Hanoi – Hai Phong – Lan Ha Bay                                                              [L,D]

This morning, you are picked up from your hotel in Hanoi and transferred to the pier (about a two-hour drive). After boarding, the crew deliver a safety briefing. Lunch is served as the ship begins to cruise, passing Da Chong Islet which is home to a French-built lighthouse. Along the way, you see the limestone karst formations of Con Vit and Gia Luan rise dramatically out of the sea. This area remains relatively untouched as few cruise lines use this route.

In the afternoon, step off the boat to explore a local fishing village. Take a ride in a traditional coracle boat which is used by local fishermen and get an insight into local fishing methods. In the summer months, guests can swim and kayak in the bay’s pristine waters. In winter, guests can take a guided cycling excursion to a local village, stopping to visit home made from straw, mud and bamboo. In the evening, options include happy hour drinks at the bar or a cooking class. Dinner and overnight are on board.

Lan Ha Bay Cruise                                                                         [B,L,D]

Wake up to the serene sights and sounds of this amazing seascape in the heart of the bay. Start with an optional tai chi session on the sundeck followed by breakfast as the cruise continues. Today, you have the option to enjoy kayaking or swimming (depending on the weather) or a cycling excursion to Viet Hai Village. Surrounded by sea, high mountains and the dense jungles of the Cat Ba National Park, this rustic village exists as part of its natural surroundings, a charming respite from the modern world. Lunch and dinner are served on board.

Lan Ha Bay – Hanoi                                                                 [B]

The day starts with another energetic tai chi class on the sundeck followed by brunch as the boat makes its way back to the pier in Hai Phong. Disembark at the pier and transfer back to your hotel in Hanoi.

Early morning, the driver and guide will collect you from your hotel and set off on the short drive through the countryside to the picturesque village of Thanh Toan. On arrival, meet the farmers at work with their water buffaloes. Roll up your sleeves and join them in the fields to learn some authentic farming techniques (depending on the season and weather conditions). After a short stint as a farmer, continue your exploration with a wander around the village to see family temples and clan worshipping homes.

Next, climb into a sampan on the river. As you leisurely drift along the water, relax and take in the beautiful riverside scenery. A local fisherman will teach you how to throw out a line in the hope of catching a fish. Arrive at the covered Thanh Toan Bridge, one of only several built in this style in the whole of the country. This intricately decorated bridge was built in the 18th century by a rich woman for the villagers to cross the river and also as a resting place for weary travellers. Constructed from bricks, wood and ceramics, it also features a stunning roof covered in glazed tiles and flanked by two ornate dragons. Inside the bridge, you can see an ancestral altar and traditional furniture.

To explore more of the countryside not on the usual tourist trail, hop onto a bicycle for a gentle ride along quaint rural pathways that weave their way through rice fields and alongside canals. There will be plenty of stops to capture this peaceful, rural landscape.

At the end of the cycle ride, your driver will be waiting to take you back to your hotel around lunch time.

Our tour starts in the early morning where our guide and driver await you at the hotel lobby for a day of sightseeing around Da Nang and Hoi An. Our first stop of the day will be Da Nang’s Cham Museum, showcasing the ancient Cham civilisation. Hindu in origin, the Cham people left a legacy of excellent sculptures, now housed in the only museum of its kind in Da Nang, as they were pushed south by the advancing Vietnamese invaders. Built in 1915, it now houses the largest collection of the Champa sculpture and artwork in the world, the Marble Mountains with their caves and sculpture village, and the white sandy beach.

Continue to the Marble Mountains for a photo stop only, en route to Hoi An. These five rocky outcrops are said to represent five natural elements, and are the source of many intriguing legends as well as housing temples and once even an army hospital! You will see skilled artisans carving all manner of statues from marble sourced locally at the mountains’ base. We can offer you breathtaking views of the Da Nang coast-line from the top of the marble mountain.

Onward to UNESCO World Heritage Site Hoi An. Hoi An was a prosperous and wealthy seaport between the 16th and 18th centuries. Nowadays it’s an open-air museum featuring a unique mixture of Eastern and Western influences in the form of its architecture and cultural legacy. Hoi An was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1999.

You will visit the Hoi An colourful local market, Tan Ky old house, a perfect example of 18th-century merchant’s residence, the Assembly Hall of Phuc Kien, founded in 1690 that served the largest Chinese ethnic group in Hoi An, and the emblematic 420-year-old Japanese covered bridge. You will also see how residents raise silkworms and produce silk for Hoi An’s burgeoning textile industry.

Early in the afternoon, we will bring you back to your booked hotel.

Your English-speaking guide and driver will welcome you early in the morning at your Nha Trang hotel before turning inlands for what will be a rewarding day from start to finish. The tour starts with paying homage to the religious ruins of the Po Nagar Cham Towers, a sacred Hindu site dating back to the 2nd century AD. The towers were constructed between the 7th and the 12th century and were used as a central meeting point for Hindu worshipping. The towers are named in honour of the former Cham Princess who introduced her people to profitable weaving and wet rice cultivation techniques.

From there, it is a short ride to the local pier for a scenic boat trip over the Cai River. The source of the Cai River’s existence lies in the heart of the south-central mountain ranges of Vietnam along the border with Cambodia. Not only used for boat trips, the Cai River endows numerous farms and lands as the main water source during the dry season. Pass by centuries-old houses as you make stops en route to try different kind of tropical fruit. This soothing trip will end with lunch at a local restaurant near the Cai River banks.

After lunch, a visit to a local handicraft work shop will show you authentic means on how local residents earn an honest living. The nearby market offers plenty of browsing time through its fruit, vegetable and other daily needs. All this are pure and unaltered ways of how the local community fills their day through farming and authentic means of commercial activities.

We return back to Nha Trang at the end of the afternoon.

Aiming to deliver the catch-of-the-day while soaking in the rays of the Vietnamese sun for the coming day, the day starts with a Vietnamese welcome by the team of this tour. The short drive aboard an air-conditioned vehicle to the Nha Trang harbour signals the start of a day out on the sea. With English-speaking assistance on board, the captain and his crew shortly lift the anchor and set course for the best fishing grounds in Nha Trang Bay.

It is here to show off your fishing skills, cooked and prepared to serve for lunch. While revolving around those with a keen interest in fishing, also non-fishing passengers will thoroughly enjoy this tour. From simply basking under the Vietnamese sun or take a dip in the warm waters of Nha Trang Bay, pure relaxation awaits without casting a fishing line into the deep blue.

The fishing cruise takes on 4 main islands off Nha Trang’s crescent-moon shaped bay. Names such as Tam, Mot, Mun, and Bamboo are picture-perfect examples for both fishing and snorkelling enthusiasts. It is particularly what lies beneath the surface around Mun Island that leaves avid snorkelers in awe.

A BBQ lunch will be served on Mun Island with, of course, seafood. Pick and choose is the credo here; get a taste of your own catch (if you are lucky) or sample what the team on board have freshly prepared. Complementing this seafood feast will be a selection of fresh fruit, snacks, and drinks suitable for all palates.

After lunch, it is all about chilling on the sundeck, enjoy a leisurely swim or continue on your snorkelling journey.

On the way back to the harbour, view the local fishermen activities at their floating fishery culture before heading back to the hotel after a memorable day on the sea.

From your booked resort in Nha Trang, your English-speaking guide welcomes you in the early morning before we leave the tropical shores of one of Vietnam’s most alluring beach destinations for a more in-depth journey into the countryside. The drive to the charming Memento Country Home, around 15 kilometres from downtown Nha Trang is our starting point of this authentic trail.

Upon arrival at the country home, hop on a bicycle for a leisurely ride in the countryside. Friendly villagers and local farmers are eagerly awaiting your arrival to show guests how rice alcohol and paper are made, as well as how herding pigs are among the most sought-after experiences en route. Pedalling further and Dien Binh appears behind the horizon. Known for its bounty orchards and star apple trees, it can be a colourful spectacle before harvest season arrives. Before cycling the final stretch back to Memento, the last stop is made at the local market to buy ingredients for your upcoming cooking challenge.

Return by bike back to the country home and get a hands-on fun cooking class, guided by a local chef. You may try to make a Vietnamese rice pancake and a spring-roll on the wood-fired clay stove, crowned with a banana flower salad. Skipping trying out your own cooking is a must and a cooking class Vietnamese style is not the same when sharing your experiences with those teaching you the culinary ropes.

After lunch, you can opt for relaxing activities like reading a book in the shadowed garden, swimming, hanging around or fishing at the rice field pond. You can also indulge yourself at the homemade spa with a herbal bath (optional) to get back refreshed and rejuvenated.

Return to your hotel around 2 pm, bringing with you great memories and improved cooking skills.