Panorama of Vietnam

This nine-day, eight-night journey runs the length of Vietnam by road, boat and two domestic flights: a full day in Hanoi, a night aboard a junk in Ha Long Bay, then Ba Na Hills, Hoi An, imperial Hue, the Mekong Delta and Saigon. It suits first-time visitors wanting the headline sights in one trip; with a week instead, see our seven-day Vietnam Highlights itinerary or another of our Vietnam holiday packages.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Hanoi And The Old Quarter

You are met on an early morning arrival and taken to your hotel, then spend a full day in a capital of tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture and quiet lakes. Sightseeing starts at the Ho Chi Minh Complex, with the founder's mausoleum, the Presidential Palace and the house on stilts; the mausoleum closes on Mondays, Fridays and throughout November. Then come the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, and a cyclo ride around the Old Quarter. No meals are included on day one.

A Night Aboard A Junk In Ha Long Bay

Day two is a three-hour drive across the Red River Delta to Ha Long City and a refurbished wooden sailing junk. It threads between limestone cliffs and emerald water among some three thousand islands of this World Heritage site, with a fresh seafood lunch on board, swimming and caves to explore. Dinner is served on board, the captain anchors overnight near a remote island, and next morning brings an early dip, sunrise at sea and kayaking. The cruise is on a sharing basis and programmes differ between cruises; for the north alone, see our five-day North of Vietnam Explorer.

Da Nang, Ba Na Hills And Hoi An

Around midday you return to the harbour, drive three hours to Noi Bai Airport and fly to Da Nang, then on to Hoi An for two nights. A morning pick-up rides the cable car up to Ba Na Hills for Le Jardin d'Amour, the Golden Bridge and the French Village, with a buffet lunch and Fantasy Park before the cable car down at 15:00. Day five is spent walking Hoi An Old Town: merchant houses that have withstood two hundred years of weather and war, the four-centuries-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall.

Imperial Hue, Saigon And The Mekong Delta

That afternoon the road to Hue crosses the Pass of Ocean Clouds to Lang Co's fishing villages, stopping at the Cham Museum, China Beach and the Marble Mountains. A private boat on the Perfume River next day reaches Thien Mu Pagoda, built in 1601, then Emperor Tu Duc's mausoleum, the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, before a flight to Saigon for three nights. Day seven is two hours by road to Ben Tre for a coconut-shell charcoal workshop, longan orchards on Tam Hiep Island, a rowing boat through narrow canals and a homestay lunch. The last full day pairs the Cu Chi Tunnels with the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market if time permits. To end on the sand, our seven-day South Vietnam beach holiday adds Mui Ne.

GOOD TO KNOW

Accommodation is twin or double sharing, transfers use a private air-conditioned vehicle, and private boat trips in Hue and the Mekong Delta, entrance fees and government taxes are included. The English-speaking guide covers guided time only, and on the Ha Long cruise is on board only. Meals are only those marked in the itinerary; other lunches, including Hue's, and all dinners ashore are at your own expense. Flights, insurance, airport taxes and the Vietnam visa are excluded; see our visa assistance. Tipping for the local guide and driver is compulsory at fixed per-person, per-day rates, and Christmas, New Year and Tet carry surcharges.