Departure from the selected airport in the UK with with connecting flights along the way.

After arriving in Hanoi, you go through immigration and collect your luggage. Your guide awaits for you in the arrivals hall with a TourCompass sign. You are driven to your hotel, where you will spend the night. Once you arrive, the rest of the day is at your leisure. You could take a little trip to the small, busy streets in the exotic Old Quarter, while taking in the variety of sights and sounds of the city. Lake Hoan Kiem is close by. A walk around it takes about half an hour, and can be quite refreshing in the shade of the many big trees.

After breakfast, you’ll check out of the hotel, where your luggage will be stored for you while you go on an exciting guided sightseeing tour of the main sights of Hanoi.

You’ll start by visiting the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which was built in honour of the Republic of Vietnam’s first president and national icon, Ho Chi Minh, who lived and worked in Hanoi for most of his life. The complex includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Da Binh Square, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House and the Ho Chi Minh Museum. We would like to inform you that Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum is closed for approximately two months a year due to renovation work.

A visit to the imperial citadel Thang Long is next. For more than a century, the citadel was a centre of political power, and today it is recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

It’s now time for lunch, and you’ll be served a light lunch here, which can either be bun cha (Vietnamese meatballs with noodles) or pho (Vietnamese noodle soup).

You’ll then visit the Temple of Literature from 1070, which was Vietnam’s first university. The nation’s powerful officials, the Mandarins, were educated here in accordance with Confucian teachings.

Finally, you’ll see the iconic Long Bien Bridge over the Red River, before enjoying a 30-minute cyclo tour through the narrow, chaotic streets and alleyways of Hanoi’s cosy Old Quarter.

The sightseeing rounds off with a cup of Vietnamese coffee at a local café, overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake.

At the end of the day, you’ll return to your hotel to pick up your bags. The guide will then drive you to the train station, where you take the night train to Lao Cai.

The night train departs from Hanoi at 8 pm and arrives in Lao Cai at 6.05 am the next morning.

For an additional fee, it is possible to book private transportation from Hanoi and Sapa instead of taking the night train. This option will include an extra night in Hanoi.

You arrive in Lao Cai early in the morning. You are met by a guide who will drive you the rest of the way to the hotel in the small mountain village of Sapa, where a hearty breakfast awaits you. The drive takes around 75 minutes on small roads with hairpin bends.

Your room is ready for you the moment you arrive, so you can take a bath and unpack at your leisure.

Sapa is world-famous for its scenic nature, with grass-green, painstakingly-planted rice terraces, mountains and ethnic mountain tribes in colourful clothing.

In the afternoon, you are picked up by the guide and driven to the small village of Ta Van, scenically located in the Muong Hoa valley. Here, a scenic hike begins to the village of Lao Chai, which is inhabited by the black hmong minority. Be sure to wear comfortable, non-slip shoes, as the trails can be slippery in wet weather.

On the hike, you will experience the local life at close range. You might, for example, see men building houses, women embroidering and children playing or on their way home from school, and who greet you with a big smile when they see you.

The Hmong are famous for their colourful clothes, and here in Lao Cai you are introduced to Batik and have a chance to try your hand at the craft. As a craft, Batik has been threatened by modern means of production, but local initiatives such as this one in Lao Cai ensure that the tradition is passed on, so that it won’t become a distant memory.

The tour continues up a steep path between the rice terraces set out over the hillside slopes. You will see farmers ploughing their fields with their oxen. You arrive at Mrs Moo’s house. Mrs Moo never learned English at school, but speaks it fluently. She lives with her husband and children and runs a homestay. She tells you about life up here in the mountains while you rest your feet in a traditional herbal foot bath. Although she leads a simple life, it’s hard not to be a little envious of her view.

After a pleasant visit with Mrs Moo and her family, you head back to Sapa.

The day is spent at your leisure. You can choose one of our optional tours, go for a walk in the outskirts of the city or explore the small mountain village on your own.

The main street runs through the village, lined with shops, restaurants and cafés. When you reach the end of the road, you come to the local square, Quang Truong, where the catholic church is located. The square is a place where the locals often meet to hang out and play ball. Quang Truong also serves as a marketplace where the ethnic tribal people come to sell their wares.

On a clear day, you can enjoy a view of Vietnam’s highest mountain, Fansipan, its top often shrouded in clouds or fog. Weather-permitting, you can take the world’s highest and longest cable car up to the mountain. You will have the feeling of gliding through the clouds while enjoying the magnificent views of the Muong Hua Valley and the beautiful scenery of the Hoang Lien National Park.

In the evening you will be picked up and driven to Lao Cai, from where you will take the night train back to Hanoi.

The night train departs from Lao Cai at 9.40 pm and arrives in Hanoi at 5.30 am the next morning.

You arrive in Hanoi very early in the morning and are picked up at the train station. From there you are driven to a hotel, giving you a chance to relax and take a bath.

After breakfast, you move on from Hanoi. The tour goes through the lush delta of the Red River to Ha Long Bay, where you join a mini cruise.

Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most outstanding natural areas. In the bay, hundreds of green-clad limestone cliffs jut vertically out of the sea, which over the course of the year fluctuates in colour from deep blue to jade green. On the large island, Cat Ba, there are several villages, with smaller fishing villages on some of the smaller islands. For travellers, Ha Long Bay is first and foremost a wonderful world-class natural area, while for the Vietnamese it is also associated with legends of dragons and drama. Ha Long Bay is about 1,500 km² in size and was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

You arrive in the town of Ha Long at noon and board your cruise ship, where you receive a short safety briefing followed by check-in. The boat heads out towards the secluded islands in the bay, and you can now relax and just enjoy the view of the islands and the floating fishing villages. Along the way, you visit a pearl farm, and make a stop at Ti Top Island, where you can swim and hike up to a viewpoint that offers stunning views of the bay. In the evening, you can fish for octopus from the stern of the boat and enjoy watching the magnificent sunset.

NOTE!! In the event of bad weather with storms, the Vietnamese authorities reserve the right to close Ha Long Bay to navigation for safety reasons. This happens a few times a year. In such cases, the mini cruise will be replaced with hotel accommodation and an excursion in Hanoi.

Start the day with a refreshing dip in the warm, clear water of the Ha Long Bay, or perhaps you’d like to enjoy the sunrise from the ship’s magnificent sun deck. Breakfast is served as the ship calmly begins to make the trip back to port. On the way, there is still time for a visit to a grotto featuring both stalactites and stalagmites. Once you reach land, the trip continues by car back to Hanoi, then by plane to Hué. In Hué you are picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel.  The rest of the day is your own.

Hué was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, and the ruins of the city’s royal past can still be experienced in the Citadel and the Imperial City. Today you visit the citadel. Built at the beginning of the 1800s, it was modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing. During the Indochina War and later, in the Vietnam War, many of its buildings were damaged by bombs. Today the area is being restored to its former glory with the aid of UNESCO donations. The sightseeing tour also includes visits to the stunning Imperial Tombs and Thien Mu Pagoda, and it concludes with a boat trip on the Perfume River.
The morning is at your disposal.

In the morning you drive a charming route from Hué to Hoi An. The route goes along the coast part of the way, then passes over the Truong Son mountains and through the world-famous Hai Van Pass, also known as “the pass in the clouds”.  You arrive at Hoi An in the late afternoon.

Hoi An is a wonderful experience and you cannot help but fall in love with the city. It is especially well-known for its charming architecture, impressive silk production, great tailors and its Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Flowing through the heart of the Old Town is the Thu Bon River, which is a glorious example of an international port dating back to the heyday of European and East Asian trading companies from the 16th to the 18th century.

Away from the river, you will find yourself in a maze of cosy, charming streets. Wherever you turn, you will see how the former colonial powers have each made their mark on the district. Colourful lanterns, Japanese houses, Chinese temples and French yellow merchants’ houses fill the cityscape. Shops, street kitchens, cafés and restaurants line the streets, where you can while away several hours connected to the city’s free Wi-Fi.

The fact that Hoi An’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site naturally makes it a major draw for tourists. The streets might be busy, but there is still a lovely calm to the area, and the district has managed to retain its authenticity and charm. It also helps that cars, scooters and motorcycles are denied access.

You spend three nights at this wonderful gem of a place, giving you plenty of time to enjoy and explore different parts of the city.

The days are spent at your leisure. Enjoy the beach, explore Hoi An, make an excursion to the temple region Cham, your options are many.

Today, you will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport in Da Nang, before flying to Vietnam’s biggest city Ho Chi Minh City.

On your arrival at Ho Chi Minh City Airport, you will be met by a guide who will drive you to your hotel, which is located in District 1. District 1 is still known as Saigon and is considered to be the inner city, while District 2–11 is called Ho Chi Minh City.

The day is spent at your leisure.

It might be something of a shock to come from the peaceful Hoi An to this hectic metropolis inhabited by some 10 million people and just as many scooters and motorcycles. Fortunately, you will be rewarded with an incredibly exciting and modern city. This is seen in the city’s buildings, which are a good mix of old and new – modern high-rise buildings in glass and well-preserved colonial buildings.

At your hotel, you are not far from the famous Ben Tranh Market, modern shops and shopping malls as well as the city’s many attractions such as Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Reunification Palace, the War Museum, the Opera House and the Saigon Skydeck skyskraper, from which you can look out over the whole city.

You spend the day at your leisure in Ho Chi Minh. You can choose to explore the city on your own – take a look at the various markets or eat your way through the delectable street kitchens.

You will be picked up from your hotel and driven towards the Mekong Delta, south of Ho Chi Minh City. The Mekong River itself runs 4,500 km through 6 countries from its source to the delta south of Ho Chi Minh City. The delta is known as Vietnam’s pantry and is, as the nickname suggests, an extremely fertile place. The delta covers an area of almost 40,000 km², but the area covered by water depends on the amount of rainfall and the season.

You won’t get far from Ho Chi Minh City before you start seeing beautiful green rice fields. The climate here allows farmers to plant and harvest three crops a year.

Arriving in the small charming town of Cai Be, you board a boat that takes you around the lush Mekong Delta. Here, you can experience the locals with their boats filled with watermelons, coconuts, and pineapples, or patiently waiting for another fish to bite. The area was formerly known for its floating markets, but today, goods are sold on land.

Then, you visit a family that produces and sells various products made from water hyacinths. The tour also passes by a small home factory that produces “pop rice,” a local specialty in the Mekong Delta.

You now board a sampan, a traditional boat, and sail through the labyrinth of narrow channels in the charming delta before enjoying a late lunch in a beautiful old local house. Here, you will also be shown how to make the traditional Vietnamese pancakes, banh xeo.

Afterward, you are sailed back to Cai Be and from there, driven to Chau Doc.

An exciting excursion awaits you today in and around Chau Doc, where you’ll discover the beauty, sounds, smells and minorities of this border town.

Your guide will pick you up from the hotel, and the first stop is the Chau Doc market in the heart of the city. The locals come here to buy freshly caught fish, fresh fruit and vegetables and fragrant spices. Perhaps you should bring some home with you for your own kitchen?

Afterwards, you board a boat and sail along the Chau Doc River past colourful stilt houses and floating fish farms.

Chau Doc is a melting pot of cultures and faiths living in peace and harmony. You’ll visit the Cham people, an ethnic minority group that lives in stilt houses. The Cham people typically make a living from weaving and fish farming, which is both exported and sold locally. You’ll learn about the exciting history and culture of the Cham people.

You will then return to the boat and sail to the 284-metre-high Sam Mountain, the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta. Along the way, you’ll pass the Vinh Te Canal, which was built by the emperors Gia Long and Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty. The boat docks on the shore by Sam Mountain, where you’ll visit the temples Hang Pagoda, from which there is a nice view of the rice fields, and Ba Chua Xu, which pilgrims flock to.

The excursion rounds off with lunch before you return to the hotel.

From Chau Doc, a speedboat trip takes you along the mighty Mekong River. Today’s destination is Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The trip, which takes 4–5 hours, is in a comfortable speedboat. Along the way, you can observe the life along the banks of the river. Visas to Cambodia are obtained at the border, and the boat staff help to ensure that the process runs smoothly. On your arrival in Phnom Penh, you are met and driven to your hotel where you will spend two nights.

Today, a guided sightseeing tour of Phnom Penh awaits you. Not only is it Cambodia’s largest city, but it is also the country’s capital. The day begins with a visit to the royal palace. The palace was built in 1866, when the king moved his court from the city of Udong, which is situated roughly 40 km north-west of Phnom Penh and made Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia. The palace is built in classic Khmer style, and is certainly one of the most beautiful sights in the entire city. The tour then heads to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which serves as a testament to the crimes of the Khmer Rouge. Some may find the visit a harsh experience, but it is important to remember that the museum conveys a historical reality for Cambodia.

Today’s tour ends with a trip to Choeung Ek, known worldwide as the “Killing Fields”, where more than 17,000 people were murdered and thrown into the mass graves by the Khmer Rouge. Late in the day, the tour heads back to the hotel, and you have the opportunity to explore Phnom Penh at your leisure in the evening.

You are picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport, from where you fly to Siem Reap. On your arrival in Siem Reap, you are met by a guide, who drives you to your hotel. You spend two nights in Siem Reap. The rest of the day is yours to relax or even explore Siem Reap.

Today’s sightseeing tour takes you to one of the absolute highlights of Cambodia and the tour: Angkor’s magnificent temple complex. The area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1992. You start off at the south gate at Angkor Thom. You walk along the old city wall to see the temple ruin, Prasat Chrung. From there, you continue to the Bayon Temple, where you are greeted by ten smiling Buddha faces. You will also see the Elephant Terrace and the royal palace Phimeanakas and finally the famous Ta Prohm Temple, known for its many ruins, where the roots of the trees have fused with the buildings to a certain degree, holding the buildings together.

After lunch in Siem Reap, the tour heads to the best-preserved and most famous temple in the entire Angkor area, namely Angkor Wat. You explore the area, both with a guide and on your own, before going to Phnom Bakheng or Pre Rup to watch the sunset.

You guide fetches you from the hotel and drives you to the airport. From here, you fly to Luang Prabang, where you are met by another guide, who takes you to your hotel. You spend three nights in Luang Prabang. The rest of the day is your own to start exploring Luang Prabang. The city is on UNESCO’s list of sites worthy of preservation, and is a truly unique blend of traditional Laotian architecture and French colonial era charm. The city’s rhythm is a chapter in itself, life is lived quietly and with a dignity rarely seen.

Today, you are going on a guided sightseeing tour of beautiful Luang Prabang.

At the iconic Wat Xieng Thong temple, you will see a beautiful, traditional temple construction, but with a richly carved entrance covered in gold leaf. You also visit the National Museum, which is situated in the former royal palace. The contrast to the royal palace in Cambodia’s capital is striking. No visit to Luang Prabang is complete without standing on the top of Phousi Hill, after a climb of 328 steps. At the top, you can enjoy outstanding views of the city and the river.

Later in the day, you sail along the Mekong River to the sacred Pak Ou Caves. The caves are home to hundreds of Buddha statues in all manner of sizes, and are sacred to Buddhists. The trip to and from the caves is a wonderful experience in itself. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and the wind in your hair as the local life passes by. On the way back to Luang Prabang, you make a stop in a small local village. You are back in Luang Prabang late in the day and the evening is at your disposal.

Today, you’ll be getting up early! A very special experience in Luang Prabang takes place in the early hours of the morning, when 300+ monks proceed silently through the streets of the city to collect alms. All local families send a representative onto the street with food or drinks, which is shared between the monks’ collection pots. As a spectator, you will be amazed by the respectful silence and great dignity with which this daily ritual takes place.

The rest of today’s experiences are located south of the city, where the crystal clear waters of Kuang Si Falls await you. At the base of the waterfall, a number of natural pools have formed, which you may swim in if you wish. Situated by the waterfalls is the Sun Bear Reserve. Run by the Free the Bears organisation, the reserve is a sanctuary for Asian Malay bears, which are highly endangered as their bile is sought after for medicine. Here, you will learn about the centre’s impressive work with the endangered bears.

The rest of the day is your own to explore Luang Prabang.

You are driven to the airport where you catch a flight to the UK, with connecting flight(s) on the way.

You land in the UK after a lovely holiday.