Hanoi is a green city with its stylish French villas; it still exudes that old French charm and style. Its tree-lined boulevards, romantic lakes and French architecture allow us to step back in time to a quieter, more relaxed Vietnam. We visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and Ho’s simple, yet impressive house on stilts, set in beautiful gardens. Then we view the One Pillar Pagoda and the ancient Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university. In the afternoon we visit the Ethnological Museum, one of the most interesting in Hanoi and then take an hour cyclo tour to discover the heart of Hanoi - the bustling Old Quarter – where the narrow streets buzz and bustle with the life of city. It is a shopper’s delight, with beautiful silks, linen, and Vietnamese artifacts. To finish off the day, we attend the performance of the famous Vietnamese water puppetry. Overnight at Hotel in Hanoi.

Depart from Hanoi to Mai Chau – an idyllic valley home to many hill tribes including the Dzao, Muong and Thai. Arrive in Mai Chau around noon, check in your room. In the afternoon, cycle to explore Mai Chau beautiful ethnic villages including Na Thia, Nhot, Pom Coong, Lac and Chieng Chau villages. Be welcomed by the friendly local people, talk with them and discover their traditional culture. Total cycling time is around 2 – 3 hours on flat village paths. Take it all in: the spectacular scenery of Mai Chau and the relaxed rhythm of local life. Back to our lodge for dinner. For evening enjoyment, you may choose to take part in a traditional dance show with Ruou Can (a local wine), a cooking class, a weaving class or all. Overnight in Mai Chau.

From Mai Chau, the tour proceeds via Tam Coc to Hoa Lu, where you will visit the Dinh and Le temples. These are the only two temples that remain from the old citadel in Hoa Lu. The Hoa Lu citadel was an important imperial palace in Vietnam 1,000 years ago. It was here that the Le dynasty took over from the Dinh dynasty. After lunch, you will head off on a 2-hour sailing tour along the Boi River. The landscape along the river is utterly magical. The water flows gently through the flat landscape, which is broken only by ‘sugar top’ mountains – almost like Ha Long Bay only on land. Overnight in Tam Coc.

Today you will drive to the World Heritage site of Halong Bay, where you can see nearly 2,000 limestone islands dot the sea and traditional sampans and junks sail the glinting water, grottos, thick forests, and hidden coves, it will be a real ocean adventure! A variety of optional activities like kayaking, swimming, diving will definitely add more fun to this trip. Overnight on boat.

Early morning coffee and tea will be served on the sundeck followed by a Tai Chi class. We continue exploring magnificent Ha Long Bay. Change to a small motor or rowing boat to see the floating village. When we return to the junk, a sumptuous meal, combining Vietnamese and Western cuisine will be served. On leaving the cruise, we depart back to Hanoi by shuttle bus from the cruise. Transfer Hanoi airport for our flight to the Imperial city of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Upon arrival at airport, we meet our driver and transfer to hotel for check in. Overnight at Hotel in Hue.

We visit the impressive tombs of King Minh Mang and Tu Duc together with the Tu Hieu Pagoda, and then cruise the Perfume River to the ancient Old Thien Mu Pagoda. We visit the forbidding Citadel and the crowded market of Dong Ba, where you can bargain for anything from souvenirs and bronze goods, to Hue sesame sweetmeat and conical poem hats. Overnight at Hotel in Hue.

After breakfast, we depart for Ba Na Hills – King Mountain, also known as the second DaLat / Sapa in Central. Good weather here is always beautiful. We will see the most from the most modern cable car system in Southeast Asia. You will visit the Dream Stream cable car station. After finishing the first cable car, you will visit the French winery, the Linh Ung pagoda. You will see the panorama of the city of Danang. Explore King Peak at an altitude of 1,487m, you can see the panoramic view of the Hana and Quang Nam – Da Nang hills at the top. On the top of the mountain is Linh Tu Pagoda, a special temple building. We continue Hoi An, an ancient town of meandering narrow streets dating back to the 16th century. Overnight at Hotel in Hoi An.

This morning, at 09:00 we will start our Hoi An Discovery tour. Hoi An seems to appeal to everyone. This charming town still retains a variety of heritage houses making a stroll around the streets a fabulous option. Guided tour of Hoi An sites includes the Quan Cong Temple, the Quang Dong Pagoda, The Phuoc Kien Pagoda, the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Tran Family Chapel, Sa Huynh Museum, and Phung Hung House. Walk along the bank of the lively Thu Bon River, once prosperous and famous as a trading port. Back to the hotel and free at your leisure. Overnight at Hotel in Hoi An.

Transfer to the airport for our onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival at airport, we meet our driver and transfer to hotel for check in. Overnight in Saigon.

We then drive to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network of approximately 200 kilometers constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the long struggle for independence. We pass the now-demolished wartime American Embassy before we visit the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975, and some French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Sai Gon Post Office. After seeing the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War Remnant Museum, we continue our trip on to the bustling Ben Thanh Market where anything and everything is for sale. Overnight in Saigon.

In the morning, take 2hrs drive to the Mekong Delta which is known as the rice bowl of Vietnam. Upon arrival, take a boat cruise around islets and tropical orchards through the Vam Xep canal to reach a small islet, followed by a relaxing walk along shady and palm fringed trails passing by local villages where you can see their peaceful daily life. Stop en route to visit a bee farm, interact with a local family. Visit coconut workshop to understand a typical family run business in this area. Enjoy horse-drawn cart ride to visit handicraft village, a coconut candy factory, enjoy tropical fruit, traditional music and the take a rowing boat through the narrow tree-lined canals before returning to My Tho by motorized boat. Have lunch before heading back Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

Transfer to Saigon airport for departure to next destination. It’s time to say goodbye, we thank you for traveling with us and warmly welcome you to come again.