Vietnam
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Day One: Arrive in Hanoi
Welcome to Hanoi! Meet your driver and guide, who’ll take you to your hotel for check-in. Free evening to relax, get your bearings and have dinner or choose to take the optional tour by genuine wartime Jeep in the early evening (around 4pm), to take in Hanoi’s best-known sights including the Opera House, Hoan Kiem Lake and the Ho Chi Minh Memorial. You’ll drive onwards to the Lotte Center Hanoi, a soaring skyscraper, where you can zoom up to the 66th floor for a drink and snacks at the Top of Hanoi bar and incredible sunset views over the city, finish 7pm. (for related costs see the Extras tab)
Overnight in Hanoi
We offer a variety of hotel classes to suit different budgets. You can choose the style that’s right for you.
Select from Classic, Premium or Deluxe when booking, and click hotel name below for more details.
Classic - Hanoi La Siesta
Premium - Silk Path Hanoi
Deluxe - Hotel de L'Opera
Meals included: No meals
Day Two: Exploring the City
Get ready for an action-packed day in the Vietnamese capital, starting with a private trip of its must-sees sights, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Museum and One-Pillar Pagoda, the 1,000-year-old Temple of Literature (Vietnam’s oldest university) and leafy Van Mieu Park. After this, it’s time to take a less touristy approach to the city, as you’re whisked through its maze of narrow back streets and alleys riding pillion on a Soviet-era Minsk motorcycle (approx. 3 hours). Travelling through lesser-visited parts of the city you’ll taste street food, meet locals and see the strange and varied produce of the sprawling black market, before whizzing past the Mausoleum again, heading for West Lake. Come evening, experience the spectacle of modern Vietnamese theatre.
Overnight in Hanoi
Classic - Hanoi La Siesta
Premium - Silk Path Hanoi
Deluxe - Hotel de L'Opera
Meals included: Breakfast; snacks
To be allowed to enter the mausoleum, you must cover your legs, stand in pairs in silence without crossing your arms, or putting your hands in your pockets. The Mausoleum is closed on Monday and Friday. Every year, the monument is closed between mid-September and mid-December for regular restoration and preservation of the presidential remains.
Day Three: Halong Bay Seaplane and Cruise
Leave Hanoi by seaplane bound for the stunning UNESCO-listed Halong Bay.* You’ll combine your transfer with a scenic 45 minute flight high above the bay, admiring its 1,600-strong collection of rocky islets. Arriving at the nearby marina, you’ll transfer to a traditional junk and spend the day cruising past craggy limestone peaks, soaking up the magical atmosphere. You’ll be served lunch and dinner made from just-caught local seafood and, after admiring a stunning sunset, you’ll get the chance to try your hand at night fishing yourself. Spend your night aboard the junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle waves of the bay.
*Please note that the seaplane transfer is weather dependent. In the case of adverse conditions, the transfer will be by road. Your departure from Hanoi will either be at 9 or 10am.
Overnight in Halong Bay
Classic - Pelican
Premium - Indochina Sails Premium
Deluxe - Ha Long Jasmine
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Four: Onwards to Hoi An
Wake to an incredible sunrise over the water, then set out into the bay one last time. Your private road transfer to Hanoi airport (approx. 3 hours 30 minutes) heads through a shimmering sea of paddy fields, taking in the tranquil scenery of the Red River Delta on the way. From Hanoi, you’ll take a flight to Da Nang, where your driver will collect you and drive onwards to the wonderfully-preserved UNESCO town of Hoi An (40 minutes), where temples and merchant houses jostle on the riverbanks. You'll have a free evening to get your bearings and grab some dinner.
Overnight in Hoi An
Classic - East West Villas (Harmony Villas)
Premium - Little Hoi An Boutique & Spa Hotel
Deluxe - Palm Garden Resort
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Five: Exploring by bike and boat
This morning you can stroll the stunning streets of Hoi An’s Old Town, taking in centuries-old houses and temples with your private guide. Afterwards, you’ll hop on a bike and head out through the countryside to Tra Que herb village, known for its aromatic herbs. Join the farmers as they work at picking and planting in its fields, then sit down to a delicious lunch of the village specialities. You’ll return to Hoi An in the early afternoon, with plenty of time to explore at leisure or relax on the beach. Just as the sun begins to set, set off on another adventure – travelling along the Coco River by traditional bamboo basket boat*. You’re heading for the blissful countryside setting of The Field restaurant, for a delicious dinner of freshly-caught fish, cooked in front of you as you sit on a bamboo raft on the river.
*Weather dependent
Overnight in Hoi An
Classic - East West Villas (Harmony Villa)
Premium - Little Hoi An Boutique & Spa Hotel
Deluxe - Palm Garden Resort
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Six: Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh
After a leisurely start, you’ll be transferred back to Da Nang Airport, ready for your next stop, Ho Chi Minh City. On the way, you’ll get to see the incredible Golden Bridge, a glimmering architectural feat that’s held up by gigantic stone hands and has incredible views over the Ba Na hills. After check-in at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh, you’ll whizz through the streets on an evening trip by Vespa (6-10pm). As a passenger, you’ll gain a unique view of District 4’s maze of alleys, stopping to snack on fresh seafood, before heading off again to the temples and pretty streets of District 3 and the better-known District 1. Enjoy a locals-only night out, with live music in a cafe well off the tourist trail, and finish up at a lively bar before being transferred back to your hotel for the night.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh
Classic - Nhat Ha 2
Premium - Grand Hotel Saigon
Deluxe - Hotel Des Arts Saigon
Meals included: Breakfast; street food
Day Seven: Speedboats and Cu Chi Tunnels
Start the day in an exhilarating way, as you take a speedboat ride out of Ho Chi Minh. Watch the city segue to lush jungle over a breakfast of pastries, fruit and Vietnamese iced coffee. You’ll arrive at the Cu Chi Tunnels before the tourist buses turn up, giving you time to explore this vast network of Viet Cong underground passageways (including kitchens, a firing range and much more) before they get crowded. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy a delicious traditional Vietnamese lunch by the river, before boarding the speedboat to return to Ho Chi Minh. A driver will pick you up from Tan Cang's pier and drop you at the airport, ready for your onward flight to Phu Quoc.
Overnight in Phu Quoc
Classic - Cassia Cottage (Modern Deluxe Room)
Premium - Cassia Cottage (Modern Deluxe Room)
Deluxe - La Veranda Resort (Deluxe Garden)
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch
Days Eight & Nine: Time to Relax
Your next two days will be spent at your leisure. You could go snorkelling, explore the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, check out the night market at Duong Dong or simply lie on the beach and relax in the sun, it’s completely up to you.
Overnight in Phu Quoc
Classic - Cassia Cottage (Modern Deluxe Room)
Premium - Cassia Cottage (Modern Deluxe Room)
Deluxe - La Veranda Resort (Deluxe Garden)
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Ten: Homeward Bound
After breakfast you can catch the last rays at the pool until it’s time to leave, when your hotel will transfer you to the airport for your flight back to Ho Chi Minh City for your flight home (Check out 12pm).
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overall meals included: 9 Breakfasts; 2 lunches; 2 dinners
What's included:
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers and internal flights unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- Mandatory taxes and service fees
- Entrance tickets and permits unless stated otherwise
- All internal transport and accommodation
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience: call 0208 251 0425 for AX specially negotiated flight rates
- Optional extras listed
- Tips for guides, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the holiday
- We cannot guarantee the included hotel breakfast for early departures
- Drinks during meals unless stated otherwise
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
SUITABILITY FOR FAMILIES : Suitable for families with adult kids.
If you intend to travel solo, contact us on 0208 251 0425
GETTING THERE
Your return flight to Phu Quoc from Ho Chi Minh City is included in the experience price. Arrival flight to Hanoi or return flight from Ho Chi Minh are not included.
Experience start point: Hanoi (HAN). Arrive anytime. Hotel check in 2pm.
End point: Ho Chi Minh (SGN ). Hotel check out 12pm.
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