Vietnam Family Adventure

Day 1 - Hanoi

Arrival in Hanoi

Upon clearing Customs and Immigration, your guide will present you with a welcome packet including all necessary documentation and vouchers and all contact information of your guide and local offices.

Transfer by air conditioned vehicle

Enjoy Vietnamese cooking class and market visit with local chef (Private) without guide (3.5 hours)[ Lunch (or Dinner) ]On arrival at the cooking center, you will be welcome and invite a cup of La Han tea. The chef will then brief about Vietnamese cuisine, highlight the contents of the traditional meal. You will discuss with the chef and choose to cook either street foods, Vietnamese foods or international foods. Take a short walk to Chau Long Market - enjoy a tour of the 'wet' market highlighting unusual items such as durian, live seafood, silk worms and an assortment of fresh herbs and vegetables. Choose the suitable herbs and ingredients and return to the Hanoi Cooking Centre and commence the cooking class. You will prepare dishes under the guidance of experienced chefs at your own work station and each workshop will conclude with tasting the food you have prepared, accompanied by local beer or wine, in a comfortable dining area. At the end of the class receive detailed recipe cards to take home.

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2 - Hanoi - Halong Bay

Transfer by vehicle from Hanoi to Halong Bay and the Tuan Chau Marina Port to board your Jasmine Cruise

After being welcomed onboard begin the cruise through the World Heritage Site of Halong Bay. Enjoy a buffet lunch while passing picturesque areas such as the Mat Quy and Am Islets. Visit the Tien Ong Cave (sensible footwear required) - the most recently explored cave, showing evidence of human civilization dating back to 10,000 - 8,000 BC. The cave is just 5 meters above sea level, 50 meters deep and covers 1,000 square meters. Continue the voyage to the Cua Van Fishing Village, the oldest and biggest fishing village in Halong Bay. The village is reached via smaller boats that each takes a maximum of four persons. After returning to the boat in the late afternoon there is the opportunity to watch, and even take part in, a traditional Vietnamese cooking demonstration conducted by the energetic chef. Relax and enjoy dinner on board.

Spend the night on board

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 - Halong - Hanoi

For early risers complimentary tea, coffee and pastries are served in the restaurant, and there is also the option of joining a Tai Chi class on the open deck. A smaller boat will then take guests to a natural white sandy stretch of beach with crystal clear water. Climb to a hill top for a last view over Halong Bay before returning to the boat for the slow cruise back to Halong City. Enjoy a full breakfast while passing picturesque areas including Titov Island, the Tam Cung Cave and Poem Mountain. Disembark at Tuan Chau Pier at around 11am. Transfer by vehicle back  to Hanoi

Walk the Rail Tracks of Hanoi (4 hours)

"From Phung Hung Street we will start our exploration on foot. We will walk towards Long Bien train station, cross the bridge and take the stairs down onto the urban island. There's time for a well-earned rest and to visit the orchards. After crossing the bridge, we can either transfer by car or walk to Gia Lam train station. Train tickets in hand, we will board the train to cross over the bridge to the other side of Hanoi. This is a local train full of atmosphere, and we will be riding with the locals in the hard seater wagon. On week days the train will stop at Long Bien, while on Saturday and Sunday it will stop at Hanoi Station. (4 hours)"

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4 - Hanoi

Bespoke Family Experience in Hanoi  The entire family can get crafty today. We'll hop into an open-sided electric cart for a fun one-hour tour around the city. An artisan will show us how to craft colourful paper masks. We'll indulge the kids with an ice cream or a tasty doughnut-style snack made from sticky rice - it all depends on the weather. The Museum of Ethnology has reconstructions of traditional long houses and stilted houses just waiting for the children to explore. The last stop is to watch a private water puppet show in a private house. The children will even have the rare chance to play with the puppets and make them dance. Today's Highlights: Museum of Ethnology, electric cart ride, local crafts, water puppet show.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 5 - Hanoi - Hue

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Hue

Go back in time and bask in the beauty of the Nguyen dynasty.

The 19th century Imperial Citadel is a city within a city. The striking Flag Tower and imposing Ngo Mon Gate lead into spacious courtyards, palaces, pavilions, reception halls and lotus ponds - providing a fascinating glimpse into court life.

Visit the Imperial Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc (1 hour)

The Imperial Tomb of Tu Duc was designed and built by the longest reigning Vietnamese emperor,Tu Duc, during his lifetime, and was used as a retreat for meditation, reading and theatre performances. Take some time to soak in the tranquil atmosphere, and wander among the gracefully proportioned pavilions, courtyards and lotus ponds

Transfer to restaurant for dinner

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 - Hue - Hoi An

Rumoured to be haunted, a flashpoint for anti-government protests, and the site of a famous self-immolation by a monk. Thien Mu Pagoda will lure us in with its beauty, elegant architecture and evocative past. We continue by boat to Thuy Bieu Eco-village where we can explore by bicycle or foot - it's up to you. Either way, we'll get to chat with the locals, see them making incense, and visit an ancient ancestral temple. After lunch in a local home, we get to relax with a therapeutic massage by blind masseurs. Today's Highlights: Thien Mu Pagoda, Thuy Bieu Village, massage.

Transfer by vehicle from Hue to Hoi An

Drive south from Hue along scenic mountain roads with spectacular views over the coastline. Highlights along the way include the dramatic Hai Van Pass, the high dividing line between the climate zones of North and South Vietnam; Lang Co, a lovely stretch of beach curving outwards between a clear blue lagoon and the East Vietnam Sea; and the large coastal city of Danang.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7 - Hoi An

This is opera as you've never seen it before! 'Tuong' is a form of classic Vietnamese opera that has existed for over 800 years. In the atmospheric setting of an ancient house we'll watch a performance of this dramatic art. We'll go behind the scenes to meet the performers, see the elaborate costumes and make up - and even learn some of the gestures. Downstairs is the skilled artisan who has been making the incredible masks for over 30 years. We'll chat with him to hear his story. He will help us create our own masks that we can take home as a unique souvenir.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8 - Hoi An

Sightseeing in Hoi An  The quirky mix of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European influences makes Hoi An a photographers' paradise. We'll walk through the narrow winding streets of the old quarter past ochre-hued stone houses, lantern-filled shops and colourful fishing boats. One of the most iconic sights is the Japanese Covered Bridge. There are also ancient temples and merchant homes over 200 years old. We'll explore many of the historical sites within the town. Today's Highlights: Hoi An ancient town.

Enjoy A O show  The A O Show Hoi An is an interesting mix of the new and the old, combining elements of Vietnamese music, dance and Cirque du Soleil. Developed in 2009, and performed across Europe, the show currently calls the Lune Performing Center Hoi An. During the one-hour performance the artistes will perform a variety of feats ranging from travelling across the stage in human-sized baskets to making bamboo/human bridges.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 9 - Hoi An

Bamboo Artisanry of Hoi An by Bike and Boat

By boat and bike we'll head out for a glimpse of traditional arts and crafts. On Cam Kim Island, we'll zigzag through rice paddies and farmland with plenty of stops at local workshops. Wooden boats, traditional basket boats and beautiful carpets are just some of the products made here. In Cam Thanh village the villagers use bamboo to create handicrafts, build houses - and even sturdy bamboo bicycles. We can try our hand at crafting with bamboo - it's not as easy as it looks though! Today's Highlights: Cam Kim Island and Cam Thanh village by boat and bike.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 10 - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh

Transfer to Danang Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Hidden Saigon at Night

We'll experience at night at the opera - the Saigon Opera House, built by the French in 1898. We'll watch a fascinating and energetic cultural show that blends contemporary dance with traditional folk music and breathtaking acrobatics. After the show we'll sit outside among the locals to sample authentic Vietnamese street food. The evening ends in a hidden coffee shop to listen to local musicians performing Vietnamese and Western songs.

Transfer to restaurant for dinner

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11 - Ho Chi Minh / Mekong Delta

Pedal and Paddle in Ben Tre (9 hours)

Cruise the Mekong River Islands, this area may be Vietnam's -rice bowl' but fruit orchards and coconut groves also thrive here. We'll stop to see all the different uses for coconuts. A bicycle ride will bring us to the home of local antique collector, Uncle Six, who will show us how he climbs the coconut trees using just his bare hands. We can even try if we want!

A rowing boat will take us along the water palm creek giving us a glimpse of daily life on the delta. Lunch will be an assortment of delicious dishes cooked by one of the locals of the Mekong Delta.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 12 - Ho Chi Minh / Cu Chi Tunnels

We're going underground - deep into the Cu Chi Tunnels! These hand-dug tunnels changed the course of the Vietnam War. The well-camouflaged entrance holes lead into a network of incredibly narrow tunnels that stretch for over 200 kilometres connecting command posts, hospitals and shelters. We'll zoom along the river by speedboat to the tunnels, where we'll learn about the life of the Vietcong and venture underground. The deadly, bamboo-spiked booby traps are another must-see.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 13 - Ho Chi Minh

Today your tour concludes with a transfer to the airport.

Meals Included: Breakfast