Full Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival (D)

Welcome to Hanoi. Your driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center.

In the afternoon enjoy a cyclo tour through the Old Quarter’s narrow streets lined with French colonial buildings – followed by a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture. Savor a welcome dinner at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.

Day 2: Hanoi Cooking Class & City Tour (B, L)

This morning, your tour guide will take you to the cooking class. Discover a local market and learn about ingredients, flavors and see how the locals prepare for meals.

Next is a short talk on the art of Hanoian gastronomy, vegetables, herbs & spices & learn how to prepare & use them. The Chef will share to you her pride of Vietnamese cuisines and the secrets how to make it good. Enjoy the local food in Hanoi style.

In the afternoon you will explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes, and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Your city tour will take you to Hanoi’s key sites: the Temple of Literature; Hoa Loa Prison (formerly known as the “Hanoi Hilton” during the Vietnam War); West Lake including the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple.

Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on cruise (B, L, D)

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting out on a 3 to 4-hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay.

The following Halong Bay itinerary is a sample for our standard service on a cruise. Different programs are available through our luxury cruise itineraries.

Spend 24 hours on a Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters.

Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as you sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s numerous islands. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white sanded beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (if the weather will be suitable).

Pass the night on your cruise, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.

Day 4: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Fly to Da Nang – Hoi An (B, L)

Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax watching the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore the nearby islands by rowboat.

Return to the cruise for brunch then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City, where your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport to catch your short flight to Danang. Your tour guide and driver will transfer you to the hotel in Hoian, a destination with two faces: the charming, old-world trading port of narrow streets and traditional houses, and the beach with its luxurious resorts and the long stretch of clean white sand.

Day 5: Hoi An Cooking Class – Walking Tour (B, L)

This morning enjoy a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School. Meet at the Hai Scout Cafe in Hoian’s Old Town. From there we will head to Hoian's colorful market. Explore the market and interact with local vendors to purchase some fresh ingredients for today’s cooking class. Next, board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely 25min cruise along the Hoian River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Discover the school's herb and vegetable garden before starting your cooking lesson. The class runs for about an hour and 15min and includes demonstrations from the school's chefs as well as time to help prepare traditional dishes. At the end of class, enjoy an introductory lesson in the art of Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration).

In the afternoon, take a walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the ancient town center, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year old Tam Ky ancestral house and the famous Japanese Bridge. Rest of the day you are free at leisure.

Day 6: Hoi An – Da Nang – Hue (B, L, D)

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then check-out and drive northward to Hue over the 500m high Hai Van pass. Enjoy a stop at the scenic Lang Co Beach for a drink before continuing on to Hue – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Spend the afternoon on a leisure tour through Vietnam’s ancient capital city, visiting the Royal Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda and the Mausoleum of King Tu Duc – a replica of the king’s palace built for the next reincarnation of the king.

Day 7: Hue City Tour (B, L, D)

Spend an entire day touring Vietnam’s former ancient capital. Start the day with a visit to the Imperial Citadel, home to the Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City – once the Emperor's private residence. The Imperial City was created in the 19th century and modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Imperial Enclosure houses many palaces and temples within its walls.

In the afternoon, continue on your tour stopping at the Imperial Museum, Tu Hieu Pagoda and the vibrant Dong Ba riverside market.

Day 8: Hue – Fly to Saigon (B)

Have breakfast at the hotel then drive to Phu Bai Airport to catch your flight to Vietnam’s modern metropolis: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

Arrive in the early afternoon and enjoy an orientation tour through Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling streets en route to the hotel. You will visit such sites as the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the City Post Office and Ben Thanh Market.

Day 9: Saigon Cooking Class & Cu Chi Tunnels (B, L)

This morning you leave the city for Ho Chi Minh Cooking Class. Here you have the chance to study a variety of many kinds of flora and herbs and mushroom before starting your cooking lesson. The class runs for about an hour and 15min and includes demonstrations which will help you gain insight into the diversity of the Vietnamese cuisine, as well as time to help prepare traditional dishes.

After indulging in your creations, visit Cu Chi Tunnels, where you will visit the vast underground network of tunnels built first as a defense against the French, and later expanded during the American war. See secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas, and meeting rooms. Those inclined are invited to crawl through selections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime.

Day 10: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Homestay (B, L)

Today journey out of Saigon to the Mekong River Delta. Enjoy an early breakfast at the hotel before driving to the riverside town, Cai Be.

Along the way, stop at a candy factory and orchard garden, where you have an opportunity to listen to traditional music. Enjoy a relaxing lunch at a riverside restaurant, then cross the river by motorized boat to an island in the middle of the Mekong. Explore a small local village by bicycle, before heading to your homestay.

Spend the afternoon shopping for ingredients for tonight’s dinner with the house matriarch. Then learn to cook traditional cuisine as you help the family prepare the evening meal.

Accommodation: Homestay in Mekong Delta.

Day 11: Cai Rang Floating Market – Saigon (B)

Wake early and have breakfast with the family, before heading to the famous Cai Rang floating market by motorboat. Continue the boat ride to visit the Mekong Delta’s famous orchards and sample some of the fresh, exotic fruit.

Then venture deeper into the countryside, passing traditional houses made of wood and palm leaves as you observe the activities of the local people. Return to Can Tho for lunch then drive back to Saigon, arriving in the late afternoon.

Day 12: Saigon Departure (B)

Today is free at your leisure for last-minute shopping or sight-seeing before driving to the airport to catch your departure flight home.

Price Included

– Accommodations

– Breakfast & meals per mentioned in the itinerary

– Transportation by private car with AC

– English-speaking guides

– Domestic flights (Hanoi – Danang, Hue – Saigon)

– All entrance fees, performances, boat trips & excursions

Price Excluded

– Travel insurance

– Vietnam Visa

– Gratuities for tour guides/ drivers

– Beverages & other personal expenses