Itinerary
- Day 1
Hanoi
Touch down in Hanoi and your personal guide meets you at the airport for the drive to your hotel. This afternoon, you'll walk through the city's main attractions starting with the Opera House, then move through the Old Quarter's narrow streets before reaching Hoan Kiem Lake. You'll see Ngoc Son Temple on the lake's northern shore, and by evening, head to a local restaurant for your welcome dinner of authentic Vietnamese food.
- Start point
- Hanoi, Vietnam (Airport Pick-up, 00:00 - 23:55)
- Meals
- Dinner (Authentic Vietnamese food at a local restaurant)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (La Siesta Classic Ma May)
Included Activities
- Walking tour of Opera House, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, and Ngoc Son Temple
- Welcome dinner of authentic Vietnamese food at a local restaurant
Landmarks Opera House Old Quarter Hoan Kiem Lake Ngoc Son Temple 
- Day 2
Hanoi to Lao Cai
The morning starts at Ba Dinh Square, followed by a stroll to West Lake where you'll see the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House. From there, you'll check out the One Pillar Pagoda standing alone in its pond, then head to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first college. After lunch, the afternoon takes you to the Museum of Ethnology, and then to Quan Thanh Temple (the largest Taoist temple here) and Tran Quoc Pagoda (oldest Buddhist temple). You'll catch the Water Puppet Show in the evening before boarding an overnight sleeper train to Lao Cai.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
- Accommodation
- Sleeper Train (Overnight soft sleeper train)
Included Activities
- Visit Ba Dinh Square
- Stroll to West Lake and visit Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House
- Visit One Pillar Pagoda
- Visit Temple of Literature
- Visit Museum of Ethnology
- Visit Quan Thanh Temple
- Visit Tran Quoc Pagoda
- Water Puppet Show
Landmarks Ba Dinh Square West Lake Presidential Palace Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House One Pillar Pagoda Temple of Literature Museum of Ethnology Quan Thanh Temple Tran Quoc Pagoda - Day 3
Lao Cai to Sapa
You arrive in Lao Cai early morning and transfer to your Sapa hotel. After breakfast and a rest period, you'll head out trekking through the terraced rice fields, visiting Cat Cat and Sin Chai villages. The walk takes you through beautiful rice valleys stretching across the landscape while you get a real sense of daily life in the local tribal communities.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Bamboo Sapa Hotel - Deluxe Mountain View)
Included Activities
- Trekking trip through terraced rice fields to villages of Cat Cat and Sin Chai
Landmarks Cat Cat Village Sin Chai Village 
- Day 4
Sapa to Lao Cai
Today's trek moves through H'mong, Dzao, and Dazy villages as you experience Sapa's streams, bamboo forests, and rice terraces. You can pick from three trekking routes depending on your fitness level: roughly 3 kilometers, 6 kilometers, or 12 kilometers. Lunch comes mid-day with authentic Vietnamese food made from fresh local ingredients. By late afternoon, you'll transfer back to Lao Cai to board the overnight train returning to Hanoi.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Authentic Vietnamese food with fresh local ingredients)
- Accommodation
- Sleeper Train (Overnight soft sleeper train)
Included Activities
- Trekking through villages of H'mong, Dzao, and Dazy (choice of 3km, 6km, or 12km route)
- Authentic Vietnamese lunch with fresh local ingredients
Landmarks H'mong Village Dzao Village Dazy Village - Day 5
Hanoi to Ha Long Bay
Rolling into Hanoi in the early morning, you'll meet your guide for breakfast and rest at Cosiana Hotel. After about 3 hours driving, you'll reach the port and board your luxury cruise ship. Choose either the 5-star Indochine Cruise exploring Lan Ha Bay with kayak or sampan trips through the Dark and Bright Cave, or the 4-star Signature Royal Cruise heading to Bai Tu Long Bay to see the Vung Vieng floating fishing village known for pearl farming.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at Cosiana Hotel), Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Houseboat (Signature Cruise)
Included Activities
- Breakfast at Cosiana Hotel
- Cruise ship exploration - either Indochine Cruise exploring Lan Ha Bay and Dark and Bright Cave, or Signature Royal Cruise exploring Bai Tu Long Bay and Vung Vieng floating fishing village
Optional Activities
- Choice of luxury cruise: 5-star Indochine Cruise (traditional Vietnamese-style) or 4-star Signature Royal Cruise (Western-style)
Landmarks Lan Ha Bay Dark and Bright Cave Bai Tu Long Bay Vung Vieng floating fishing village 
- Day 6
Ha Long Bay to Hue
Wake up for an optional Tai Chi class and morning tea or coffee on the sundeck if you want to. Your day continues exploring Ha Long Bay depending on which cruise you're on. The Indochine Cruise visits Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba Island while the Signature Royal Cruise shows you the stalactites and stalagmites in Thien Canh Son Cave. You'll disembark at noon and transfer to Hanoi airport for your flight to Hue, arriving with an escort to your hotel.
- Meals
- Brunch
- Accommodation
- Hotel (White Lotus Hotel Hue - Deluxe River View Room)
Included Activities
- Exploration of Ha Long Bay - either Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba Island or Thien Canh Son Cave depending on cruise choice
Optional Activities
- Tai Chi class on sundeck
Landmarks Trung Trang Cave Thien Canh Son Cave 
- Day 7
Hue
After breakfast, you'll explore Hue's main sites starting with the Imperial City at the town center and the Royal Palace built in 1802, where many emperors ruled. The Tomb of Tu Duc comes next, showing off some of the Nguyen Dynasty's most beautiful architecture. You'll finish by walking around Dong Ba Market, which is known for its rice paper and silk paintings.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
- Accommodation
- Hotel (White Lotus Hotel Hue - Deluxe River View Room)
Included Activities
- Visit Imperial City and Royal Palace
- Visit Tomb of Tu Duc
- Stroll around Dong Ba Market
Landmarks Imperial City Royal Palace Tomb of Tu Duc Dong Ba Market - Day 8
Hue to Hoi An
Following breakfast, head to Thien Mu Pagoda, the oldest temple in Hue, then board a dragon boat for a tour on the Perfume River with views back toward the pagoda. Climb the seven-story octagonal tower which is the temple's main draw. Next you'll see the Ming and Mang tombs designed to blend with mountains and rivers. After lunch, the drive to Hoi An takes about 3.5 hours through coastal scenery at Hai Van Pass, with stops at the Museum of Cham Sculpture and handicraft villages near Marble Mountains before reaching your hotel.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Hadana Boutique Hotel Hoi An - Deluxe Room)
Included Activities
- Visit Thien Mu Pagoda
- Dragon boat tour on Perfume River
- Climb seven-story octagonal tower at Thien Mu Pagoda
- Visit Ming and Mang tombs
- Visit Museum of Cham Sculpture
- Visit handicraft villages near Marble Mountains
Landmarks Thien Mu Pagoda Perfume River Ming Tombs Mang Tombs Hai Van Pass Museum of Cham Sculpture Marble Mountains - Day 9
Hoi An
The morning takes you to My Son Sanctuary, the largest religious shrine complex from the ancient Cham Dynasty spanning 192-1802 in Vietnam. You'll return to Hoi An with the rest of the day open for your own exploration of the charming town or shopping however you'd like.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Hadana Boutique Hotel Hoi An - Deluxe Room)
Included Activities
- Visit My Son Sanctuary
Optional Activities
- Explore Hoi An town
- Shopping
Landmarks My Son Sanctuary - Day 10
Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
Your guide and driver take you to the airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City running about 1.5 hours. After meeting your local guide and transferring to your hotel, you'll have a short break before visiting the Reunification Palace, once the presidential palace of the Governor-General of Indochina. From there, you'll walk to the War Remnants Museum to see photos and documents about the Vietnam War spanning 1955-1975. Later you'll check out the French-style building complex with Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, finishing at Ben Thanh Market, the city's largest trading hub.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel)
Included Activities
- Visit Reunification Palace
- Visit War Remnants Museum
- Visit Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office
- Visit Ben Thanh Market
Landmarks Reunification Palace War Remnants Museum Notre Dame Cathedral Central Post Office Ben Thanh Market - Day 11
Ho Chi Minh City
Start your day at the Cu Chi Tunnels, an extensive system of underground passages that provided protection during the war. You'll continue to the Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh to see this unique Vietnamese religious site. The late afternoon brings you back to Ho Chi Minh City.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel)
Included Activities
- Visit Cu Chi Tunnels
- Visit Cao Dai Temple
Landmarks Cu Chi Tunnels Cao Dai Temple - Day 12
Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho
After a 2-hour drive, you'll arrive in Ben Tre for a river adventure on the Ham Luong River. Along the way you'll stop at traditional manufacturing workshops to see how locals make bricks, coconut candy (with samples), and coconut jam. A visit to a local farmer's home gives you perspective on daily life, then you'll travel through picturesque villages by traditional tricycle before having lunch featuring fried elephant ear fish. You'll continue by sampan on the Mekong River then head to Can Tho to check in.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Fried elephant ear fish at a local restaurant)
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Victoria Can Tho Resort)
Included Activities
- Ham Luong River cruise
- Visit traditional manufacturing workshops (bricks, coconut candy, coconut jam)
- Visit local farmer's home
- Traditional local tricycle (Xe Loi) village tour
- Sampan exploration of Mekong River
- Lunch featuring fried elephant ear fish
Landmarks Ham Luong River Ben Tre Mekong River - Day 13
Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City
Early morning takes you by boat to Cai Rang floating market, one of the nicest with its many rowing boats and beautiful scenery showing the daily rhythms of locals living on the Mekong canals. Later you'll explore the village, stopping at a rice husking mill and rice noodles shop to see how Vietnamese people work in the Mekong Delta. Around noon you'll transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City with the rest of your day free.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel)
Included Activities
- Boat cruise to Cai Rang floating market
- Visit rice husking mill
- Visit rice noodles making shop
Landmarks Cai Rang floating market Mekong canals - Day 14
Ho Chi Minh City
Have breakfast and some free time before heading to the airport. Your Vietnam tour wraps up as your guide sends you off on your homeward flight.
- End point
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Airport See-off, 00:00 - 23:55)
- Meals
- Breakfast
