On arrival, pick up and transfer to hotel. After checking in, at leisure to relax, explore, and have dinner on your own. Overnight in Saigon.

 

Day 2: (B): Cu Chi – Saigon

8:00am pick up at your hotel and drive to Cu Chi. Enjoy scenic drive through the countryside as people work in their rice paddies with thatched hut villages scattered along the way.  Visit a local village where they make rice paper, a well- known product used in delicious spring rolls. Upon arrival at the tunnels you will have an opportunity to go underground to see the intricate system of tunnels and learn tactics of revolutionary forces. After emerging from the tunnels, you’ll have an opportunity to take target practice with an AK-47, M-16, M-60, 30 Cal & machine gun. The cost is around 1 – 1.5 USD per bullet (on your account). Back to Saigon in the afternoon for visits to the highlights of downtown including Reunification Palace, formerly South Vietnam’s Independence Palace, until stormed by tanks on April 30, 1975. Preserved in its original state, the original war tanks are on display. Later visit the War Remnants Museum, featuring a detailed photographic exhibition and vast collection of planes, tanks and weapons. See the Emperor of Jade Pagoda and Notre Dame Cathedral and the 1880s General Post Office & Ben Thanh Market. Overnight at the same hotel. 

 

Day 3: (B, L): Mekong Delta tour

7:30am departure from hotel. If time is limited and you really want to experience the fascinating Mekong in a breath, then this trip is for you. Located more than 3 hours south of Saigon is the beginning of your discovery of the Deep South. Upon arrival at Cai Be, embark on a junk boat, where clients are welcomed with fresh rolled cotton towels. The tour will begin with a visit to Cai Be’s colorful floating market. We will proceed by exploring some local home factories which produce such items as rice paste, rice popcorn, coco candies, and dried longyans. You will then return by boat for an excursion to Dong Phu, Binh Hoa Phuoc and An Binh islands located between Vinh Long and Cai Be. These evergreen islands along the Mekong River create large networks of meandering rivers, crisscrossed with countless arroyos, and remain unknown to many people. Lunch will await you at a fruit orchard where family descendants will welcome you with a cup a warm green tea. After lunch and a short walk to visit the orchard, you’ll board a boat for a 45-minute cruise to discover beautiful landscapes along the river and observe typical Mekong delta rural life. A stop can be made on the way at An Binh ancient Church. After crossing the Co Chien River, the excursion will end at Vinh Long Pier. Then pick up and drive back to Saigon. Drop off at your hotel around 17:30. Overnight at the same hotel.

 

After breakfast, transfer to airport for flight to Da Nang. Pick up at Da Nang airport and transfer to Hoi An, stopping to visit the open-air Cham Museum and Marble Mountain in Da Nang. Continuing south enjoy a stop at Non Nuoc Beach. This afternoon arrive in Hoi An. After check-in, enjoy a walking tour around the ancient town of Hoi An with your guide. Highlights of your tour through its charming streets include the Japanese Covered Bridge, the local produce market, Tan Ky House and the Fukhien Association. You’re then free to explore Hoi An on your own. The cobblestone streets in the old French Quarter are a delight to roam with many cafes, art galleries and handicraft shops. Hoi An is especially well known for its local artists and tailor-made clothing, with over sixty shops providing this service in town. Overnight in Hoi An.

 

Day 5: (B, L):  Cooking class & exploring Hoi An

This morning, you will be met and transferred to the Market Restaurant where you will take part in a join-in cooking class at Miss Vy’s Cooking Academy. A local success story, Vy now owns and operates several restaurants in town including the well-regarded Cargo Club, Moring Glory, and Market Restaurants. Enjoy an introduction to traditional methods and ingredients used in Vietnamese dishes. Your lesson will start with the purchase of various ingredients at the nearby riverside market. Instructions and recipes will be given while each dish is prepared. Today’s dishes will be curry vegetable soup, white rose, and grilled tuna with saffron in banana leaf. After class, you’ll have lunch at the Market Restaurant and perhaps try some of your own creations or order off the menu prepared by the professionals. Afterward, leisure time to explore Hoi An or shopping on your own. Overnight at the same hotel.

 

Day 6: (B): Hoi An & foodie tour

This morning you are free to relax and enjoy  the resort and a leisurely breakfast.

Early this afternoon meet your guide and go on a culinary exploration of Hoi An, beginning with a stop at Madam Phuong’s Bread Shop, which was made famous by Anthony Bourdain’s visit in which he enjoyed the best banh mi in Vietnam. Continuing on foot through the ancient streets of town, the next stop is a food stall that specializes in banh beo. A small food stall near the local ferry boat station prepares incredible neum nuong, or bbq beef. For a change of pace, the next food stop makes  “Husband & Wife Cakes,” better known as banh it, followed by the opportunity to try traditional tofu and xoa xoa, a local soft drink preferred by the area’s farmers. End the culinary adventure with a visit to a local restaurant that is world famous for its Hoi An style cao lau, which is very different from the cao lau from other areas of Vietnam, and finally banh bao banh vac or “white roses,” which is the official dish of the area. Late this afternoon transfer back to the resort with the remainder of the day at your leisure. Overnight at the same hotel.

 

Day 7: (B) Hoi An – Hue

At leisure until drive to Hue. On the way we’ll ascend Hai Van Pass and also stop to have a drink at beautiful Lang Co Beach. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel for check-in. After settling in, depart with your personal guide and driver and begin exploring Hue. First, visit the former Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City. Hue was the capital of Vietnam until the early 20th century, and generations of royalty lived in the Forbidden Purple City, inside the walled exterior of the Citadel. This was also the site of some of the most brutal fighting during the infamous Tet Offensive. Finish the day with a visit to the Dong Ba Market. Overnight in Hue.

 

This morning after breakfast, we will head about 10 km out of the city, passing green rice paddy fields and small rivers on our way to  Thanh Toan (tile covered) Bridge, which was built in 1779. This is a gathering place for local people. After visiting the market nearby, we will also have chance to talk and have some fun with the locals. After a rest, we’ll visit Phu Cam Conical Hat Village where you can buy typical souvenirs of Hue. This afternoon depart on a boat trip up the Perfume River past some lush, dreamlike countryside and charming scenes of Vietnamese life to the Royal Tombs of the Nguyen Emperors. The Royal Tombs, with their vast, lovingly-tended botanical gardens, beautiful open air pavilions and numerous shrines, were to provide the seven Nguyen Emperors noble burials as well as comfortable afterlives. The tombs of Minh Mang and Tu Duc are the most elegant, while that of Khai Dinh is the most unusual, combining Western architecture with Vietnamese style. Continue to Thien Mu Pagoda, one of Vietnam’s oldest and most beautiful Buddhist temples. In a corner of the grounds, note the aged, pale blue Morris automobile, which transported a local monk to Saigon where he immolated himself in 1963 in protest against the anti-Buddhist laws of the Ngo Dinh Diem regime. Back to your hotel in the late afternoon. Overnight at the same hotel.

 

Day 9: (B) Hue – Hanoi 

This morning after breakfast, transfer to airport for your flight to Hanoi. On arrival, pick up at airport and transfer to hotel. Then head out for a tour of the city’s bustling Old Quarter aboard bicycle rickshaws, called cyclos. In this part of town each colorful street is devoted to a particular craft or ware. You’ll be pedaled amongst the quaint French buildings along Shoe Street, Silk Street, and Banner Street (to name just a few), ending at historic Hoan Kiem Lake, the social center of Hanoi. Then, enjoy a Water Puppet Show—an ancient Vietnamese form of entertainment in which puppeteers control their active marionettes by levers hidden under the water. Water puppet skits generally enact ancient folklore and legends that are rural in origin, and the theme of water is often present, as it defines so much of Vietnam’s landscape.

 

From the theater, you can walk to Hoan Kiem Street to taste Nom Bo Kho (Papaya salad with fried beef) at Thanh Hai. Later, continue to Hang Be Street where the local people sell foods on both sides of the street. Continue to narrow and quiet Trung Yen Alley, and to Dinh Liet street, where the adventurous may sample snails, a local delicacy. Then continue walking to Ta Hien Street where you can enjoy grilled pigeon (Chim Cau Nuong) – famous in Hanoi  at Truong Tho stall. Moving forward, you’ll see Hang Buom Street, Bach Ma temple, Hang Giay (Candy Street) and Hang Chieu Street. The food section of Hanoi’s main Dong Xuan Market includes a street food alley for noodle soup, fruit stalls, and coffee. Here you can enjoy Nem Cua Be (crab spring roll) and Mien Luon (eel vermicelli) at Hang Nga stall. Keep walking to Hang Duong, then to Hang Bo streets where you will stop for traditional Banh Cuon Quang An at 71 Hang Bo and have a cup of egg coffee for dessert at Café Pho Co at 11 Hang Gai Street with a view of Hoan Kiem Lake. At the end of the tour, return to your hotel around 19:30 – 20:00. Overnight in Hanoi.

 

8:00am pick up at your hotel for full day tour of Hanoi. A blend of the modern with the mystery and charm of past centuries, Hanoi offers an air of elegance and harmony with nature. Today’s sightseeing begins with a visit to Ba Dinh Square to see Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, museum, and the simple cottage where he lived and worked. Then visit the Presidential Palace and One Pillar pagoda, or Chua Mot Cot, originally built in 1040 A.D. on a pillar constructed of a single large tree trunk. Continue visiting West Lake with Tran Quoc Pagoda. Then explore Van Mieu, also known as the Temple of Literature, which dates to 1070 and is dedicated to the cult of Confucius. Stop at the Fine Arts Museum with its ethnographical displays, paintings and famous lacquerware. Then visit inside the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, which was nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton” by prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Onward to beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as the Lake of the Restored Sword. It is closely linked to the legend of Le Loi, the hero who asked the heavens for help in resisting the advance of the Chinese in 1418 A.D. Take a cyclo ride through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a network of narrow alleys and shop houses also known as “The 36 Streets.” This is a wonderful place to watch local life and peruse items from fabrics to crafts to exotic medicines. Overnight at same hotel.

 

Day 11: (B): Full day Hoa Lu – Ninh Binh – Tam Coc – Bich Dong

This morning meet your guide for a full day excursion through the beautiful countryside southeast of Hanoi in the vicinity of Ninh Binh. Here you will have an opportunity to view shimmering green rice fields and small traditional villages. Visit the Dinh & Le dynasty temples in Hoa Lu, an ancient capital of Vietnam (968 – 1009) and the Bich Dong Pagoda. The rock formations rise from rice-paddies in contrast to Ha Long Bay, where the limestone karsts jut out of the water. At Tam Coc, take a rowboat trip on the Ngo Dong River through the caves and waterways of this stunningly beautiful region featuring dramatic limestone karsts. Returning to Hanoi this afternoon and drop off at your hotel around 17:30 – 18:00. Overnight at the same hotel.

 

8:00am pick up at your hotel and drive to Ha Long. On the way to Ha Long city, enjoy the journey through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the scenery of rice fields, water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life.

12:00 – 12:30: Embark at Hon Gai International Harbor.

12:30 – 13:00: Check-in. Enjoy welcome drink & cruise and safety briefing.

13:30 – 14:30: Have set menu lunch in the outdoor dining room (depending on the weather conditions) while cruising to magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay; admire the fascinating formations on the way.

15:00 – 17:00: Cruise to Vung Dang to visit the fish farms and see the daily activities of the local fishermen, such as selling, buying, and feeding fish by kayak or tender. Swim or relax on a white sandy beach or go kayaking through the mysterious Karst Mountains in Cong Dam.

18:00 – 20:30: Back to junk to enjoy a cooking class, then refresh yourself in the outdoor or indoor mineral seawater pool or fitness room or enjoy spa and massage services before having an à la carte dinner onboard.

20:30: Free time for relaxing, visiting with the staff, watching movies, listening to music, etc. Overnight on Dragon Legend Boat.

 

6:30 – 7:00: Start your day with a Tai Chi demonstration on the sun-deck.

7:00 – 7:30: Take in the morning view of the bay’s landscape with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy breakfast in the fresh air.

7:30 – 9:45: Cruise to Cong Do to explore the well-hidden Thien Canh Son Cave.

10:00: Check out of your cabin.

10:45 – 11:30: Enjoy a buffet while cruising towards the harbor.

11:30 – 12:00: Disembark. Pick up & transfer back to Hanoi.

 

At leisure on your own until transfer to airport for your flight back home. End services.