Visit Hoa Lo Prison, the notorious colonial-era jail later dubbed the “Hanoi Hilton” by American POWs. Step inside preserved cells and exhibits that trace its story from French repression of Vietnamese revolutionaries to the war years of the 1960s–70s.

Interpretive displays and personal testimonies bring difficult chapters into focus, offering a sober counterpoint to the city’s energy. This encounter reveals the complex layers underpinning modern Vietnamese identity.

Walk the iron lattice of the colonial Long Bien Bridge, a vital Red River crossing that withstood wars and floods. Take in wide river views, watch trains clatter by, and descend to the riverside market gardens where farmers tend fertile alluvial plots.

Photographers love the patina of rusted girders and bright vegetable rows. Stories of French engineering and Hanoi’s resilience frame a vivid slice of everyday life along the riverbanks.

Cruise the jade waters of Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long among limestone towers rising like dragon’s teeth. Step ashore to explore the chambers of Thien Canh Son Cave, where stalactites glow under soft lighting, then return for sunset canapés on deck.

As evening falls, try squid fishing under the stars or join an onboard cooking demonstration. The UNESCO-listed seascape surrounds you with quiet coves, karst silhouettes and a sky strewn with constellations.

Begin the day in calm motion as you practise Tai Chi at sunrise on the open sundeck. Gentle forms flow with the rhythm of the boat while karst islets emerge from the morning haze and the bay takes on pearlescent light.

Your instructor guides breathing and balance to centre body and mind. This quiet ritual heightens the sense of place, pairing mindful movement with misty mountain passes of stone across the water.

Glide through the sheltered waters of Vung Vieng Floating Village by bamboo sampan or kayak. Local rowers navigate between houseboats and fish farms, revealing how communities adapt to tides, weather and seasonal catch.

The stillness of the bay contrasts with soft oar strokes and distant gulls. Conversations with villagers illuminate traditions of pearl farming and fishing in Bai Tu Long—an intimate window onto life beyond the main cruising routes.

Stroll lantern-lit lanes on a guided walk through Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO site where Chinese shophouses meet ochre French facades. Cross the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, admire the ornate Chaozhou (Trieu Chau) Assembly Hall, and browse the colourful central market.

Merchant house courtyards, carved altars and silks evoke a port that once drew traders from across Asia. Your guide decodes architectural details and the trading fortunes that shaped Hoi An’s golden age.

Ride a private speedboat across turquoise water to the Cham Islands, part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Visit a fishing village and the whale-deity Ong Ngu Temple, then snorkel over coral gardens off Xep Beach where reef fish flicker in clear shallows.

Time on Chong Beach brings white sand and palms before a simple, flavour-rich seafood lunch by the shore. Marine ecology, local beliefs and island serenity combine in a rewarding day at sea.

Gather in Ho Chi Minh City for a flavour-forward welcome dinner showcasing the South’s vibrant palate—think caramelised clay-pot dishes, fresh herbs, and grilled river prawns. It’s an easy-going setting to reconnect after your flight.

With your Travel Director on hand, toast the journey ahead and swap tips on the city’s markets and nightlife. The convivial local setting sets the tone for exploring former Saigon’s dynamism and culinary verve.

Explore central Saigon to see Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior) and the elegant Central Post Office before visiting the former Presidential (Reunification) Palace. Conclude at the War Remnants Museum for a powerful Vietnamese perspective on conflict and recovery.

Round out the morning like a local with a rich street-side coffee as your specialist shares phrases, customs and neighbourhood insights. The mix of French-era landmarks and living tradition captures the city’s layered identity.

Enter the world’s largest religious monument as you walk the galleries of Angkor Wat, tracing bas-reliefs of celestial dancers and epic battles. Your guide reveals symbolism in the temple’s axial design, moats and towers rising like Mount Meru.

Incense curls from active shrines, and sandstone glows honey-gold in the light. This masterwork of the Khmer Empire rewards unhurried exploration and quiet moments on laterite steps beneath soaring towers.

Pass through Angkor Thom’s imposing gates to explore Bayon, the temple of 216 enigmatic stone faces. Wander to the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King, where carvings reveal courtly ceremony and myth.

Your guide situates Jayavarman VII’s grand urban vision—broad avenues, moats and processional spaces—within the empire’s zenith. Smiling visages in dappled light create one of Southeast Asia’s most memorable temple encounters.

Attend a traditional water puppet show, a Red River Delta art where lacquered puppets skim a waist-deep stage to live music and folk songs. Scenes of rice planting, village festivals and legendary dragons unfold with humour and heart.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. The craft’s origins in flooded paddy fields lend a distinct sense of place—storytelling rippling across water under coloured lantern light.

Join a guided tasting trail through alleyways and curbside stalls to sample regional bites—grilled pork bun cha, silky banh cuon and creamy egg coffee. Learn dining etiquette and how broths, herbs and pickles balance flavour.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Along the way, your guide decodes vendor specialities and family recipes, revealing why Hanoi’s pavements double as the city’s most beloved dining rooms.

Craft your own silk lantern under the guidance of artisans at Reaching Out, a social enterprise empowering people with disabilities. Choose fabrics and frames, then learn time-honoured folding and binding techniques.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your visit supports sustainable livelihoods and preserves a signature Hoi An craft that glows each evening over the Thu Bon River.

Pedal quiet lanes past rice paddies and water coconut palms to Cam Thanh. Float a round basket boat through nipa channels, then head to a countryside kitchen for a hands-on class preparing market-fresh Vietnamese dishes.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Gentle activity, river life and seasonal flavours combine for a rewarding window onto rural Hoi An.

Follow your guide through backstreets and riverside stalls to sample Hoi An specialities—cao lau noodles, white rose dumplings and charcoal-grilled skewers. Finish with a sweet bite and a cool drink beneath glowing lanterns.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Along the way, hear how spice routes and merchant kitchens shaped the town’s distinctive palate.

Survey modern Da Nang from the sinuous Dragon Bridge before browsing produce and snacks at Han Market. Delve into Cham sculpture at the museum, then ascend the Marble Mountains to cave shrines and coastal views.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. The mix of contemporary skyline, ancient artefacts and limestone sanctuaries captures the city’s striking contrasts.

Travel to a former guerrilla base to explore sections of the Cu Chi Tunnels, a vast underground network used during the war. Inspect concealed entrances, field hospitals and trap displays, with the option to enter widened segments.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Guided commentary explains tactics, survival and the ingenuity that sustained fighters beneath the jungle floor.

Climb on the back of a vintage scooter to zigzag through neon-lit districts, stopping to sample regional street foods and sip a cold drink at a live-music café. The city’s after-dark energy unfolds from open-air kitchens to tucked-away joints.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Safety briefing and helmet provided; riders are paired with experienced drivers.

Discover Saigon’s historic Chinese quarter as you browse Binh Tay Market and step into the incense haze of Thien Hau Temple. Architectural flourishes, ceramic dioramas and spiralling incense coils reveal centuries of mercantile devotion.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your guide shares stories of guild halls, herbalists and the trading families that shaped Cholon’s identity.

Cruise palm-lined channels near Ben Tre to visit cottage industries crafting coconut sweets and woven mats. Ride a tuk-tuk through orchards, then drift by rowed sampan beneath arching fronds where birdsong replaces city noise.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. The Delta’s waterways, small workshops and seasonal fruit tastings reveal a gentler pace of life beyond Saigon.

Thread through narrow passages and vintage apartment blocks to uncover secret alleys, old cafés and wartime hideaways. Visit underground command spaces associated with Saigon’s turbulent past and hear stories of espionage and resilience.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. The walk reveals a side of the city most visitors miss, rich in memory and lived-in texture.

Spend an evening at Phare, The Cambodian Circus, where graduates of a social arts school perform high-energy acrobatics, live music and theatre. Modern stories of hope and change unfold through athleticism and humor.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your ticket directly supports youth training programs, turning creativity into opportunity in Siem Reap.

Visit Artisans d’Angkor to see apprentices mastering silk weaving, stone and wood carving, and lacquerware that preserve traditional Khmer skills. Galleries showcase refined pieces inspired by Angkor’s motifs.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. By meeting the craftspeople behind the work, you help sustain dignified livelihoods and Cambodia’s artistic heritage.

Board a wooden boat to cruise Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s great floodplain lake. Pass stilted houses, floating schools and fish farms while learning how seasonal water levels shape daily life and migration.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Keep an eye out for birdlife along reed-lined channels as the horizon opens to wide, reflective waters.

Enjoy a Khmer buffet as performers present classical Apsara dance—flowing hand gestures, jewelled headdresses and stories from Khmer mythology set to live music. The stage glows while dishes showcase countryside herbs and aromatic curries.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It’s an elegant evening that connects cuisine, costume and courtly tradition at the heart of Cambodian culture.

• 3 Dinner (D)
• 13 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Lunch (L)

• Cruise in Halong Bay, a visit to Vung Vieng fishing village and a Tai Chi session
• Spend the day exploring this ancient town with visits to the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Congregation and the colourful market
• View Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and the former Presidential Palace plus enjoy a free day exploring the city
• Visit Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the markets in the Old Town

• Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase
• 3-star hotel and overnight cruise stays
• Deluxe coach, cruise and select flights

• Hanoi: On a sightseeing tour of the city of Hanoi, see the imposing Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Temple of Literature.
• Halong Bay: Cruise Halong Bay
• Hoi An: Visit the colourful market of Hoi An.
• Your private speedboat carries you across the water to the Cham Islands, the engine humming beneath you as green hills and pale beaches draw nearer across the sea. In a traditional fishing village, you’ll pass boats gathered close to shore before visiting Ong Ngu Temple, dedicated to the whales and whale sharks once found in these waters. At Xep Beach, you can snorkel through clear water above coral and flashes of marine life, before continuing to Chong Beach, where white sand curves beneath swaying palms. A seafood lunch awaits at a simple local restaurant by the shore, with the sea just beyond
• Ho Chi Minh City: You’ll begin in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, where the red brick of Notre Dame Cathedral and the pale yellow Central Post Office stand beneath broad tropical trees, their arches and tiled roofs bright against the greenery. From there, you’ll visit the former Presidential Palace, once the headquarters of the Saigon Government during the war, before continuing to the War Remnants Museum for a powerful Vietnamese perspective on the American War. With your Local Specialist, you’ll finish the morning over a glass of rich Vietnamese street coffee as you pick up a few local phrases and hear more about everyday life in the city.
• Angkor Wat: Join your Local Specialist and immerse yourself in the stories of the celestial nymphs and mystical serpents. 

Costsaver

Taste Vietnam’s vibrant cuisine at a convivial welcome meal as you meet your Travel Director and travelling companions. Share first impressions of the capital while sampling dishes like fragrant lemongrass chicken, crunchy spring rolls and bowls of steaming pho.

Gain a clear picture of the days ahead with a short briefing that sets the scene for Hanoi’s culture and rhythms. The warm atmosphere and the flavours of northern Vietnamese cooking provide an easy introduction to the city’s delicious food culture.

Explore the political and spiritual heart of Hanoi around Ba Dinh Square, where you’ll view the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and visit the lotus-shaped One Pillar Pagoda. Walk the shaded grounds to see Ho Chi Minh’s wooden stilt house, a modest residence reflecting the leader’s austere lifestyle.

Hear how architecture and symbolism intertwine in this quarter, from solemn memorials to serene pagodas. Your Local Specialist adds context on Vietnam’s 20th-century history and the enduring reverence for “Uncle Ho.”