GRAND VIETNAM
14 Days/13 Nights

Day 1: Arrive Ho Chi Minh City
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City. Meet your Hanoifestival guide and transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in HCMC.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City-Cu Chi-Ho Chi Minh City
A morning city tour of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, takes in the former Presidential Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, a lacquerware factory and Thien Hau Pagoda in the city's bustling chinatown. In the afternoon visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. Overnight in HCMC. (B)

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City-My Tho-Ho Chi Minh City
A full day trip to the watery world of the Mekong Delta, just a couple of hours by road from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City's streets. Take a boat trip along narrow waterways overhung with dense vegetation and try exotic fruits in one of the many orchards. For lunch sample the local delicacy, Elephant's Ear Fish. Overnight in HCMC. (B,L)

Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City-Dalat
Leave HCMC after breakfast for a scenic drive through rubber and tea plantations en route to the cooler climes of Dalat, 300km from HCMC. Established as a hill station at the beginning of the century, Dalat is reminiscent of an alpine town with its French chalets and pine forests. An afternoon of sightseeing in Dalat takes in the art deco former summer residence of Emperor Bao Dai, the old Dalat Railway Station, Xuan Huong Lake, the Central Market and Lam Ty Ni Pagoda where a Buddhist monk, Vien Thuc, produces his abstract paintings and writes poetry. Overnight in Dalat. (B)

Day 5: Dalat-NhaTrang
Leaving for Nha Trang after breakfast, the road descends to the arid coastal city of Phan Rang. Break the journey here to visit the 13th century Po Klong Jarai Cham Towers perched high on a rocky hill surrounded by prickly pear cacti. After Phan Rang Highway One turns north and follows the coast past salt ponds and vivid green rice fields to Nha Trang. On arrival in Nha Trang transfer to hotel. An afternoon city tour includes the Po Nagar Cham Towers and Long Son Pagoda with its enormous white Buddha statue. Overnight in Nha Trang. (B)

Day 6: Nha Trang-Qui Nhon
A morning boat trip on Nha Trang bay visits some of the nearby islands and there are opportunities to swim and snorkel in the clear warm waters. After a fresh seafood lunch return to shore to check out of the hotel for the scenic drive to Qui Nhon, 240km up Highway One. Transfer to hotel on arrival. Overnight in Qui Nhon. (B,L)

Day 7: Qui Nhon-Hoi An
Leaving Qui Nhon after breakfast continue northwards up Highway One to Hoi An, breaking the journey to visit My Lai Massacre Memorial near to Quang Ngai. Arrive in Hoi An early in the afternoon. Hoi An was a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and its architecture and relaxed lifestyle has changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit former merchants’ houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colourful market. Overnight in Hoi An. (B)

Day 8: Hoi An-Hue
The morning is free to browse for souvenirs in Hoi An or perhaps hire a bicycle to ride to the nearby Cua Dai Beach. Leave Hoi An early in the afternoon for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. The scenic route passes through Danang before climbing over the Pass of Ocean Clouds and dropping down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. Arrive in Hue late afternoon and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Hue. (B)

Day 9: Hue
A boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River visits Hue's best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the mausoleum of former emperor Minh Mang, in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. In the afternoon visit the elaborate mausoleums of emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh and the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. Overnight in Hue. (B)

Day 10: Hue-Hanoi-Haiphong
Transfer to Hue Airport after breakfast for the short flight to Hanoi, the modern day capital of Vietnam. Transfer to Haiphong, Vietnam's third largest city, on arrival in Hanoi. Haiphong still has many impressive examples of classic European colonial architecture in its town centre. An afternoon city tour along the wide boulevards includes a visit to Hang Kenh Tapestry Factory and the Du Hang Pagoda, founded over three centuries ago. Overnight in Haiphong. (B)

Day 11: Haiphong-Halong-Haiphong
After breakfast transfer by cyclo to the harbour. Board the hydrofoil for the 55-minute journey to Cat Ba Island, the largest in the bay. At Cat Ba board a private boat for a cruise among some of the 3,000 limestone islands that are scattered throughout this spectacular bay. The cruise includes a fresh seafood lunch. Return to Haiphong by hydrofoil in the afternoon. Transfer to hotel. Overnight in Haiphong. (B,L)

Day 12: Haiphong-Hanoi
Leave Haiphong after breakfast and return to Hanoi by road. Transfer to hotel on arrival. The afternoon is at leisure in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi. (B)

Day 13: Hanoi
A full day city tour of Vietnam's capital. Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples. The city tour includes such sights as Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum, the Temple of Literature, the Lake of the Restored Sword and the Old Quarter. In the evening enjoy a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show. Overnight in Hanoi. (B)

Day 14: Depart Hanoi
Departure day. At leisure until transfer to Noi Bai Airport for onward flight. (B)