Vietnam Adventure

Begin your adventure in Hanoi, a city where an unstoppable energy meets traditional Vietnamese culture and colonial influences permeate the broad tree-lined boulevards, most noticeably in faded French architecture. Around 6pm, say xin chào to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big welcome by arranging a group dinner at a nearby restaurant. Want more time in Hanoi? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Upgrade to a premium room today – speak to your sales representative for more details

Today, we embark on a sightseeing tour of Hanoi, which includes: a visit to the Temple of Literature; the site of the oldest university in Vietnam; Hoa Lo Prison; and the Old Quarter. Another stop is the grounds of the Presidential Palace, where former prime minister Ho Chi Minh refused to live in the grand structure for symbolic reasons. We visit his traditional Vietnamese stilt house here. In the evening, there is the option to watch a traditional water puppet show. Upgrade to a premium room today – speak to your sales representative for more details

Today, we visit an icon of Vietnam: Ha Long Bay, a World Heritage site where some 3,000 limestone peaks break through emerald waters to create a mystical, magical landscape. To get there, we rise early for the approximately four-hour drive and, upon arrival, board a traditional junk sailing boat, which is also our home for tonight. After launching, we enjoy a seafood lunch on deck and drift among the forested pinnacles. We also stop at a beach where we can hike up to a viewpoint (it’s quite steep but the vistas are worth it), plus there’s time for a swim in a small sectioned-off area. Additionally, an optional kayaking trip (extra cost) may be available depending on weather conditions. Back on board, we can pull up a chair on the top deck and watch the sunset together, perhaps with a cold drink from the bar. When it’s time for bed, we have the comforts of twin-share cabins with private bathrooms.

We continue to cruise around Ha Long Bay, admiring those limestone pinnacles once more, before returning to port mid-morning. We then have a four-hour drive back to Hanoi, where we have a little free time, before transferring to the train station. Here, we board the Reunification Express for our overnight train ride to Hue, 428mi (688km) to the south.

Arriving mid-morning in Hue, we transfer to our hotel to freshen up. In the afternoon, we visit the Imperial Citadel, the standout attraction in the city. Inside its 6mi (10km) long walls are the palaces and halls of the Mandarins, and the remains of the Forbidden Purple City, where only the emperor, his eunuchs and concubines were allowed. The Forbidden Purple City was almost destroyed during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, but the foliage-covered ruins are still atmospheric and the bomb holes a testament to the destruction wreaked upon the country. We also visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, a centre for anti-government protest in the early 1960s. It houses the Austin car that transported monk Thich Quang Duc to Saigon where he burned himself in protest against the president. The photograph of his self-immolation in 1963 was printed in newspapers around the world.

After breakfast, we visit the tomb of Tu Duc, one of the most extravagant mausoleums of the great Nguyen emperors. Designed by Tu Duc himself, it was completed in 1867 but the excessive nature of the project sparked unrest and even an attempted coup. After, we head back to Hue, where we have a free afternoon to explore the historic centre or relax by the river and absorb the sights.

Leaving Hue, our 81mi (130km) drive passes through the beautiful peninsula of Lang Co, between a crystalline lagoon and the Eastern Sea, and then passes over the Hai Van pass (Pass of the Ocean Clouds) where the views are stunning. In Da Nang, we stop for lunch before we climb Marble Mountain, where we explore large caves used by the Viet Cong as a hospital base during the war. From the mountain peak, there are fantastic views over My Khe beach and the countryside leading to Hoi An, where we spend the next three nights. Upgrade to a balcony pool view room today – speak to your sales representative for more details

You’ve cruised Ha Long Bay by junk boat, explored the Mekong Delta and toured both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; but today, the adventure comes to an end and we begin our return journeys home. However, you can continue your journey of discovery in Southeast Asia by joining our Angkor Wat add-on tour, where we head to Cambodia to explore the key sites in Phnom Penh, including Angkor, one of the world’s great archaeological sites. Speak to your sales representative to book.