Vietnam in Depth: Sapa to the Mekong Delta - 13 Days

Your Vietnam adventure begins on arrival in Hanoi. Your private driver waits at the airport with a sign displaying your name and takes you to your accommodation in the heart of the city. The fascinating Old Quarter is close by. Explore independently or rest at the hotel after your flight.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Today, an experienced English-speaking local guide introduces you to the subtleties and traditions of Vietnamese food culture. Learn about ingredients and the history of popular northern Vietnamese dishes. Along the way, sample seasonal fruit and a French-inspired snack from a street stall.
Walk through the Old Quarter's lively maze of lanes and try well-known specialities such as Bun Cha and Banh Cuon at a local eatery. Watch the cooks prepare these dishes. Continue past street stalls and quiet residential lanes, discovering daily life in a city with more than 1,000 years of history.
The next two stops are outdoor barbecue stalls. Join local people to try a selection of meat, vegetables and bread grilled over hot coals. Then head down a small alley for dessert: fresh fruit in a cup with crushed ice and sweetened condensed milk, a popular local speciality.
Your guide then shows you a hidden street-food spot in the Old Quarter. Tastings here include Banh Mi Hanoi, Vietnamese rice wine and the famous egg coffee. The hard-to-find café is tucked down a narrow lane. If you do not like coffee, you can enjoy a cold beer instead. After the tour, continue exploring as you please, or ask your guide for directions or help arranging a taxi back to the hotel.
Overnight in Hanoi.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, check out and travel to Sapa by limousine bus. The journey takes approximately six hours. On arrival, transfer to your accommodation. The rest of the day is free to explore this charming mountain town.
Overnight in Sapa.

After breakfast at the hotel, meet your guide at approximately 9:30. Your walk of around twelve kilometres takes you to Y Linh Ho and Lao Chai, villages inhabited by Hmong people. Enjoy views of rice terraces and mountain peaks along the way.
Have lunch with a local family in Lao Chai or at a riverside café.
Then continue walking to Ta Van, a Dzay village. Stay with a local family and gain an insight into their daily life, traditions and customs.
Overnight in a local homestay.

Enjoy a local breakfast at the homestay and prepare for your walk. Set off at around 9:30 on a route of approximately eight kilometres. Visit Giang Ta Chai and Su Pan, villages of the Red Dao and Hmong people, as well as a beautiful waterfall and a rattan bridge.
Enjoy the valley scenery and cross a bamboo forest on the way to the main road. A bus collects you there and takes you to Sapa. Explore the town a little more before returning to Hanoi by limousine bus at approximately 15:00.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Halong Bay is a natural wonder and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Look forward to impressive views, relaxing time on board and varied activities.
After breakfast, check out and leave Hanoi for Halong Bay. The cruise team collects you from the hotel lobby between 8:00 and 9:00; the exact time is confirmed the day before.
Reach the pier around midday and take a boat to the cruise ship. After the welcome and check-in, lunch is served as the ship sails through a landscape of hundreds of small islands.
Afternoon activities may include swimming, kayaking or cave visits, depending on the individual ship's programme. Alternatively, relax on board.
In the late afternoon, the ship anchors at a beautiful spot for the night. Enjoy the sunset before dinner.
Overnight on board in Halong Bay.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Note: In bad weather, the programme may be changed or cancelled if ships are not permitted to leave port. Your travel adviser will arrange an alternative in that case.

The sun rises over Halong Bay in the morning. Breakfast is served as the ship slowly returns to port. Enjoy an early lunch before disembarking.
Then transfer to Hanoi Airport and fly to Da Nang, the airport serving Hoi An. Your driver meets you there and takes you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight in Hoi An.

Your English-speaking guide meets you at the hotel at around 8:00. Together, cycle through the countryside and along the rivers around Hoi An.
Meet friendly local people along the way and enjoy the beautiful views and rural surroundings.
Then explore Cam Thanh eco-village, whose history is linked to the wars against France and the United States. Paddle a traditional Vietnamese bamboo basket boat through waterways surrounded by coconut palms.
Meet local fishermen, try traditional net fishing and learn about catching the “Purple Crabs” found in the canals. Small handmade souvenirs from nipa palm leaves, such as hats, watches or rings, round off the experience.
After the boat trip, enjoy a delicious lunch at a restaurant and cycle back to your hotel.
Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast, travel from Hoi An to Hue by private car. The route crosses the Hai Van Pass, a particularly beautiful coastal road with impressive views of the mountains and sea.
Check in at your hotel on arrival in Hue. There is then time to explore the area independently.
Overnight in Hue.

Hue is the cultural, political and economic centre of the Thua Thien Hue region and was Vietnam's imperial city under the Nguyen Dynasty. Important monuments built during that period now form part of its UNESCO World Heritage.
Your guide collects you from the hotel at approximately 8:00–8:30.
11:00: Visit Emperor Khai Dinh's tomb.
12:30: Lunch at a restaurant serving regional Hue specialities.
13:30: Visit the Imperial Citadel, the city's main attraction.
15:00: Explore Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue's largest pagoda.
Return to the hotel at approximately 16:00–17:00, then transfer to the airport and fly from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Collection: 12:30–13:00.
The Cu Chi Tunnels are approximately 70 kilometres northwest of central Ho Chi Minh City. During the war, Cu Chi was known as the “land of steel”. The tunnel system, more than 200 kilometres long, was considered an almost impregnable underground village during the Vietnam War. Today, it is one of the best-known excursion destinations for Vietnamese and international visitors.
After hotel collection, travel by bus for approximately one and a half hours to Cu Chi. Before exploring, receive a short introduction and watch a film explaining how the tunnels were built and how people survived the difficult wartime conditions.
Then explore the preserved site and parts of the tunnel system. See specially designed living areas with kitchens and sleeping quarters, as well as storage rooms, weapons workshops, field hospitals and command centres. These facilities made life underground possible. Concealed trapdoors and traps also formed part of the maze-like system's defences.
Afterwards, tea and cassava are served, foods consumed by guerrilla fighters during the war. There is then a break to rest; anyone interested can use the shooting range offered on site.
Return to Saigon, where the excursion ends.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Leave busy Ho Chi Minh City and travel to My Tho on the left bank of the Mekong. On arrival, visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, dating from the late 19th century. Then board a sampan and cruise past four islands named Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise.
On Unicorn Island, walk along rural paths through orchards. Sample tropical fruit, listen to traditional music performed by local artists and visit a fruit plantation.
Take a hand-rowed sampan through Thoi Son Canal and enjoy the scenery. Visits to a family business, an apiary and a coconut-candy workshop, along with a tasting of honey tea, offer an insight into local life.
Have lunch at a local restaurant, followed by time for a rest.
In the afternoon, cycle through Tan Thach village and meet residents to learn about daily life in the Mekong Delta. If you prefer not to cycle, relax in a hammock and enjoy the cool breeze.
Return to Ho Chi Minh City, where the excursion ends.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Enjoy a good breakfast on the final day of your Vietnam journey. After checking out, and depending on the time available, browse local markets for souvenirs for your loved ones. Your private driver later takes you to the airport for your flight home.
Your journey ends.