On arrival at Da Nang Airport  or Da Nang  Train Station , you are met by our guide and transferred to

Da Nang Center. This largest coastal city in central Vietnam is set in midway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and has neither  the atmosphere nor the hustle and the bustle of  its counterparts. We start our tour of Da Nang, seeing the famous Cham Museum which was formerly the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient. This beautiful mansion contains many exquisite limestone carvings from the vanquished Kingdom of Champa that has been in central coastal littoral prior to the march of the Vietnamese nation south. The scenic drive passes through various gorgeous beaches to  the sensational Marble Mountain topped with  five rocky outcrops. They are said to represent the five natural elements of the universe; fire, water, earth, wood and metal. This mountain has a rich history as it was used by the Cham ethnic minorities for their religious purposes but lately became a heaven for the Vietnamese fighters. The long steep staircase may involve some hardship to see this mountain top. However, you can take an optional cable car ride with small  extra fees. We follow the coastline to Hoi An Town and may have free time to  relax and explore at leisure.

Today, we explore the local life around Hoi An Town on a short bike ride. The village lanes give a perfect way to escape from the bustling streets and see the rural scene close up. We cycle through  rice fields, glassy rivers, and lazy water buffaloes to Tra Que Village. This community focuses on vegetable farming, supplying the organic veggies for the whole Hoi An and the nearby areas. Along the way, we  see many villagers doing their daily works: watering the crops, fertilizing  the land, picking up vegetables and many more,  which are rarely seen in the modern life. These friendly farmers invite you to join their farming activities; you get your hands muddy, learning about the organic farming techniques. We leave the farm works and continue riding our bike to  a local house where we participate in cooking some local foods for our lunch. We ride our bike back to Hoi An Town and spend this afternoon to explore some its highlights on a walking tour. The walk way lets us along    many narrow streets dotted with many shop houses to the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge . This structure  was first constructed in 1590s by the Japanese traders  to link them with the Chinese quarters. The ornamentation has remained relatively faithful to the original Japanese design over centuries. We continue onto the Museum of Trade Ceramics, a beautifully restored timber house where displays many relics of the bygone civilization and the origins of this port town. Upon leaving this museum, we head towards the  typical Phung Hung House, a gem with a mixture of Japanese and Chinese architectural elements. This ancient house was built by a Vietnamese family two centuries ago and has been lovingly preserved through seven generations. We follow it with the Chua Ong Pagoda and the  Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. This colorful building is  one of the five well-known halls in Hoi An.

Heading out of the town, we set off on a drive through many flooded rice fields and idyllic villages  to My Son Holy Land, an ancient capital and a religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom. This empire flourished from the fourth through the thirteenth centuries when religious fervours built a series  of impressive tower temples reflecting the spiritual origins to Indian Hinduism developed along the coast of contemporary Vietnam. On arrival in My Son, we stroll around a green valley surrounded by rugged mountains, where have been help various religious ceremonies of the Champa Dynasty. This sanctuary had all in previous time; however, many structures have not survived through wars and time. We see the remains of some impressive red brick towers, each one nearly a thousand years old. The journey continues as we depart for Hue, hugging the coastline before climbing up the  challenging Hai Van Pass, an obvious boundary between northern  and southern Vietnam. The panoramic view from this pass top is nothing short of spectacular, with a mixture of zigzag roads, turquoise sea, winding rail way behind the verdant forest. We arrive in Hue Town by mid or late afternoon and check in our hotel. This peaceful riverside town was once the feudal capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945 under the Nguyen Dynasty, which still resonate with the glories left in forms of royal citadel, hoary pagodas, and  mausoleums littered in surrounding hills.

Heading out of the town, we set off on our drive to the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. This protected area mostly covered by tropical forest contains the ancient karst mountains, riddled underground rivers, and mysterious cave networks, some of which are the Phong Nha Cave and the enormous Son Dong Cave. This world largest cave hidden in lush jungle is considered by speleologist as a heaven on earth. On arrival at Phong Nha – Ke Bang, we enjoy a boat trip upstream on the Chay River  to explore Phong Nha Cave. This wonderful cave consisting of several grottoes and countless stone pillars in different shape and size has 7729 meter length, but we can explore a large section of 1500 meter long only. The local boat takes passengers past  lush forest before anchoring near the Dark Cave, a smaller version of the  Son Doong Cave. There are no staircases installed besides a 400 m long zip line, which serves a perfect passage over the deep blue water to the Dark Cave. The interior stone formations are mostly dark, offering no much interest; however, we can plunge into a narrow cavern and get some primitive fun from a mud bath. Upon leaving this cave, we enjoy a short kayak paddle towards the boat landing. The biking experience begins as we cycle past the scenic countryside, seeing local villagers at work and making fun with waving children.

The scenic limestone formations  will be left behind as we travel by road back to Hue Town. Along the way, we  make a top to visit the Vinh Moc Tunnels, which were predominantly  used as bomb shelters for local people. This tunnel structure is an amazing achievement of human toil, engineering and perseverance, and contains sleeping quarters, meeting room and kitchen built with a clever system that could release yet hide the smoke.  The village life carried on underground as children attended school and women gave birth, during bombing raids. We walk inside the Vinh Moc Tunnels down into  the labyrinth, darkness, ceiling and walls to imagine  how over 300 people have found shelter here for six years. Upon leaving this sight we continue venturing into the DMZ Area, battleground demarcation separating North from South Vietnamese territories during the Vietnam War. This painful area is now at peace, but many evident vestiges of the bygone time are still in place.  We have a look at series of the war sites including Hien Luang Bridge, Ben Hai River and Cua Tung. The following stop is La Vang Basilica, a great pilgrimage site for Christians. This church complex has remained a strong faith symbol for Vietnamese Catholics  and has an interesting legend about the Lady of Lavang. Her first apparition was noted in 1798, helping  many local Catholics to escape from the notorious persecution. We stroll around La Vang Basilica before we head towards Hue, this day final destination.

Today, we begin our exploration of Hue with the massive Hue Citadel containing the Imperial City and the Purple Forbidden City. This royal residence was all but partly destroyed during the 1968 Tet Offensive.  However, it is still fascinating to walk around to see many pavilions, bridges, libraries, and great halls. They have been restored to explain the legends of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors who have built the fortress and lived within its moated walls for nearly 150 years. We follow it with a walk to the bustling Dong Ba Market. This riverside trade center is crammed with local treasures and also has many eating spots. They make an ideal place for visitors to try their hand at bargaining and sample some local delicacies. Upon leaving this trade center, we make our way to  the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang. This majestic complex of courtyards, pavilions and temples, was built in a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. We drive through the rolling hills to the Khai Dinh Mausoleum, a synthesis of Vietnamese and European elements. The mandarin courtyard where are standing various statues of mandarins, horses and soldiers, makes for a real scene of the royal court.  The most notable place is Thien Dinh Palace housing the bronze statues and the King steles. We embark on a traditional boat, cruising along  the Perfume River to the riverside Thien Mu Pagoda. This iconic religious structure has a nice legend and a prominent architecture stretching from the river banks in seven successive tiers to monastic buildings and octagonal tower, regarded as a symbol of Hue

There are no activities planned on this final day. You may have free time to continue your exploration of Hue City, do your last shopping or simply look back upon your trip images. The holiday comes to an end with a transfer to Hue Airport for  your departure.