Vietnam Encounters tour

After arriving at the airport, the Vietnam tour starts with a tour guide meeting you and transferring you to your hotel in Hanoi. They'll give you some initial introductions to the country and Hanoi during the drive to the hotel, help you settle in and schedule a pick-up time for the next day.

You can decide this evening whether to join the visit to Hoan Kiem Lake to watch or join in with the local's early morning Tai Chi exercise.

If you've decided to join the visit to Hoan Kiem Lake to watch or join in with the local's early morning Tai Chi exercise, you'll leave the hotel with guide at around 6am this morning before returning for a tasty breakfast. The group all then joins a fun Vietnamese language lesson with the guide, learning some words and sayings which will come in handy during the tour.

On our tour today, we'll visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Presidential Palace before visiting an 11th-century relic. After that, we'll head to the Temple of Literature, which was built in homage to the Chinese scholar Confucius.

The afternoon starts with a visit to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, before travelling to the Hanoi's Old Quarter for a culinary adventure, where we'll explore the narrow streets, learning about and sampling the huge variety of different street foods. To wash all the food down, we'll also have the chance to try some of the local brews - some traced back to Eastern Europe!

As night falls, the narrow sidewalks are packed with locals on stools, gathering around sizzling woks and bubbling pots. If you're in the mood for something sweet, we'll also have the chance to enjoy some dessert from Hanoi's best-known ice cream parlour.

The day starts with a scenic drive to Ha Long Bay, known for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands topped by lush rainforests.

We'll embark on a classic Junk boat cruise through the unique limestone islands found in Ha Long Bay, along with its mysterious and beautiful caves scattered throughout, before savouring a delectable lunch on the deck.

After lunch, we'll explore the Sung Sot Cave - the most beautiful cave in Ha Long Bay. It's also known as the "Cave of Surprises" because the French Admiral who discovered it in 1901 was surprised by how big it was. We'll spend the rest of the day cruising to Titov island, where you can go swimming or relax on the beach before returning to the boat to enjoy sunset on the sundeck before we enjoy a tasty dinner and socialising with the rest of the guests.

We'll spend the night on the boat, taking in the natural sounds of your Vietnamese surroundings.

The day starts with some Tai Chi or a photo hunt before having breakfast on board the boat.

We'll then kayak around Luon Cave located on Bo Hon Island. The cave is arc-shaped and limited in height, which means the only way to visit it is via a small boat or kayak. Afterwards, we'll head back to the boat, have a chance to freshen up before the cruise takes us further along the bay, passing the Ba Hang fishing village, Dog Islet, and much more.

As we head back to the harbour, we'll have the opportunity to watch a fruit carving demonstration and participate in a cooking class before enjoying a traditional Vietnamese lunch.

We disembark reluctantly after lunch and return to Hanoi for some free time in the afternoon, with a day-use hotel room provided for you to freshen up in before we take the overnight Reunification Express sleeper train south to Hue.

Wake up on board today to the sight of rice paddies with their attendant farmers and water buffalo, small villages and rural farmland rushing past us. On arrival in Hue we transfer to our hotel before enjoying a private tour of this historically and culturally rich city and its ancient temples.

We'll spend the day exploring the Citadel - a UNESCO World Heritage site, before relaxing on a sunset cruise on the Perfume River as the evening ends with the sounds of traditional music. We'll spend the night in Hue City.

We'll head south along a beautiful stretch of coastline and over the scenic Hai Van Pas, to the picturesque riverside community of Hoi An.

We'll be treated to a walking tour of this charming traditional town now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab merchants.

We'll then head upstream to visit the traditional pottery village of Thanh Ha. Here, we'll have a chance to make pottery products like vases, jars, bowls and pots, perhaps engraving your name on one to take home.

We'll head back on the boat and travel to the village of Kim Bong to marvel at its carpentry and it's shipbuilding area where wooden fishing vessels are built using traditional techniques. We'll also make a stop at a carpentry workshop where the carpenters create hand-crafted furniture, sculptures and souvenirs.

The cruise continues down the Bon River, where we watch the local fishermen doing what they do best, and possibly even join in.

Hoi An is a lovely town, that many people return to time after time. This day is left free for you to explore individually, or take one of a variety of local options. These include a boat trip to visit some nearby islands and do some snorkelling; an exploration of the My Son Holy Land; a market visit, bike ride and cooking class in Tra Que village; or a fun tour with the local fishermen, learning how to cast nets, catch crabs, and race basket boats!

Hoi An is also famous for its tailors shops, and you've time today to get measured up and customise a brand new suit or dress that will be professionally made for you in record time, ready for you to pick up before you leave tomorrow.

We leave Hoi An today and transfer to Danang airport to fly to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival you have a little time after checking in to look around and refresh before we head out for a special evening tour exploring the city, it's food and music from a unique perspective, the back of a vintage Vespa scooter!

We start in Cafe Zoom for a cocktail and a few appetizers. We'll then head to a popular eating spot for a meal, before heading out on the back of a vintage Vespa scooter to experience the Saigon nightlife the way the locals do.

Your experienced drivers will make their way through Chinatown and the busy streets and alleys of District 4 to meet the locals and enjoy some street seafood and drinks. We'll pass through District 3 and District 1, taking in the sights of Banh Xeo, the speciality of Saigon and its southern food.

The Vespa tour continues to a hidden Vietnamese-style coffee shop to have a taste of live Vietnamese music as a local, before heading to another live music venue. Drinks and food are included and we finish around 10pm.

Today we'll drive through the Mekong Delta to the town of Cai Be, famous for its floating markets.

After touring the markets, we'll board a private boat and cruise along the maze of waterways and canals to Vinh Long. Here, we'll feast at the home of a Bonsai gardener for a sumptuous Delta lunch, including the popular 'Elephant ear fish', before continuing to explore the tributaries and canals of the Delta.

Towards the end of the day, we'll stop at the home of a local family, relax, before trying to catch fish by hand to prepare for dinner. Dinnertime will be with the locals, chatting with them and learning about the life of a farmer in the Delta before settling in for the night.

Wake up to the sounds of life on the Delta and have an early breakfast before cycling to a local market to buy some food for lunch, using the local language, which we learnt the previous night.

We'll have a chance to help the locals to cook some Vietnamese dishes for lunch, before saying 'Tạm Biệt - Goodbye!' to the house owner and their children. Then it's back to Saigon to relax and we'll overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. A couple of optional tours are available this evening.

The last day leaves you with free time to relax before we include a departure transfer to the airport for you to catch your flight back home. Additional options are also available today if you have a late afternoon or evening flight, or if you'd like to add some extra nights.