Timeless Tranquility: Vietnam’s Luxury Stay – 9 Days

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 nearby Quan Thanh Temple. 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 Red River Delta, where puppeteers hidden behind a bamboo screen make dragons, farmers and fishermen dance across the water.

After breakfast, your driver collects you for the drive of around four hours through the rice fields and villages of the Red River Delta to the coast.

Step aboard the Violet and settle in over a seafood lunch as you sail into Bai Tu Long Bay. Thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the emerald water like dragons’ teeth, and the boat passes close to the islets of Mat Quy and Am.

Reach Cua Van fishing village in the middle of the afternoon and glide by bamboo boat past its floating houses, its small museum and school, for a glimpse of life lived on the water. Then step into Tien Ong Cave.

Back on board, enjoy cocktails and canapes as the sun sets over the islands, followed by dinner on deck.

Start the day with tai chi on the top deck as the sun rises over the water.

Choose between a cooking demonstration with the chef, learning a few secrets of Vietnamese cuisine, or a swim at Soi Sim Beach. On the way back, cruise deep into Bai Tu Long Bay past a pearl farm, Phao Dai islet, Tam Cung Cave, Hon Xep islet and Dau Moi Temple, and, if the tide allows, through the spot where the film Indochine was shot. Enjoy a brunch buffet on board before you reach the dock.

Transfer to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport for the flight to Da Nang, where your driver and guide meet you for the short drive to The Nam Hai, a beachfront resort near Hoi An.

Walk the lanes of this sleepy riverside town with your guide, 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 and cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, the town’s best-known landmark.

After lunch, a short boat ride brings you to a nearby island village known for its ceramics, where potters shape clay on the wheel much as their families have done for generations.

Return to your resort for an evening at leisure, or head back into town as the lanterns come on along the river.

After breakfast, 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, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the capital of Vietnam’s last dynasty.

Explore the Royal Citadel, modelled on the Forbidden City in Beijing, then the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, a peaceful complex of pavilions and lotus ponds that the emperor used as a retreat during his lifetime. Finish at Thien Mu Pagoda, whose tall tower has watched over the Perfume River for centuries, and take a leisurely walk through the old capital.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Saigon. Arriving in the late morning, take a short orientation drive through the city’s busy streets on the way to your hotel.

After lunch at a downtown restaurant of your choice, set out on a guided tour of the city. Visit the Reunification Palace, where the war came to an end in 1975, and the War Remnants Museum, then the red-brick Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and the bustling stalls of Ben Thanh Market.

The rest of the day is yours to enjoy the city at your own pace.

Either drive out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of narrow underground passages where fighters lived, worked and hid during the war, or set off for a full day in the Mekong Delta, a world of rivers, orchards and villages where life follows the rhythm of the water.

If you chose Cu Chi, return to the city for an afternoon tour of more of Saigon’s top sights. If you chose the Mekong, spend the afternoon exploring the delta’s canals and villages before driving back to the city.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at your hotel.

Your driver takes you to the airport for your flight home.