Grand Vietnam

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport, the driver and guide meet the guests outside the airport and transfer them to a hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, enjoy an orientation walk, visiting some of Hanoi’s main attractions: the Opera House, Old  Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, and Ngoc Son Temple. In the evening, savor a welcome dinner of authentic Vietnamese food at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants.

Meals: Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Today, guests have a full day to explore Vietnam’s charming capital. The city tour will take them to Hanoi’s key sites: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and stilt house), the Presidential Palace, the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Temple of Literature; West Lake including the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple; and one of the city’s museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum). 

In the afternoon, enjoy a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique folk art that originated a thousand years ago during the Ly dynasty. The show depicts the daily activities in Vietnamese rural life as well as important historical events and ancient legends. Each water puppet is hand-carved and given five layers of lacquer paint to protect the puppets from the water and to add vital colors to the performance.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then the driver and guide will take guests to the northwest highlands of Mai Chau, a small town nestled in the midst of a lush valley and surrounded by emerald-green rice fields. Enjoy picturesque views of the scenic landscape, sown with pagodas and rural villages.

Stop along the way to visit the Muong tribe and then at Thung Khe Pass for a spectacular view of Mai Chau Valley. After lunch in Mai Chau, guests spend the afternoon trekking off the typical tourist track, along the Song Ma River. Trek through terraced rice paddies and small villages, discovering the natural beauty of the valley and encountering the culture of the White Thai people, living in the region. Stop at a Thai village for the night, having dinner with a local family and enjoying a homestay in their long house.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Accommodation: At a long house in Mai Chau.

Start the day with a simple breakfast with the host family, then take a short drive through the surrounding countryside, before setting off on a trek through rice paddies and down winding lanes to visit the “Cum” and “Xam Khoe” villages. Immerse in the vibrant local culture and enjoy an authentic lunch at one of the villages. In the afternoon, drive back to bustling Hanoi. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before driving to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

* The following Halong Bay itinerary is a sample for our standard service on a 3-star junk/ cruise. Different programs are available through our luxury cruise itineraries on the Violet, Jasmine, Ginger, Paradise, or Au Co. Please contact us for more details.*

Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way, visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go, or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (weather permitting). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: on the cruise.

Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea before setting out to explore the nearby islands by rowboat. Back on the junk, brunch is served while cruising through Bai Tu Long Bay. 

Late morning, guests disembark, and the driver will meet you at the Halong jetty and take you back to Hanoi to catch your in-country flight to Hue. On arrival, the driver will wait for you and transfer you to the hotel in Hue City.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue.

Enjoy an entire day touring Vietnam’s former ancient capital. Start the day with a visit to the Imperial Citadel, home to the Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City – once the Emperor’s private residence. The Imperial Enclosure houses many palaces and temples within its walls. In the afternoon, the program includes the Imperial Museum, Tu Hieu Pagoda, and Dong Ba Market.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hue.

Spend the morning on a private boat cruise down the romantic Perfume River to visit the iconic Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda), an elegant seven-tiered octagonal tower that has become Hue’s most widely recognizable monument, and the ornate Minh Mang’s tomb. 

Have lunch at a riverside restaurant before starting on your drive to Hoi An. Pass over the Hai Van pass and stop en route in Danang for a visit to the Cham Museum and handicraft villages at the foot of Marble Mountain. Arrive in the ancient riverside town – Hoi An in the late afternoon, check in at the hotel, and enjoy the rest of the evening free at their leisure.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoian.

This morning, take part in a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School in Hoian’s Old Town. From there, guests will head to Hoian’s colorful market. Explore the market and interact with local vendors to purchase some fresh ingredients for today’s cooking class. 

Next, board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely 25-minute cruise along the Hoian River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Discover the school’s herb and vegetable garden. Learn to cook and help prepare five traditional dishes to enjoy for lunch. Guests will also be entertained and taught some special techniques at the fruit and vegetable carving demonstration.

Enjoy an afternoon walking tour through the narrow, winding streets of the ancient quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year-old Tan Ky ancestral house, and the famous Japanese Bridge. Conclude the day with a relaxing sunset boat trip.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoian.

Today guests are at leisure on the beach or go shopping on their own interest.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hoian.

After breakfast, the driver will pick up and transfer them to Danang Airport for a short flight to Nha Trang. The afternoon is free for leisure. Optional activities such as boat trips or local excursions are available on request.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Nha Trang.

This morning, drive up hills to Dalat with a stopover in rural Nha Trang on your way out for a peek at what countryside living in Vietnam is all about. Guests will reach the mountain town of Dalat, known as the “City of Eternal Spring”, after four hours on the road. 

An afternoon of sightseeing takes in the art deco former summer residence of Bao Dai – the last Emperor of Vietnam, the old Dalat Railway Station, the Central Market, and the famous XQ embroidery workshop. There will be a chance for a short walk around Xuan Huong Lake to get a feel for this delightful city in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Dalat.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then visit Thien Vien Truc Lam – the largest Zen Monastery of Vietnam. Then take the steps down toward the Tuyen Lam Lake, enjoy sightseeing of the nicest, vast lake of Dalat on a boat. 

On the way back to the city for lunch, visit Lat village, home to several distinct ethnic minority groups with varied traditions and beliefs. Here, guests will have the chance to purchase traditional handicrafts and gain a unique insight.

Transfer to Lien Khuong Airport for onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure or explore the city on your own.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Enjoy a full day to discover Saigon’s diverse attractions. Start with a visit to Saigon’s Chinatown, then learn about traditional Vietnamese medicine at the FITO Museum and browse through the amazing array of goods at Ben Thanh Market. Stop for lunch, then continue on the city tour with a visit to the War Remnants Museum and the former Presidential Palace. The day concludes with stops at Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office, two iconic examples of French colonial architecture in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Today, outside of Saigon, visit the beautiful Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh and partake in the noontime prayer service. This large and colorful compound is home to the hybrid religion founded in the 1920s: “Caodaism”, which combines elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam to promote peace. 

After lunch in a local restaurant, explore the famous historic Cu Chi Tunnels on the way back to the city. The tunnels are an underground labyrinth of passageways, used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or “American War” as it’s referred to here) as protection against American air raids. Those inclined are invited to crawl through selections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Enjoy an early breakfast at the hotel before driving to the riverside town, Cai Be. Along the way, stop at a candy factory and an orchard garden, where guests can have an opportunity to listen to traditional music. Enjoy a relaxing lunch at a riverside restaurant, then cross the Mekong by motorized boat to visit some fluvial islands and explore the countryside by bicycle. The driver will meet at Vinh Long jetty and take them to Can Tho City for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Accommodation: Hotel in Can Tho.

Wake early and leave the hotel to visit the famous Cai Rang floating market by motorized boat. Continue the boat ride to visit the Mekong Delta’s famous orchards and sample the fresh, exotic fruit. Then venture deeper into the countryside, passing traditional houses made of wood and palm. Return to Can Tho for lunch, then drive back to Saigon, arriving in the late afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Today is free for last-minute shopping or sightseeing before driving to the airport to catch the departure flight home.

Meals: Breakfast.