Vietnam Outlook, 8 days

On arrival at Hanoi Airport, you are greeted  by our guide and taken to your hotel by private transfer. You will have some time free to relax or explore at your own leisure. The capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi is a fascinating blend of East and West, combining traditional Sino-Vietnamese motifs with French flair. The building boom has made Hanoi a rapidly developing city in Southeast Asia. However, it still retains an old charm brought from a thousand year of history, with many interesting cultural and historic monuments, beautiful lakes, shady parks, bustling street markets, funny shops and open air eating spots jostled in ancient houses, and historic temples adjoining colonial style structures. They offer both local and foreigner visitors an endless exploration. You might like to stroll through the fascinating old quarter containing many vibrant streets which are named after the specific goods once offered for sale at these places. The lively atmosphere in Hanoi old quarter runs from the early hours until late at night  with many street vendors calling, horns honking, and chaotic traffic with waves of motorbikes you’ve never experienced.

Today, we start our exploration of Hanoi, seeing the most notable landmark of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (close on Mon. and Fri. and Oct. to Nov). This imposing marble and granite monument was built towards the Ba Dinh Square. We queue up for a walk past silent sentries, paying a homage to Ho Chi Minh before  continuing  to his residence, a simple stilt house set in a well-tended garden.  He  lived and worked in this residence  until his final days. We visit all of them and follow the footpath to  the One Pillar Pagoda rising from the center of a square lotus pond, ascending on a single pillar and resembling a blossoming lotus flower. Upon leaving this area, we see the Temple of Literature, one of the most picturesque attractions in Hanoi. This well-preserved temple is now dedicated to the scholars of Confucius but was once the first university of Vietnam. The successful candidate records are still found in various stone steles set over giant stone turtles. We leave Hanoi this afternoon and travel by road to Halong City. This journey takes anything between three and four hours, passing through the beautiful countryside of flooded rice fields and roadside villages to the rocky formations of Halong Bay. En route we make a stop at a craft center, to stretch our legs and see many local  villagers making the excellent craft objects  in  traditional way. On arrival in Halong, you check in our hotel and spend this evening at leisure. You can soak up the sea air and laze along  the beachside where are a bunch of seafood restaurants, amazing bars, and shopping malls.

The incredible limestone outcroppings form the spectacular seascape of Halong Bay, making it an incomparable natural wonder in Vietnam. Today we  board a traditional style junk to explore this  scenic bay on a four-hour trip out . The traditional boat  zigzags itself in the bay, giving us some fantastic views of the bay with a blend of  the sky and limestone islets rising amazingly from the clear and emerald water. These rocky outcrops usually named by their distinctive shapes are littered with beautiful coves and tiny beaches.  We will anchor for an enjoyable visit to the Thien Cung Cave, one of the many beautiful sites hidden beneath towering cliffs. The grotto interior is naturally adorned with stalactites and stalagmites of various shapes and sizes. These stone columns change their color,  with the reflected light bringing bright green and even purple hues draping across the deep grotto. The boat excursion continues through the island jungle back to Tuan Chau Harbour.  Along the way , we enjoy a huge lunch served on board and catch up some last images of Halong Bay. The  spectacular seascape will be left behind as we make our way back to Hanoi, arriving in time to attend a fantastic water puppet performance.  We follow it with a pleasant walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, one of the major scenic spots in Hanoi.

The southbound journey continues with a short flight to Da Nang City.  We  start  touring  the central Vietnam with the famous Cham Museum, which is  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. We keep driving south to Hoi An Town, one of the most delightful places in Vietnam. This ancient town  was originally a Cham seaport but has been influenced by a myriad of traders from various cultures between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries.. We enjoy an afternoon walking tour to explore Hoi An Ancient Town where Japanese legacy,  Vietnamese tube houses, ornate temples and Chinese shop houses are still standing to present the unique traditional townscape . We follow  the narrow walking 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 and dedicated to Thien Hau, the goddess of sea who protects sailors from the danger.

Today, we set off on our drive along the coastline to Hue. This peaceful riverside town was once the country feudal capital from 1802 to 1945 under the Nguyen Dynasty, which still resonates with the glories of imperial Vietnam. We visit Hue City  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 the 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 continue driving  to the mausoleum of Emperor Tu Duc, the largest royal tomb in Hue. This elaborate complex consists of a scenic park, lakes, hills, pavilions amidst the lushness of frangipani trees and grove of pines. There are also a honour courtyard,  stele pavilion,  sepulcher and royal theatre. The  ceiling carved with stars, clouds, crescent moon and sky of this theatre  reflect the poetic soul of Tu Duc Emperor. We embark this afternoon on a traditional boat for a relaxed excursion on the Perfume River. Along the way, we visit the riverside Thien Mu Pagoda, which has been  built in the seventeenth century, but renovated several times. The river excursion is followed by a visit to  the Dong Ba Market , which sells a wide variety of local goods and handicrafts.  We pass by many fantastic eating spots, all ideal places for visitors to sample some local delicacies.

The following destination of our journey is Ho Chi Minh City via a short flight from Hue. On arrival at Ho Chi Minh  Airport, you are met by our guide and  driven to your center. The bustling   Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam, still called Saigon by many locals, was originally a fishing village built up on a vast swampland, but it has developed into Saigon under the French domination. The effervescent development has bought Ho Chi Minh some cosmic changes from a war-torn city to a thriving metropolis. However, the architecture, local culture and lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh are still a reconciliation among French, American and Chinese influences. We spend this afternoon exploring some major sights of Ho Chi Minh.  The beautiful walking square of Nguyen Hue  is  always a live attraction, giving an interesting view from the bygone time to the new fashion of Ho Chi Minh. This pedestrian boulevard is fringed with exquisite colonial structures, nice restaurants and luxury shopping malls.  We have a quick visit to Nguyen Hue Street  before going to see the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Sai Gon Post Office. They boats some of the most striking colonial building in Ho Chi Minh Center. We drive past the Independence Palace and catch  an outside view of this historical landmark on our way to  the War Remnant Exhibit. This house contains a wealth of images and real objects reflecting the notorious Vietnam- American War and the first Indochina War involving the French colonialists.  We follow it with a walk around  the retail  Ben Thanh Market, where vendors display a vast array of goods and handicrafts appealing to every taste!.

Heading out of the town, we travel by road to My Tho, a gateway to the Mekong Delta. This incredibly fertile region was formed by the mighty Mekong River, which winds its way from Tibet - China through  Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and finally into Vietnam. On arrival in My Tho, we board a private boat to explore the Mekong Delta. This river trip gives some fantastic views from the red water surface to floating fish farms and lush plantation backdrop. Along the way, we anchor on the Unicorn Island and stroll around with our guide to visit this large island, where village lanes are fringed with fishponds, fruit gardens and rice fields. We make some stops at local houses to taste seasonal fruits, listen to traditional music performed by a villager ensemble, and sample honey tea. The interlaced canals are truly a lifeblood of the Mekong Delta; however, many channels can be accessed only by small boats. We enjoy a short sampan trip rowing under the palm grove to venture into this maze of canals before we continue our motor boat to the coconut kingdom of Ben Tre. This luxuriant region offers various activities from bicycle ride to horse cart carriage and motorbike pulling cart. We take one of them to discover the traditional lifestyles, culture, and history of local people and  visit some industry cottages. They may be brick-kiln ceramics, coconut candy and coconut handicrafts,... We round off our excursion and drive back to Ho Chi Minh with stopover at the vibrant  China Town. This famous trade hub is crammed with  sacred temples and mysterious narrow lanes.

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