Today you fly towards Vietnam for your 14-day tour.

Today you reach Hanoi, Vietnam’s lively capital on the Red River. You are met individually at the airport and taken to your hotel. There, your tour guide or a welcome host is on hand to help you settle in and inform you about the rest of the day. Depending on your flight time, an early check-in is recommended so that you can move straight into your room and freshen up at your leisure (optional, bookable in advance). Your start in Hanoi is deliberately flexible: if you arrive early, you can gather first impressions of everyday life in Hanoi in the morning on an orientation walk around the hotel and through a local market. Over a shared lunch at a local restaurant afterwards, you get to know the first facets of Vietnamese cuisine with the traditional pho soup. In the afternoon, the whole group meets and you discover the city’s highlights together: you stroll through the lively Old Quarter with its narrow lanes and visit Hoan Kiem Lake with the Ngoc Son Temple, among other places. This way – depending on your arrival time – you can spend your first day flexibly and start your travel experience without any idle time. In the late afternoon, you drive to West Lake. Here you enjoy a refreshing drink in a relaxed atmosphere – the ideal moment to get to know your fellow travellers and toast the journey ahead. 2 nights in Hanoi. (L) (Distance: approx. 30 km; driving time: approx. 1 hr)

2 nights · Double room · With breakfast Just a few minutes’ walk from the historic city gate, the MK Premier Boutique Hotel welcomes you in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Its central location is an ideal base for exploring the famous 36 streets of the Old Quarter as well as numerous restaurants, cafés and sights with ease. The 65 modern rooms are equipped with TV, minibar, air conditioning, safe and private bathroom and offer pleasant comfort. Room sizes correspond to the usual standard in Hanoi’s historic Old Quarter. Rooms with large windows or a balcony are also available. Size, layout and view may vary from room to room. Due to the construction and dense development, some rooms have windows that cannot be opened. The in-house restaurant serves local specialities. The rooftop bar invites you to end the day with a drink while enjoying the view over the rooftops and lanes of the Old Quarter.

After breakfast, the morning is at your leisure. Spend the time just as you like, whether on a relaxed walk, an individual stroll through the city or some rest at the hotel. Afterwards, you explore Hanoi’s most important sights together. These include the house and the mausoleum of the famous revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, who is still very popular in Vietnam (exterior visit). Experience the unusual architecture of the One Pillar Pagoda and visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national academy. (B)

After breakfast together, you leave Hanoi and set off for the coast. Your destination is legendary Halong Bay (UNESCO World Natural Heritage), or more precisely Halong, one of Vietnam’s largest port cities. On arrival in Halong, you are first served a cup of tea in the Peony Cruise lounge. Around midday, a boat takes you to your cruise ship, where the crew is already waiting to give you a warm welcome on board. Ahead of you lies a wonderful cruise through the impressive and mystical landscapes of Lan Ha Bay, the southern and somewhat quieter part of Halong Bay, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. You sail through Lan Ha Bay, often referred to as Vietnam’s forgotten beauty. From the deck, you can enjoy the wonderful sight of the imposing limestone cliffs and several floating villages. After a delicious lunch, the ship continues past karst islands. Back on board, you can gain exciting insights into Vietnamese cuisine. After sunset, you let the day come to a relaxed end on the ship. 1 night on board. (B/L/D) (Distance: approx. 200 km; driving time: approx. 3.5–4 hrs)

You wake up on board in the midst of this magical world of limestone islands and start the day with an early breakfast. Glide once more through these unique waters and enjoy the scenery around you. Before disembarking and heading back to Hanoi, you fortify yourself with a generous brunch, which serves as an early lunch today. Once you are back on solid ground, you set off back towards Hanoi and stop on the way in the village of Yen Duc, known as one of the birthplaces of water puppetry. Here you attend a private performance of traditional water puppet theatre, which depicts the daily life of Vietnamese farmers: rice growing, buffalo keeping, fishing, singing and dancing to celebrate a rich harvest. You then continue on your way to Hanoi. You head straight to the airport and take a short flight to the old imperial city of Hue. Once at your hotel, you can let this eventful day come to a relaxed end and look forward to the somewhat calmer days ahead in central Vietnam. 3 nights in Hue. (B/L) (Distance: approx. 215 km; driving time: approx. 4 hrs)

3 nights · Double room · With breakfast The popular Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort is set in quiet surroundings in extensive grounds with a large pool and subtropical gardens. The resort welcomes you with its authentic Vietnamese atmosphere and offers a range of wellness treatments as well as various bars and restaurants. A fitness centre and the outdoor pool provide an active or relaxing balance after an eventful day. The resort is ideally located for visiting the sights of Hue, but also for retreating to this wonderful oasis of calm. Your room offers amenities such as a TV, minibar and seating area.

Today you take a tour of the imperial city of Hue (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) and experience the glorious past of the Nguyen dynasty. Around 40% of all Vietnamese still bear this family name today. After breakfast, you visit the Citadel with the Imperial Palace, which was built on the model of the “Forbidden City” in Beijing. You then visit an old mandarin house built in Hue’s traditional style. During a short tea break with snacks, you meet the hosts and hear many interesting stories about the culture and life of the people of Hue. Now sit back, relax and let the atmosphere of the city sink in on a cyclo ride. During the ride, enjoy the charming, hilly landscape around Hue until you reach the Thien Mu Pagoda. As one of Hue’s landmarks, the famous seven-storey pagoda stands on a small hill and is dedicated to the Heavenly Lady. After the sightseeing programme, you can let the day come to a relaxed end at your hotel. (B)

Today you are in charge of the programme and can spend the day just as you wish. Continue exploring Hue on your own or simply make the most of your hotel’s amenities and treat yourself. Enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of your hotel with a good book by the pool or book a soothing wellness treatment (at your own expense). (B)

In the morning, you visit the Tu Hieu Pagoda, set in a secluded forest, and the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. You then continue your journey towards Hoi An. During an extended break at Lang Co Lagoon, you can stretch your legs on the beach and enjoy a lunch of fresh seafood. Through picturesque landscapes, you next reach the Hai Van Pass (Cloud Pass), the natural border between northern and southern Vietnam, and in the Marble Mountains you visit some natural grottoes in which Buddhist sanctuaries have been built over the centuries. Finally, you reach today’s destination, enchanting Hoi An, and check into your beautiful beach hotel outside the town. 3 nights there. (B/L) (Distance: approx. 150 km; driving time: approx. 3.5 hrs)

3 nights · Double room · With breakfast The Wyndham Hoi An Royal Beachfront Resort & Villas was chosen because it is located right on the wide sandy beach and, thanks to the short drive to Hoi An’s Old Town, offers the perfect combination of beach and city experience. The hotel is not far from Hoi An’s historic Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose lanterns, old merchant houses and quiet lanes create a unique atmosphere. The resort combines modern architecture with spacious gardens and attentive service that makes your stay particularly pleasant. Two restaurants serve Vietnamese specialities and international dishes – with a view of either the sea or the inviting pool area. Several pools, a spa and a private stretch of beach provide relaxing moments and plenty of space to unwind. The invitingly furnished rooms offer a pleasant ambience and feature a bathroom with shower, a seating area and a flat-screen TV.

This morning, on a walking tour, you discover the diversity of the historic town of Hoi An (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) and have the unique opportunity to gain an insight into the local craft of lantern making. In a lantern workshop, you learn more about how the colourful lanterns are made and can make your own lantern as a unique souvenir. You can spend the rest of the day in and around Hoi An entirely as you wish. Relax at your hotel – or how about visiting a herb village followed by a cooking class (optional, bookable locally, price depends on the number of participants, approx. USD 65 per person for 4 people)? There you meet vegetable farmers and learn about their cultivation. The herb village is a non-profit farming cooperative whose members receive land free of charge as long as they farm it organically. Look forward to a freshly prepared lunch of local specialities, which you can help to prepare, followed by a relaxing herbal foot massage. Towards evening, it is definitely worth exploring Hoi An’s Old Town further on your own, when countless colourful lanterns light up the narrow lanes at nightfall. (B)

You can spend today entirely as you like. Treat yourself to a beach day and stroll along the long white sandy beaches, or relax with a book by the inviting pool of your hotel. Alternatively, you can continue exploring the diversity of Hoi An on your own or, if you are interested, join an optional excursion. How about a visit to the My Son temple complex, for example (optional, bookable locally, approx. USD 40 per person from 4 people)? The excursion starts in the morning, and a transfer takes you to My Son (45 km from Hoi An). The temple city is one of the most important archaeological sites of the Cham kingdom in Vietnam. (B)

Early in the morning, a transfer takes you to Danang airport, from where you continue your tour south. You reach your next destination, the metropolis of Saigon, after a short domestic flight. Experience the modern metropolis and watch the armies of mopeds and cyclos that are everywhere in Ho Chi Minh City, as Saigon is officially called. Worshippers pray in quiet backyards, young people meet in noodle restaurants and many locals relax with walks and exercise in one of the many parks. Marvel at the city’s architectural diversity as you explore it past modern skyscrapers, colonial buildings and traditional temples. Sights such as the Reunification Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the City Hall, the Opera House (all exterior visits) and the Post Office are on the programme. In between, you take a short break at one of your tour guide’s favourite cafés and try a local coffee speciality. Whether “egg coffee”, Hanoi’s speciality, the latest trendy drink “salted coffee” or the classic Vietnamese “drip coffee” with sweetened condensed milk – you are sure to broaden your coffee horizons here. You then continue to Chinatown to visit the Binh Tay market hall and the Chinese Thien Hau Temple. You also see the old St Francis Church and the “medicine street” before heading back towards the centre. 2 nights in Saigon. (B) (Distance Hoi An – Danang airport: approx. 30 km; driving time: approx. 1 hr)

2 nights · Double room · With breakfast The Acnos Hotel impresses above all with its central location in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Many sights, restaurants, cafés and shops are in the immediate vicinity. Ben Thanh Market and the green Tao Dan Park are within easy walking distance, making the hotel an ideal base for exploring the city. The rooms are functional and practical and meet the standard of a centrally located city hotel. Facilities include a TV, minibar, safe and private bathroom. Depending on the room category, the view and room layout may vary. In the densely built-up centre of Ho Chi Minh City, some rooms look out onto neighbouring buildings. Due to the central location, the city noise typical of an Asian metropolis can be heard. In the morning, a breakfast buffet with Vietnamese and international dishes awaits you. It includes fresh egg dishes from the egg station, a daily changing soup station, fresh fruit, juices, yoghurt and pastries, complemented by various hot dishes with an Asian focus, such as rice, noodle or soup dishes. The selection may vary slightly depending on availability.

Early today, you leave the city behind and immerse yourself in Vietnam’s unique nature, as an exciting day trip takes you into the mighty river delta of the Mekong. Also known as Vietnam’s “rice bowl”, several million tonnes of rice are produced here every year. The flat land you cross is dotted with green rice fields, and gradually you cross more and more bridges over the branches of the Mekong. In Ben Tre, a boat trip takes you into the tropical “garden” where many families live scattered across the land. By boat, you reach ever smaller arms of the Mekong and then partly switch to a xe loi, a vehicle similar to a tuk-tuk, which takes you to various local manufacturers, craft workshops and orchards. Rice paper, coconut sweets, woven mats and bricks, for example, are made here according to old traditions, and on your visits you can learn more about the local products. For lunch, you are a guest at a family-run restaurant where food is freshly cooked for you. A variety of local delicacies is served family-style, so you can try the traditional dishes of the delta’s inhabitants to your heart’s content and experience Vietnamese hospitality. You then return to the bustle of city life and enjoy a sundowner in the evening at a trendy rooftop bar. Feel the pulsating metropolis around you and at your feet, high above the city’s rooftops, and look back on your unique travel experiences together with your fellow travellers. (B/L)

Today it’s time to say goodbye. At the appropriate time, you transfer to the airport and fly back home. Have you opted for a beach extension? Then we wish you a relaxing stay at your beach hotel! (B) (Distance: approx. 10 km; driving time: approx. 30 min) Day 14: With lots of wonderful and unforgettable impressions in your luggage, you land back in your home country after your two-week tour of Vietnam.