Adventure Holiday to Vietnam in 18 days

Day 1. Arrival Hanoi (D)
After arrival in Hanoi airport, you will meet our representative who will handle your transfer to your hotel for check-in.  You’ll enjoy a welcome dinner at the Wild Rice Restaurant and stay overnight at the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi.

MEALS : 1DINNER
Day 2 . Hanoi City Tour (B)
Start your luxury adventure trip in Hanoi, Vietnam 's artistic and intellectual capital. Explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquer ware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. Then walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, ride a cyclo to dinner, and watch a performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. You’ll be able to dine in French colonial villas which have been converted into gourmet restaurants. You will enjoy people watching at stylish cafes and shop for impressive modern art in the city's many galleries. You can also choose to visit Hanoi’s main cultural attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature. You will then stay overnight at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST
Day 3. Hanoi - Victoria night train to Lao Ca
You will be able to enjoy a free day of leisure in the colonial city of Hanoi. You can visit the bustling, narrow streets of the Old Quarter, or perhaps opt for viewing some of Hanoi 's many museums, in particular the Museum of Ethnology, which is dedicated to Vietnam 's 54 ethnic minority peoples. After that, you may want to visit Hoa Lo prison, formerly known by its inmates as 'The Hanoi Hilton'. You can then stroll around the French quarter, where many of the Embassies are located. Your trip to Sapa will then start with an overnight train journey to the border town of Lao Cai on the Victoria Express departure at 22:00.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1DINNER
Day 4. Lao Cai - Sapa (B, L)
The train will arrive at the Lao Cai train station at approximately 06:00. There will be a vehicle waiting to transfer you to Sapa. The drive to Sapa is 33 km and takes roughly 1.5 hours. Once at Sapa, we will check into the Victoria Hotel in order to freshen up, have breakfast at TaVan Restaurant and then enjoy a free morning to explore the town. After a 10 a.m. pickup from the hotel, there will be a walking tour of the hill tribe villages of Cat Cat, home to the Black H'mong minority peoples. As we walk to the villages nestled in the valley below Sapa, we will meet some of the local people on their way to and from Sapa. Here you will have the opportunity to share cultural experiences with the families that live in the area, followed by an overnight at stay at the Victoria Sapa Hotel.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 5. Sapa - Hanoi (B, L)
Following breakfast, you’ll explore the Sapa Sunday market and then set out on a 3-4 hour trek that will take us along buffalo paths and trails. You also pass through the hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Ta Van, home to the H'mong and Dzay people. This is an absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery, inhabited by some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. Stop for lunch on the way to Ta Van village. From the willage you will transfer back to Lao Cai for the Victoria Express train journey back to Hanoi. The train departs at 21:15 and is an overnight journey.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 6. Hanoi - Halong Bay (B, L, D)
After arriving in Hanoi at around 5 am in the morning, you will be picked up and transferred to a local restaurant for breakfast and morning coffee. Next up, will be a visit to Halong Bay, which offers out-of-this-world kayaking experiences, suitable for both first-time paddlers and the serious marine explorer. Unique and remote limestone islands sprout from the sea, making for some fascinating exploring the inlets. Many of these isolated islands feature dramatic sea caves and sheltered, pristine beaches, which are best enjoyed by travelling aboard a private junk and sea kayak, off the more common tourist beaten path. There will be an overnight stay on the boat.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH, 1DINNER
Day 7. Halong Bay - Hanoi (Brunch)
Upon rising to the sound of waves lapping against the boat, you’ll start your day with complimentary tea & coffee, followed by more boating or kayaking.  After a buffet brunch on board, we’ll cruise back to the  harbor, disembarking at Halong City. Your car will be waiting to take you back to Hanoi, where you’ll enjoy a one hour massage, followed by unscheduled leisure time.  You’ll then spend the night at the  Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

MEALS :
Day 8. Hanoi - Hue (B, L)
You will take a flight to Hue, arriving at Phu Bai Airport, where you will be guided  directly to your hotel. The afternoon will include a tour of Hue City, where you will visit the Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and Dong Ba market. The evening ends with dinner at a local  Hue restaurant and an overnight stay.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 9. Hue (B, L)
Following breakfast in the hotel, you will board a private traditional boat for a cruise on the romantic Perfume River. You may disembark for a bike tour of  Hue.  Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded by ancient tombs of past emperors, some of which will be on the itinerary for the day. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day and  is located at the convergence  of rivers, which makes it an ideal place for a great view of the Perfume River and surrounding area. From here you will cruise further to the ornate Minh Mang's tomb. You will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before driving to visit King Tu Duc's tomb and an overnight stay in Hue.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 10. Hue (B, L)
After 9 days busy, today will be your chance to do absolutely nothing or you may take an option for an excursion to Hoian Ancient town. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. Trading was primarily for high grade silk, which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics. Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerous cafes. You will enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200-year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge. Following the tour, there will be free time for shopping, including visits to local tailors who can do custom made clothing very quickly. You may return to Hue for an overnight stay, or if you prefer (and with prior notice) you can stay the night in Hoian or Danang.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 11. Hue – Ho Chi Minh City (B, L)
Next up will be a flight to Ho Minh City (formerly Saigon), where you’ll be taken to your hotel and  stay for two evenings. Ho Chi Minh City is the largest and busiest city in Vietnam, with a population of 7 million people. In the afternoon, you will visit the Reunification Palace and the Opera House and Hotel de Ville. If you desire, you can also visit the powerful War Remnants Museum. Following that, you can explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street.  This is the city's main shopping boulevard, with shops selling clothes and accessories by new Vietnamese designers and hill tribe craftsmen.  High quality linens and housewares are also an available treat. Then, spoil yourself with some of  Saigon 's strong iced coffee and a banh mi (baguette sandwich), followed by a night out and overnight stay in HCMC

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 12. HCMC- Cao Dai Temple – Cu Chi tunnel
In the morning you will be driven to to Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh. Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, is home to the unique Cao Dai sect, whose patron saints include Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill, to name a few. The religion is a hybrid of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The Cao Dai Temple has been described as the Disneyland of the East.
The trip to Tay Ninh is combined with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250km going from Saigon to the Cambodian border, it was three levels deep, including a network of innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today, the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction, giving you a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam war must have been like. You return to HCMC at approximately 6 p.m.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 13. Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta (B,
You will Leave HCMC on your way to lush My Tho.  You’ll take a private cruise and witness the amazing vegetation of the canals on your way to an orchard, where you’ll have lunch in a bonsai garden in the heart of the Mekong Delta.

You will also visit the snake farm in Dong Tam that breeds snakes for wine, among other things.  Then you’ll visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, a combination of Asian and European styling, before heading to Can Tho city for an overnight stay.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 14. Mekong Delta - HCM City – Con Dao Isl
Waking up to the sounds of the Mekong River, you‘ll take a boat trip to join the Cai Rang floating market.  It is  one of the most bustling floating markets in the Mekong Delta, with hundreds of small boats jostling for space to sell their goods.  After sampling local fruits, your guide will escort you back to the hotel through the myriad canals. Then it’s off to the airport, where you will bid farewell to  your guide and driver before flying to Con Dao Islands to relax.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST, 1LUNCH
Day 15. Con Dao Islands (B)
Upon being welcomed to the island, you’ll be transferred to the to Six Senses Con Dao, where you can enjoy some  leisure time.  Con Dao Island is an untouched and breath takingly beautiful area, protected for decades as a national and marine park. Six Senses Con Dao (sixsenses.com) is the first 5 star luxury resort on the island, having just opened in December 2010. This secluded island hideaway in the East Sea is a hedonist's dream of 50 luxury villas on a truly idyllic stretch of white sand beach, each with its own private infinity pool, open-air bathroom,  living area and un-obstructed views of the sea.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST
Day 16. Con Dao Islands (B)
You are free to lounge at the resort or take a bicycle tour to visit the Con Dao National Park, Con Dao Museum, French and American prisons, beautiful beaches, forests and the sunset. Unlike some other concept hotels, Six Senses Con Dao truly embraces its surroundings, with each villa built from materials from sustainable sources (mirroring the ethos of the brand), while providing the most breath-taking view of the island. From catamaran sailing to cookery, from diving to dining, Six Senses Con Dao is a cool hideaway for all ages, tastes and sensibilities.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST
Day 17. Con Dao Islands (B)
You’ll be offered an outstanding range of spa treatments and wellness activities, before enjoying a moonlit dinner for two at the water's edge.  The days is yours to  take a private cookery class in your own villa, hike in search of the local wildlife, stay up late to watch turtles nesting on the beach... or simply lie back, relax and draw breath amidst the natural beauty of this Vietnamese paradise.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST
Day 18. Con Dao Island – Ho Chi Minh Departu
You’ll probably be both refreshed and wanting to wind down your trip, so there are no activities planned for this day. Enjoy your free time and the last page of your travel until you are escorted to the airport for your flight to Saigon on your way  home.

MEALS : 1BREAKFAST