10-Day Vietnam Cultural Tour: Cu Chi, My Son and Ha Long Bay

You land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, where a driver is waiting to take you into the centre of Ho Chi Minh City and drop you at your hotel. The evening is for settling in, finding the time zone and sleeping off the flight.

You head out on a Mekong River cruise towards a quiet island near My Tho. Southern Vietnamese folk music is played on board, there is tropical fruit and warm honey tea, and then a paddle boat takes you along the narrow canals to a coconut candy workshop. Lunch is the region’s famous Elephant-Ear Fish. On the way back you stop at Vinh Trang Pagoda before returning to the city.

Sleep in, or take your coffee at a local cafe. Later you join a half-day tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and walk a section of the underground network dug during the Vietnam War; a shooting range with an M16 or an AK47 is available on site for an extra fee. In the afternoon you transfer to the airport for a short flight to Da Nang, and drive on to your hotel in Hoi An.

A guided walking tour of the Ancient Town takes in the local market, a historical museum and the merchant houses that have stood since Hoi An was a trading port, built in a mix of Vietnamese and Chinese styles. You visit the assembly halls, watch craftspeople at work and cross the Japanese Covered Bridge. When the tour ends in the afternoon you are free to have clothes made, or to sit by the river.

The morning is a cycling tour through Hoi An’s countryside, with a stop for Cao Lau, the noodle dish the town is known for. You pedal on to Tra Que Village, where a local family shows you how white rose dumplings are folded, then to Cam Nam village for a lesson in balancing Yin and Yang on a plate. The afternoon belongs to My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site where the Champa Kingdom built temples in red brick.

The day is entirely yours. The beach is a short ride away, the tailors and massage parlours are open, and the lantern-lit streets are best walked slowly. If you would rather have a plan, an optional guided tour of the surrounding area can be arranged through Hoi An Express.

A flight north from Da Nang lands at Noi Bai International Airport, where a driver takes you to a downtown hotel. After lunch you visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, then Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, the But Tower and the red The Huc Bridge. The afternoon finishes with a cyclo ride through the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, at the pace the city is actually lived at.

A scenic drive to the coast, then you board a cruise ship and sail into Ha Long Bay, past roughly three thousand limestone islands and pillars standing out of the green water. The boat anchors in a quiet cove where you can swim and go into the grottoes under the cliffs. You spend the night on board.

You wake to the sound of the water and eat breakfast on the boat. The morning is for swimming, sitting in the sun and looking at the bay. Lunch is served on the cruise before the ship returns to harbour, and a driver takes you back to your Hanoi hotel for your last night in Vietnam.

One last Vietnamese breakfast at the hotel, then free time to pack or to walk the neighbourhood. When it is time, a driver collects you and takes you to Noi Bai International Airport for your flight home.