Incredible Vietnam 18 Days 17 Nights

In the morning, depart Ho Chi Minh City for a drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Leaving the bustling city behind, the scenery begins to change: first to lush rice paddies, then to rubber plantations, and finally to villagers drying noodles by the side of the road and going about their daily chores. On arrival starts the visit with the Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc sections of the tunnel, an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district in the suburb of HCMC. Back to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, visit the War Museum, which contains exhibits relating to the phase of the war against Americans and the former Presidential Palace that was the home and workplace of the President of the Southern Vietnamese government during the Vietnam War. From there on, you will go on foot (the car will be available at all times) to visit the major sights of colonial Ho Chi Minh City: the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, Opera House, and then enjoy funny shopping at the historic Ben Thanh market. Enjoy a welcome cruise dinner—a different experience and the perfect way to see the panoramic view of the vibrant city lights along the Saigon River with live Vietnamese traditional music performance. Overnight in HCMC.

Leave Ho Chi Minh City for Cai Be by road. Arrival at Caibe; board your boat at around noon; depart towards Cho Lach on the Tien Giang River; and enjoy lunch on the upper deck while the boat is cruising. Rest on the deck or enjoy the open bar while the ship branches into Cho Lach Canal for 30 minutes through the traffic of sand and rice barges in the scenery of fruit drying facilities and wooden shipbuilding yards. Visit a village on the banks of the river Mang Thít, an opportunity to appreciate the way of life and hospitality of the local inhabitants. Visit the orchard or rice fields nearby. After reboarding, complimentary welcome drinks are served. Open a bar and rest on the deck, enjoying the sunset. The crew will serve dinner while the boat is cruising Mang Thit River. The boat sets anchor in front of Phuoc Huu Pagoda, in Tra On for the night.

Enjoy breakfast while the ship is cruising towards Tra On floating market, then departs for Can Tho. Arrival in Cai Rang floating market, check out and transfer onto a local boat to visit the floating market, the nearby arroyos, and gardens, then return to the Ninh Kieu Pier in Can Tho, where our vehicle will pick you up and drive you back to Saigon. Enjoy lunch en route. Arrival at HCMC at mid-afternoon. Free for the rest of the day. Overnight in HCMC.

Note: This tour may be subject to change depending on weather conditions and the itinerary may be reversed.

Breakfast at your hotel, full-day city tour of Da Lat, including Bao Dai summer palace (Bao Dai is the 13th king and the last king of the Nguyen dynasty), Crazy House or Hang Nga guesthouse—a unique architecture described as a “fairy tale house." The building’s overall design resembles a giant tree, incorporating sculptured design elements representing natural forms such as animals, mushrooms, spider webs, and caves, and the valley of love, which has been one of the most picturesque and romantic sites of Da Lat city with many deep valleys and endless pine forests.

Lunch at a local restaurant; in the afternoon, visit Prenn Waterfall, then Tuyen Lam reservoir by canoe (try the elephant ride if you’d like—your own expense) and Truc Lam Zen monastery; from here you can get back to Da Lat by car or cable car (your own expense). Overnight in Da Lat.

Breakfast at your hotel, free at leisure till being transferred to Da Lat airport for your flight to Danang.

On arrival at Danang airport, met by our tour guide, then transferred to your hotel in Hoi An. Check in at your hotel, free at leisure for the rest of time. Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast, take a walking tour to discover Hoi An, the ancient town known to early Western merchants. Hoi An was one of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century. Hoi An has a distinctive Chinese atmosphere with low, tiled-roof houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets is still virtually intact. Many of the houses were constructed of rare timbers and decorated with lacquer panels engraved with Chinese characters and pillars carved with ornamental designs. In this ancient town, we will visit Tan Ky and Phuc Kien houses, the Japanese-covered bridge inside the Hoi An town and also visit the Hoi An market.

Free at leisure for the rest of the day or take one of the following optional tours. Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast at your hotel, leave Hoi An for Hue by passing by Hai Van Pass or Hai Van Tunnels—the longest tunnels in Southeast Asia. En route to Danang, visit Marble Mountain and Cham Museum in Danang. Proceed to Hue, enjoy lunch at Lang Co beach or in Hue

On arrival at Hue, visit the Imperial Citadel, from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. On the premises of the citadel fortification, bunkers dating back to Vietnam War time contrast with the peacefulness of the local houses sheltered away from the bustling city.

In the evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant with Hue royal court music. Overnight in Hue.

Breakfast at hotel. The morning involves a boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River for visits to Hue’s best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda, and then visit the elaborate mausoleums of emperors Minh Mang, Tu Duc, and Khai Dinh. Stop on the way to see how conical hats and incense sticks are made. Lunch at a local restaurant in Hue.

In the afternoon, visit by cyclo the garden houses of Ngoc Son, which was the former residence of the Princess Ngoc Son, daughter of Emperor Dong Khanh and the lovely  Om Garden House, then visit Dong Ba Market, which is the oldest market in Hue, then free at leisure to go shopping or enjoy the hotel facilities. Overnight in Hue.

After early breakfast at your hotel, departure from Hue, drive North and stop at La Vang Cathedral (which, despite its years of turmoil, remains an important pilgrimage site for Vietnam's Catholics). Carry on to what is left of Quang Tri Citadel, where in 1972 a fierce battle raged for 81 days, Visit the museum where photographs, war remnants and artillery can be seen.

Continue up Highway 1 across the Hien Luong Bridge and over the Ben Hai River, which demarcated North and South Vietnam; this area saw some of the heaviest fighting during the war. Then visit the village and tunnels of Vinh Moc found itself tragically positioned in one of the most heavily bombed areas of Vietnam. In order to escape this bombardment, the villagers constructed approximately 2.8 km of underground tunnels, which they used as a refuge to survive the bombings. Three hundred people lived intermittently in the tunnels from 1966 to 1971. Drive to Dong Hoi town for lunch

After lunch, depart for Phong Nha National Park, which is around 50 km from Dong Hoi.

On arrival board, your private boat for the 1.5 km cruise down the Son River to the mouth of the cave. Pass by the entrance to the 'Cave of Teeth and Wind' and enter the mystical tunnels, filled with giant stalactites and stalagmites and crystal-clear waters. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is one of the world's two largest limestone regions and is the oldest major karst in Asia. The area has numerous grottoes and caves and so far a total of 20 caves with a total length of 70 km have been surveyed. Back to Dong Hoi in late afternoon; check in at your hotel. Overnight in Dong Hoi town.

After breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Dong Hoi airport for your flight to Hanoi. On arrival at Hanoi, we met our guide and transferred to your hotel for check-in

At mid-afternoon, enjoy a cyclo ride around Hanoi's old quarter, Relax as you weave through the narrow alleys of Hanoi s ancient Old Quarter, glimpsing Hanoi’s everyday life. We will take you past Hoan Kiem Lake, see the peaceful waters, and at the northern end stop and visit Ngoc Son Temple, perfect for photo opportunities!

Finish the day with Vietnam’s most famous and charming art form, Water Puppetry. Overnight in Hanoi

After breakfast at your hotel, start the city tour with Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Enjoy the architectural and historical aspects of ‘Uncle Ho’s’ final resting place. Just next door is Ho Chi Minh’s ‘house on stilts’, his home from 1954 till 1969. The wooden ethnic minority-style house is surrounded by quiet and peaceful gardens.

Lying to one side of the Mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda. Founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049, the structure has become an important symbol for the people of Hanoi. Enjoy lunch with traditional Vietnamese food in a local restaurant in Hanoi.

Journey to the Temple of Literature. Vietnam’s first university, constructed in 1070,’s gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past. Following, visit the Ethnology Museum for a closer view of Vietnamese people. After dinner, you are transferred to Hanoi railway station to catch the overnight train to Laocai. Overnight on the train.

The train arrives at Lao Cai train station at approximately 6:00 a.m., and there will be a vehicle waiting to transfer you to Sapa. The drive to Sapa is only 33 km, but it takes around 1.5 hours. Once at Sapa, you will check in to your hotel (early check-in subject to availability). You will have breakfast at the hotel restaurant, then enjoy a free morning to explore around town. In the afternoon, there will be a walking tour to the hill tribe villages of Cat Cat, home to the H’mong hill tribe minority peoples. As you walk to the villages nestled in the valley below Sapa, you will meet some of the local minority people on their way to and from Sapa. Here you will have the opportunity to share cultural experiences with the families that live in the area. You will stay overnight in Sapa.

Following breakfast, you will explore the Sapa market and then set out on a 3–4-hour trek that will take you along buffalo paths and trails and through several hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Ta Van, home to H’mong and Dzay people. This is a truly spectacular walk through beautiful scenery with some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. You will stop for a picnic lunch on the way to Ta Van village. You will be transferred to Lao Cai for the night train back to Hanoi. Overnight on the train.

Early arrival in Hanoi. you will be picked up and go to a local restaurant for breakfast and morning coffee. You will then leave Hanoi for Ha Long Bay. 08:30 am, leave Hanoi by road for Ha Long Bay. Enjoy the journey through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the scenery of rice fields, water buffalo, and everyday Vietnamese village life. Arrive in Ha Long and board the traditional sailing junk. Enjoy the cruise, the beautiful views from your boat and visit surprise Grotto with its great views, Bo Nau Cave. Alternatively, journey to Dau Go Cave and nearby see the famous stalagmites and stalactites of Thien Cung Cave. Watch the sun set over the bay while enjoying a delicious dinner. Overnight onboard junk.

Wake up to fresh coffee and a wholesome breakfast before cruising back to Ha Long City. En route, the junk weaves through strange-shaped rock formations that invite comparisons from fighting cocks to dragons and even General de Gaulle’s nose! After another wonderful brunch on board, disembark at the dock in Ha Long City. Transfer back to Hanoi, arrival at Hanoi at mid-afternoon, check-in at your hotel and free for the rest of the day. Overnight in Hanoi.