Adventure Through Vietnam

Fly from London to Hanoi. Enjoy free leisure for the remainder of the day.

Stay for 2 nights at the May de Ville City Center Hotel or similar.

(N)

Go on a guided tour of the grand city of Hanoi. Along the way, you will visit the Temple of Literature, the Old Quarter, and Hoa Lo Prison. You will also stop at the Presidential Palace, an iconic yellow-mustard building with a French architectural style that is used for official receptions. Then visit the traditional Vietnamese stilt houses.

(B)

In the early morning, make your way to Hạ Long Bay, a beautiful sight with over 3,000 limestone peaks. Enjoy a full-day trip of the area, cruising across the waters and enjoying a seafood lunch. Stay overnight on board the boat.

(B, L, D)

Continue to cruise around the bay in the morning, and then return to Hanoi. Transfer to a train station. Board the Reunification Express and enjoy an overnight train ride to Hue. Marvel at the beautiful scenery en route, including the dense jungles, fishing villages, and rice paddies.

(B)

Arrive at Hue in the mid-morning. Enjoy a full day of guided sightseeing. First, head to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a building whose first foundations were established in the 7th century. As recently as 2004, a number of artefacts and items – dating back to the 6th and 20th centuries – were discovered. You will also see The Forbidden Purple City, a site established by Chinese feudal emperors who forbade ‘ordinary citizens’ from visiting the building.

Stay for 2 nights at the Park View Hotel or similar.

(N)

After breakfast, visit the Tu Duc Mausoleum. Built in the Nguyen Dynasty, the site is home to the Tu Duc Tomb, which began construction in 1864 with the help of fifty-thousand soldiers. There is also a worship area and temple, of which the former is the resting place of the emperor.

Return to Hue and enjoy free leisure in the afternoon.

(B)

Leave Hue and head to the delightful town of Hoi An. Along the way, you will pass the peninsula of Lang Co, followed by the Hai Van Pass, which provides breathtaking, wide-angle views of the coastline and mountain ranges.

Stop at Da Nang for lunch, and then climb Marble Mountain to explore the caves. Upon reaching the mountain peak, marvel at the incredible vies of My Khe beach. Finish your journey to Hoi An.

Stay for 3 nights at the Hoi An Coco River Resort & Spa or similar.

(B)

Take a walking tour of Hoi An in the morning. The town features a beautiful countryside, yellow shop houses, a trading port, and wooden merchant houses. The town also combines a range of architectural influences from China, Japan, Vietnam, and Europe. The riverside market provides a great opportunity for some retail therapy.

Enjoy free leisure in the afternoon.

(B)

In the morning, visit Mỹ Sơn. Established in a lush jungle setting, the area is home to about 20 surviving temples, of which there used to be around 68. The surrounding nature is gorgeous though, as evident by the gurgling streams and views of the faraway mountains that creep just above the horizon.

Return to Hoi An for afternoon leisure.

(B)

Drive to Da Nang and then fly to Chi Minh City. Despite being devastated by the Vietnam War, today the city is a thriving, bustling, and lively center of friendly locals, fresh produce, and various entertainment opportunities. In the afternoon, take a guided walking tour of the city, visiting the local markets, religious sites (most notably the Notre Dame Cathedral), and the War Remnants Museum which has detailed photographic records of the Vietnam War.

Stay for 2 nights at the Huong Sen Hotel or similar.

(B)

Make your way north to the Củ Chi War Tunnels. A complex series of underground tunnels built between the 1940s and 60s, the passages were used during war time with the French and during the Vietnam War. Traditionally, the passages were quite narrow, but have since been widened, making them more accessible to the public.

Return to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon for free leisure.

(B)

In the morning, drive to Vinh Long in the Mekong Delta. The region is most notable for being a producer of various fruit, including sugar cane and coconuts. It also features the Cai Be floating market, where trade occurs daily.

From there, take a boat trip on the Mekong Delta to Cai Be. Pass by friendly locals and orchards. Take a brief stop to witness the small cottages, which produce coconut candy and rice paper. You will even get a chance to sample the local produce.

In the evening, enjoy dinner and spend the night at a homestay guesthouse.

(B, D)

In the morning, browse the orchards and travel through the canals in a traditional wooden sampan, a simple flat-bottomed wooden boat. Then transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Stay overnight at the Huong Sen Hotel or similar.

(B)

Enjoy breakfast and head to the airport to return home to London. The optional post-trip extension of Angkor Wat begins here.