Vietnam Luxury Tour ( IPV27 )

Xin Chao! Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam.

With a long flight (or flights) under your belt, a hostess will be waiting for you with a beaming smile, holding a welcome signboard with your name on it who will help you through the fast-tracked (VIP) process to get your visa stamped. Once you have obtained a stamp for your visa and collected your luggage, your hostess will happily take you to your waiting guide and driver who will transfer you directly to the hotel.

Your knowledgeable guide will be happy to answer any questions along the way regarding your 14-day luxurious holiday in Vietnam.

Arrive and check into the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel, an award-winning colonial and neo-classical luxury hotel located in the heart of the old city. Here you can savour the French art de vivre blended with elegant Vietnamese touches.

Please note: Your travel documents contain a Visa-on-Arrival letter (unless otherwise arranged). Please ensure to pack this in your carry-on luggage. Your Visa-on-Arrival letter must be presented to Customs upon entry into the country.

Overnight in Hanoi

Hanoi is a bustling and fascinating city – a whirlwind of colours, smells and sounds and a wonderful place to get a real flavour of life in Vietnam.

Morning
After breakfast your private guide and driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and take you on a half-day tour to discover the city, taking in sights including the Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts and the nearby One Pillar Pagoda.

Continue to visit the historic Temple of Literature (Vietnam’s first university, built in the 11th century), the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple.

Enjoy a delicious French fusion lunch at La Verticale, an elegant fine-dining restaurant that’s housed in a French colonial-style villa.

Afternoon
After lunch, you will return to the hotel for your free time. Pamper yourself at the Le Spa du Metropole or join the tour of Metropole’s Path of History and the bomb shelter with the hotel’s historians. The bomb shelter was used to protect hotel’s guests including famous visitors like Joan Baez and Jane Fonda from air raids during the War (1964 – 1973). After that the bunker was closed and sealed until a chance rediscovery by the hotel engineering department during the renovation of the Bamboo Bar in 2011.

In the late afternoon, you will meet your private guide again and embark on an hour-long cyclo (a three-wheeled bicycle taxi) tour through the old quarter, one of Vietnam’s liveliest areas.  Weaving your way through the maze of back streets, you’ll get a glimpse into everyday life and an insight into the country’s long history.

Evening
Your guide and driver will meet you again and take you to a local home, where you are warmly welcomed in by a local family. After an inviting cup of tea and a short introduction, step into the family’s main hall to learn more about their traditions and beliefs. Next, head to their kitchen for an entertaining demonstration of secret recipes. Finally, gather round the table for dinner with your family hosts, on this exclusive experience. Return to your hotel with a deeper understanding of local life.

Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: (B/L/D)

Today you will enjoy an amazing trip with Halong Bay’s most luxurious wooden junk boat, the Paradise Peak. With private butler service, lavish cabins and amenities, and facilities that are second to none, a 2-Day, 1-Night cruise of Halong Bay on Paradise Peak will be an experience of a lifetime.

Morning
After breakfast and check out of the hotel, your private guide and driver will pick you up and take you on a three-hour drive through the horizon of the Red River Delta to the legendary Halong Bay where you will board the luxurious Paradise Peak that is your home for the evening.

Around midday, you will arrive at Tuan Chau Island and embark on the cruise. After that, you will be taken to the restaurant where you’ll meet the Paradise Peak crew. While you enjoy your welcome drink, you will be given a short briefing about your cruise and the itinerary.

Don’t forget – your butler will take care of your every need while you are on board.

A scrumptious lunch will be served in the restaurant while cruising the islands and islets of stunning Halong Bay.

Afternoon
After lunch is the real-time to contemplate the timeless beauty of Halong Bay as Paradise Peak cruises past the limestone islands, islets, and towers. Alternatively, you may wish to pamper yourself at Le Parfum Spa*.

Later you will visit Tung Sau Pearl Farm, an area in Halong Bay dedicated to growing pearls and practicing a handmade technique based on Vietnamese tradition and Japanese technology. Here you will have an opportunity to hop on a kayak and paddle around the limestone cliffs and through the turquoise waters. If this excursion doesn’t take your fancy, stay on board, and treat yourself to a delicious afternoon tea.

Arrive at Ti Top Island where you hike to the top for stunning panoramic views of the Bay. After your hike, go for a refreshing swim in Halong Bay’s emerald waters or sip from a coconut in the shade.

As the sun sets, you will arrive at a tranquil anchor spot for the night. In this hidden spot, you can revel in the memories of the day’s adventures with a cocktail under the stars. Join a cooking demonstration with the chef. Learn about local ingredients as well as the preparation of classic Vietnamese dishes.

Evening
Enjoy your Paradise Royal Dinner your way – dine anywhere you want on the ship: your cabin, the sundeck, or the restaurant. It really is up to you. After dinner, the rest of the evening is yours to enjoy: squid fishing, a movie in your cabin, or more drinks on the sundeck.

Overnight on board in Halong Bay
Meals: (B/L/D)

Morning
Awaken your senses with a Tai Chi session on the sundeck before breakfast. Breathe in the fresh morning air, watch the sunrise, and feel your body revitalize.

Head out to visit the magnificent Sung Sot Cave “Grotte des Surprises” a hidden gem of mother nature. This is the largest cave in Halong Bay, and the stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years have taken on fascinating shapes. Enjoy the breathtaking panoramic view across the Bay once you exit the cave.

Back on board, breakfast will be served in the restaurant or in your cabin as the Paradise Peak cruises past Thien Cung and Dau Go Caves and Fighting Cocks Islet.  Check out of the cabin while the Paradise Peak cruises back to the port.

You will finally disembark the boat at Tuan Chau pier. Instead of driving back to Hanoi, you will embark on a comfortable, fun-filled, and luxury trip by Hai Au Seaplane. The 45-minute flight allows you to enjoy thousands of limestone karsts jutting up from the jade-green waters from a bird’s eye view and see the remote fishing villages.

Afternoon
Return to Hanoi Airport where you will be connected to a short flight to the Royal City of Hue in the central of Vietnam.

On arrival in Hue, your private guide and driver will greet you at the arrivals lounge and take you to the Azerai La Résidence Hotel & Spa for check-in. Enjoy the remainder of your evening at leisure.

Azerai La Résidence is Hue’s first luxury boutique hotel, comprised of the former French colonial governor’s original mansion and two modern wings built in the same style. This unique property, with its eclectic mix of Art Deco and Oriental design, enjoys a fabulous location on the banks of the Perfume River, only 10 minutes’ walk from Hue’s town centre.

Overnight in Hue
Meals: (B/_/_)

Today you will explore the royal city of Hue once served as an imperial capital to the Nguyen Lords, a feudal dynasty which reigned from 1802 to 1945. With splendid emperors’ tombs, ancient pagodas, and the remains of the citadel, the city retains its royal charm.

Morning
After breakfast, you are picked up by your private guide and driver and begin your day with a visit to the atmospheric Imperial Citadel, a large complex that contains the remains of the former Imperial Palace and Forbidden Purple City, where the emperors and his family once lived. The two-hour walking tour allows you to see the magnificent architecture and gardens as your guide explains the events and the intrigue of the former royal court.

From the Imperial City, your guide will take you to visit the iconic Thien Mu Pagoda – Hue’s most famous religious site with its origins dating back to 1601. Here you will explore the pagoda’s landscaped gardens, the seven-tiered octagonal tower, and watch the monks chanting.

Hue is famous for its Royal cuisine. The Nguyen Emperors’ banquets were legendary. Some feats were said to have included 300 rare dishes served in more than a thousand bowls. Today your guide will take you to the fine-dining Ancient Hue restaurant where you will be served a royal lunch. This old fashioned style meal which brings a boutique and unique experience.

Afternoon
After lunch, you will explore the tomb of the longest-reigned Emperor Tu Duc, located in a tranquil setting of gardens and ponds, inspired by the Chinese Confucianism, harmonious design of balance and symmetry for the emperor’s resting place.

Continue to visit the tomb of King Khai Dinh, designed in traditional Vietnamese style with a European touch making it unique from the other tombs in Hue.

Your day comes to an end at Truc Chi Garden, the crafting bamboo paper art workshop. You will have a chance to meet one of the students there and be treated to hands-on experience to learn how to use the etching technique with bamboo pulp to create artworks.

Overnight in Hue
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast and check out of your hotel, meet your private guide and driver for a three-hour drive to Hoi An via the stunningly Hai Van Pass. Also known as the “Cloudy Pass,” this winding mountain road overlooks the lush countryside, sandy beaches, the blue waters of the South China Sea, and the coastal city of Da Nang.

En route, you will pause in Danang to visit the Marble Mountain with its beautiful caves of worship and the Museum of Cham Sculpture’s collection of artifacts dating back to the seventh century.

Around midday, you will arrive and check in to the Four Season Resort The Nam Hai, one of Vietnam’s Best Resorts where you will enjoy three lovely nights.

Located on a private one-kilometre (half-mile) stretch of Ha My Beach – hailed by Forbes as one of the best beaches in the world, the Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai is a harmonious ode to coast, culture, and community in Vietnam’s UNESCO-strewn centre. Once a fishing village – with a historic temple preserved on-site – the Resort presents an authentic connection to the region through inspiring on-site activities, from a cooking academy and earth-attuned spa to exhilarating water sports.

Afternoon
You are free at your leisure. Enjoy the comforts of the resort and its private white sand beach.

Overnight at the Four Season Resort the Nam Hai
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
The whole morning is at your leisure. You can consider joining the Yoga class at the resort. Or perhaps you may pamper yourself at the Resort’s luxurious spa, guided by the renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings, fostering not only wellness but also compassion.

Afternoon
Your tour guide and driver will pick you up from the resort and take you to the nearby Hoi An Ancient Town for a walking and food tour. The historic and quaint nature of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hoi An is perfect for exploring. As a former fishing village set on the banks of the Thu Bon River and strategic trading port for Southeast Asia, centuries of French, Chinese and Japanese influence have left their unique mark on this town.

Upon arrival, you will embark on a leisurely walking tour visiting the town’s major attractions such as Chua Ong Pagoda, Tan Ky Ancient House, Fujian Assembly Hall, and the Japanese Covered Bridge.

Continue to visit the Precious Heritage Museum, home to the permanent exhibition of Réhahn’s Precious Heritage Collection. While transporting you to the furthest reaches of Vietnam, the collection will unveil the rich cultural tapestry of the ethnic tribes.

The highlight of the day is the visit to the Reaching Out Tea House, a welcome little oasis of calm in the busy, vibrant Old quarter, owned and operated by the mute and deaf people. Here you will be treated with delicious cakes and incredible tea in the Eastern style.

Move on to the house of a lantern craftsman. There, you can observe the lantern craftsman’s technique before hands-on work through each stage of lantern-making under the guidance of the enthusiastic craftsmen: from bending it into the frame, cutting cloth, gluing, to completing lanterns. Before this trip concludes, you will have your own lantern created by your own hands.

Evening
It’s time for your Hoi An street food discovery tour. With your guide, you will weave in and out the tiny alleyways, get to chow down with the locals at stalls you’d never discover on your own. Every day at 4 pm, Hoi An’s streets filled with a myriad of street food carts, stalls, and vendors. The street food tour is a great introduction for you to enjoy a few of the Hoi An specialties cooked up by the locals, to introduce you to the faces behind the stock pots and to teach you how the Hoi An locals deal with those condiment trays!

Overnight at the Four Season Resort the Nam Hai
Meals: (B/_/D)

Today is at your leisure to enjoy the comforts of the resort and its private beach. You might opt to get a tailor-made suit fitted or join a hands-on cooking class.

Overnight at the Four Season Resort the Nam Hai
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you will be picked up and driven to the airport to board a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by the locals.

On arrival at HCM City airport, you will be met by your private guide and driver and transferred to the Park Hyatt Hotel for check-in. This luxurious, colonial-inspired grande dame sits right at the historic heart of Ho Chi Minh City, with contemporary comforts including a world-class spa. The hotel was a base for the US military during the war and DJ Adrian Cronauer made his daily broadcast from it, made famous in the film Good Morning, Vietnam.

Afternoon
After enjoying an authentic Vietnamese lunch at Cuc Gach Quan, a world-classed restaurant, with your guide you will spend the rest of the day visiting some of Ho Chi Minh City’s key highlights. We’ll tailor your tour to suit you, but we particularly recommend visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Rex Hotel, the General Post Office, renowned for its architecture, and Ben Thanh Market.

Later stop at the Reunification Palace and the moving War Remnants Museum to learn more of Vietnam’s turbulent past.

Proceed to the atmospheric Jade Emperor Pagoda before finishing in fine style with a sundowner at the top of the Bitexco Tower, the tallest building in Vietnam.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
Today you will travel to the Legendary Cu Chi Tunnels, the most famous battlegrounds in the world by the luxury speedboat. Set out early to avoid large crowds, ensuring that your boats arrive before everyone else.

After an early breakfast, you will be picked up and transferred to the Saigon pier to embark on a fun and relaxing speedboat ride to Cu Chi, a small community located northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, known for its network of deep tunnels that provided shelter and an effective source of infiltration for the Viet Cong (Vietnamese fighters) during the later years of the Vietnam War.

Upon arrival, you will watch a short introductory video from the period, followed by a walk through the reserve. The hidden network of Viet Cong tunnels is believed to stretch to “hundreds of miles,”  in total length, housed living quarters, storage rooms, makeshift hospitals, and kitchens…etc. Although originally very narrow, a section of the tunnels has been widened so you will have the opportunity to explore parts of the system to get a feel for what the underground life must have been like.

Please note that these tunnels will be hot and can get claustrophobic, so there is an option if you’d like to view from above ground. 

After exploring the tunnel return to the speedboat and wind your way back to the city. A traditional Vietnamese lunch of local specialties like lemongrass chicken and caramelized clay pot pork will be served on board.

Afternoon
The rest of the afternoon and evening will be free at your leisure.

For your dining experience, we would highly recommend the top-notch Noir Restaurant where you can embark on a culinary journey like no other: Dining in the Dark. Experience a different world in which you savor exquisite tastes and textures in complete darkness.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast, your private guide and driver will take you out of HCM City in a private vehicle and onto some beautiful country roads to Ben Tre Town, the heart of the Mekong Delta, popularly known as the “rice bowl” of Vietnam. This picturesque little town is famous for its vast rice fields, numerous waterways, and beautiful landscapes.

Upon arrival, you will hop on the back of a Xe Loi, part two-benched cart and part motorcycle weaving through rice paddies and coconut forests to the Luxury Mango Cruise, a private sampan awaiting your arrival in a picturesque canal.

Embark the boat and begin to sightsee activities along the riverside such as fishing and water transferring. Pause at a small brick workshop where you will get a chance to observe how bricks are made in a traditional style.

After a short trip across the An Hoa River, begin a four-kilometre leisurely bike ride which takes you to the Phong Nam village to learn about the coconut candy-making process, before continuing on to a rice noodle factory. Then a short walk will take you to Mrs. Huong’s home, where you can taste honey harvested by the residents and the different kinds of tropical fruit, before taking a small sampan to discover a maze of hidden small waterways.

Back on board. Continue to cruise to the Mango Restaurant where you can enjoy a delicious five-course lunch.

Afternoon
After lunch, take a leisurely walk through the gardens to the house of Mr. Sau Tuong, where you can learn how to make rice paper. You will then board the boat to return to Ben Tre City for your transfer to Can Tho, the capital city of the Mekong Delta. Stop en route at Vinh Trang Pagoda features European and Asian design elements and is set within lovely ornamental gardens with bonsai and lotus ponds.

Evening
Arrive in Can Tho and check into the luxury Azerai Can Tho Resort. Nestled on an islet embedded in the Hau River, Azerai Can Tho offers a tranquil retreat secluded in lush green surrounds. This five-star resorts’ design comes inspired by traditional architecture and local materials infused with contemporary interpretations, while sustainable practices include water conservation, preservation of the eco-system and zero use of plastics

Overnight in Can Tho
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
Rise early for a private boat trip to the Cai Rang market, the biggest floating wholesale market of the Mekong region. Here you will have a chance to practice your bartering skills! The market is filled with hundreds of small boats darting through the water as vendors sell their wares.

Continuing along narrow canals, you will stop at a fruit orchard to taste some of the succulent fruits in the season before making a short walk to Ba Bo Bridge (water level allowing). At the end of the tour, drive back to HCM City.

Afternoon
Return to the City and check into the Park Hyatt Hotel again. Then spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.

For your fine-dining experience, we would highly recommend the world-class La Villa French Restaurant ran by the renowned Chef, Thierry Mounon. Located on a quiet side street off Thao Dien, a short taxi ride from the city center. La Villa French Restaurant features authentic French cuisine with the true love of top products.

Overnight in HCM City
Meals: (B/_/_)

Your private transfer greets you at the hotel after breakfast and escorts you to Ho Chi Minh International Airport where you board your flight home or travel on to more adventures, we will help you with the planning.

Meals: (B/_/_)