Highlights of Vietnam

Embark on a mesmerizing odyssey of Vietnam. Here’s a preview of your enchanting escape with our Highlights of Vietnam tour:

Day 1 – Arrival in Ha Noi (22 JAN 2024)
ARRIVAL/TRANSFERS TO HOTEL/REST
Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam, one of Asia’s most enchanting cities. Hanoi is a vibrant blend of culture, history, and the captivating contradictions of a society that is rapidly developing while deeply rooted in tradition. Upon your arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, our guide and driver will warmly welcome you for a seamless transfer to your hotel.

Day 2 – Ha Noi City Tour (Breakfast and Lunch) (23 JAN 2024)
CITY TOUR/REST
Start your day with a visit to the Women’s Museum which was founded in 1987 as an entity within the Vietnam Women’s Union. The museum exhibits more than 25,000 objects and documents that mirror the diversity of Vietnam’s culture and the contributions of its women to the country’s society and ongoing development. From here, drive to the city centre for an Old Quarter, the bustling heart of Hanoi, which has been a commercial centre since King Ly Thai To built his palace there in the 11th century. Skilled craftsmen started to migrate and artisan guilds were formed on the famous “36 Streets“. Previously, each street carried the name of the item produced and sold there, and many still have the same names. This is a place you must see to experience Hanoi, where you will find shopping and cultural/historical sites all wrapped into one.

In the afternoon, visit the Presidential Palace (formerly Palace of the Governor-General of French Indochina), Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilt and nearby One Pillar Pagoda. Then take a short transfer to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, which was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2010, a relic of a succession of dynasties. Dating back over a thousand years to the Chinese Tang dynasty, Hanoi’s ancient citadel was the home of Vietnamese sovereigns going back to Dai Viet, when Hanoi was known as Thang Long. You will visit the ruins of royal palaces, a revolutionary bunker and the archaeological site. Then you will be treated to a water puppet show – a unique Vietnamese art that dates back to the 11th century and was originally performed on rice paddies.

Day 3 – Ha Noi – Ha Long Bay (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) (11 Nov 2022)
CRUISE TOUR/LEISURE
Departure in the morning from Ha Noi. We drive across the Red River delta and reach the coast a little before noon. We then embark on a beautifully crafted junk for an overnight cruise in the legendary seascape of Ha Long Bay. Once on board, we are served a delicious seafood-based lunch, while the surrounding limestone outcrops make for a truly magical setting. In the afternoon, we reach a less travelled area where we will devote ourselves to pure relaxation. The program is not fixed and depends on the time of the year and weather, but there will be an opportunity to visit a cave as well as explore a floating village or do a little bit of kayaking over the course of these 2 days. We end the day on the sundeck as the sun sets on this magical seascape. This evening, you can enjoy an aperitif or attend a cooking demonstration before dinner. Overnight in a comfortable private cabin with an en-suite bathroom.

Please note, the cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather, tide levels and operating conditions. Swimming or kayaking excursions may be cancelled due to poor weather.

Day 4 – Ha Long Bay – Hanoi – Fly to Ho Chi Minh (Brunch) (24 JAN 2024)
CRUISE/TRANSFER/FLIGHT
For those early birds, start the day with a proposed Tai Chi session, while tea and coffee are served as the sun rises and illuminates the surrounding seascape. We then continue our exploration of the bay. Upon returning to the boat, check-out of your cabin and enjoy a light brunch while cruising back to the pier. We disembark and transfer to Noi Bai airport. Embark on your flight to Ho Chi Minh City, the big metropolis of the South. You are greeted upon arrival and driven to your hotel in the city centre, historically called Saigon.

Day 5 – Cu Chi Tunnels & Saigon City Tour (Breakfast and Lunch) (25 JAN 2024)
TOUR/LEISURE
The guide will meet you at your hotel. Hop on the van and depart Saigon with a first stop en route to visit a family producing rice paper. Share a bit of time with them and then continue to Cu Chi Tunnels. Getting at the site in the mid-morning, your guide takes you first through an introductory video before visiting the relics. Along the visit, you will have the chance to see various mantraps, the remains of an American tank and numerous bomb craters. The next hour is dedicated to exploring the maze of tunnels and understanding better how the Viet Cong survived in this underground network. Back to Saigon for lunch.

In the afternoon, visit the Independence Palace, the former residence of the President of South Vietnam with the “War Room”, where the South Vietnamese forces were controlled, and the room where the North Vietnamese army finally took control in the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Next visit is the War Remnants Museum, which was previously known as the “Museum of American War Crimes” and contains countless artefacts and photographs documenting said crimes – the killing of civilians, spreading of chemicals, torturing of prisoners, and the effects of the war on the north. Planes, tanks, bombs, and helicopters are displayed, and outside the museum are some rooms displaying cultural products of Vietnam. Then head to Notre Dame Cathedral, which was built between 1877 and 1883 with materials mostly imported from France. Neo-Romanesque in form, is a major centre of Catholicism in modern Vietnam and one of the city’s major landmarks.

Note: Visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral from outside only as it’s under renovation

Day 6 – Departure from Saigon (Breakfast) (20 Nov 2022)
TRANSFER/DEPARTURE
The day is free at your leisure until transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your departure flight. We wish you a pleasant flight!

PS: Itinerary is subject to slight modification due to weather conditions or force majeure.