Taste of Vietnam

Xin Chao and welcome to Hanoi! On arrival, you will be met by your Emerald Cruises representative and transferred to the Anatole Hotel, situated in downtown Hanoi, for your two-night stay.

Relax at the hotel, explore the city, or wander Hanoi’s romantic West Lake. This evening meet your tour director for your welcome briefing.

Meals Included: Dinner

Today you will enjoy a full-day city tour of Hanoi, including its main sights. Enjoy the view from outside ‘Uncle Ho’s’ mausoleum, considered the father of modern Vietnam, and continue to the small but iconic One Pillar Pagoda and to the Temple of Literature. The Temple of Literature was Vietnam’s first university and it was established to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The university functioned for an incredible 700 years and its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into the country’s past. As part of EmeraldPLUS, you will enjoy lunch at KOTO (Know One Teach One), a unique restaurant set up to train and educate disadvantaged children.

After lunch, you’ll visit Hanoi’s Old Quarter also known as the ‘36 streets’. Take a walking tour through charming Hang Be Market and around Hoan Kiem Lake, and stop at Ngoc Son temple. This bustling area of narrow streets and alleys is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. It is a great place to explore with plenty of photo opportunities. Later, enjoy a traditional water puppet show, a unique North Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of historical significance.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning after breakfast, leave Hanoi and travel to Halong Bay where you will board your traditional-style junk boat. Cruise through the bays and islets enjoying the stunning scenery of this magnificent region. Enjoy the tours offered on board, learn more about the main livelihood of the locals in the area or simply choose to relax. Towards the end of the day, the boat anchors for the night in the Trinh Nu area among the karst formations, and dinner will be served on board.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, continue sailing further into the region’s more untouched areas towards Lan Ha Bay. From a smaller boat, enjoy swimming on quiet beaches and kayaking in Ho Ba Ham Lake. Then visit Cua Van fishing village by rowing boat. Return to your traditional junk boat after full day of exploration. Tonight, try squid fishing.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy the sunrise and breakfast before beginning your cruise back through the magnificent rock formations, visiting Sung Sot Cave before arriving back at port. Bid farewell as you transfer to Hanoi airport, with a stop en-route for a light lunch at a local restaurant.

At the airport in Hanoi, board your flight to Danang (Hoi An). Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel for your included three-night stay, where you can relax for the rest of the evening.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, start with our EmeraldPLUS visit to the Reaching Out Project. Reaching Out is an NGO established in 2000, which provides opportunities for people with disabilities to learn skills and gain meaningful employment. Visit the workshop and get a glimpse of how this NGO helps them to integrate fully with their communities and lead independent and fulfilling lives.

In the afternoon, enjoy a half day tour of Hoi An and see the old merchant’s houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge (currently undergoing renovations, views may be restricted) and the Assembly Hall of the Chinese Congregation.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy a day of leisure to explore Hoi An and its surroundings. Perhaps take the time to explore the Old Town, or take a cyclo to An Bang Beach. The choice is yours.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Leave Hoi An for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. You will drive through Danang before crossing the Pass of Ocean Clouds and dropping down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co.

In Hue, you will visit the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. As part of your EmeraldPLUS, take a cyclo (bicycle style rickshaw) from Dai Noi ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake where the Emperors used to come to relax. Then later, join a boat trip to visit Thien Mu Pagoda.

This evening, experience a royal dinner with traditional costumes.

A boat tour on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Today, transfer to Hue airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. You will have the afternoon to explore the city before enjoying dinner at a local restaurant.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Drive away from Ho Chi Minh City, watching the city skyline fade into the distance as the road winds through rice paddies, villages and other scenes typical to southern Vietnam. Spend a couple of hours walking around Cu Chi’s rugged grounds with a local guide. Hear how the residents constructed an intricate underground network of tunnels during the French and American wars. Hear incredible tales about the unusual foods the residents ate to survive and much more. Once above ground, see other ingenious items used by the residents to defend themselves such as bamboo traps and camouflaged pits.

Upon your return to Ho Chi Minh City, the afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure.

This evening choose between two DiscoverMORE options to experience the night life of HCMC.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast this morning, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your onward or homebound flight.

This itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons. As such, the tour may operate altered from that stated above. Please refer to our terms and conditions.

Meals Included: Breakfast