Thoughtful Insights Into Vietnam – 12 Days

Begin in Cho Lon, the city’s Chinatown, where generations of Chinese merchants have filled the streets with wholesale shops, temples and herbalists. Close by, the FITO Museum tells the story of traditional Vietnamese medicine through the herbs, remedies and tools used to prepare them. Then browse the stalls of Ben Thanh Market, piled high with everything from coffee and dried fruit to lacquerware.

After lunch, visit the Reunification Palace, the former Presidential Palace, where the war came to an end in 1975, and the War Remnants Museum, a sobering account of the conflict told through Vietnamese eyes.

End among the French colonial landmarks of the city centre: the red-brick Notre Dame Cathedral and, across the square, the old Central Post Office.

After an early breakfast, drive to the riverside town of Cai Be. Along the way, stop at an orchard garden and a small workshop where sweets are made by hand, and listen to a performance of traditional southern music.

Enjoy a leisurely lunch at a restaurant beside the river.

Cross the river by motorboat to its quiet islands and explore by bicycle along shaded lanes past fruit gardens and village homes. Your driver meets you at Vinh Long pier for the drive to Can Tho, the largest city in the delta, where you spend the night.

Leave your hotel early by motorboat for Cai Rang Floating Market, where traders sell fruit and vegetables straight from their boats. Continue to the delta’s orchards to taste fresh tropical fruit.

Go deeper into the countryside, past traditional houses of wood and palm leaves, watching the locals at work.

Return to Can Tho for lunch, then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving in the late afternoon.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Da Nang. Your driver and guide meet you on arrival for the short drive to Hoi An, a peaceful riverside town whose old quarter has been beautifully preserved.

Spend the afternoon wandering the winding lanes of the ancient town, from the incense-filled Chua Ong Pagoda to the ornate Chinese Assembly Hall, where traders once met and worshipped far from home. Step inside the 200-year-old Tan Ky house, then cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, the town’s best-known landmark.

As the light softens, take a gentle boat ride on the river and watch the old town glow at sunset.

Join a family-run fisherman eco-tour through the farmland and waterways outside town. Try your hand at fishing with the locals and learn to steer a round bamboo basket boat through the narrow, crowded channels, harder than it looks and great fun.

Return to Hoi An for a private cooking lesson, where you learn the secrets behind some of the dishes you have been enjoying.

After breakfast, check out and set off for Hue over the Hai Van Pass, a road that climbs to nearly 500 metres through the mountains, with sweeping views of the coast below. Pause for a drink at Lang Co Beach, a long curve of sand facing the sea, before continuing to Hue, the former capital of Vietnam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Take an unhurried walking tour of the city. Visit the Imperial Citadel, the walled home of Vietnam’s last dynasty, and the Imperial Museum, with its royal robes, porcelain and furniture. Then drive out to the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, a peaceful complex of pavilions and lotus ponds among the pines, which he used as a retreat during his lifetime.

Board a private boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, also known as the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, whose tall tower has watched over the river for centuries. Stop at Dong Ba Market, the busiest in the city, and visit the grand tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, set among lakes and pavilions.

Transfer to the airport for the short flight to Hanoi. Your driver takes you to your hotel in the heart of the city, and the rest of the day is at leisure.

Begin at the Ho Chi Minh Complex, where the granite Mausoleum stands beside the modest stilt house in which the country’s founding father lived and worked. Nearby, the One Pillar Pagoda rises from its pond like a lotus flower, and the yellow Presidential Palace shows the French side of the city. Continue to the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and later home to Vietnam’s first university.

Head to West Lake for the ancient Tran Quoc Pagoda, set on a small island joined to the shore, and the Quan Thanh Temple nearby. Then choose one of the city’s museums: the History Museum for the story of Vietnam through the ages, or the Museum of Ethnology for the traditions of its many ethnic groups.

End the day at the water puppet theatre, a folk art born in the flooded rice paddies of the north, where wooden puppets glide across a stage of water to tell stories of village life and legend.

After breakfast, drive east through the rice fields of the Red River Delta to the coast.

Step aboard your traditional junk and settle into your private cabin. Lunch is served on board as the boat sails out among the islands, whose cliffs hide beaches, grottoes and caves.

Drop anchor in a quiet cove for a swim, then visit Sung Sot, the Surprise Cave, one of the many caverns hidden beneath the bay’s high cliffs.

Relax on deck and watch the light change over the bay, then enjoy dinner on board.

Rise early for tai chi on the top deck, or simply watch the sun come up over the islands with a cup of coffee or tea.

Explore the nearby islands by rowing boat, then return on board and relax on the sundeck as the rock formations drift by. Brunch is served as the junk cruises slowly back to the harbour.

Your driver meets you at the dock for the drive back to Hanoi. The rest of the day is at leisure to unwind or explore the Old Quarter on your own.

Enjoy breakfast and the rest of your time in Hanoi at leisure.

Your private car takes you to Noi Bai International Airport for your flight home.