Vietnam Exploration: Phong Nha & the DMZ

Upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport you are met by your guide and transferred to your hotel. Early check-in with breakfast is guaranteed, so you may rest and freshen up after your flight.

At 13:30 you set out on an orientation tour of the Vietnamese capital. Begin at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, resting place of the father of the nation, viewed from the outside as the mausoleum closes in the afternoons (it is also closed on Mondays and Fridays, and from 14 June to 14 August for annual maintenance). Continue to his former residence and to the One Pillar Pagoda, a historic Buddhist temple built of wood upon a single stone pillar.

Next, visit the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong in honour of Confucius and the site of Vietnam’s first university.

The afternoon concludes with a one-hour cyclo ride through the city and time to wander the Old Quarter and its antique shops. Return to your hotel at approximately 17:30. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meals: —    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Trang An is a UNESCO mixed World Heritage Site, recognised for both its cultural and its natural values, and a full day here is among the most rewarding excursions from Hanoi.

At 08:15 your guide and driver collect you from your hotel for the 120 km drive to Ninh Binh province. After approximately two hours you arrive at Hoa Lu, the historic capital of Vietnam, and visit the celebrated ancient temples of the Dinh and Le dynasties.

Continue to Trang An for a boat trip through a complex of caves — Sang, Toi, Ba Giot and Nau Ruou — set among mountains and rivers in a landscape often described as Ha Long Bay on land.

At 16:00 you leave Ninh Binh for Hanoi, arriving at approximately 18:00. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Please note: cruise programmes may be amended without prior notice according to weather, tide levels and instructions from the local authorities. Spa treatments and drinks on board are not included.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and check out of your room. At approximately 08:30 you are collected and driven to Ha Long Bay along the expressway, passing paddy fields and rural villages along the way.

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. On arrival at the harbour you board a traditional junk and set sail among the limestone islands. A seafood lunch is served on board, with vegetarian dishes available on request, followed by a sampan ride through a traditional floating fishing village. Back on board, join a short cooking demonstration, then relax on the sun deck as the sun sets over the bay before dinner is served.

The remainder of the evening is at your leisure. You may play cards, try your hand at squid fishing, watch a film, or simply enjoy a drink and good conversation at the bar. Overnight on board.

Meals: B/L/D    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Rise early for Tai Chi on the sun deck, followed by a light breakfast. Disembark for a gentle exploration of a nearby cave, then return to the junk to check out of your cabin and enjoy brunch as the boat sails back to shore.

Your vehicle is waiting to transfer you to Hanoi, arriving at approximately 15:00. Check in at your hotel and freshen up. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meals: B / Brunch    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. This morning you are escorted to Hanoi airport for the short flight to Dong Hoi.

On arrival, transfer by car to Paradise Cave, a relatively recent discovery and considered one of the largest cave complexes in the world. The cave extends for 31 km, of which the first 900 m are open to visitors.

Return to Dong Hoi and check in at your hotel. Overnight in Dong Hoi.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

After breakfast, depart Dong Hoi for Hue through the former Demilitarised Zone, visiting the Ben Hai River, the Hien Luong Bridge and the Quang Tri Citadel.

The Ben Hai River rises in the Truong Son mountains and runs 100 km to the sea. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954 it was chosen as the provisional military demarcation line dividing the country in two. The Hien Luong Bridge was likewise divided, each half serving as a border gate, and today stands as a historic landmark.

Continue to Quang Tri town to visit the ancient citadel — during the war the town received a tonnage of ordnance equivalent to eight Hiroshima bombs, and the citadel was the site of the historic 81-day battle of 1972.

Proceed to Hue. On arrival, check in at your hotel; the remainder of the day is at your leisure. Overnight in Hue.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

This morning, discover the Imperial City, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a vast complex of temples, pavilions, moats, walls, gates, museums and galleries displaying art and costume from successive periods of Vietnamese history.

Continue by car to the Celestial Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu), one of the most venerated sites in Hue.

You then visit the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty, its buildings and gardens laid out according to the principles of geomancy (feng shui), forming an extensive park of great natural beauty. Overnight in Hue.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

After breakfast, depart Hue for Da Nang via the Hai Van Pass — without doubt one of the most scenic coastal mountain roads in Vietnam. Continue to the port town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visit the Old Quarter of Hoi An, an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century, its buildings and street plan reflecting both indigenous and foreign influences.

Visit a lantern-making workshop and learn to make a lantern of your own. Overnight in Hoi An.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

After breakfast, drive to My Son Sanctuary, a cluster of ruined Hindu temples built between the 4th and 14th centuries by the kings of Champa, once a powerful Hindu kingdom, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Afterwards, take the short drive back to Hoi An. The afternoon is at your leisure to relax at your hotel. Overnight in Hoi An.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. At around 09:00, transfer to Ba Na Hills, known as the King’s Mountain. On arrival, ascend by what is among the most modern cable-car systems in Southeast Asia, visiting the French wine cellar, the celebrated Golden Bridge and Linh Ung Pagoda, and taking in the panorama over Da Nang.

The afternoon is spent exploring the surrounding attractions. At 15:30 you take the cable car back down and transfer to your hotel in Hoi An.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. The morning is at leisure until your transfer to Da Nang Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel, with the rest of the day free. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Today’s experiences include the Cu Chi Tunnels — a remarkable underground network hand-dug during the Vietnam War, with a walk along a section and a tasting of the tea and steamed cassava that sustained the guerrilla fighters — followed by the War Remnants Museum and free time for shopping or independent exploration. Return to your hotel, with the rest of the day free.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

An early start today. After breakfast at your hotel, depart at 08:30 for the two-hour drive to My Tho in the Mekong Delta.

On arrival, board a boat on the Tien River and cross to the Ben Tre side, known throughout Vietnam as the land of coconuts, passing Dragon Island along the way. Continue through the Xep Canal to see how coconuts are harvested and how local families craft handicrafts from the trunks and shells, while sampling seasonal fruits to the sound of traditional folk music.

Continue by xe loi, a traditional motorised cart, along the village paths to a local orchard for fresh honey served with tea or rice wine, and see beehives kept beneath the longan trees.

Board a small rowing boat to glide along the water-palm creeks, then visit a family workshop to watch coconut candy being made and taste this famous speciality of Ben Tre province.

Return to My Tho and drive back to Ho Chi Minh City, stopping en route at Vinh Trang Pagoda. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. You are at leisure until your transfer to the airport for your onward flight. End of our services.

Meals: B    Hotel: subject to availability, or similar standard