Vietnam in 7 to 12 Days — Northern & Central Vietnam

Your driver meets you at Noi Bai Airport and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. Ideas: a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, the Old Quarter for street food and shopping, and a coffee on Hanoi's Train Street. Overnight in Hanoi. No meals included.

Pick-up at 08:15–08:30 for a full day in the capital. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex and the One Pillar Pagoda, then the Vietnam Ethnology Museum (the Women's Museum on Mondays, when the Ethnology Museum is closed). After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070) and Hoa Lo Prison. Back at your hotel around 16:30. Please dress modestly, shoulders to knees, for the mausoleum and temples. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Fridays and for annual maintenance from 15 June to 15 August; the surrounding area can still be visited. Overnight in Hanoi. Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Depart Hanoi's Old Quarter at 07:15–07:45 with a short break on the way. Visit Hoa Lu, Vietnam's ancient capital (968–1010), and the temples of the Dinh and Le kings. Enjoy a 30-minute bike ride through the countryside, or simply relax and take in the views, then a lunch of local specialities at Trang An Heritage Garden. Spend about two hours on a boat through the UNESCO-listed Trang An caves and karsts, seen in Kong: Skull Island. Finish with the 500 steps up Mua Cave for a panorama over Tam Coc. Back in Hanoi between 19:00 and 19:30, evening free. Overnight in Hanoi. Meals: breakfast, lunch. Part of the 10- and 12-day versions.

After breakfast and check-out, a shuttle takes you to the bus station for the 07:00 VIP sleeper bus to Sapa in single cabins, arriving around 12:00, then a transfer to your hotel (check-in at 14:00). Your private guide and driver pick you up around 14:30 for lunch, then Cat Cat Village, home of the H'mong: discover local customs, the waterfall and the hydroelectric plant built by the French in the early 20th century. Free evening. Overnight in Sapa. Meals: breakfast, lunch.

After breakfast, check out and leave your luggage at the hotel. Around 08:30 you are driven to the Fansipan cable car station (ticket with buffet lunch included). Reach the summit, the highest point in Indochina, on foot (about 600 steps) or by funicular (ticket bought at the counter), and explore the spiritual complex and its great Buddha statue. Buffet lunch at Van Sam Restaurant, then Moana, a scenic spot with panoramic views over the Hoang Lien Son range (entrance VND 80,000–180,000 depending on the package, paid on site). Collect your luggage and take the 17:00 sleeper bus back to Hanoi, arriving around 23:00. Overnight in Hanoi. Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Around 08:30 a shared limousine takes you from Hanoi to Tuan Chau Harbor (arrival about 11:30). In the private lounge, enjoy a traditional market experience at Oriental Market, then board at 12:00 for check-in and lunch as the ship sails into the bay. At 14:30 visit Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave and TiTop Island for panoramic views; at 17:00 join the Tea Harmony party and Art of Tea workshop; dinner is served on board at 19:00, followed at 20:00 by a photo session in traditional Vietnamese attire (Gấm Vóc Odyssey concept). Then relax at the bar or on deck. Overnight on the cruise. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Start with Tai Chi on the sundeck at 06:00, a light breakfast at 06:45, then kayak through Luon Cave at 07:15. Back on board at 09:00 for check-out, followed by brunch at 10:00 while the ship sails back to Tuan Chau Marina (arrival 11:15). A private car takes you to Noi Bai Airport for your Vietnam Airlines flight to Da Nang (17:05–18:30). Your driver meets you at Da Nang airport and takes you to your hotel; the evening is yours. Overnight in Da Nang area. Meals: breakfast, brunch. Part of the 10- and 12-day versions.

Enjoy a free morning. At 14:00 your guide picks you up for two charming places in Central Vietnam. Take a basket boat through the Cam Thanh coconut forest, watch the locals' basket-boat show and see fishermen cast their nets. Continue to Hoi An Ancient Town: the Japanese Covered Bridge, old merchant houses, temples and Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, with free time to shop or sip a coffee. Romantic dinner at a local restaurant in the old town and a flower lantern to wish for good luck, health and peace. Return to your hotel around 19:00. Meals: breakfast, dinner. Part of the 10- and 12-day versions.

Pick-up at 09:00–09:30. Visit the Non Nuoc stone-carving village and the Marble Mountains, then Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra peninsula. Cross the Thuan Phuoc Bridge, one of Vietnam's longest cable-stayed bridges, with views of the Han River and the Dragon Bridge, and visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture. Lunch at a local restaurant, then Han Market for souvenirs. Back at your hotel between 13:30 and 14:00, afternoon free. Meals: breakfast, lunch. Part of the 12-day version only.

Pick-up at 08:00–08:30. Ride the record-breaking cable car up to Station 2 (1,138 m), then visit the Debay Wine Cellar built in 1923 (entrance at your own cost), the Le Jardin d'Amour flower garden and the famous Golden Bridge held by giant stone hands. Visit Linh Ung Pagoda, have lunch at a restaurant, then climb Chua Mountain (1,487 m, the highest point of Ba Na) and Linh Chua Linh Tu Temple. Explore the French Village and Fantasy Park before taking the cable car back down. The tour ends around 17:30 in Da Nang. Overnight in Da Nang area. Meals: breakfast, lunch. Part of the 10- and 12-day versions.

Breakfast at the hotel and free time in Da Nang until your transfer to Da Nang International Airport for the Vietnam Airlines flight to Hanoi (19:05–20:30). Your driver takes you to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi. Meals: breakfast. Part of the 12-day version only.