Hanoi – Ha Long Bay - Hue – Hoi An – Nha Trang - Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Detla

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival (D)
Enter Vietnam at Noi Bai airport, you will be met and driven to your hotel. You will have time to relax before a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. You will spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi (B/L)
You will have the whole day to explore Vietnam’s capital city. Your guide on this Vietnam trip will take you to a popular attraction, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, his simple stilt house where he lived and worked, and Ho Chi Minh museum dedicated to his memory. After lunch, you’ll call in at the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century and the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest in Hanoi. We also present you with Vietnam daily life in the past and now with one hour cyclo ride around the Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son temple and Old Quarter of Hanoi. You will then enjoy a Water Puppet Show and overnight in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi – Ha Long (B/L/D)
After an early breakfast, you will leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you will board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels with sails, a wide transom and rectangular superstructure, that will take you first to the busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and caves. Weather permitting, you will be able to swim, fish, climb a hill for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape, or venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan. All your meals on this Vietnam trip will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood. Your overnight will be aboard.

Day 4: Ha Long - Hanoi – Hue (B)
You will spend the morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by lunch just before docking around noon and leaving for Hanoi. You will then drive straight to the airport for your late afternoon flight to Hue. Upon arrival, you will be met by our guide and driven to the city centre for check in. Your overnight will be in Hue.

Day 5: Hue (B/L)
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll depart to visit the Imperial Citadel of Hue and the Dong Ba market. After lunch, you will take a cruise along Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda and the Royal Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang. Visit the tombs of Emperor Khai Dinh before the day ends. Your overnight will be in Hue.

Day 6: Hue – Hoi An (B/L)
After breakfast, you will drive to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass. The views from the top are excellent – you’ll be able to see Lang Co beach and the lagoon far below, and Danang spread out before you to the south. Upon arriving in Danang, you’ll visit the the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum before leaving for Hoi An. You will visit the ancient town on this Vietnam trip including 400 years old Japanese Bridge, 300 years old Chinese temple, 200 years old Vietnamese former merchants’house before being dropped off at your hotel. You will spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 7: Hoi An – My Son Sanctuary – Hoi An (B)
After breakfast, your guide will meet you at your hotel to take you to the World Heritage My Son Sanctuary, 40km southwest of Hoi An. Located in a lush valley, My Son was a capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with red brick towers and sanctuaries. When you return, the rest of the day will be free. You will spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 8: Hoi An – Danang – Nha Trang (B/L)
You will be free today until being transferred to the airport for your flight to Nha Trang. Arriving in Nha Trang, you’ll be transferred to your hotel for checking in. You’ll be free to relax on the beach. Your overnight will be in Nha Trang.

Day 9: Nha Trang Islands and Snorkeling (B/L)
8:30 - Start from your hotel to Cau Da port. A relaxing cruise on the turquoise waters of the South China Sea. Your craft is a simple (but safe and comfortable!) reconverted fishing boat. Off shore from Nha Trang lies numerous islands, some inhabited and many dotted with idyllic fishing villages. We pause at the Tri Nguyen Aquarium on Mieu Island, many sea species of Nha Trang make a small ocean world there. Mun Island is the best island for snorkeling where you can see lots of lives colorful corals and fish. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 10: Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh City (B)
You will be free today until being transferred to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll be picked up to downtown for hotel check in. You will be free for relaxing in the remainder of the day. Your overnight will be in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels (B/L)
In the morning, you’ll visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong to suddenly materialise as if from nowhere, launch a lightning ambush, and vanish equally rapidly. Return to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch and then continue your visit with the Reunification Hall, the Museum of War Remnants, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Centre Post Office and the huge Ben Thanh market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City. You will spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh Long – Can Tho (B/L)
After escaping from Ho Chi Minh City’s urban sprawl, you’ll travel to Vinh Long. There, you’ll cruise on the Mekong River, visit Cai Be floating market, fruit orchards, a traditional family-run brick kiln, and drop in to look at some traditional cottage industries - a workshop making the huge coffins unique to the Mekong is particularly interesting. You’ll sleep in a family house in a canal-side orchard. You will spend overnight in Can Tho.

Day 13: Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City (B/L)
The day begins with boarding a boat to cruise to Cai Rang floating market on the Mekong Delta – both the journey and the markets provide insights into the Mekong rural lifestyle. Take in the beautiful scenery and the daily activities of the locals who lives along the Mekong canals and you will roam through the village to visit a rice husking mill and a rice noodles making shop. You will drive back to Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon for overnight. Your overnight will be in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Day 14: Ho Chi Minh City Departure (B)
After breakfast, you will be free until your driver arrives to take you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departure flight. This will be the end of your Vietnam trip.

Our prices include:
+ Breakfast and accommodation sharing a twin or double room.
+ Travel in an appropriate private air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced safe driver.
+ The services of an experienced local English-speaking guide (please note: guides will be on hand from pick-up until guests’ return to their hotel or reaching their destination).
+ Boat cruises as specified in the programme. All Ha Long Bay boats will be fully licensed and comply with current safety regulations.
+ Where necessary, entry fees and permission to enter border areas for all visits mentioned in the programme.
+ Lunches and dinners (as specified in the itinerary) in the best local restaurants, or picnics where no suitable restaurant is available.

+ VAT and other taxes 

Our prices do not include:
+ International flight tickets and airport tax.
+ Visas
+ Dinners, except as specified above.
+ Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.
+ Camera fees (if any)
+ Insurance.

Touching the Soul of Vietnam itinerary and price