Meet & greet: Upon arrival at Hanoi airport, you will be welcomed to Vietnam by your private English-speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel.

Afternoon cyclo tour of the Old Quarter: The best way to explore the picturesque area of the Old Quarter is by "cyclo" (a three-wheeled bicycle taxi). Also known as the "36 Streets District", it was once the thriving commercial centre of the city. Each of the 36 short lanes used to specialise in a particular trade represented by one of the guilds. This is still reflected in the names of certain streets: like Silk Street, Gold Street and Fish Street. Among the ancient homes and attractive temples there is a multitude of tantalising souvenir shops.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the La Siesta Premium Hang Be (Junior Suite)

Morning tour of Hanoi: After breakfast, start your tour of Hanoi with a visit to the 900 year old Temple of Literature, Vietnam's principal Confucian sanctuary and its historical centre of learning. Made up of five courtyards, this is one of the few remnants of the original city. Continue to the Soviet style Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh read out the declaration of the nation's independence in 1945. After a look around the square your guide will take you through the Museum there, which is dedicated to Ho Chi Minh.

Afternoon at leisure: You have an afternoon at leisure to explore the Vietnamese capital independently. Stroll around the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake, take in a water puppet show, go shopping in the Old Quarter, or sample some of Hanoi’s many culinary delights.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the La Siesta Premium Hang Be (Junior Suite)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey from Hanoi to Halong Bay: This morning, you will be met at your hotel and driven for approximately three hours through the Red River delta to the coast and the Gulf of Tonkin, where the waters of Halong Bay are found.

Overnight Halong Bay Cruise on the Bhaya Classic: Board the Bhaya Classic in time for lunch, settle in to your private cabin and set sail across the bay. After lunch you will explore some of Halong Bay's famous islets, caves, and grottos. There will also be the opportunity for swimming, kayaking, or sunbathing on the sundeck. All activities arranged by the cruise are on a shared basis. Return to the boat in time for a pre-dinner drink as the sun is setting, followed by a sundeck cooking demonstration. After dinner you will be at leisure to watch a film in the restaurant, relax in the bar, or partake in some night-time squid fishing.

Accommodation: Stay tonight on board the Bhaya Classic (Deluxe Cabin)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Halong Bay Cruise: After some morning activities, enjoy brunch on board. Disembark the Bhaya Classic late this morning.

Road journey from Halong Bay to Hanoi: Upon arrival at the quay, you will be met by your private guide and transferred back to Hanoi. En route you will stop off at the Phu Lang ‘ceramic village’ where the villagers have been practicing this traditional craft for generations. Continue to Hanoi airport in time to catch your onward flight.

Flight: VN181 Hanoi - Danang 16.30 - 17.50

Road journey from Danang to Hoi An: Upon arrival at Danang Airport, you will be met by a guide and transferred to your hotel in Hoi An, a drive of around 45 minutes.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the La Residencia (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Days at leisure: On these days you have time to relax. Alternatively there are opportunities to visit the beach, cycle in some beautiful countryside, visit the ruins at My Son, discover the artists of Hoi An or see a tailor to get some clothes made.

Accommodation: Stay these nights at the La Residencia (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Flight: VN117 Danang - Ho Chi Minh City 10.30 - 11.55

Afternoon tour of Saigon, starting with lunch at Quan An Ngon: Upon arrival in Saigon, you will be taken to Quan An Ngon restaurant for an authentic Vietnamese dining experience. Quan An Ngon has become a Saigon institution, and is always packed with both locals and tourists. The atmosphere is chaotic: a cacophony of laughing, chattering guests, shouting waiters, and clanging pots and pans. Seating is a mix of regular table dining in the central courtyard, or on the balcony. The main building is surrounded by cooking stations, each serving a regional specialty. 

After lunch, you will visit some of Saigon's historic landmarks. Start with the former Presidential Palace which was once headquarters for the Saigon Government during the "American War". Then head to the historical heart of the city and visit the Notre Dame Cathedral. The red bricks of the cathedral walls were originally from Paris. From there, take a short walk to the old Central Post Office, then visit the best-preserved buildings from the colonial era, the Opera House and the Hotel de Ville, which is now home to Saigon’s municipal authorities. Continue to the Catinat building. Built in 1927 in an art deco style, it has once again become a hub for fashion conscious Saigonese and contains many designer boutiques, galleries, restaurants and cafés.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Hotel Saigon (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Morning tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels: After breakfast travel out of the city to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This vast network of tunnels, stretching for over 150 kilometres, was built by the Viet Cong in the battles for the South. The tunnels are a sobering insight into the dedication of the Viet Cong who virtually lived in the narrow and claustrophobic tunnels whilst the war raged. Nearby, a chilling demonstration of the traps and weapons that were used against the Americans is given. The Cu Chi tunnels have been widened in places for visitors, however they can still be dark, hot and claustrophobic inside so please bear this in mind if you do not like enclosed spaces.

Afternoon at leisure: This afternoon you have time at leisure in this bustling Asian metropolis. Relax at your hotel, or explore independently. Great shopping opportunities can be found in busy Ben Thanh market as well as numerous glitzy modern malls, while great food can be found on every corner either on the street or in a number of fantastic upmarket restaurants.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Hotel Saigon (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey through the Mekong Delta to Can Tho, via Ben Tre: After breakfast, you will be met by your guide at the hotel and depart south into the Mekong Delta region. After 1-2 hours, you will stop in Ben Tre province in the heart of the delta. On arrival you will board a short cruise on the river, a great way to see local life. A stop will be made to visit a traditional brick workshop where people still make bricks by hand. At another point on the river you will disembark and be provided with a bicycle to set off with your guide on a gentle ride along the picturesque village roads. There will also be a stop to visit local gardens and fruit orchards as well as a visit to Mr Sau Khanh, a local character with an interesting collection of antiques and stories to tell. Lunch today is provided at a local restaurant and the excursion ends back at Ben Tre Pier at around 3pm, when you can continue you journey on to Can Tho, another 2-3 hour drive.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Nam Bo Boutique Hotel (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Morning visit to Can Tho floating market: After an early breakfast this morning depart by road to a nearby dock, and board a sampan boat to explore Cai Rang, the largest floating market on the Mekong. The seemingly chaotic gathering is mostly large boats wholesaling vegetables and fruit, but there are also local traders selling groceries to the larger boats.

Road journey from Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City: Later this morning you will return to Ho Chi Minh City by road, a journey of around 2-3 hours.

Flight: VN3821 Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap 16.00 - 17.40

Private transfer: On arrival in Siem Reap you will be welcomed to Cambodia by your local guide and transferred to your hotel in a chauffeur driven car for a four-night stay.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hanumanalaya Villa (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom & The Bayon: Probably the best time to visit Angkor Wat, the largest and most famous of the Angkor temples, is early in the morning, when the light is good and it is relatively quiet. Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid crowned by five beehive-like towers rising 65 metres from ground level. At the apex of Khmer political and military dominance in the region, Suryavarman II constructed Angkor Wat in the form of a massive 'temple-mountain' dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall and the walls of the temple are covered inside and out with bas-reliefs and carvings. Nearly 2000 distinctively rendered apsara carvings adorn the walls throughout the temple and represent some of the finest examples of apsara carvings in Angkorian era art.

Angkor Thom (Big Angkor) is a walled and moated royal city and was the last capital of the Angkorian Empire. After Jayavarman VII recaptured the badly damaged Angkorian capital from the Cham invaders in 1181, he began a massive building campaign across the empire, constructing Angkor Thom as his new capital city. He began with existing structures such as Baphuon and Phimeanakas and built a grand enclosed city around them, adding the outer wall and some of Angkor's greatest temples including his state-temple, Bayon, set at the centre of the city. There are five entrances (gates) to the city, one for each cardinal point, and the victory gate leading to the Royal Palace area. Each gate, as well as much of Jayavarman VII's architecture is crowned with four giant faces. The giant stone faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. There are 37 standing towers, most sporting four carved faces oriented toward the cardinal points.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hanumanalaya Villa (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Morning tour of Lake Tonle Sap: After breakfast this morning travel by car to the edge of Lake Tonle Sap, and embark on a small wooden boat for the trip to Kompong Pluk. Cruise down a narrow waterway and enter this medieval floating village, where the houses stand on stilts as high as seven metres above the water. Everything lives on the water, pigs, dogs, crocodiles and people, all jockeying for space in this incredible floating town. Visit the local temple before boarding a bigger boat to take you through the flooded forest and across the Great Lake to the jetty, where you will be met and driven back to Siem Reap.

Afternoon at leisure: This afternoon, you have some time at leisure in Siem Reap. You may wish to relax at your hotel, or undertake some leisurely shopping in central Siem Reap. For the more adventurous, a wealth of activities such as quad-biking or zip-lining can be arranged, as well as calmer activities such as cycling or cooking classes.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hanumanalaya Villa (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Full day tour of Beng Mealea and Koh Ker: After breakfast, travel to the lost temple of Beng Mealea, the titanic of temples, a slumbering giant lost for centuries in the forests of Cambodia. It is the most accessible of Angkor's lost temples, a mirror image of Angkor Wat, but utterly consumed by the voracious appetite of nature. Constructed by Suryavarman II (1113-1150), the builder of Angkor Wat, the forest has run riot here and it is hard to get a sense of the monument's shape amid the daunting ruins. Here it is possible to enjoy an Indiana Jones experience clambering about the vast ruin. For those who want a more gentle adventure, there is also a sturdy wooden walkway running right into the heart of the temple. It is also possible to visit a nearby Angkor-era quarry from where stone was cut to build these massive monuments.

You will then head into the bush to the remote Angkor capital of Koh Ker. The history of Cambodia is riven with dynastic spats and political intrigue and one of the most memorable came in the 10th century when Jayavarman IV (928-942) fell out with his family, stormed off to the northwest and established the rival capital of Koh Ker. Although the capital for just 15 years, Jayavarman IV was determined to legitimise his rule through a prolific building programme that left a legacy of 30 major temples and some gargantuan sculpture that is on display in the National Museum in Phnom Penh. Return to your hotel in Siem Reap late this afternoon.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hanumanalaya Villa (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Time at leisure: You have some further time at leisure to relax and continue exploring Siem Reap at your own pace.

Private transfer: This afternoon, your guide will meet you at your hotel for the transfer to the airport.

Flight: VN834 Siem Reap - Hanoi 20.45 - 22.30

Meals: Breakfast