Classic Vietnam

Upon arrival at the airport today you will be met by a local guide and transfer to your hotel.
The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. After introductions, your tour host will review the details of your tour. After our meeting we will enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Travel to the verdant Mai Chau Valley, a patchwork of rice paddies, emerald hills, and charming traditional villages. This afternoon after we arrive at our lakeside lodge you will have some free time to relax or take advantage of one of the lodges optional activities.

You can opt to take a bamboo float out on the scenic Hoa Binh reservoir, the largest reservoir in Vietnam, or pedal through the countryside on a bike, enjoying the lush scenery and getting a glimpse of local life.

Spend the day exploring the picturesque valley. We will enjoy an easy walk through rice paddies, terraces, and scenic green hills., learning about the local tribes and customs, and visit a rural market for a fruit tasting.

Visit Na Phon village and a local traditional brickworks, continuing to Lac Village (White Tai ethnic group) or Mai Chau market for some exotic fruit tasting. Enjoy stunning natural landscapes while learning about the local ethnic tribes of the Mai Chau valley. Enjoy a truly authentic dinner at a local home and get to know the ethnic White Tai culture first hand.

Today we return to Hanoi to explore Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton), visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and go on a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter.
We will tour the museum of Hoa Lo Prison, referred to as Hanoi Hilton by American prisoners, to learn more about the Vietnam War.

Most exhibits relate to the prison’s use up to the mid-1950s, focusing on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from France. A gruesome relic is the ominous French guillotine, used to behead Vietnamese revolutionaries. There are also displays focusing on the American pilots who were incarcerated at Hoa Lo during the American War. After the Prison we will vist the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Take a guided tour of the mausoleum. Visit the museum, Ho Chi Minh stilted house and learn about Ho Chi Minh’s life and political history.
Take a seat on a cyclo for a tour of Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter. Let the driver navigate through the bustling streets and start taking some photos or just use the tour to help get familiar with the area.

Indulge your inner foodie with a street food tour through bustling Hanoi. Follow your guide through the back streets and markets of the city’s old quarter, sampling local fare along the way. Mingle with city natives and experienced street food artists alike, as you taste a variety of Hanoi faves like “nem ran” and “banh goi.” Stop at a streetside bar to savour a draught beer like Hanoians do. Cap off the tour at the Hanoi Food Culture restaurant and try the city’s signature specialty coffee.

Start your day off right with breakfast at Hoa Sua, a non-profit training restaurant for underprivileged Hanoi youth where you can enjoy a hearty meal while helping others. Afterwards, we will transfer to Halong Bay and spend the night on a traditional junk boat surrounded by turquoise waters, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the calm waters.

Relax and enjoy as we cruise through Bai Tu Long Bay, a more secluded section of this stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site and continue to cruise around the bay and explore the Me Cung cave with our local guide.
This traditional junk boat is our home for the evening. The traditional wooden sailing boat offers a unique way of navigating the lime karsts of Halong Bay with all the comforts of a motorized, floating hotel. The boat crew will prepare an included seafood lunch and dinner to feast on.
All cabins are twin share and have an en-suite bathroom. The boat features an enclosed dining and sitting area and of course plenty of outside deck space to enjoy your beautiful surroundings.

Enjoy an early lunch on board before returning to land and heading back to Hanoi to catch a short flight to Hue. A former imperial capital of Vietnam, this World Heritage-listed city boasts many architectural treasures; it was also the site of one of the Vietnam War’s most dramatic battles.

Set out on a guided tour of Hue’s imposing walled citadel, discovering lavish palaces, gardens, and courtyards. Visit the Forbidden Purple City, which served as the private quarters of the imperial family; then venture into the countryside to the magnificent tombs of Vietnam’s emperors, located along the banks of the Perfume River.

Visit a Buddhist nunnery and enjoy a leisurely lunch following the traditions of vegetarian cuisine which features fresh, local produce and fermented or preserved ingredients.

As we depart Hue sit back and enjoy the scenic journey to Hoi An, via the Hai Van Pass, an incredibly scenic and mountainous stretch of highway with spectacular views of Lang Co Beach. Hoi An itself is a charming small town 30km (19 mi) south of Danang.

We will take a walking tour of the ancient town. Also visit the Lifestart Foundation and learn how to make a traditional lantern from one of the beneficiaries of this program. This project helps local Vietnamese with chronic disabilities gain sustainable employment.

Take a walking tour of a Hoi An local market led by youths who have come to Oodles of Noodles to be trained in the culinary arts. This excursion will empower the kitchen youth to lead insider noodle tours in Hoi An.

There are currently over 26 types of noodles in this city alone and we will go to the market with two students and their trainer, learn about the ingredients at the market, and do a tasting of the different noodles while supporting local small women enterprises. We then pick the ingredients and return with our youth guides to the training kitchen where you will learn to cook and prepare noodles. After we enjoy our noodles for lunch and watch a video an learn about the organization.

Today we is a free day, you may opt to visit My Son Temples or maybe a beach day. My Son Temples are Hindu temples built between the fourth and 14th centuries; the site is widely accepted as one of the most important Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia. Learn about the architectural style and history of a site that’s often compared to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Burma.

After breakfast we will depart to the airport for our short flight to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. Discover the city on a cyclo tour, taking in iconic sites like the Notre Dame Cathedral and the ornate Central Post Office and City Hall. You have the rest of the day to relax or further explore.

Take a guided tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels, a complex network of tunnels that the Viet Cong lived in to protect themselves from opposing forces during the Vietnam War. Try crawling through some of the tunnels (if you’re not claustrophobic). These tunnels stored ammunition, had underground hospitals, and served as a hidden base for attacking allied forces.

Time to say good-bye to Southeast Asia and fabulous friends you have made along the way. Transfer to the airport for your flight home or continue your Southeast Asia experience with our Cambodia Tour.