Highlights of Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi & Ha Long Bay - 6 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, Guided Tour

Xin Chao! Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, the first stop on your Vietnam adventure. A private driver will take you to your hotel in the heart of the city. Settle in and then explore the city's noodle-soup-scented alleyways and grand French boulevards through the eyes of a local. You'll discover a mix of colonial architecture and modern skyscrapers, snaking markets, and sprawling megamalls.

Visit the bustling Cho Lon Market, a hidden Chinese pagoda, and striking French colonial landmarks like the Central Post Office, City Hall, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The tour also includes a trip to the stirring War Remnants Museum, which tells the story of the American War in Vietnam. You'll be dropped back at your hotel in the late afternoon for a relaxed evening.

Day 2: Mekong Delta Day Trip

This morning, you'll transfer south to the lush Mekong Delta. This region is known as Vietnam's rice bowl, full of water-logged paddies, mangroves, and sugar cane plantations. Stop at My Tho's Rach Mieu Suspension Bridge for panoramic views of the Mekong and its surrounding islands before heading to Ben Tre. You'll board a boat to cruise along the Ham Luong River, a tributary to the Mekong, watching locals pass on sampans.

Sit back and relax while you drift down the waterway into a peaceful canal. You'll stop to visit local businesses like a brick kiln and coconut husking workshop and one of the coconut candy workshops Ben Tre is famous for. The next stop is Nhon Thanh Market, where you'll take a walk through the village to a workshop where skilled craftspeople hand weave sedges and rush mats.

Take a leisurely bike ride around the island to observe daily life, or hop on a Lambretta Triporteur, a 1960s tricycle popular in southern Vietnam. You'll wind past cucumber farms and enjoy lunch at a local home before continuing to explore exotic orchards and coconut farms on foot. The tour finishes with a peaceful paddle along the water on a traditional wooden sampan. Afterward, you'll return to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 3: Transfer to Hanoi & City Tour

Say goodbye to Ho Chi Minh City this morning and fly north to Vietnam's buzzing capital, Hanoi. Check into your hotel ahead of your afternoon sightseeing tour. Meeting your guide, you'll visit famous landmarks like the 11th-century Temple of Literature and Tran Quoc Pagoda, a Buddhist shrine dating to the reign of Emperor Ly Nam De in the sixth century, making it the oldest of its kind in the city. You'll also enjoy a Water Puppet Show, a Vietnamese art form that emerged in the Red River Delta region in the 11th century.

For dinner, head out for a street food tour of Hanoi's famous Old Quarter. You'll wander its 36 labyrinthine streets, visiting some of the city's most popular food stalls, shops, and restaurants. Try up to eight local dishes, which may include pho (herby noodle soup), bun cha ta (a grilled pork and noodle dish), or banh mi (a meat-filled baguette). Sit with the locals on tiny roadside stalls to enjoy your food, accompanied by bia hoi (local beer) or strong Vietnamese coffee.

Day 4: Transfer to Ha Long Bay, Junk Boat Overnight Cruise

Today starts with a four-hour drive to Ha Long Bay harbor, where you'll board a junk boat for your overnight cruise of this UNESCO-listed landmark, deemed one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Sail across the paper-flat waters, taking in views of over 2,000 limestone karsts steeped in Vietnamese legend.

A delicious seafood lunch onboard awaits, followed by plenty of time to sit on the sun deck as you sail to Bai Tu Long Bay, a lesser-visited area northeast of Ha Long. Stop at a secluded island where you can go swimming and kayaking, then explore one of the bay's eerie caves. Return to the boat in time to catch the sunset from the top deck, followed by a lavish evening meal.

Day 5: Cruise Bai Tu Long Bay, Return to Hanoi

Wake early for breakfast on the ship's deck, watching the sun rise over the emerald waters of Bai Tu Long Bay. You'll cruise to Thien Canh Son Cave to tour its cathedral-like caverns filled with ancient stalactites and stalagmites, some of which resemble baby elephants and lotus flowers.

Thien Canh Son lies on Ho Co (Grass Island), named for its lush foliage. Take time to relax on its white-sand beaches tucked beneath soaring limestone cliffs. As you sail back to port, enjoy a final lunch and views of Ha Long Bay. You'll be transferred back to Hanoi in time for a free evening; head out for a street-food feast or a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Day 6: Depart Hanoi