Detailed Tour Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2 - Ho Chi Minh City tour (B)
A full day city tour of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, takes in the city’s bustling Chinatown and begins with a visit to the Thien Hau Temple, from where you will take a cyclo ride; the most appropriate and unusual way to explore Cholon, literally meaning ‘big market’. The ride will take you to the lively Binh Tay Market. Then visit a lacquerware factory to witness workers continuing a Vietnamese ancestral tradition. After lunch visit the War Museum and the former Presidential Palace, from there on you will go on foot (the car will be available at all times) to visit the major sights of colonial Ho Chi Minh City: the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall. After this historical visit, enjoy some wonderful ice cream at Fanny’s, a quaint little parlour with a French atmosphere, before exploring the trendy boutiques on Ton That Thiep Street. Overnight in HCMC.

Day 3 – Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh City (B, L)
Head south to the Mekong Delta and reach Ben Tre, crossing the Mekong River with a local ferry. From there take an 18 kilometre ride by xe loi, a local motorbike trailer, through the second biggest Vietnamese coconut tree orchard. There are stops along the way to discover the local life and for an explanation of the Vietnamese rice field process. After lunch in a local restaurant continue your Mekong discovery cruising small canals and arroyos lined with water coconut, walking through fruit orchards, enjoying honey tea and taking a horse cart ride. Overnight in HCMC.

Day 4 - Ho Chi Minh City - Danang - Hoi An (B)
After breakfast transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for the short flight to the central port city of Danang. On arrival in Danang transfer to Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries whose architecture and relaxed lifestyle has changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit the former merchants’ homes, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful market. In the afternoon take a three-hour cruise on the Thu Bon River with stops at Thanh Ha pottery village, Kim Bong carpenters’ village and the shipbuilding yard. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 5 - Hoi An - Hue (B)
Leave Hoi An for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. The scenic route passes through Danang before climbing over the Pass of Ocean Clouds and dropping down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. In the afternoon visit the elaborate mausoleums of emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh and the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. Overnight in Hue.

Day 6 – Hue - Hanoi - Halong Bay (B)
A boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River visits Hue’s best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the mausoleum of former emperor Minh Mang, in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. After lunch transfer to Hue Airport for the short flight to Hanoi. Leave Noi Bai Airport to Halong Bay through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the scenery of rice fields, water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life. Overnight in Halong.

Day 7 – Halong Bay - Hanoi (B, L)
Board the Huong Hai or Bai Tho traditional sailing junk. Whilst cruising the exquisite waters sample the regions fresh seafood. Visit the famous stalagmites and stalactites of Thien Cung Cave. Enjoy a swim in the emerald waters of Halong Bay at any spot that you wish to visit. Disembark at the dock at Halong City. Drive back to Hanoi with a stop en route at But Thap Pagoda in Thuan Thanh Province, known for its four-storey stone stupa and referred to as Vietnam’s first Buddhist centre. The pagoda, built in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1647 by the Buddhist monk Chuyet Chuyet, is a complex of ten buildings over an area of 100 metres that houses ancient statues and artefacts. Arrival in late afternoon. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 8 - Hanoi (B)
A full day city tour of Vietnam’s capital. Hanoi is a unique city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples. The city tour includes such sights as Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, the Quanh Thanh Temple and the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the edge of West Lake. Afternoon, continue to the Museum of Ethnology and visit to the Lake of the Restored Sword and a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 9 - Hanoi - Departure (B)
Departure day. At leisure for shopping until transfer to Noi Bai Airport for onward flight.