Itinerary
- Day 1
Departure
You'll depart on your international flight heading to Southeast Asia, with Hanoi as your destination. This is your travel day, so settle in for the journey ahead.
- Day 2
Hanoi
After landing in Hanoi, you'll meet your tour guide and start with an orientation walk through the old town. You'll see Hoan Kiem Lake and visit its temple, then wander through the lively alleyways checking out St. Joseph's Cathedral and a local market. Grab Vietnamese pho soup for lunch to get your first real taste of the food here.
- Meals
- Lunch (Vietnamese pho soup specialty)
Included Activities
- Orientation walk through Hanoi old town
- Visit Hoan Kiem Lake
- Explore local alleyways
- Visit St. Joseph's Cathedral
- Visit local market
- Lunch with Vietnamese pho soup
Landmarks Hoan Kiem Lake Ngoc Son Temple St. Joseph's Cathedral - Day 3
Hanoi
Following breakfast, you'll head out to see Hanoi's key sights like the Ho Chi Minh House, the Mausoleum's exterior, One Pile Pagoda, and the Temple of Literature. The afternoon gives you free time to do your own thing, then later you'll relax with a local beer with your group at Westlake as evening comes on.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Ho Chi Minh House
- Visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (exterior)
- Visit One Pile Pagoda
- Visit Temple of Literature
- Local beer social at Westlake
Landmarks Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum One Pillar Pagoda Temple of Literature - Day 4
Hanoi to Halong
You'll travel by train towards Halong, stopping at a traditional village where you'll watch a private water puppet show and walk around exploring. After lunch with a local family, you'll continue on to Halong passing through rice fields and spotting water buffaloes along the way.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch with local family)
Included Activities
- Train journey to Halong
- Visit traditional village
- Private water puppet show
- Village walk
- Lunch with local family
Landmarks Halong Bay - Day 5
Halong Bay to Hue
In the morning you'll board a traditional junk to cruise through Halong Bay for 4 to 5 hours, taking in the UNESCO-listed limestone formations. You'll visit caves during the trip and have lunch served right on the boat. After returning to Halong, you'll head to the airport for an evening flight to Hue.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch served on board junk)
Included Activities
- Traditional junk cruise in Halong Bay
- Cave visits (subject to change)
- Lunch on board
Landmarks Halong Bay - Day 6
Hue
You'll start exploring the UNESCO-listed imperial city of Hue by visiting the citadel with the Imperial Palace, checking out a traditional Mandarin house with a tea break, and taking a cycle rickshaw ride through town. Later in the afternoon you'll see Thien Mu Pagoda and head to Emperor Khai Dinh's tomb to watch the sunset from there.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit citadel and Imperial Palace
- Visit traditional Mandarin house with tea break
- Cycle rickshaw ride
- Visit Thien Mu Pagoda
- Visit tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh with sunset viewing
Landmarks Hue Citadel Imperial Palace Thien Mu Pagoda Tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh - Day 7
Hue to Hoi An
Early on you'll visit Tu Hieu pagoda set in the forest and Tu Duc imperial tomb, then head towards Hoi An with a stop at Lang Co lagoon for a beach walk and fresh seafood lunch. You'll go over the Cloud Pass and check out the Marble Mountains with their Buddhist grottoes before arriving in Hoi An.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Fresh seafood lunch at Lang Co)
Included Activities
- Visit Tu Hieu Pagoda
- Visit Tu Duc Imperial Tomb
- Walk on Lang Co Beach
- Lunch with fresh seafood at Lang Co
- Cross Cloud Pass
- Visit Marble Mountains with Buddhist grottoes
Landmarks Tu Hieu Pagoda Tu Duc Imperial Tomb Lang Co Lagoon Cloud Pass Marble Mountains - Day 8
Hoi An
You'll explore Hoi An on a city tour and visit a lantern factory. After that you'll head to a herbal settlement where you'll learn about local herbs, help prepare a traditional lunch, and get a relaxing herbal foot massage. By evening you'll have free time to wander the illuminated old town.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Traditional lunch prepared at herbal settlement)
Included Activities
- Hoi An city tour
- Visit lantern factory
- Visit herbal settlement
- Learn about local herbs
- Prepare traditional lunch
- Herbal foot massage
Landmarks Hoi An Ancient Town - Day 9
Hoi An to Ben Tre
An early transfer takes you to Danang Airport for your flight to Saigon. From there you'll head to the Mekong Delta and Ben Tre where you'll explore the tropical river landscape by boat and Xe Loi vehicle, visiting traditional manufactories along the way. You'll sample local specialties for lunch at a family-run restaurant.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Local specialties at family-run restaurant)
Included Activities
- Boat exploration of Ben Tre river landscape
- Xe Loi vehicle exploration
- Visit traditional manufactories
- Lunch at family-run restaurant
Landmarks Mekong Delta - Day 10
Ben Tre to Can Tho
You'll travel to Sa Dec, which feels like a little Venice with its charming canals running through the Mekong Delta. You'll stroll through the local market and visit an ancient Mandarin house, then pick up snacks for a picnic in the unique river landscape before continuing on to Can Tho.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Picnic (Picnic in the middle of the unique river landscape)
Included Activities
- Visit Sa Dec local market
- Visit ancient Mandarin house
- Picnic in river landscape
Landmarks Sa Dec Mekong Delta - Day 11
Can Tho to Saigon
Early in the morning you'll experience the floating market of Cai Rang where traders sell fruit and vegetables straight from their boats. You'll return to Saigon with the afternoon at leisure, so you can either explore the city on your own or check out a local market if you prefer.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Experience Cai Rang floating market
Landmarks Cai Rang Floating Market - Day 12
Saigon
You'll see lively Saigon in the morning visiting the Reunification Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral, City Hall, the post office and opera house (outside tours only). You'll take a coffee break trying a local specialty like egg coffee or salted coffee. Then you'll head to Chinatown visiting Binh Tay market hall, Thien Hau temple, and medical street before heading back to the city center.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Reunification Palace
- Visit Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Visit City Hall
- Visit post office
- Opera House outside tour
- Local specialty coffee break
- Visit Binh Tay market hall
- Visit Thien Hau temple
- Visit 'medical street'
Landmarks Reunification Palace Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Ho Chi Minh City Hall Central Post Office Saigon Opera House Binh Tay Market Thien Hau Temple - Day 13
Saigon
You'll visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, a 200 km long tunnel system from the Indochina War, then head to the Cao Dai temple in Tay Ninh to learn about the unique Cao Dai religion. After returning to Saigon, you'll enjoy a sundowner in a rooftop bar experiencing the city's hustle and bustle from above.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Cu Chi Tunnels
- Visit Cao Dai temple in Tay Ninh
- Sundowner in rooftop bar
Landmarks Cu Chi Tunnels Cao Dai Temple - Day 14
Saigon to Departure
You'll transfer to the airport for your return flight home. If you've selected a beach extension option, you'll enjoy your stay there instead of heading back right away.
Optional Activities
- Optional beach extension
- Day 15
Arrival at Home
You arrive back home, wrapping up your Southeast Asia journey with all the memories from Vietnam.
