DAY 1 ARRIVE HANOI Arrive in Hanoi. Transfer from the airport is provided. Meet our tour manager and fellow travellers tonight at the hotel. DAY 2 HANOI (B/L/D) Meet with our local guide for a city orientation tour. Enjoy a one hour cyclo ride through the streets of the old quarter finishing at Ngoc Son Temple. After visiting the Temple walk around the lake to Nha Tho street for interesting shopping in art, clothing, jewellery and homeware stores. Lunch at Koto Restaurant, a non profit restaurant and vocational training programme for street and disadvantaged youths. After lunch visit the ancient Temple of Literature and enjoy a water puppet show. This a unique Vietnamese performing art. Water puppetry is performed in chest deep water, the surface of the water is used as a stage for the wooden puppets. Dinner later at a local restaurant. DAY 3 HANOI – HALONG BAY (B/L/D) Depart for Halong Bay, on arrival at Halong pier we board the replica steamer “Emeraude”. Enjoy a refreshing welcome cocktail upon boarding, once we depart a buffet lunch is served. Cruise Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site with calm waters and thousands of islands forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Time for swimming and relaxation (kayaking at an additional charge) and enjoy an onboard cooking demonstration. Foot and head massages are available on the top deck. Dinner and overnight on board. DAY 4 HALONG BAY – HANOI (B/L) For early risers, practice tai chi on the sundeck before breakfast. Return to Halong pier in the morning. Transfer back to Hanoi for lunch and then check into our hotel. Afternoon is free for you to relax. DAY 5 HANOI – MAI CHAU (B/L/D) Depart from Hanoi and travel 150km through picturesque scenery to Mai Chau. Lunch at our lodge. After lunch enjoy a relaxing walk to the nearby Thai villages of Pom Coong and Lac. There you will have some time for handicraft shopping from local artisans or to stroll around viewing village life. Dinner at our lodge accompanied by a traditional dance performance. DAY 6 MAI CHAU – HANOI - HOI AN (B/L/D) In the morning we leave for Hanoi - lunch at a local restaurant. Depart by air to Danang and transfer to the enchanting town of Hoi An. Hoi An was once a major international port from the 15th to 19th centuries, trading in such goods as silk, lacquer, porcelain and medicinal herbs. Most original structures of this well preserved (UNESCO listed) town remain intact. Later we walk to a local restaurant for dinner. DAY 7 HOI AN (B/L) Meet with our local guide for a morning cooking tour. Start with a drink in Hoi An town, visit the colourful market and experience its amazing sights, sounds and aromas. You will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson. Leisure cruise along the Thu Bon River to the Red Bridge restaurant and cooking school. After our cooking lesson we will enjoy lunch. Free time for the rest of the day for leisure or shopping. Hoi An is a shopper’s paradise and one of the best places in Vietnam to get tailor made clothing. DAY 8 HOI AN (B) Free day in Hoi An. If you don’t feel like shopping, relax and enjoy the range of massage and spa treatments our resort has to offer. Alternatively, visit Cua Dai Beach, 5km from town. DAY 9 HOI AN - HO CHI MINH CITY (B/D) Late morning tranfer to the airport at Danang for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Transfer to our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Later meet our guide and walk to a local restaurant for dinner. DAY 10 HO CHI MINH CITY (B/L) Meet with our local guide for a city orientation tour. See Notre Dame Cathedral, the old Post Office building and the former Presidential Palace. Visit Ben Thanh Market, a bustling market, selling food, flowers, clothing, accessories, wooden and lacquer home items etc. After lunch in a fabulous local restaurant we return to the hotel. Afternoon is free. Our hotel is in a great shopping location on famous Dong Khoi Street. DAY 11 HCMC – MEKONG DELTA (B/L/D) Today we drive to the heart of the Mekong Delta, famous for its vast rice fields and beautiful landscapes. Visit the beautifully decorated Vinh Trang Pagoda. We then take a boat trip on the Mekong to Phoenix Island where local handicrafts and sweets from the coconut are produced. Take a short ride on a horse drawn carriage and then enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and traditional live music. Proceed by boat through a canal to our lunch stop. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Enjoy a farewell buffet dinner cruising the Saigon River on the boat Bonsai. DAY 12 HO CHI MINH CITY – DEPARTURE (B) Last day in Vietnam. Maybe your suitcase can still fit one more souvenir...... Hotel rooms are available until 12 noon. Tour services finish here. Transfer to the airport provided. Is visiting Angkor Wat one of the places you want to cross off your list? Why not extend your trip with our 2 night Siem Reap stopover while your are so close. SEE OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS |