch on board before disembarking around 11.30 am. Upon arrival at Tuan Chau Marina, walk the short distance to your seaplane and enjoy a 25-minute seaplane ride over HaLong Bay. After enjoying this spectacular seaplane ride, meet your driver who will provide the private vehicle transfer back to Hanoi.

Enjoy the morning at leisure before you meet your driver who will provide the private vehicle transfer to Hanoi Noi Bai Domestic Airport for your short flight to Hue Phu Bai Domestic Airport. Located in Central Vietnam, Hue is the only place in the country where many historic, cultural, architectural as well as artistic values have been preserved. Tangible cultural heritage – the system of historic monuments – and intangible cultural heritage – the Imperial court music – have their own national and international values that were acknowledged as World Cultural Heritages. Hue is also the site where the northern and southern ecosystems meet, the area of river hills, greenery and beautiful landscapes.

Tonight you will be brought back to the splendid history of ancient Royal times in Vietnam, and be charmed by the Royal style decoration of the Royal Dining room. The atmosphere of the dinner where you are the King with royal wears, and beside you is the Queen accompanied by the servants in traditional royal clothes, All the food served is royal dishes symbolizing the dragon, phoenix, or peacock. Your table is decorated with Hue’s colourful silk and flowers, large candlelight’s, a colourful lantern with a dragon pattern and spotlights. You will discover how Royal life was by enjoying the “Royal meal” while listening to melodious music and having a feeling of being a real King.

This morning you will meet your guide and begin the day with a visit to the Imperial City of Hue. The Hue Citadel is situated on the Northern bank of the Perfume River and was built by Emperor Gia Long, and it was designed for the exclusive use of the Emperor and his household. The Citadel is a square 2 km wall encompassing 3 walled enclosures; the Citadel, Kinh Thanh Hue, the Yellow Imperial city, Hoang Thanh and in the centre the Forbidden Purple city Tu Cam Thanh where the Emperor lived. The Hue royal complex has been officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Your tour continues as you enjoy a scenic boat trip on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, one of the oldest ancient architectural structures for religious worship in Hue. Proceed to the Minh Mang Royal tomb, set amidst a lush pine hill by the river and considered to be one of the most beautiful mausoleums. Each ruler of the Imperial City built his tomb during his reign. Lunch today is enjoyed at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, enjoy the spectacular drive over the Hai Van Pass to DaNang with a whole view of the Pacific Ocean and the famous Lang Co fishing village. Continuing to the charming historic city of Hoi An which lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of Southeast Asia in the 16th century and was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

En route to Hoi An, visit the Cham Museum – The world’s foremost collection of the sculpture of the ancient Kingdom of Champa, and the Marble Mountain, whose peaks represent the five elements of the universe. Continuing to the charming historic city of Hoi An which lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of Southeast Asia in the 16th century and was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

This morning discover Hoi An, known to early Western merchants, Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of Southeast Asia in the 16th century. Hoi An has a mixed Chinese-Vietnamese atmosphere with low, tile-roof houses and narrow streets. Having been through many ups and downs in the past, the original structures, however, are still virtually intact. One reason to persuade UNESCO to recognize Hoi An as a World Heritage in 1999. Besides, the surroundings of Hoi An, especially the countryside, are one of the most outstanding highlights that visitors should experience during their stay in Hoi An. One of the best ways to discover Hoi An and its surroundings is by walking. During your leisurely walk, you will visit some of the historic merchant and community houses, places of worship and the famous Japanese Covered Bridge, the daily life of the local people, green paddy fields, vegetable gardens, markets, temples, historic houses, fishermen and stunning countryside scenes will simply mesmerize you.

This tour offers great photo opportunities, and you may find yourself chatting with the locals and inhaling unforgettable memories, and Lunch today will be served at a local restaurant.

Enjoy an early start this morning and commence the day with a welcome drink at Hai Café (98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An Ancient Town, Tel: 0235 3863210) – our meeting point.

You will travel by mini-van (10 minutes) to Tra Que Organic Village and enjoy a walk through the market gardens where local farmers work their fields using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago – no electrical machinery here. We pick fresh saw-tooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for our cooking lesson later, before trying a special herbal drink at a local home.

We proceed to the local village market and with a shopping list in hand, we purchase a range of local ingredients, including star anise, cardamom, sesame rice paper, water spinach and banana flower. Arriving at our Cooking School we have a chance to freshen up before beginning our class. Working together with our Chef we learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food from scratch. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional Vietnamese utensils (still in use today) we cook 4 famous dishes, including the national dish ‘Pho’. After the class, we sit down and savour the dishes we have prepared.

Bring your swimsuit and after the cooking tour has finished relax and enjoy free use of our 20-metre swimming pool. The class finishes at approximately 2.30 pm and you will be transfer ed back to central Hoi An arriving approximately 3.00 pm.

Enjoy your final few hours in Hoi An at leisure before you meet your driver who will provide the private vehicle transfer to DaNang Domestic Airport for your onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival at Ton San Nhat Domestic Airport, you will be welcomed by our airport representative who will provide the private vehicle transfer to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

This morning, enjoy a half-day visit to the Cu Chi tunnels. These hand-dug tunnels changed the course of the Vietnam War, and the well-camouflaged entrance holes lead into a network of incredibly narrow tunnels that stretch for over 200 kilometres connecting command posts, hospitals, and shelters. We’ll learn about the life of the Vietcong and venture into some of the tunnels. The deadly, bamboo-spiked booby traps are another must-see as is the nearby shooting range.

In the afternoon return to Ho Chi Minh City for an ½-day city tour. Ever-vibrant, ever-changing – Ho Chi Minh City is buzzing, where sleek skyscrapers loom over incense-infused temples and motorcycles rule the roads. There are classic European-style landmarks such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Opera House, the ornate City Hall and the art-deco Post Office. Reminders of the recent past can be seen in the Reunification Palace, famously stormed by tanks in 1975. We’ll visit all the main sights of the city and enjoy time to browse the stalls in the bustling Ben Thanh Market.

This morning meet our local guide in the hotel lobby and embark on the drive to My Tho, the heart of the Mekong Delta, famous for its vast rice fields and most beautiful landscapes. Visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda en route and stop by the bank of The Tien Giang River for some wonderful photo opportunities. Enjoy a boat trip on the Mekong River bound for Phoenix Island where local handicrafts and sweets from coconut are being produced. Enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and a traditional live music and songs performance. Take a short ride on a horse carriage to a typical local house to taste some homemade honey tea. Proceed by small sampan boats through the small canals and side arms of the river to observe the daily life along the riverbanks with a stop and short leisurely walk at Turtle Island. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before driving back to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City arriving late afternoon.

Enjoy your final few hours at leisure in Ho Chi Minh City, before you meet your driver who will provide the private vehicle transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your onward flight.