Ho Chi Minh City arrival, welcome and transfer to hotel. Upon your arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, our local guide and driver will warmly welcome you at the pickup area. You'll then be transferred to your hotel in the city.

Stay: Sanouva Hotel ★★★ (Premium Deluxe Double Room) *or similar hotel

Discovering Saigon city with the best highlights: Independence palace, Binh Tay market, China town, Quan Am pagoda and Fito Museum of traditional medicine. 9:00 AM: Pick up from your hotel to Independence Palace , once used as the home – office of the Presidents of South Vietnam. Our visit includes the North Vietnamese tank which effectively attacked the palace in 1975 to bring the controversial Vietnam War to an end and the five-story palace with its rooms have been preserved in their late 1960s, 1970s style and a bunker basement.

Stay: Sanouva Hotel ★★★ (Premium Deluxe Double Room) *or similar hotel

From Saigon to Mekong discovery: Boat trip & biking in Ben Tre, visiting typical craft village, interact local people, garden tour, overnight in a homestay. 8:00 AM: Pick up at your hotel for your transfer to Ben Tre , a beautiful region in the Mekong Delta River, famous for making coconut candy. Arrive at Hung Vuong pier, take a boat trip on the Ben Tre River to discover the daily local life. Continue your boat trip on a canal to Nhon Thanh Village . This will be an opportunity to taste the fresh fruits. Take a bike ride (or tuk tuk) on a small path through the villages and enjoy views of the coconut ranges, rice fields and vegetable gardens. A lunch with elephant ear fish is served in the village. A short walk will help you to discover the local life in depth. This is followed by a boat ride on the small canal shaded by the wild palm trees. Disembark Ben Tre for a 1-hour transfer to Cai Lay . Upon your arrival, get warmly welcomed by the host of homestay. Take part in making Banh Xeo Nam Bo (a traditional dish in the region) with your host. Have dinner and stay overnight in Cai Lay.

Stay: Hai My's Homestay (Standard Room) *or similar hotel

150km – 3h

Mekong discovery: Enjoying fruit garden tour, Kien An Cung pagoda, Huynh Thuy Le's house. Have breakfast at the homestay and enjoy a bike ride (1-1.5 hours) on the path from Dong Hoa to Tam Binh, passing the durian gardens, sapota gardens, and longan gardens . Encounter with the local people then visit the local village market. Return to the homestay for refreshments. (Extension: Go for a 1 hour walk along the trail with a local and cycle to Ngu Hiep Island where the alluvium of the Mekong River has formed a fertile garden. These are unusual excursions in a luxuriant and authentic place.) For those who do not wish to ride a bike, it is possible to ask our tour guide for a motorbike and ride pillion. Transfer to Long Xuyen via Sa Dec where we can visit Kien An Cung pagoda and Huynh Thuy Le's house from the novel by Marguerite Duras 'L'Amant – the Lover'. Discover the local market in Sa Dec which is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish. Continue to Long Xuyen and visit Cao Dai temple and a crocodile farm on route. Stay overnight at a hotel in Long Xuyen.

Stay: Hoa Binh 1 Hotel ★★★ (Standard Room) *or similar hotel

90km – 2h

Mekong discovery: Long Xuyen floating village, Cu Lao Ong Ho island. Back to Ho Chi Minh City. In the morning, transfer to the floating market and floating village in Long Xuyen which are animated and authentic on a small tributary of the Mekong River. Discover the daily activities of people living by the river. Enjoy a boat trip to Cu Lao Ong Ho where there is a small museum about our famous president Ton Duc Thang. Take a bike ride on the island and enjoy the beauty of the peaceful landscapes. Take the road back to Saigon and check in your hotel in late afternoon.

Stay: Sanouva Hotel ★★★ (Premium Deluxe Double Room) *or similar hotel

190km – 4h

Special excursion to Cu Chi tunnels and then visiting Cao Dai temple, flying to Hanoi. 7:00 AM: Leave from your hotel to visit the most striking place in the history of the Vietnam War, the Cu Chi Tunnels. Cu Chi is a real underground city made up of a large network of tunnels covering an area of over 250km long where the Viet Cong conducted the war of resistance against American troops. All of the tunnels were dug over a period of twenty years using only pickaxes and shovels. The tour includes special entering some part of tunnels. Option: At the Cu Chi shooting range, guests can enhance their experience by trying real gun firing. This service allows visitors to test their aim with a variety of firearms under supervision. It's a thrilling option for those seeking a bit of adventure. This is an optional service not included in the tour price, and guests will need to pay on the spot.

Stay: Conifer Grand Hotel ★★★ (Deluxe Room) *or similar hotel

Exploring the center of culture & education Van Mieu, outstanding museum of ethnology, visiting French Quarter and discovering Old town. 9:00 AM: Get Pick up by tour guide to Temple of Literature which was built under the Ly dynasty in 11th century for worshipping Confucius and teaching Royal children. Enjoy a walk in the garden to the city's symbol Khue Van Cac. You will then visit the World Heritage "s tone steles " which shows the name of outstanding students. Continue to explore the Quoc Tu Giam which is considered as the first national university of Vietnam.

Stay: Conifer Grand Hotel ★★★ (Deluxe Room) *or similar hotel

From Hanoi to Ninh Binh, biking to Thung La temple and then a boat trip in Van Long Nature Reserve, embroidering experience. 8:00 AM: Transfer from Hanoi to Ninh Binh, driving through the picturesque countryside of the Red River Delta, painted by rice and vegetable fields. Take a 15km bike ride (optional) or walk through the villages. A journey along the dyke will offer you gorgeous landscapes of rice fields, a river and limestone mountains. There are several stops for you to take beautiful photos or encounter the locals then walk to discover Thung La temple , dating back to the 11th century. Meet Mr Tuong, the temple guardian, and enjoy an authentic conversation as well as a 20 minute drum show. Later, take a sampan boat trip along the stream and among the limestone mountains to discover the beauty of Van Long nature reserve. If lucky, you might get to see white monkeys and egrets on the cliffs. After the boat trip, visit an embroidery village and take part in an embroidery course under the instruction of local craftswoman, Mrs Lam. She will proudly explain the techniques of her traditional craft. This will be a good opportunity for you to practice on fabric like a real craftsman.

Stay: Conifer Grand Hotel ★★★ (Deluxe Room) *or similar hotel

100km – 2h

Cruising in Bai Tu Long bay, exploring Cap La Island, cooking class and overnight on boat. 8:00 AM: Pick up at your hotel (in the Hanoi Old Quarter). Enjoy three hour drive from Hanoi to Bai Tu Long Bay . Your journey will pass the series of villages and rice fields in the Red River Delta . Have a stop for drink and restroom. Continue your driving, arrive at the harbor around noon, get warmly welcomed at cruise reception.

Cruise: Swan Cruise – 2D1N

160km – 3h

Visiting the charm of Thien Canh Son cave, stunning cruising and back to Hanoi. 06:00 : Sunrise Tai Chi session on the sundeck or catch a morning view of the bay with a cup of tea or coffee. 06:30 : Breakfast is served in Western style to fulfill energy for another exploring day. 07:15 : Explore Thien Canh Son Cave . 08:30 : Upon return to the boat, have about 30 minutes to freshen up and finish packing. 09:30 : Check out. Please take all personal belongings out of the cabin, heavy luggage can be left outside the cabin door (staff will transfer it directly to the port). 09:45 : Enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch on the boat. 10:30 : Back to the harbor. 11:00 – 11:15 : Disembark at Ha Long cruise port .

Stay: Conifer Grand Hotel ★★★ (Deluxe Room) *or similar hotel

160km – 3h

Transferring to airport for flights to next destinations. Our driver will pick you up from the lobby of your hotel in Hanoi and take you to Noi Bai Airport . The drive takes approximately 45 minutes.

35km – 0.75h