Begin your journey by unravelling the Vietnamese culture and history in the Vietnamese capital.

• Soak in the history of the first president and Great father of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, who dedicated his life to save his country from invaders by visiting Ho Chi Minh Complex.
• Take a stroll around the Temple of Literature, the first University of Vietnam (1076), dedicated to Confucius (Khong Tu) in 1070. It is worth the visit to understand how the Vietnamese elite was educated.
• Visit the Ethnology Museum, a fabulous collection relating to the Vietnamese ethnic minorities and understand the original culture of the country.
• Grab a Vietnamese coffee while waiting for the train to pass by at the Train Street. Here the trains hurling through the narrow street just feet away from people’s everyday life and children are playing on the tracks.
• See the famous Water Puppet Show, a unique tradition from the North which dates back to the 11th Century. Get ready to be amazed by the traditional music from drums, wooden bells, bamboo flutes and authentic Vietnamese operatic songs telling folktales and legends.

Highlight experience: Grab a coffee at the Train Street

Your cruise will navigate to Bai Tu Long Bay, a well-selected route beyond the main tourist circuit. Get ready to experience the bay’s treasures.

• Admire the fascinating formations of the bay.
• Venture into the fantastically formed Thien Canh Son cave.
• Retreat to the white-sand beach of Hon Co Island and participate in activities such as kayaking or swimming.
• Relish the taste of skillfully prepared local seafood.
• Settle into your cabin while the boat anchors for a night’s rest.

Overnight on board

Highlight experience: Transfer to go sail the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage site seascape: Halong Bay

For the final day in the bay, you will adventure through activities that become memories:

• Delight in breakfast with an astonishingly enchanting view under the morning sun
• Visit the Vung Vieng fishing and pearl farm via a rustic row-boat
• Dive and dip into the refreshing bay
• Indulge in lunch and appreciate the local ingredients used to craft the dish
• Return to the port in the early afternoon to travel back to Hanoi

Settle into an evening flight from Hanoi to Hoian. Arrive and be welcomed by our guide and be transferred to your arranged accommodation.

Highlight experience: Observe the pearl-making process
 

Take in the breath of fresh air that is the riverside port town of Hoian:

• Stroll through the delightful trading port and see the remaining century-old buildings in Hoian
• Appreciate Hoian’s narrow alleys, charming homes with wooden balconies, fascinating architectural features, beautiful temples, and the famous covered Japanese Bridge
• Visit a lantern factory where you can make your own lantern
• Discover the historic port of Hoian, that is lit up at dusk by hundreds of beautifully colored lanterns that create spectacular photo opportunities
• Visit Bamboo workshop and meet VO Tan Tan who is a man that passionately makes everything from bamboo: chairs, tables, lamps, telephones and even bamboo bicycles. Join his workshop to create a bamboo souvenir

Overnight in Hoian

Highlight experience: Make your own illuminating lantern in Hoian

• Enjoy free time to wander the Hoian ancient town or leisurely lounge on the An Bang beach
• Relaxed and rejuvenated, you will fly to Saigon to experience the expanding cosmopolitan city

Overnight in Hoian

Highlight experience: Unwind yourself in An Bang Beach

Take a drive to Hoian via the Hai Van Pass, known as “the pass in the clouds”, which offers spectacular views.

Being the cultural and geographical center of Vietnam, Hue has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the ancient relics, historical monuments, and fine continuation of imperial traditions. Let’s together discover Hue, Vietnam’s former capital, built by the Nguyen Dynasty:

• Stroll through the Imperial Citadel
• Visit Thanh Tien village – a village that has been crafting paper flowers for 400 years
• Experience a conical hat and incense-making village
• Have a look at the mausoleum of Khai Dinh, the final emperor’s resting place
• Explore the Thien Mu pagoda – the symbol of Hue city
• Admire the garden-style homes at An Hien

Overnight in Hue

Highlight experience: The village of conical hats.

After breakfast, a transfer from your hotel to Toa Kham wharf for a cruise on the legendary Perfume River.

• Buy fresh ingredients for the cooking class at Dong Ba in the packed open-air market.
• Embark on a traditional dragon boat heading for Thien Mu pagoda – the symbol of Hue city.

Continue cruising the picturesque Perfume River, surrounded by rural scenery, before reaching Thuy Bieu Village:

• Go for an adventurous amble or bicycle ride to visit the garden-house styled homes, ancestral temple, and the village.
• Prepare traditional Hue cuisine carefully with the chef and tuck into your “achievement” afterward.
• Relax by dipping your feet in medicinal herb water – a traditional therapeutic practice – and unwind with an excellent massage by a visually-impaired masseuse.

Settle into an evening flight from Hanoi to Saigon. Arrive and be welcomed by our guide and be transferred to your arranged accommodation.

Overnight in Saigon

Highlight experience: Cooking your very own traditional Vietnamese dish

Saigon (currently Ho Chi Minh city) varies from the rest of Vietnam due to its modern flair. Various cultures mesh together to create a colourful city with foreign influences:

• Built by the Cantonese congregation, Thien Hau Temple and the Binh Tay Market both reside in the Cholon district, which is presently the largest community of Chinese
• The War Remnants Museum houses a history of locals’ perspectives of the American/Vietnam War
• The old Presidential Palace is where victory was declared after years of fighting and is preserved as found with vehicles still in the garages
• The Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Saigon Post Office are both magnificent displays of French architecture
• Witness the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, and scramble through part of an unbelievably complex system of tunnels built by the Vietnamese resistance fighters

Overnight in Saigon

Highlight experience: Discover the many faces of Saigon

Leave Saigon behind and head for the rich, fertile lands of the Mekong Delta region and its extraordinarily busy inhabitants:

• Wind along narrow waterways on a local sampan and observe productive rice fields, fruit orchards, and historical buildings.
• Visit local industries in Riverside homes, see the manufacture of regional specialities such as coconut candy, rice paste etc.
• Observe the floating market at Cai Be.
• Arrive in Sa Dec, a Venetian-style settlement with properties on the water.
• Tour the old neighbourhood with its colonial French and Chinese architectural influences.

Overnight on board

Highlight experience: Voyage around the Mekong Delta floating regions

Start the final day in the Mekong Delta with vibrant opportunities.

• Your journey will continue to the colorful Cai Rang floating market and Ba Cong fruit orchard, where you can taste their fresh products.
• Visit the 100-year-old Binh Thuy Ancient House to appreciate the historic workmanship and architecture and admire the lush vegetation and active life of the local people along the riverbanks.

Highlight experience: Learn about the local life on the Mekong Delta.

Free time until your transfer to the airport for your departure flight.