A Remarkable Journey Across Vietnam in 10 Days 9 Nights

Leave Hanoi behind for Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with thousands of limestone karsts rising from the water. The drive takes approximately 3.5 hours, with a rest stop along the way at a handicraft workshop where local artisans are at work.

Board your overnight cruise at the pier and check into your cabin as the boat sets off into the bay. Lunch is served on board while cruising past the karst formations, followed by a stop for kayaking through a lagoon or a visit to one of the bay's cave systems. Swimming is also available at designated stops for those who wish to join.

In the late afternoon, the sun deck offers views of the sunset over the karsts, one of the more popular moments to photograph the bay. A short cooking demonstration follows, introducing a few techniques behind classic Vietnamese dishes, before dinner is served featuring fresh seafood from the bay. Squid fishing off the deck rounds out the evening for those interested.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Accommodation: Overnight cruise, Ha Long Bay

The cruise continues into areas not covered the day before, passing quieter corners of the bay where fishing communities still live on floating villages. A stop at a pearl farm shows how cultured pearls are formed and harvested, from seeding the oysters to the final polishing. Sunrise can be caught from the deck, with an optional tai chi session for early risers led by one of the crew.

Brunch is served on board as the boat heads back toward the pier, with a final stretch of karst scenery along the way. From the pier, transfer to Ninh Binh, often called "Ha Long Bay on land" for its limestone karsts rising above rice paddies and rivers — a drive of roughly 3 hours through the countryside.

Check in to your hotel on arrival. The rest of the afternoon is free to rest after the transfer, or to explore the surrounding villages and rice fields independently, whether on foot or by bicycle.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Accommodation: Ninh Binh

Spend the morning exploring Ninh Binh's countryside before departing for Hue. A boat ride through Trang An or Tam Coc winds through limestone caves and past rice paddies, offering a close-up view of the karst scenery that gives the region its nickname. For those interested in local history, a stop at Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam during the 10th and 11th centuries, adds a historical layer to the morning's route.

After lunch at a local restaurant, transfer back to Hanoi, a drive of approximately 2 hours, in time for a domestic flight to Hue. Upon arrival at Hue's Phu Bai Airport, your guide will meet you and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

The evening is free to rest after a day of travel, or to venture out independently and explore the streets of Hue at a relaxed pace.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Accommodation: Hue

The Imperial City anchors the day, a walled complex modeled after Beijing's Forbidden City that once housed the Nguyen Dynasty's royal court, with palaces, temples and gates still standing after more than two centuries. From there, visit one of the royal tombs — Khai Dinh or Tu Duc are the most commonly included — each built in a distinct style reflecting the emperor it was designed for.

A boat ride along the Perfume River leads to Thien Mu Pagoda, a seven-story tower that has marked the riverbank since the 17th century and remains one of Hue's most recognized landmarks. Lunch at a local restaurant fits in along this route, followed by free time to wander the streets around the Citadel independently.

Dinner is a royal-style affair, featuring dishes once served to the Nguyen emperors and accompanied by traditional Hue folk music.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Accommodation: Hue

The Hai Van Pass carries the route out of Hue, a coastal mountain road once ranked among the most scenic drives in the world, with views over Lang Co Bay opening up along the way. The Marble Mountains break up the journey near Da Nang — five limestone hills, each named for one of the five elements, riddled with caves and pagodas reachable by stairway or elevator.

Lunch at a local restaurant marks the arrival into Hoi An, followed by a walk through the Ancient Town: the Japanese Covered Bridge, centuries-old merchant houses, and tailor shops lining the riverside streets. Hotel check-in fits in around this exploration, timed loosely rather than fixed to a set hour.

By dusk, lanterns are lit along the river, one of the defining images of Hoi An after dark.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Accommodation: Hoi An

Ba Na Hills takes up most of the day, reached by a cable car ride that ranks among the longest in the world, climbing over jungle-covered slopes and rivers before reaching the hilltop resort more than 1,400 meters above sea level. The Golden Bridge is the centerpiece here, its walkway held aloft by two giant stone hands above the clouds, one of the most photographed spots in Central Vietnam. Beyond the bridge, the French Village recreates a small European town complete with cobblestone streets and a Gothic-style church, while Fantasy Park offers an indoor amusement area for those looking to extend the visit.

Lunch is available at one of the resort's restaurants, with the buffet option a common choice given the range of dining venues spread across the hilltop. Depending on the season, the flower gardens near Le Jardin d'Amour are worth the extra walk, timed well for photos when the mist rolls through the mountains in the early afternoon.

The cable car descent in the late afternoon returns to Hoi An in time for some rest before the evening. The remaining hours are free to revisit the Ancient Town after dark, when the lantern-lit streets along the river take on a different atmosphere than during the day, or to browse the tailor shops for a same-day fitting.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Accommodation: Hoi An

The morning is free in Hoi An, suited to a last walk through the Ancient Town, a bicycle ride through the surrounding rice paddies, or a visit to An Bang Beach before checking out. A basket-boat ride through the Cam Thanh coconut forest is a popular addition for those with time to spare, weaving through the palms with a local rower.

Transfer to Da Nang in the early afternoon, a drive of about 45 minutes, for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, your guide will meet you and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

The evening is at leisure, with Ho Chi Minh City's downtown district - Nguyen Hue Walking Street and the rooftop bars nearby - within easy reach for those who want to start exploring the city after dark.

• Meals: Breakfast

• Accommodation: Ho Chi Minh City

The Reunification Palace opens the day, the former seat of the South Vietnamese government whose gates were famously breached by a tank in April 1975.. Its interior remains largely preserved from that era, with the war room, banquet halls and basement command center all open to visitors. A short walk leads to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Saigon Central Post Office, both dating to the French colonial period and still active landmarks in the city center today.

The War Remnants Museum follows, one of the most visited sites in the city, with exhibits documenting the conflict through photography, military equipment and personal accounts — a stop that tends to leave a strong impression regardless of how much visitors already know about the war. Lunch at a local restaurant offers a break before continuing to Ben Thanh Market, where stalls selling everything from fabric to street food fill a covered market that has operated in some form since the early 20th century.

The afternoon shifts pace with a visit to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist temple known for its incense-filled halls and elaborate carved figures, offering a quieter contrast to the morning's history-heavy sites. As evening sets in, Bitexco Financial Tower's Saigon Skydeck provides a rooftop view over the city, with the option to continue afterward to Nguyen Hue Walking Street or one of the rooftop bars nearby for dinner and a last night in the city.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Accommodation: Ho Chi Minh City

The Mekong Delta fills the morning, reached by a drive of roughly 1.5 hours from Ho Chi Minh City to the riverside town of My Tho or Ben Tre, depending on the operator's route. A wooden boat carries the group along the river's smaller channels, passing coconut groves and stopping at a local workshop where coconut candy is made by hand.

A short ride by horse cart or bicycle through the surrounding orchards adds a change of pace, followed by a visit to a floating market where boats loaded with produce still trade directly on the water. Lunch at a riverside restaurant, often featuring the region's elephant ear fish, marks the final stop before the return drive to Ho Chi Minh City.

Depending on flight schedules, the afternoon allows time to freshen up at the hotel before transferring to Tan Son Nhat Airport for the departure flight, bringing the ten-day journey to a close.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch