DAY 1 - UK/Hanoi
Depart on your scheduled flight to Hanoi.
DAY 2 - Hanoi
Arrival in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, for a three night stay.
DAY 3 - Hanoi
This morning we have included a city tour. You will see the recently restored Opera House and visits will be made to Hoan Kiem Lake, the Quan Thanh Temple and the Temple of Literature. This will be followed by a walking tour of the Ancient Quarter plus a rickshaw ride. This afternoon a visit will be made to the One Pillar Pagoda and then to Ba Dinh Square where silent sentries guard the marble and granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state. A visit will also be made to the simple cottage where Ho lived and worked. This evening there will be an included Water Puppet show.
DAY 4 - Hanoi
Full day included tour to Halong Bay, a truly beautiful spot. You will take a four hour boat cruise, including seafood lunch, amongst the dramatic limestone peaks that rise out of the sea. You will also enter one of the vast caves of gigantic stalactites and stalagmites. The drive to Halong Bay is through rich green rice paddy fields.
DAY 5 - Hue
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Hue, former capital of Vietnam. Here you will visit the Thien Mu Pagoda in its gorgeous setting overlooking the Perfume River, and the majestic royal tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. A cruise on the Perfume River is also included.
DAY 6 - Hoi An
Morning visit to the Citadel, seat of royal power in ancient times. Despite war damage, there is still plenty to see, including the Noon Gate, Royal Palace and Flag Platform. You will then depart for the beautiful coastal drive to Hoi An, via Lang Co Beach, Cloudy Mountain and the city of Danang, where a visit will be made to the Champa Museum, celebrating the artistic glories of the Cham people from the 7th to 15th centuries. Continue to the Marble Mountains and China Beach before arrival in the charming seaport of Hoi An for a three night stay.
DAY 7 - Hoi An Hoi
An is a delight – a picturesque, ancient riverside town and the most enchanting place on the Vietnamese coast. A morning walking tour of its quaint streets includes the Japanese Covered Bridge, a 200 year old merchant’s house, and the 15th century Chuc Thanh Pagoda. Hoi An is a relaxed and beautiful place in which to stroll and explore. In the afternoon there will be a guided bicycle ride into the countryside.
DAY 8 - Hoi An
We include an excursion to the stunning monuments at My Son, a major religious centre in the Champa Kingdom.
DAY 9 - Saigon
Afternoon departure for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City, better known as Saigon. It is a city of amazing contrasts. Evidence of former French colonisation still remains and this combined with the culture of the predominantly Buddhist population and the booming free-market economy makes for a memorable visit.
DAY 10 - Saigon
Morning included city tour visiting the Presidential Palace, the War Museum and the famous shopping street formerly known as Rue Catinat. We will also pass Notre Dame Cathedral. This afternoon you drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an amazing series of underground passages first constructed in the late 1940s by the peasant army fighting the French and later extended by the Viet Cong rebels.
DAY 11 - Can Tho
Depart Saigon for a fabulous day’s journey deep into the Mekong Delta. The River Mekong, descends for 3,000 miles from the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea, and is constantly busy with sampans, barges and houseboats. You will drive first to Cai Be, on the River Mekong, where you will board a boat to cross the wide river, and then cruise through every shade of green along narrow inlets and canals to a lunch stop at a farmer’s house. Visits will be made to local workshops along the way. Very little has changed over the centuries in this part of Vietnam, and everything and everybody has to travel by boat. Continue by boat to Vinh Long, then by public ferry to Can Tho for an overnight stay.
DAY 12 - Saigon
Morning boat trip to the extraordinary floating market at Cai Rang. Return to Can Tho to explore this bustling township and important trading post on the busy Mekong. Afternoon return drive for a final night in Saigon.
DAY 13 - Saigon/UK
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
DAY 14 - UK
Arrival in the UK.