Private transfer: On arrival in Hanoi, you will be welcomed to Vietnam by your local guide and transferred to the Essence Palace Hotel in a chauffeur driven car for a two-night stay.

Afternoon cyclo tour of the Old Quarter, starting with lunch at Pho Thin: For a tasty lunch you will be taken to ‘Pho Thin’, one of the oldest and most atmospheric ‘Pho’ Restaurants in Vietnam where you will enjoy a traditional lunch of beef noodle soup (Pho). After lunch enjoy a relaxing cyclo ride through Hanoi's Old Quarter. The best way to explore the picturesque area of the Old Quarter is by "cyclo" (a three-wheeled bicycle taxi). Also known as the "36 Streets District", it was once the thriving commercial centre of the city. Each of the 36 short lanes used to specialise in a particular trade represented by one of the guilds. This is still reflected in the names of certain streets: like Silk Street, Gold Street and Fish Street. Among the ancient homes and attractive temples there is a multitude of tantalising souvenir shops.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the La Siesta Premium Hang Be (Junior Suite)

Meals: Lunch

Street food tour of Hanoi: This morning explore Hanoi's culture through a fascinating street food tour with a local chef. The tour begins with an introduction to the local food scene over a hearty bowl of pho noodle soup, the quintessential Hanoi street food, before heading to a local market to experience the sights and sounds of an authentic daily scene. Your chef guide will demystify the local produce, and encourage you to taste some of its most exotic ingredients. A further five venues are included in the tour, all featuring different Vietnamese specialities, and allowing you to taste a range of foods and flavours. The tour will last around four hours in total and all travel between venues is by car or on foot. Finish the experience with a typical Vietnamese ca phe, or che  (Vietnamese tea), and local sweets with a stop at one of the Old Quarter’s busiest (yet smallest) coffee shops for a well-earned sit down.

Special Dinner: This evening you will be taken for dinner at the charming Green Tangerine Restaurant which serves French fusion cuisine. The restaurant is set in a restored French colonial style building that dates from 1928, and is somewhat of an oasis in the heart of the chaotic Old Quarter. Green Tangerine specializes in modern French fare with a Vietnamese twist, so you can expect stylishly presented dishes bursting with flavour.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the  La Siesta Premium Hang Be (Junior Suite)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road journey from Hanoi to Halong Bay: This morning you will be met at your hotel and driven for approximately three hours through the Red River Delta to the coast and the Gulf of Tonkin, where the waters of Halong Bay are found.

Halong Bay Cruise: Board your Indochina Sails boat in time for lunch, and set sail across the bay. All activities arranged by the cruise are on a shared basis. After lunch take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay. There will also be the opportunity for swimming on a quiet beach or sunbathing on the sundeck. In the late afternoon there will be an excursion to a local fishing village, and a water tunnel. Return to the boat in time for a pre-dinner drink as the sun is setting. Please note that the cruise itinerary is subject to alteration dependent on sailing conditions.

Accommodation: Stay tonight on board the Indochina Sails Cruise (Deluxe Cabin)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Halong Bay Cruise: After some morning activities, enjoy brunch on board. Disembark the Indochina Sails boat late this morning.

Road journey from Halong Bay to Hanoi Airport: Upon arrival at the quay, you will be met by your private guide and transferred back to Hanoi. En route you will stop off at the Phu Lang ‘ceramic village’ where the villagers have been practicing this traditional craft for generations. Continue to Hanoi airport in time to catch your onward flight.

Flight: VN181 Hanoi - Danang 16.30 - 17.50

Private transfer: Upon arrival at Danang Airport, you will be met by a guide and transferred to your hotel in Hoi An, a drive of around 45 minutes.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the La Siesta Hoi An Hotel & Spa (Deluxe Balcony Room)

Meals: Brunch

Morning Pho Cooking Class: Start your Pho cooking class with a visit to the local market as your guide explains the key ingredients for making Pho, one of Vietnam’s signature dishes. Pho is a noodle soup most often eaten for breakfast in Vietnam, usually at street food restaurants, and is an easy and satisfying dish to recreate at home. After picking up some fresh ingredients you will be transferred to the cooking class area, where a chef will first teach you how to make the stock using beef bones, ginger and a blend of herbs and spices that is the secret of the Pho. You will then learn to make rice noodles in a traditional way before gently simmering the noodles and slithers of beef to make your homemade delicious Pho!

Afternoon at leisure: The rest of the day is free for you to spend some time at leisure in the charming town of Hoi An.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the La Siesta Hoi An Hotel & Spa (Deluxe Balcony Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Organic Farm Visit at Tra Que Village: After breakfast this morning drive (or cycle if you prefer) out of the town to learn about the lives and work of the local people in the rural villages near Hoi An. Visit the interesting Tra Que garden village. Stroll around the many vegetable plots and watch the farmers tending to the land and fertilizing it with seaweed from the local lake. You will be shown the methods involved with growing the vegetables and you have the opportunity to get involved by raking, sowing, watering and picking the green vegetables and other fun gardening activities. Lunch will then be hosted by a local family in their private home where you will have the opportunity to sample local delicacies including “Tam Huu” spring rolls made from vegetables grown in Tra Que. After lunch return to your hotel in Hoi An for some time to relax this afternoon.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the La Siesta Hoi An Hotel & Spa (Deluxe Balcony Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Road journey from Hoi An to Hue: After breakfast, you will be driven north along Highway 1 to Hue, a journey of approximately three hours. After passing through the port of Danang, the highway meets the Hai Van Pass (meaning Pass of the Ocean Clouds). There are some spectacular vista points and photo opportunities en-route as the Truong Son mountain range cuts across the narrow centre of the country. The mountain range has created a barrier to the cold airstreams from the north which often results in thick cloudbanks over the peaks. The pass has been a strategic military focal point during Vietnam’s turbulent history and from the top there are views of the curve of Danang Bay. Continue north to Hue where you will check-in to your hotel.

Afternoon tour of the Imperial Citadel: This afternoon, visit the Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City nearby. Modelled on the Forbidden City in Beijing by the Nguyen emperors in the early 19th century, the city was badly damaged during the war but the imposing city walls surrounded by a large moat afford good views of Hué. The palace retains a feeling of its past scale and importance, with detailed stonework and pavilions and it is at the moment in the process of being restored to its former magnificence.

Special Royal Dinner: This evening, you will be taken to have dinner in a restored royal house where you can learn from the family members about their royal ancestors and their way of life. The menu includes the local specialty of ‘banh beo’, which is a dish consisting of tiny round rice flour pancakes, each served in a small bowl. They are topped with minced shrimp and other small ingredients. Bon appétit!

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Eldora Hotel Hue (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Morning ‘Ancient Hue’ Cookery Class: Early this morning you will be collected from the hotel by your guide and you will set off for ‘Ancient Hue’. The peaceful ‘Ancient Hue’ site boasts a ceremonial gate backed by eight protective pillars. More than just a restaurant, ‘Ancient Hue’ has five distinctive ancient houses offering a glimpse of the city’s splendid past. Walk through the local market with your chef to learn about local ingredients before returning to the open-air cultural complex. Here, you will learn to prepare refined, Imperial-style cuisine during a hands-on cooking demonstration. The class will be shared with a small group of other students, but each person is provided with their own kitchen area including utensils, cooking ingredients and workspace. Once you have completed the course you will have a chance to enjoy the fruits of your labours as you sit down for lunch.

Afternoon tour of the Royal Mausoleums, Thien Mu Pagoda & Perfume River cruise: This afternoon visit the Royal Mausoleums, the final resting places of the Nguyen Emperors, which are dotted around the hills surrounding the south bank of the Perfume River. Continue to Thien Mu Pagoda, sitting on the riverbank outside the city. This octagonal seven tier stupa has long been regarded as the symbol of Hué and was founded in 1601. It is still a site of Buddhist worship and its huge bell is said to be audible from the city. In the late afternoon, enjoy a cruise downstream on the Perfume River, named after the tree resins and blossoms it carries on its way to the Pacific.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Eldora Hotel Hue (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Private transfer: You will be collected from the Eldora Hotel in Hue and transferred to Phu Bai Airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Flight: VN1371 Hue - Ho Chi Minh City 07.45 - 09.10

Private transfer: On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, you will be met by your local guide and taken to the Grand Hotel Saigon for a two-night stay.

Afternoon tour of Saigon: This afternoon, you will visit some of Saigon's historic landmarks, including the 1880's General Post Office and the former Presidential Palace which was once headquarters for the Saigon Government during the "American War". Next visit the late 19th century Notre Dame Cathedral, located in a peaceful part of the city, and finally the War Remnants Museum.

Saigon after dark tour by Vespa: A foodie tour on the back of a Vespa in the early evening is the perfect way to explore this exciting city. The tour reveals the city's culinary secrets, taking you to see and taste exotic foods and brews in Saigon's authentic nightspots. First, your Vespa driver / tour guide will stop at a small shop with a reputation of selling the best “Banh Mi” in town. Choose your own stuffed Banh Mi then proceed to a small coffee shop where you can enjoy a drink before continuing your ride through busy streets and alleys, witnessing the local life at night. Continue on to a vendor selling authentic Banh Xeo. Enjoy interacting with your Vespa driver and other locals while trying this Vietnamese specialty. Another habit of Saigonese at night is eating seafood and your night wouldn’t be complete without tasting some local seafood at a hidden “Oc” (seafood) vendor located away from the busy city. Before reaching this place, you will pass the city's downtown which is very lively at night, see youngsters out enjoying the evening on Nguyen Hue Walking Boulevard and the numerous colourful stores along the streets. After enjoying some seafood, the tour will take you to a dessert place to enjoy some fresh Vietnamese sweets. On the way you will pass a historic complex which is very lively and busy at night with hundreds of local vendors. Your driver will then take you to a hidden Vietnamese style pub to enjoy a cup of local beer before finishing with a visit to an acoustic bar. Stop here for a drink or two and enjoy the music before being transferred back to your hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Hotel Saigon (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Full day tour to the Mekong Delta: The Mekong Delta is Vietnam's 'rice bowl' - a fertile region of flat farmland interlaced with thousands of waterways and tributaries of the Mekong, known locally as Cuu Long, the river of Nine Dragons. The delta's waters are interspersed with rice fields, colourful floating markets and isolated villages accessible only by boat. After breakfast you will be picked up at your hotel in Saigon and driven south into the Mekong Delta region, where you will stop in Ben Tre province in the heart of the delta. On arrival you will board a short cruise on the river, a great way to see local life. Enjoy a welcome drink of fresh coconut juice as you drift slowly along the canals, taking in the local riverside life as you go. Stop at Huu Dinh Village, where you will transfer to a rickshaw and travel through the village lanes, rice paddies, and coconut gardens. On the way you will have the chance to stop at a local house with a long tradition of making incense sticks. You can meet the local family and chat to them about the way of life in the Mekong Delta, and learn more about their business which has been going for many generations. Board a small sampan boat and travel through some of the smaller canals, passing through tropical scenery and witnessing local life as you go. Visit a coconut processing place, and see how the locals make use of every part of the coconut. Lunch today will be served at a local restaurant offering Mekong Delta specialties. You will return to Saigon in the late afternoon.

Special diner with a local chef and her family: This evening you will be taken to the family home of your hosts, located on the outskirts of the city. In Vietnam, a typical family has three or four generations living under the same roof. Mrs. Hong, the host of your dinner is a gentle woman who owns an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the city centre. She is a chef and a professor at several cooking schools and colleges in Saigon. Tonight you will enjoy a traditional Vietnamese meal prepared with fresh ingredients. Everything is prepared with love and care and the host will be happy to share her delicious home-cooked recipes with you. After the meals, there will be time for some interaction to understand more about the typical relationships in a Vietnamese family. Say farewell to your friendly host and transfer back to your hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Hotel Saigon (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Morning tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels, then lunch at Quan An Ngon: After breakfast travel out of the city to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This vast network of tunnels, stretching for over 150 kilometres, was built by the Viet Cong in the battles for the South. The tunnels are a sobering insight into the dedication of the Viet Cong who virtually lived in the narrow and claustrophobic tunnels whilst the war raged. Nearby, a chilling demonstration of the traps and weapons that were used against the Americans is given. The Cu Chi Tunnels have been widened in places for visitors, however they can still be dark, hot and claustrophobic inside so please bear this in mind if you do not like enclosed spaces.

After this morning's tour return to Saigon for an atmospheric Vietnamese dining experience at Quan An Ngon, a Saigon institution which is always packed with both locals and tourists. The atmosphere is chaotic: a cacophony of laughing, chattering guests, shouting waiters, and clanging pots and pans. Seating is a mix of regular table dining in the central courtyard, or on the balcony. The main building is surrounded by cooking stations, each serving a regional specialty.

Private transfer: This evening you will be collected from your hotel by your guide, and transferred to Ho Chi Minh City Airport in time for your return flight. A late check-out from your hotel room has been booked for your comfort and convenience.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch