Itinerary
- Day 1
Arrival in Hanoi
Your private driver meets you at Hanoi airport and takes you to your hotel for check-in. After settling in, the rest of the day is yours to wander through the city's charming streets at your own pace. You'll come across historic architecture, local shops, and everyday street life as you recover from your travel.
Optional Activities
- Explore the streets of Hanoi independently
- Day 2
Hanoi Cooking Class
Join Ms. Ai, a Master Chef Vietnam 2014 finalist, for a cooking class starting with a walk through a local wet market where you'll learn about traditional ingredients and how locals shop. From there, head to her family home kitchen to prepare North Vietnamese dishes, then sit down together to eat what you've made.
- Meals
- Lunch (Home cooked Vietnamese meal prepared during the cooking class)
Included Activities
- Guided wet market tour with Chef Ai
- Hands-on Vietnamese cooking class at Chef Ai's house
- Lunch - home cooked meal prepared during class
Landmarks/POIs Chef Ai's House - Day 3
Vintage Vespa Tour and Evening Dinner
Ride a vintage Vespa through Hanoi's Old Quarter with your guide, passing the Opera House and Train Street. You'll visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Huu Hiep Lake, and the McCain Monument along West Lake. Stop at a Red River island village to meet locals and try egg coffee at a traditional kumquat farm, then cross Long Bien Bridge. Have lunch at a local spot, then dine at Ly Club Restaurant in the evening.
- Meals
- Lunch (Hearty lunch at a local restaurant), Dinner (Dinner at Ly Club Restaurant, one of Hanoi's most famous restaurants)
Included Activities
- Vintage Vespa guided tour of Hanoi Old Quarter
- Visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex
- Hidden village visit on Red River island with local family
- Kumquat farm visit
- Egg coffee stop at local coffee shop
- Long Bien Bridge crossing
- Lunch at local restaurant
- Dinner at Ly Club Restaurant
Landmarks/POIs Opera House Train Street Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Huu Hiep Lake West Lake Monument to John McCain Long Bien Bridge - Day 4
Halong Bay Cruise
Check out of your Hanoi hotel and drive through the Red River Delta with its green rice paddies to reach Halong Bay. Board your cruise to explore limestone formations and caves, then enjoy seafood lunch on deck. You'll have time to kayak or swim near the formations before returning to the boat for dinner and evening relaxation.
- Meals
- Lunch (Seafood lunch at the cruise sundeck), Dinner (Early dinner on cruise)
Included Activities
- Private car transfer to Halong Bay
- Cruise through Halong Bay limestone formations
- Kayaking or swimming in karst grottoes
- Seafood lunch on cruise
- Early dinner on cruise
Optional Activities
- Optional activities on boat
Landmarks/POIs Halong Bay - Day 5
Halong Bay to Hanoi
Wake early to watch the sunrise with breakfast in the dining room, then join a Tai Chi class on the sun deck. Explore a limestone cave with stalagmites and stalactites before checking out. Have brunch while cruising back to harbor, then transfer to your Hanoi accommodation.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast served in the dining room with sunrise viewing), Brunch (Brunch during return cruise to harbor)
Included Activities
- Sunrise viewing with breakfast
- Tai Chi class on sun deck
- Limestone cave exploration with stalagmites and stalactites
- Brunch during return cruise to harbor
Landmarks/POIs Halong Bay Limestone Cave - Day 6
Hanoi to Hoi An
After breakfast at your hotel, you have free time in Hanoi before your driver picks you up for the airport. Fly to Hoi An and transfer to your hotel for check-in. Spend the evening settling in and exploring this charming town at your leisure.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at hotel)
Included Activities
- Flight from Hanoi to Danang
- Day 7
Hoi An Food Tour
Your guide transfers you to a local farming village about 2.5 miles from town to learn about farm life. Later, join a food tour sampling local dishes like white rose dumplings, banh beo, banh nam, my quang noodles, Hoi An pancakes, barbecue pork rolls, and banh mi. End with Vietnamese coffee before exploring Hoi An by night or heading back to your hotel.
- Meals
- Dinner (Culinary food tour with local dishes including white rose dumplings, banh beo, banh nam, my quang noodles, Hoi An pancakes, barbecue pork rolls, banh mi sandwich, and Vietnamese coffee)
Included Activities
- Local farming village visit
- Hoi An food tour with local guide
- Hoi An market food tasting experience
Landmarks/POIs Hoi An - Day 8
Hoi An Cooking Class and River Cruise
Meet your guide around 8:15 am at Hai Cafe for a welcome drink, then explore Hoi An's colorful market to learn about cooking ingredients. Take a leisurely boat cruise along the Hoi An River to Red Bridge Cooking School, where you'll see the herb garden and participate in a two-hour class. You'll prepare Vietnamese dishes, learn food carving techniques, and enjoy lunch featuring your creations before transferring back to your hotel.
- Meals
- Lunch (Delicious lunch of dishes prepared during the two-hour cooking class)
Included Activities
- Welcome drink at Hai Cafe
- Hoi An market visit and ingredient learning
- Leisurely boat cruise along Hoi An River
- Red Bridge Cooking School herb garden visit
- Two-hour cooking class at Red Bridge Cooking School
- Vietnamese food carving demonstration
- Lunch - dishes prepared during cooking class
Landmarks/POIs Hoi An Market Hoi An River Red Bridge Cooking School - Day 9
Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
After breakfast at your hotel, you have free time in Hoi An before your driver takes you to the airport. Fly to Ho Chi Minh City and transfer to your hotel for check-in. Spend the afternoon and evening exploring the city at your own pace.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at hotel)
Included Activities
- Flight from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City
- Day 10
Ho Chi Minh City War History and Dining in the Dark
Start your morning at Ho Chi Minh City's historical landmarks, visiting Independence Palace (built on the former Norodom Palace site), Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Central Post Office from the French Colonial era. Check out the War Remnants Museum with its extensive war collection, then break for lunch. In the evening, dine at Noir: Dining in the Dark Saigon with a welcome drink and multiple courses served in complete darkness.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at restaurant), Dinner (Exquisite multi-course set menu fine dining experience at Noir: Dining in the Dark Saigon in complete darkness with welcome drink)
Included Activities
- Independence Palace (Reunification Palace) visit
- Notre Dame Cathedral viewing
- Central Post Office viewing
- War Remnants Museum visit
- Lunch at restaurant
- Noir: Dining in the Dark Saigon experience with welcome drink and multi-course set menu
Landmarks/POIs Independence Palace Notre Dame Cathedral Central Post Office War Remnants Museum - Day 11
Cu Chi Tunnels
Drive about 1.5 hours to reach the Cu Chi Tunnels and learn how Vietnamese soldiers used them as shelter during the war. Walk through the tunnel systems including living areas, kitchens, bedrooms, weapons factories, hospitals, and command centers. You'll see hidden doors and traps, then finish with special tea and cassava (guerrilla wartime food) before returning to your hotel.
Included Activities
- Cu Chi Tunnels tour and exploration
- Guided tunnel system walkthrough including living areas, kitchens, bedrooms, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers
- Special tea and cassava tasting
Landmarks/POIs Cu Chi Tunnels - Day 12
Departure from Ho Chi Minh City
On your final day, have a healthy breakfast and complete your hotel check-out. You'll have free time to visit local markets and pick up souvenirs before your driver takes you to the airport for your departure flight home.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Healthy breakfast at hotel)
Included Activities
- Breakfast at hotel
Optional Activities
- Visit local markets for souvenirs
