Warmly welcome on arrival at Hanoi airport. Transfer to the hotel for check-in. Welcome dinner at Wild Rice Restaurant.
Overnight at Sofitel Metropole Hanoi.

Start your luxury adventure trip in Hanoi, Vietnam 's artistic and intellectual capital. Explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of speciality shops selling silk clothing, lacquerware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more.
Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, and watch a performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.
Diners in French colonial villas converted into gourmet restaurants. Enjoy people watching at stylish cafes. Shop for impressive modern art in the city's many galleries. Also visit Hanoi 's main cultural attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature.

Overnight at Sofitel Metropole Hanoi.

You will be able to enjoy a free day of leisure in the colonial city of Hanoi. You may like to visit the bustling, narrow streets of the Old Quarter, or perhaps opt for cultural sights by visiting some of Hanoi's many museums, in particular the Museum of Ethnology, dedicated to Vietnam's 54 ethnic minority peoples. Perhaps you could visit Hoa Lo prison, formerly known by its inmates as 'The Hanoi Hilton'. Some of its more notable guests included Senator John McCain and Douglas Peterson, the first post-war US Ambassador to Vietnam.

You could stroll around the French Quarter, where many of the Embassies are located. Maybe a shopping expedition in the old quarter, or just relaxing around one of the many parks and lakes that help make Hanoi one of the greenest cities in Asia. Your trip to Sapa starts with an overnight train journey from Vietnam's capital city to the border town of Lao Cai. The luxury Victoria Express departs at 22:00.

Overnight on the train.

The train arrives at the Lao Cai train station at approximately 06:00. There will be a vehicle waiting to transfer us to Sapa. The drive to Sapa is only 33 km, but it takes around 1.5 hours.

Transfer to Victoria Sapa Hotel (Check-in time is at 14:00)

Have breakfast at TaVan Restaurant in the hotel and then enjoy a free morning to explore around town.

After 10 a.m. pickup from the hotel, there will be a walking tour to the hill tribe villages of Cat Cat, home to the Black H'mong minority peoples. As we walk to the villages nestled in the valley below Sapa, we will meet some of the local minority people on their way to and from Sapa. Here we have the opportunity to share cultural experiences with the families that live in the area.

Overnight at Victoria Sapa Hotel.

Following breakfast, we explore the Sapa Sunday market and then set out on our 3-4 hour trek that will take us along buffalo paths and trails and through several hill tribe villages of Lao Chai and Ta Van, home to H'mong, and Dzay people. This is a spectacular walk through stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people you can meet.

We will stop for a picnic lunch on the way to Ta Van village. This afternoon, we transfer back to Lao Cai for the Victoria Express train journey back to Hanoi. The train departs at 21:15.
Overnight on the train.

Arrive in Hanoi at around 5 AM. Pick up from here, transfer to local restaurant for breakfast and morning coffee.

8.00: Depart from Hanoi to Halong Bay by comfortable shuttle bus (optional)

12.00: Upon arrival at Emperor Cruises, located at Hon Gai dock, our team will welcome you in our lounge before boarding.  

12.30: Our Experiences Manager will assist you with boarding to start cruising in Bai Tu Long Bay.

Check in to your cabin as we set sail from Vinashin dock to cruise among the many beautiful islets (scenes from the film ‘Indochine’ were filmed here). Bai Tu Long Bay has a wild beauty, and the panoramas from the boat are unforgettable.  

13.00: A set menu lunch will be served at our Can Chanh Restaurant on the main deck. Savour delicious Vietnamese food while admiring the grace of the bay.  

14.30: Explore the area of Hon Co Island and Co Cave (Grass Cave, also known as Thien Canh Son). You can revel in the breathtaking view of Bai Tu Long Bay from up high, as well as the glorious long white-sand beach of Hon Co Island. Afterwards relax on the beach, go swimming in the crystal clear water and explore the cave.  

16.30: Return to the cruise by small boat

17.00: Choose from kayaking, taking a massage (15 minutes of foot massage) or just relaxing, doing nothing or watching the sky colour change as the sun sets.

18.00: Attend tea demonstration

18.30 - 19.00: Attend our chef’s cooking demonstration and try your skills in the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking (making spring rolls) in a truly stunning setting. 

19.30: Enjoy our à la carte course menu for dinner on board as you experience the charm of Bai Tu Long Bay at night.  

21.00: Evening activities: enjoy our Movie Night, Board Games or our Massage and Spa services or even go squid fishing. Overnight on board Emperor Cruises.  

6.00: Wake up to the gentle lapping of the water against the boat, and as the first rays of the sun announce a new day. Before enjoying breakfast, have cookies and tea and then try the Vovinam session on the sundeck as the sun rises over Bai Tu Long Bay.

6.45: Have light breakfast with milk, bread, cereals, fruit juice, yoghurt.

7.15-7.30: Visit Vung Vieng fishing village, the famous pearl-growing village, to view the fishing tanks of the local people.  Proceed to Vung Vieng floating village to board bamboo boats so the locals can row you around their village and oyster pearl farming plots. Return to the mother boat by speedboat/tender.

8.30: Return to the cruise by tender

9.30: Arrange the luggage and check out.

9.45-10.30: Enjoy brunch on board while cruising back to the mainland.

11.00: Arrive back at Emperor Cruises dock, Halong City, for disembarkation, where your driver waits to take you back to Hanoi or the airport for your onward journey or home.

Pick up at your hotel and transfer to Noi Bai airport for your short flight to the resort of Nha Trang to spend 3 nights in a secluded private Beach Pool Villa overlooking beautiful Ninh Van Bay at the Evason Hideaway Resort at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay.

Free time to snorkel or dive among the coral reefs in crystal blue waters, hike nature trails, cool off in your private plunge pool, indulge in spa treatments or just relax on the white sand beach and admire the unspoiled mountain and sea views.

Enjoy your time and facilities of the resort at your leisure.

Transfer to Nha Trang airport for your short flight to HCMC, the country's commercial centre and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. Visit the Reunification Palace, the Opera House and Hotel de Ville. If desired, also visit the moving War Remnants Museum.

Explore colourful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city's main upscale shopping boulevard with boutiques selling clothes and accessories designed by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high-quality linens and housewares. Try the south's strong Vietnamese iced coffee and a banh mi (baguette sandwich) and enjoy what HCMC nights have to offer.

Overnight in Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel.

Tour ends after breakfast, followed by a transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for your onward flight home.