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Duration 18 days 15 days
Price From $ 3,095 $ 2,978
Price Per Day $ 172 $ 199
Highlights
  • View the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh
  • Visit to the Temple of Literature
  • Enjoy a water puppet show
  • Discover wonderful architecture and hard-working, friendly people.
  • Visit the unofficial symbol of Hué—the seven-story Thien Mu Pagoda.
  • Views of the water are lovely, with rocky inlets, palm-lined beaches, and refreshing breezes.
  • Uncover Vietnam's astounding history during a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City, stroll the historic streets of charming Hoi An and discover the French influence of the northern city of Hanoi.
  • Board a private boat and cruise the Mekong delta, stopping off at some coconut gardens to visit a local home where you’ll sample tropical fruits and coconut jams. Back on land, take a tuk-tuk tour around the villages for a glimpse at rural life.
  • Experience the beauty of Halong Bay from the comfort of a traditional style junk boat – your Feature Stay accommodation. Enjoy a candlelit dinner on deck and soak in the magnificent landscape.
  • Sit down to a soul-stirring Exclusive Experience – a Hat Xam performance in Hoi An. This ancient musical art form is rarely seen today and dates back over 700 years to the Tran Dynasty.
  • Enjoy a tasty Exclusive Experience as you explore a local market with an expert chef in Hue, then visit his home to learn how to turn fresh ingredients into delicious Vietnamese dishes during a cooking class.
  • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Vun Art. Donations help them empower people with disabilities in Vietnam by providing vocational training and employment opportunities.
Trip Style Small group tour Small group tour
Lodging Level Standard Standard
Physical Level
  • 2- Easy
  • 2- Easy
Travel Themes
  • Cultural
  • Nature & Wildlife
  • Local Immersion & Homestays
  • National Parks
  • Religious
  • High Adventure
Countries Visited
Cities and Attractions
  • Ha Long Bay
  • Hanoi
  • Ho Chi Minh
  • Hoi An
  • Mekong Delta
  • Champa
  • Halong Bay
  • Hanoi
  • Ho Chi Minh
  • Hoi An
  • Hue
  • Mekong Delta
Flights & Transport Ground transport included Ground transport included
Activities
  • Culture
  • History
  • Nature
  • River cruise
N/A
Meals Included
  • 40 meals—daily breakfast, 13 lunches, and 10 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Dinner)
N/A
Description

For more detailed information about this trip, download our Travel Handbook below. This document covers a wide range of information on specific areas of your trip, from passport, visa, and medical requirements; to the currencies of the countries you’ll visit and the types of electrical outlets you’ll encounter. This handbook is written expressly for this itinerary. For your convenience, we've highlighted our travelers' most common areas of interest on this page.

Discover Vietnam’s kaleidoscope of fascinating history, hospitable people and picturesque landscapes on a 15-day Premium adventure. Learn the mysteries of the Viet Minh in Ho Chi Minh City, explore the beautiful lakes and boulevards of Hanoi and get a glimpse of rural life as you cruise through the Mekong Delta. Experience historic temples, spend a night beneath the stars on Halong Bay, enjoy delicious banquets and learn what it means to be local. This journey will take you off the well-trodden track and leave you with memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Itinerary: Inside Vietnam

DAY 1
Depart U.S.

DAY 2
Arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam
Meals included: D Accommodations: May De Ville City Centre or similar
Experience the Presidential Palace while touring Hanoi
Your OAT Trip Leader greets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Enjoy a free afternoon before we meet for an orientation walk around the neighborhood. We’ll be joined by travelers who took the pre-trip extension to The Hill Tribes of Northern Vietnam and tonight we’ll gather for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 3
Explore Hanoi • Enjoy water puppet show
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: May De Ville City Centre or similar

This morning, we have breakfast and set out on a full-day tour of Hanoi, where we'll drive through the French quarter and view the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the national leader whose memory is honored here, and go inside to view the former president's preserved remains. We'll also see the distinctive One Pillar Pagoda, and stop for a visit to the Temple of Literature. Please note: The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum is closed every Monday and Friday (outside grounds and garden area will be open on these days) and normally closed from September 4 through November 5 for preservation and maintenance of the building.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we visit the Museum of Ethnology, where we'll learn about the fascinating cultural diversity of this ancient land. Please note: On Mondays, the Museum of Ethnology is closed. If our tour of Hanoi is on a Monday, our visit to the Museum of Ethnology will be replaced by a visit to Hanoi's History Museum or Fine Arts Museum.

We return to the hotel and enjoy some free time. This evening, we enjoy a water puppet show, an art form in which puppets are suspended over water, directed by puppet masters who must sit semi-submerged for hours at a time. The tradition of water puppetry is at least 1,000 years old, originating with peasants in the Red River Delta of the north. The puppets, which the French used to call “the souls of the Vietnamese rice fields,” are made of the water-resistant wood of the fig tree and depict villagers, farm animals, dragons, and more. Afterward, we'll enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.

DAY 4
Hanoi • Optional Tho Ha Countryside tour OPTIONAL TOUR
Meals included: B Accommodations: May De Ville City Centre or similar

This morning is free for independent exploration of this fascinating city. Because Hanoi was isolated from Western development after 1954, it has a uniquely preserved concentration of French and Chinese colonial-era architecture. You may want to stroll to Hanoi's traditional and contemporary art galleries, or visit some of the city's other attractions, including Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, Quan Thanh Temple, and the Opera House.

Or you can join us on an optional tour of rural Tho Ha. Twenty miles north of Hanoi, the Nhu Nguyet River surrounds this traditional village. After a drive and brief ferry ride, we’ll discover wonderful architecture and hard-working, friendly people. The main industries here are rice paper and pig farming. After visiting a local family to see rice paper in the making, we’ll walk the village and mingle with the locals and then stop for lunch. This tour is a great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of rural life in Vietnam.

DAY 5
Visit Bat Trang Ceramic village
Meals included: B L Accommodations: May De Ville City Centre or similar

After breakfast, we depart for Bat Trang, a small village outside Hanoi known for its unique style and superior quality of ceramic pottery.

Here, we visit a workshop, where local craftspeople have been perfecting the art of ceramics for centuries. We learn about the process, from forming the clay to painting the distinctive intricate designs.

We return to Hanoi to have lunch at a local restaurant. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore the city, and dinner this evening is on your own.

DAY 6
Travel overland to Halong Bay • Embark junk
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Vietnamese junk

After breakfast, we set off for Halong Bay—the Emerald Bay of Vietnam—a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some of the roads to the bay are rough, but the journey offers quiet views of the flat green countryside dotted with rice paddies and small villages. We arrive in the early afternoon and transfer to a pier for our overnight cruise.

With its clear, emerald waters and mountains draped in velvety cloaks of vegetation, it's little wonder that Halong Bay has been the inspiration for generations of Vietnamese poets. Resting peacefully across the Gulf of Tonkin near the Chinese border, this region—literally “the bay of the descending dragon”—is dotted with more than 1,600 mountain islands, whose jagged profiles seem to rise out of nowhere.

Against the backdrop of innumerable caves, beaches, soaring cliffs, and grottoes, the Vietnamese go about their daily lives, fishing and harvesting, reaping the riches of the land and sea. Vietnamese fishermen nimbly navigate in lacquered and woven-wood coracles—lozenge-shaped, rudderless vessels that resemble an oversized tub. Oar-propelled fishing boats, or sampans, abound as well, many occupied by whole families.

Our vessel is of particular interest; we board a junk, a wooden sailboat in the traditional Vietnamese style. We stop to explore a cavernous grotto, and then drop anchor at an island pierced with surreal caverns, enjoying lunch onboard. We resume our cruise in the afternoon and enjoy dinner on our boat, where we will spend the night.

DAY 7
Fly to Hué
Meals included: B L Accommodations: Cherish Hotel or similar

This morning we enjoy breakfast onboard before cruising back to the port. We drive to the Hanoi Airport for our fight to Hué, located on the central coast of Vietnam, north of Danang. We arrive in Hué this evening and transfer to our hotel. Enjoy dinner on your own tonight.

DAY 8
Explore Hué
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Cherish Hotel or similar

After our breakfast at the hotel, we explore Hué, the former imperial capital, built by the first king of the Nguyen Dynasty during a time recognized as the golden age of Vietnam. For centuries, Hué has been a main cultural, religious, and educational center of Vietnam—and the reputation continues with the many students who live there today. The older section of Hué is a moated, walled citadel surrounded by eleven stone gates. We'll take a boat ride along the Perfume River to visit the unofficial symbol of Hué—the seven-story Thien Mu Pagoda. We'll also tour the citadel, find the Imperial Enclosure, and see its inner Forbidden Purple City, a private area reserved for the emperor.

Then we share a savory lunch with the Buddhist nuns at the Dieu Thanh Pagoda before returning to our hotel for some time at leisure.

Tonight, we gather for dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 9
Travel overland to Hoi An • Cooking class
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Lotus Hoi An Hotel or similar

We rise early for breakfast before our drive to the town of Hoi An, an ancient, well-preserved port town that's changed little in the past two centuries.

En route we stop at Lang Co Beach and China Beach, the setting for the eponymous TV show about a U.S. army base in Vietnam—now a peaceful 18 miles of white sand and waves. We also stop in Danang, where we'll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before departing to Hoi An.

We arrive in Hoi An this afternoon and check into our hotel, where we'll enjoy some free time before gathering for a lively round table discussion about Vietnamese history and culture.

Tonight, we head to a local restaurant for a Vietnamese cooking class, where we'll learn the secrets to preparing some local specialties. We'll savor the fruits of our labors for dinner.

DAY 10
Hoi An • Optional cyclo-rickshaw ride and Thu Bon River cruise OPTIONAL TOUR
Meals included: B L Accommodations: Lotus Hoi An Hotel or similar
View well-preserved landmarks of Hoi An like this Japanese covered bridge
Today, we have breakfast at the hotel and then embark on a walking tour of Hoi An's Old Town. A well-known feature in this port town is the Japanese covered bridge with its own temple and statuary.We'll amble through the historic streets, ride the local ferry to the other side of town, and observe the Hoi An's mossy houses, including the Phuc Kien Congressional House. Most of Hoi An's historic houses have been maintained in their traditional design, with brick exteriors and wooden interiors. And after many centuries of maritime trade, the town boasts a multicultural air: Traders from Persia, Arabia, China, Japan, and India, as well as the first Christian missionaries to reach Vietnam, have all left their mark.

After lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy an afternoon at leisure and dinner on your own. Or, join us on an optional cyclo-rickshaw ride through a rural area of Hoi An, followed by a Thu Bon River cruise. We'll travel by cyclo-rickshaw to Cam Nam village, view Hoi An's historic cityscape from a different vantage point during a cruise along the lovely Thu Bon River, and sample a slice of daily life at the central market. We'll dine at a nearby restaurant.

DAY 11
Hoi An • Explore Champa Ruins at My Son Sanctuary FOUNDATION VISIT
Meals included: B L Accommodations: Lotus Hoi An Hotel or similar

Today, we have breakfast and then travel through the rice fields of the countryside to My Son Sanctuary, Vietnam's most significant ruin from the Champa Kingdom, which prospered from the second to the 15th centuries.

My Son was established as a religious center in the fourth century in a lush, isolated valley overlooked by Hon Quap (Cat's Tooth Mountain). We walk these red-brick ruins, enjoying time to admire the delicate masonry and to take in the peace of the place. We'll return to Hoi An in time for lunch at a local restaurant before an afternoon at leisure. Dinner tonight is on your own.

DAY 12
Fly to Nha Trang • Boat tour to fishing village
Meals included: B D Accommodations: Yasaka Saigon Nha Trang Hotel & Spa or similar
Visit a local fishing village
This morning, we fly from Danang to the town of Nha Trang.

Upon arrival in Nha Trang, we board traditional wooden “drawing boats” to visit a local fishing village on Mieu Island. The views of the water are lovely, with rocky inlets, palm-lined beaches, and refreshing breezes. Our boat tour also takes us to a beautiful beach nearby, where you can relax and enjoy lunch on your own. Afterward, we return to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure. This evening we'll gather together for dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 13
A Day in the Life of Xom Gio village FOUNDATION VISIT
Meals included: B L Accommodations: Yasaka Saigon Nha Trang Hotel & Spa or similar

This morning, we visit Dien Phu Kindergarten, supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation. We’ll visit a classroom, play with the children, and have a chance to discuss local education with the school principal.

Afterward, we set out to experience A Day in the Life of the tranquil riverside community of Xóm Gio. We'll be guests of the village chief, who'll invite us into his home for a mid-morning discussion about the village's history and culture, followed by a savory lunch prepared with our help and the guidance of the chief's wife. Afterwards, we'll tour several homes that were remodeled with support from Grand Circle Foundation, visiting with families who live there. We'll learn about daily life and then be introduced to the local cottage industry—the bamboo baskets for which the village is known. Then we walk through the village, passing fields of vegetables and rice paddies on our way to a small family-run business where chopsticks are milled. On our way back to the hotel, we'll stroll through a vibrant village marketplace where you can pick up some exotic fruit for an afternoon snack.

We'll enjoy some free time back at the hotel and dinner on our own this evening.

Please note: On select departures, Dien Phu Kindergarten will be replaced with a visit to Minh Tu Orphanage in Hué on Day 8.

DAY 14
Travel overland to Dalat • University visit • Home-Hosted Dinner
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Sammy Dalat Hotel or similar

After breakfast we travel overland to Dalat, nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring," admiring the rice paddies, vegetable patches, and gently sloping hills that we pass along the way. Prized by Vietnamese for its mild climate, Dalat, nestled in the mountains, was the site of the summer residence of Vietnam’s last emperor, Bao Dai. We arrive in Dalat around noon and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before checking into our hotel.

We gather for an orientation walk around our hotel, and then set out for our visit to Dalat University. Here, we’ll learn about the Vietnamese system of education during an informative discussion with a professor and local university students.

This evening, we'll learn more about local culture over dinner with a local family in their home. This is another chance to meet with people who call Vietnam home, learn about their daily lives, share a little of ourselves, and really experience local culture.

DAY 15
Optional Dalat Agricultural tour • Explore old French train station • Visit Linh Phuoc Pagoda OPTIONAL TOUR
Meals included: B D Accommodations: Sammy Dalat Hotel or similar

This morning, you may choose to rise early before breakfast to explore a local market in Dalat. Enjoy the rest of the morning at leisure with lunch on your own, or join us for an optional tour that focuses on Dalat's agricultural production and village life. We'll stop at a market garden to learn about flower-growing in this region. We'll also visit a silkworm factory and discover the process of silk-making from its very beginning. Then we'll continue on to the isolated traditional village of Buon Chuoi (Banana Village) to meet the Chil people, a hill tribe that practices subsistence farming. This tour includes lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we all depart for our visit to Dalat's crémaillere (cog railway) train station. Established by the French in the early 20th century, the railway linked Dalat to Thap Cham before ceasing operation in 1964 due to Viet Cong attacks. We'll admire the Art Deco aesthetic of the station and take a 30-minute train ride to the nearby town of Trai Mat. Here, we'll explore Linh Phuoc Pagoda, a striking Buddhist temple adorned with a mosaic of glass, pottery, and porcelain.

We'll return to Dalat in time for dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 16
Fly to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Au Lac II Hotel or similar

After breakfast, we head to the airport for our short flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Formerly known as Saigon, it is now a modern seaport and the country's largest city. Upon arrival, we embark on a city tour, which brings us first to the War Remnants Museum to see its artillery and armor collection and gain a North Vietnamese perspective on the "American War." Next, we'll see the Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame. The structure was completed in 1880 and is said to be on the site of an old pagoda. We also see the architecture of the majestic Post Office, built during the same time period and featuring two enormous murals depicting maps of Vietnam as it was many decades ago. Our tour continues to the former U.S. Embassy.

After a meal of traditional noodle soup at a local restaurant, we'll check into our hotel and enjoy free time before we gather for an orientation walk around the hotel.

This evening, we'll enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 17
Mekong Delta discovery
Meals included: B L Accommodations: Au Lac II Hotel or similar
Experience local life along the river
After breakfast, we journey outside of Ho Chi Minh City to discover Vietnam's famous Mekong Delta. We'll drive to the picturesque province of Ben Tre, where we'll enjoy a brief walk through Ben Tre village—famous for its coconut plantations—and take a sampan ride along one of the town's scenic and peaceful canals. We'll also visit a coconut candy workshop to learn about making the sweet keo dua the region is known for, and cruise to nearby Phoenix Island, where we'll learn about the local belief started by Ong Dao Dua, known as the "Coconut Monk." Then, after lunch at a local restaurant, we'll drive back to Ho Chi Minh City, where we have some time at leisure. Dinner is on your own this evening.

DAY 18
Cu Chi Tunnels tour
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Au Lac II Hotel or similar
See the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam
This morning, we’ll explore the Cu Chi Tunnels. We’ll begin in the village of Cu Chi, which sits on a vast network of tunnels stretching more than 125 miles. These tunnels allowed the Viet Cong to control a large area near the former Saigon. Many American visitors find this tour an especially emotional experience, as they discover how many North Vietnamese soldiers lived in the tunnels during the war.

After lunch together, you'll have the afternoon at leisure. This evening, we gather at a local restaurant for a special Farewell Dinner.

DAY 19
Return to the U.S. or begin post-trip extension
Meals included: B
After breakfast, we transfer to the airport in Ho Chi Minh for our flight to Los Angeles, making a connection in Taipei. Travelers who are flying to San Francisco will enjoy a morning at leisure before their afternoon flight home via Taipei.

Or, if you’re extending your adventure, you’ll fly to Siem Reap to begin your optional post-trip extension in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Itinerary: Premium Vietnam in Depth

Day 1 Ho Chi Minh City

Welcome to Vietnam! Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City where you'll be met and transferred to your hotel. An important group meeting will take place here at 6pm, where you will meet your fellow travellers and local leader. If you do have time, get out and acquaint yourself with the city beforehand – it is a bustling centre of shopping, historic sites and traffic mayhem. After your meeting, head out for dinner with your small group and leader. As you arrive at your restaurant you’ll step straight into a piece of Vietnamese history – the building was an old opium refinery station built in 1861, and nods to its past still visible today. Here you’ll enjoy a menu bursting with classic dishes and southern Vietnamese favourites – your leader will be on hand to provide recommendations for your first foray into this exciting food scene.

Day 2 Mekong Delta

After breakfast, drive south towards the Mekong Delta via the region of Ben Tre. Here you will board a private boat and cruise the delta, stopping off at some coconut gardens to visit a local home where you’ll sample tropical fruits and coconut jams. Afterwards, return to the waterways of the delta on board sampans (small rowing boats) and row past the coconut trees and stilt houses that flank the river. Back on land, take a tuk-tuk tour around the villages for a glimpse at rural life and to learn how the coconut industry plays into local life. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then return to Ho Chi Minh City for an evening at leisure.

Day 3 Ho Chi Minh City

Today you’ll see Ho Chi Minh City through the eyes of a local during a bus and walking tour with your leader. Visit the famous Reunification Palace and hear the story of the end of the war, take a sobering trip to the War Remnants Museum and stop by the beautiful Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral. Stroll the city’s captivating streets and admire its many French colonial buildings along the way, including the main post office, and the gorgeous Ho Chi Minh City Hall, modelled on Paris’s Hotel de Ville. The rest of the evening is yours – be sure to ask your leader for recommendations on some great local spots for dinner.

Day 4 Dalat

This morning after breakfast, head on a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels – an extensive underground network (some 200 kilometres) of tunnels dug initially by the Viet Minh and later expanded by the Viet Cong. They contained hospitals, dwellings and schools and were used extensively for refuge and storage, as well as being a military base. As you explore this extraordinary labyrinth your leader will explain more about its history and the 1968 Tet Offensive. A section of the tunnels has been widened to allow visitors to get a feel for what the underground life must have been like. Please note that these tunnels will be hot and can get claustrophobic, so there is an option if you’d like to view from above ground. Later this afternoon, fly to Dalat.

Day 5 Dalat

Dalat is high in Vietnam’s southern highlands, and is surrounded by hills, pine forests, lakes and waterfalls – it is a natural mountain paradise. Dalat, commonly known as the City of Flowers, is part of a region ideal for growing crops and flowers that cannot be otherwise grown in Vietnam, because of its temperate climate and high rainfall. Today you will have the chance to learn some more about your morning brew and see behind the scenes of speciality coffee production during a tour of a local family-run coffee farm. Follow the journey from growth to harvesting and roasting, and taste some of the carefully crafted final result yourself, leaving with a new appreciation for the humble cup of coffee. Sit down for lunch with the group, then enjoy a free afternoon. You may like to visit the historic Bao Dai palace, or perhaps take a wander around the vibrant local markets.

Day 6 Hoi An

Enjoy a free morning in Dalat – perhaps head to the Crazy House – a bizarre guesthouse commissioned by avant-garde architect Hang Nga, who still lives on site. In the afternoon, take a short flight to Danang. From here you will embark on a short ride by private vehicle to Hoi An, originally a Cham port town. Hoi An is renowned for its specialist tailors and some do same-day turnaround, so perhaps take this opportunity to get some clothing made from some unique local fabrics. You might also like to visit a local workshop to learn how to make your own rice paper. A Vietnamese cooking class too is a great way to familiarise yourself with some age-old culinary techniques, not to mention feasting on the fruits of your own labour!

Day 7 Hoi An

Join your leader on a walking tour this morning to discover the Hoi An’s stunning architecture and unique mix of influences. With its charming low tiled houses and tranquil feel, this is a delightful town to walk around. Start with a visit to an opulently decorated historic house that was once home to a prominent trader. Cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, stop by the Chinese assembly hall and pay a visit to a local museum to learn more about the history you uncovered on your walk. Afterwards, sit down to a delicious lunch with the group. This afternoon you are free to make the most of Hoi An and its surrounding areas. Your leader will be able to help with suggestions for extra activities in Hoi An and the nearby countryside.

Day 8 Hoi An

A significant port of the Champa Kingdom for centuries, many Cham descendants are still living in Hoi An today. This morning your leader will guide you around My Son Cham, a collection of temples constructed by the Kings of Champa and dating back to the 4th century. Learn about the ancient architecture of this UNESCO site, and see the craters created by American bombs during the war. After exploring the temples, experience an Apsara dance performance, featuring sparkling traditional costumes, panpipes, and drums. The afternoon is free for more exploration, or to relax by the pool at your hotel.

Day 9 Hue

Depart Hoi An today bound for Hue, the former imperial capital and hub of Vietnam's historic past. En route, pass through the Hai Van Pass – a scenic mountainous stretch of highway with views across Lang Co beach. Arrive in Hue and discover its eclectic mix of frenetic streets and peaceful beauty. In the afternoon you will visit the Imperial Citadel, including the Forbidden Purple City. The latter was almost completely destroyed during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, but its humble, foliage-covered ruins remain a testament to its proud history. Here your leader will provide some insight into the horrific damage endured during the war.

Day 10 Hue

Loosen your belt and ready your appetite as today you will be diving into Hue’s fabulous culinary scene. First up, head to a street food eatery for a seriously tasty breakfast – Bun Bo Hue. This spicy noodle soup is usually made with beef and pig knuckles and is an absolute must-try while in Hue. Then, meet with a local chef and explore a bustling local market where you will taste and smell all the wonderful herbs and ingredients that bring local dishes to life, while learning more about the culture of Vietnamese cuisine along the way. Stop for lunch and enjoy some of Hue’s most celebrated dishes. Continue to the local chef’s delightful home where you will learn how to cook up some simple and delicious dishes using the fresh ingredients you picked up at the market. Take your new knowledge and local recipes back home with you so you can recreate meals that will take you straight back to Vietnam. Later in the afternoon, take a visit to the Thien Mu Pagoda, the unofficial symbol of Hue. The Pagoda is an active Buddhist monastery that dates back to 1601. You will also visit the elaborate royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, with its beautiful lake, frangipani and pine trees, and the Imperial Citadel.

Day 11 Hanoi

Fly from Hue to Hanoi today. Your departure will mostly likely be in the morning but can vary a little depending on flight schedules. Settle in on arrival, then your leader will guide you through the ancient 36 Streets to discover a varied selection of shop-lined alleys that sell everything from souvenirs to exquisite silk clothing, jewellery and embroidered tablecloths. In the afternoon, you will be treated to a traditional Hat Xam performance – this is truly an experience like no other. Hat Xam is an artform of Northern Vietnam dating back to the Tran Dynasty. Originally, this was performed by blind performers, and was enjoyed by local working-class audiences, right up until the late 1950s, when a wave of communism deemed all art forms to be corrupting influences. Today, this style of performance occurs rarely, but you and your group will be taken to a private club house for an exclusive performance; one of the few places where such artists still perform acoustically. The performance includes some story telling aspects and possibly interaction with guests, so be ready to get involved!

Day 12 Hanoi

Enjoy a guided half-day tour of Hanoi with your leader, gaining insights to the city’s history during visits to the Temple of Literature, One Pillar Pagoda and the former residence of Vietnam’s most famous revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh. Enjoy a delicious lunch at KOTO restaurant – an Intrepid Foundation supported program that teaches disadvantaged youth hospitality skills. Enjoy a free afternoon for further explorations. The Vietnam Fine Arts museum is well worth a visit, and walking is a great way to explore the city and its many lakes and parks. You'll see that this enchanting northern capital can be quieter than its southern counterpart, and the West Lake, north of the main city, is an ideal place to interact with the locals and relax by its banks.

Day 13 Halong Bay

Today you will drive to Halong Bay – this World Heritage listed wonder is undoubtedly one of the world’s most spectacular sights. There’s no better way to appreciate the bay’s beauty than on board a junk-style boat – your Feature Stay accommodation for the evening. Carefully designed with traditional touches and modern amenities, you can sit back in complete comfort as you weave through stunning limestone islands, karsts and caves. Stop by Surprise Cave to discover its interesting rock formations with you leader, then retire to the boat for a marvellous seafood lunch. During the warmer months your leader will discuss the option for swimming from Ti Top Island. There is also the option for kayaking to get up close to the towering limestone karsts. This evening’s dinner is sure to be a standout – dine on the deck of the boat by candlelight and watch the sun go down over the magnificent landscape.

Day 14 Hanoi

In the morning, enjoy breakfast on board the boat and perhaps take part in some optional Tai Chi to start off the day. Sail back to the port, disembark and travel back to Hanoi. Arriving back in the capital, enjoy some time to wander around and enjoy some of the city’s attractions you may have missed the first time. You can shop on Hang Gai Street or perhaps enjoy some afternoon tea at the Metropole Hotel. In the evening, join your group and leader for a final dinner in a Hanoi restaurant, sharing stories and reflecting on the highlights of your adventure with your newfound friends.

Day 15 Hanoi

Your adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning. If you would like to stay on in Hanoi, we’ll be happy to organise some additional accommodation for you ahead of time (subject to availability).

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