FULL-DAY HANOI CITY TOUR
A Full-day city tour of Vietnam's capital. Hanoi is a unique city with tree - lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples. The city tour includes such sights as Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and his house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, the Quanh Thanh Temple and the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the edge of West Lake. After lunch in town continue to the Museum of Ethnology and end the afternoon with a visit to the Lake of the Restored Sword and a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter. (L)

HALF-DAY HANOI COOKERY CLASS
Join a special cooking class at the Hanoi's famous Sofitel Metropole Hotel. The morning course starts with a walk, accompanied by the chef of the hotel's Spices Garden Restaurant, to the local market where participants get a chance to learn all about Vietnamese ingredients. A cooking demonstration follows in the kitchen and everyone has the opportunity to play an active part. After the class lunch is served in the Spices Garden Vietnamese Restaurant to sample all the different dishes prepared during the demonstration. (L)

FULL-DAY HALONG BAY TOUR
An early start to leave Hanoi by 07:00 for Halong Bay. Enjoy the journey through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the scenery of rice fields, water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life. Arrive in Halong and board a private junk for a 5 - hour cruise on the emerald green waters of Halong Bay, among the 3,000 spectacular limestone islands. A fresh seafood lunch will be served on board. In the middle of the afternoon head back to Halong, then on to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi around 19:00 in the evening and transfer back to hotel. (L)

FULL-DAY HOA LU TOUR
A 70km drive through rural northern Vietnam to the site of Vietnam's first capital, Hoa Lu. After visiting the two remaining sanctuaries of the ancient citadel, take a sampan on a river through the rice paddies to the grottoes of the sacred Tam Coc Caves. Enormous limestone karsts jut out from the green rice fields giving rise to this place's other name, 'Halong on Land'. Climb up to the Bich Dong Pagoda, which offers a scenic view of the surrounding countryside. (L)

FULL-DAY HOA BINH TOUR
Drive to scenic Hoa Binh Province, 80km west of Hanoi. Visit a Muong minority village and a Dao minority village. Enjoy lunch following by an ethnic show (with a minimum of 10 pax). (L)

FULL-DAY CRAFT VILLAGE TOUR
Leave Hanoi travelling south to Duyen Thai lacquer village where the whole process of lacquer production can be seen from start to finish. Alternatively visit Dong Ho traditional paper village, where 'giay do' paper is produced and painted with traditional designs. All the paper is made by hand and some still in the traditional method using only natural products. Van Phuc silk village is a great place to see silk cloth being produced in the traditional way on the loom. The families here have been producing fabrics for centuries and there is a showroom where silk is sold by the metre. Return to Hanoi for lunch and in the afternoon continue to Dong Ky wood Village. Here furniture inlaid with mother of pearl and finished off with a layer of clear lacquer is made. Inlaying the mother of pearl is highly labour intensive as it is carefully sawn into fine fish - bone slivers and painstakingly set into wood. Return to Hanoi in the late afternoon. (L)

FULL-DAY PERFUME PAGODA TOUR
An interesting drive through the rich farming land of the Red River Delta to the Perfume Pagoda, one of northern Vietnam's holiest sites. The Perfume Pagoda is not just one pagoda but many shrines and temples built into a limestone hillside. Take small sampans through a peaceful rural landscape of flooded rice fields to get to the pagoda complex. A picnic lunch is included. (L)
 

FULL-DAY HO CHI MINH CITY (Saigon) TOUR - NEW
A Full-day city tour of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, takes in the city's bustling Chinatown and begins with a visit to the Thien Hau Temple, from where you will take a cyclo ride; the most appropriate and unusual way to explore Cholon, literally meaning 'big market'. The ride will take you to the lively Binh Tay Market. Then visit a lacquerware factory to witness workers continuing a Vietnamese ancestral tradition. After lunch visit the War Museum and the former Presidential Palace, from there on you will go on foot (the car will be available at all times) to visit the major sights of colonial Ho Chi Minh City: the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall. After this historical visit, enjoy some wonderful ice cream at Fanny's, a quaint little parlor with a French atmosphere, before exploring the trendy boutiques on Ton That Thiep Street. (L)

HALF-DAY HO CHI MINH "A LITTLE OUT OF THE ORDINARY" TOUR - NEW
Ho Chi Minh City has more to offer than meets the eye. Step off the beaten track a little and take a stroll to the oldest quarter of the city (car at your disposal if you should need it). Start by visiting the peculiar Dan Sinh Market, the only market where you can still find military cast - offs from the Vietnam War, and if you look hard enough, relics from the French Indochina era. Follow a typical street to reach the Beaux - Arts Museum, a superb neo - colonial building home to various modern arts. Amateurs might want to explore the art galleries surrounding the museum which are of some interest. A well - kept secret is the Antiques Street (Le Cong Kieu), where genuine antiques are mixed in with genuine fakes: Aladdin oil lamps, carved wooden chests, Marelli copper fans, opium pipes, abacuses, etc. A visit in Saigon would not be complete without a taste of Ho Chi Minh City's best ice cream - Fanny's, a quaint little parlor with a French atmosphere and wonderful ice cream - before exploring on foot the trendy boutiques on Ton That Thiep Street.

HALF-DAY COOKERY CLASS
Transfer to the Vietnam Cookery Centre in downtown Ho Chi Minh City for a morning cookery class to learn the secrets of preparing some of Vietnam's best - loved dishes. Preparation of typical dishes is demonstrated by the centre's professional chef before participants prepare their own. At the end of the morning participants sit down to a lunch prepared by themselves. Each participant receives a manual and certificate on completion of the course. (L)

FULL-DAY TAY NINH & CU CHI TOUR
Enjoy a morning drive through typical southern Vietnamese countryside to Tay Ninh Province in the west of Vietnam. At Tay Ninh visit the Cao Dai Great Temple, with architecture that could have come straight from a Walt Disney fantasy and where all the major faiths of the world blend together in a unique religious cocktail. After lunch in a local restaurant visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. (L)

FULL-DAY MEKONG DELTA TOUR
A Full-day trip to the watery world of the Mekong Delta, just a couple of hours by road from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City's streets. Take a boat trip along narrow waterways overhung with dense vegetation and try exotic fruits in one of the many orchards. For lunch sample the local delicacy, Elephant's Ear Fish. (L)

FULL-DAY MY THO TOUR with bike tour - MEKONG DELTA
In the morning, depart for My Tho, located some 70 kilometers to the south of Ho Chi Minh City, for a day of discovery of the famous Mekong Delta. After crossing the Mekong River, visit the island known as 'Unicorn', a real - life Garden of Eden abounding in fruits, where a stroll among orchards will uncover a house typical of the ones found in the Mekong, and where you will sample tropical fruits while listening to traditional music. A bicycle tour through the delta's orchards is the perfect way to discover the daily life of the area's inhabitants and a beautiful opportunity to meet the locals. Continue your trip aboard an oar - powered sampan along an arroyo lined with water coconut and palm trees. After enjoying lunch in a simple restaurant on the island, visit some small local workshops that produce, for example, candies made from coconut milk, and a rice alcohol distillery before returning by boat to My Tho. There is a short visit of the Vinh Trang Pagoda before the return by road for arrival in Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon. (L)

FULL-DAY BEN TRE - MEKONG DELTA - NEW
Head south to the Mekong Delta and reach Ben Tre, crossing the Mekong River with a local ferry. From there take an 18 kilometre ride by xe loi, a local motorbike trailer, through the second biggest Vietnamese coconut tree orchard. There are stops along the way to discover the local life and for an explanation of the Vietnamese rice field process. After lunch in a local restaurant continue your Mekong discovery cruising small canals and arroyos lined with water coconut, walking through fruit orchards, enjoying honey tea, and taking a horse cart ride. (L)

FULL-DAY CAI BE & VINH LONG with Cai Be Princess Cruises - MEKONG DELTA - NEW
Depart to Cai Be, deep in the Mekong Delta. Board the Cai Be Princess junk boat and start the tour with the visit of the colourful Cai Be floating market. Follow with a visit of some locale home factories that produce rice paste, rice pop corn and coconut candies. Cruise then to evergreen islands among the Mekong River through large networks of meandering rivers, crisscrossed with countless arroyos. Lunch at a fruit orchard then cruise to Vinh Long and discover beautiful landscapes along the river and observe the typical Mekong Delta rural life. (L)

HALF-DAY CU CHI TOUR
A Half-day trip to visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence.

HALF-DAY CU CHI TOUR BY BLUE CRUISER
An interesting variation on the Cu Chi tour travelling by speed boat up the Saigon River with a stop to visit the bustling market at Thu Dao Mot en route to Cu Chi. Arrive at Cu Chi mid - morning to visit the incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. Leave Cu Chi just before mid - day to return to Ho Chi Minh stopping on the way to visit Lai Thieu ceramics village. Arrive back in Ho Chi Minh City around 14:00.
 

HALF-DAY HUE CITY TOUR
Pick up from hotel in Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. A boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River visits Hue's best - known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda. Return to dry land to visit the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945 and explore lively Dong Ba Market.

FULL-DAY DANANG & HOI AN CITY TOUR
Pick up from hotel in Danang or Hoi An. Visit the beautiful Non Nuoc Beach and the Cham Museum containing the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. Continue to Hoi An stopping to visit the Marble Mountains, five sacred hills containing doZens of Buddhist shrines, en route. Hoi An was a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and its architecture and relaxed lifestyle have changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit the former merchants' homes, the 400 year - old Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall and the colourful market. (L)

HALF-DAY HOI AN CITY TOUR 
Pick up from hotel in Danang or Hoi An. Hoi An was a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and its architecture and relaxed lifestyle have changed little over the years. Take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit the former merchants' homes, the 400 year - old Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall and the colourful market.

HALF-DAY HOI AN COOKERY CLASS
After a cup of coffee or tea at a local Hoi An café, students at the Red Bridge Cooking School head off to the local market to buy ingredients for the morning's cooking class. Then it's a quick boat trip along the Hoi An River to the school, where students are treated to demonstrations of Hoi An specialties such as squid and pineapple salad, grilled eggplant and banh xeo (pancakes) before being let loose in the kitchen. Afternoon and evening classes are available upon request. (L)

FULL-DAY MY SON & HOI AN TOUR
Pick up from hotel in Danang or Hoi An. A Half-day trip to visit the capital and religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom, My Son. Here, 40km southwest of Hoi An, in a lush green valley, are doZens of red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from between the seventh and thirteenth centuries. Visit the museum and the holy site then continue to Hoi An for lunch and in the afternoon take a walking tour of the ancient town centre to visit former merchants' houses, the 400 year - old Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall and the colourful market. (L)

HALF-DAY MY SON TOUR
Pick up from hotel in Danang or Hoi An. A Half-day trip to visit the capital and religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom, My Son. Here, 40km southwest of Hoi An, in a lush green valley, are doZens of red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from between the seventh and thirteenth centuries. Visit the museum and the holy site then head back to Hoi An or Danang.

HALF-DAY BICYCLE TOUR AROUND HOI AN - NEW
Pick up from hotel in Danang or Hoi An and transfer to the centre of Hoi An. Take a bicycle ride through tiny village lanes to the river, where you can learn about the daily life of the local people. Keep on cycling the fields of corn, sweet potatoes, shrimp and crab farms. On the way you will visit houses built for worshipping ancestors and traditional raft houses belonging to blacksmiths, carpenters and masons.

HALF-DAY TO TRA QUE VEGETABLE VILLAGE - HOI AN - NEW
Pick up from hotel in Danang or Hoi An and transfer to the centre of Hoi An. Ride a bicycle to a local farm in Tra Que Village. Take a trip around the vegetable garden and join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilising it with seaweed. Continue gardening activities such as raking, sowing, watering greens, picking greens etc. After farming activities you will be shown how to prepare the tam huu, a local delicacy you can enjoy before the ride back to Hoi An.

HALF-DAY CRUISE ON THU BON RIVER - HOI AN - NEW
Pick up from hotel in Danang or Hoi An and transfer to the centre of Hoi An. Take a three - hour cruise on the Thu Bon River with stops at Thanh Ha pottery village, Kim Bong carpenters' village and the shipbuilding yard.