Xin Chao and welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival to Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, your Topas guide will welcome you to the capital before heading straight to your hotel in the heart of the city. The day is yours to spend at your leisure to discover Hanoi on your own, perhaps wandering the streets and alleys of the iconic Old Quarter and enjoying the evening promenade around Hoan Kiem Lake. You can of course speak to your guide for some tips for what to do.

Included meals: N/A
Distance and activities: 45’ drive

Hanoi is home to Vietnam’s very best museums, covering everything from the military history of the nation to the colorful ethnic diversity. Choose from one of the three best: the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Then head to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s oldest university and still a place of worship, especially for students during exam season.

Enjoy a local lunch before spending time strolling around the leafy gardens and ancient architecture of the Citadel, finishing the day with a beer in one of the local beer gardens.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 4km street walk

After breakfast, leave behind Hanoi on a 2-hour drive to Ninh Binh. Ninh Binh remains one of Vietnam’s most captivating locations, combining stunning natural splendor with an engrossing history.

Investigate the remains of Hoa Lu, the capital of Vietnam under both the Dinh and Le dynasties and established a thousand years ago. The sights and smells still evoke the atmosphere of a lost kingdom with stunning temples, pagodas, and elaborate tombs. You’ll also uncover evidence of ancient palaces and royal pavilions that reference an ancient era, surrounded by towering karst outcrops.

In the afternoon, grab a bicycle and peddle through the Trang An Nature Reserve to your boat location. Hop into a small sampan to discover what Ninh Binh is known for – its incredibly scenic boat rides. Keep your head low as your guide rows the boat with her feet through cave passages that lead to hidden temples and pagodas inaccessible by road.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 2.5h drive – 1.5h boat

Have a leisurely breakfast this morning before leaving Ninh Binh on a 2-hour drive through the Red River Delta to Hai Phong. Upon arrival, board your new “home” for the next 2 days and check-in to your spacious cabin with large windows, perfect for gazing out at the beauty around you. Enjoy lunch in the dining room while the ship cruises to Cat Ba

Island, the largest island of some 367 islands in Lan Ha Bay.
Spend the afternoon deep within Cat Ba National Park, hiking through Trung Trang Valley to Trung Trang cave, a 2000-year-old cavern filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Then, have some downtime to swim and kayak in the isolated Tra Bau area.

Return to the ship and enjoy a traditional Vietnamese cooking class and a delicious dinner onboard before retiring for the night in your comfy cabin.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance and activities: 2h drive – Sightseeing walk

Explore a local floating fishing village this morning by kayak. Return to the ship for a light breakfast as the cruise makes its way to the Dark and Bright Cave, a popular attraction in Halong Bay experienced from a local bamboo boat.

As the cruise makes its way back to Hai Phong, sit down for an early lunch before your 2-hour transfer to Noi Bai International Airport for a quick, domestic flight to central Vietnam’s Hue.

Included meals: Brunch
Distance and activities: 1h kayaking – 2h transfer – 1h15’ flight

Start your morning with a relaxed cycling tour down colonial Le Loi Head boulevard, looking out for colonial mansions before crossing the iconic Truong Tien bridge, built by none other than Gustave Eiffel (yes, of Eiffel Tower fame). Park your bike to roam the grand Hue Citadel, a grand walled city of parks and lakes as well as a traditional garden house where you can enjoy lunch.

Spend the afternoon gliding down the Perfume River on a colorful dragon boat to two different tombs on UNESCO’s list for preservation due to their cultural and historical significance. First, explore the rural setting of Emperor Tu Duc’s mausoleum, with its spacious fields and lotus ponds. Then, wander the immaculately landscaped gardens and ornate temples of Emperor Minh Mang, the final resting place of one of the Nguyen Dynasty’s staunchest Confucians.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 2h cycling – 3h boat ride

Depart Hue today after a relaxed breakfast and head for the charm and beauty of Hoi An, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hue is connected to Hoi An along a stunning coastal road where you’ll glimpse lagoons, mountains, rice fields, and the vast ocean.

Explore the gorgeous and colorful An Bang “ghost city” along the way, an example of how the Hue people venerate their ancestors, before continuing on, past the sunny beaches of Da Nang, finally ending at your hotel in Hoi An. You can then explore Hoi An on your own independently.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 2.5h drive

You’ll enjoy a morning guided tour of Hoi An, known as Faifo to early western traders, this was one of the region’s major trading ports during the 17th to 19th centuries. Today, this historic town is still graced with finely preserved homes built by Japanese, Indian, Dutch and Portuguese merchants of old. Your guided sightseeing also showcases ancient Chinese temples, art galleries and colorful local markets that give you a deeper insight of this old town. Then we take a short ride to visit an Organic Farm to see how the locals cultivate the fields before heading back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, you are free to take the rest at the hotel and immerse yourself in the swimming pool or grab a bike to explore Hoi An countryside on your own.

Included meals: Breakfast
Distance and activities: 3 hours walking sightseeing

Hoi An is one of Vietnam’s most charming towns, with beautiful old streets decorated with hanging lanterns. Enjoy the day, getting to know the restaurants, cafes, and tailors of the Ancient Town, situated on the banks of the Thu Bon River. We suggest popping by the Reaching Out Teahouse, a lovely old-fashioned house providing work for the hard of hearing, serving up delicious tea and homemade snacks. You may also like to head to one of the nearby beaches, some of which are lined with restautants serving everything from local seafood to western cuisine.

Included meals: Breakfast
Distance and activities: Free at Leisure

Enjoy the day in Hoi An until an afternoon flight to the metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City. After freshening up at your hotel, the rest of your day is yours to explore or relax.

Included meals: Breakfast
Distance and activities: 30’ transfer – 1h25’ flight – 45’ transfer

Step into the past with a visit through the Cu Chi tunnels, a vital network of 200km of underground passages, chambers, and living quarters during the war with America and a fascinating piece of Vietnam’s history. Enjoy a local lunch nearby before returning to the center of Ho Chi Minh City.

The afternoon consists of an easy walking tour, starting at the Reunification Palace and then stopping at the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral, two still-working colonial masterpieces. End your tour at the War Remnants Museum, paying respect to the sobering recent tragedies and the fighting spirit of the Vietnamese to rebuild their society.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 3h round-trip transfer -3h tunnel tour – 3h sightseeing city tour

Leave the city for a quiet escape to the fertile rice bowl of Vietnam: the Mekong Delta. This lush land of palm trees and great plains is home to some of the best fruit farms found anywhere in the world, and it’s all easily explored by bike. So, take your two wheels and peddle around the area, taking in the vibrant green rice paddies and stopping to enjoy the delicious fruit.

Check-in to your riverside lodge, just in time to watch a traditional music show while enjoying a delicious dinner made from local ingredients from the area.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 2h transfer – 2h cycling

Get an early start and discover more about one of the produce items that keeps this region in business: coconuts. Witness the boats piled high with coconuts destined for the factory – nothing goes to waste! After the coconuts are shelled, the fibers are removed from the husk and used to make rope and rugs. You can watch the whole process before returning to the lodge for a quick lunch before heading back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Arrive back to your city hotel in the late afternoon, with the evening free to explore on your own.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance and activities: 2h transfer – 2h cycling

Enjoy the last day as you see fit before your transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for onward booked travel.

Included meals: Breakfast
Distance and activities: 45’ transfer