After breakfast we depart Hanoi for Mai Chau. After lunch in a traditional stilt house of the Thai people, we drive for one hour to Sa Linh Village to begin our trekking. Today we’ll walk on the off beaten track to Hang Kia village, home of the H’mong Minority people where we stay overnight in a traditional long house.

Today we’ll trek through tropical rain forest, using the local tracks and passing through cornfields as we descend in to Mai Chau Valley. The trek takes around 7 hours and is quite steep in places. Lunch will be provided en route, and if weather permit, we will have a picnic near a babbling brook at the foot of the valley. Tonight we will be their guests in Van village. There, we will be toasted as honored guests and sample some of their homemade rice wine!

This morning we’ll trek for a couple of hours passing through several more Thai hamlets. We walk on the valley floor and are surrounded by rice paddies and beautiful scenery. At the small village of Khoe we meet up with our waiting vehicle and drive back towards Mai Chau. Lunch is again provided in Mai Chau and there is also the chance to do a little souvenir shopping before we return to Hanoi (B, L)

After breakfast we head for a 3-hour drive to Halong Bay. This two-day cruise gives us the chance to enjoy the bay from the luxury of our private junk. We board at noon and enjoy lunch on board. In the afternoon, we explore some of the limestone caves. Then our captain will find a secluded spot for swimming and sun bathing before dinner. For the night owls, there is an option of night fishing.

Rising in the morning, we have time for an early morning dip followed by breakfast. This morning we continue to cruise around the bay to find more secluded areas to either swim or kayak in. At midday we will return to the main harbor for a 3-hour journey back to Hanoi.

Enjoy your free morning in Hanoi today for shopping or just hanging around the great environment of the old quarter. In the afternoon, we take a flight to Hue (free evening in Hue).

Our day begins with a visit to the Citadel, containing the Imperial City and the Forbidden Purple City, the Emperor’s private residence. We continue our day by cruising Perfume River, in the afternoon we visit Thien Mu Pagoda. Around 4.00pm we board our vehicle to Danang and continue to Hoi An, via the scenic Hai Van pass. Check in Hotel and enjoy your evening.

Hoi An is a charming, small town which can be easily explored on foot. More than any other place in Vietnam, Hoi An retains the feeling of centuries past and is a favorite with all travelers.  At noon, we gather again for, followed by a half day tour of the ancient town.

Cua Dai beach is simply the best choice for today. With long stretch sandy beach and the warm sun of Middle of Vietnam, you can spend the whole day on the beach with a book on your hand. Seafood restaurants are along the coast line.

This morning we’ll transfer to Danang, take the one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. We will have an early lunch before an afternoon tour of the city including Cholon, the War Remnants museum and the Reunification Palace and the Binh Tay market.

This morning we drive through the Mekong Delta to the town of Cai Be, well-known for its floating market. Here we will board our private boat for a cruise along the maze of waterways and canals to Vinh Long. We will stop at the home of a Bonsai gardener for a sumptuous Delta lunch, including the popular dish of ‘Elephant ear fish’, before continuing our exploration of the tributaries and canals of the delta. Towards the end of the day we arrive at the home of a local family whose house is built on stilts over the water. These people will be our hosts for this evening and will tell us more about life in the Delta.

Rising early to the sounds of the Delta coming to life for another day, we’ll have breakfast before boarding our riverboats once more for a cruise to Vinh Long town, stopping along the way to visit some local cottage industries. Following this we will have rendezvous with our vehicle for the drive to the town of My Tho, where we will visit the Vinh Trang pagoda, before our return to Ho Chi Minh City. Tonight we have a special time at Linh and Mai house for a traditional music performance follow by a great dine out to toast for a success trip.

We will say goodbye after breakfast and you have time to do your last shopping before we check out and transfer to airport for the flight home.