National Geographic Award Winning Vietnam For the Family

In the morning, you will be meet at your hotel by your English speaking guide and private car and then taken to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex. Visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state. See the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked and visit the nearby Ho Chi Minh Museum, an extraordinary tribute to the life of the “father of the country.” Next you will go to the Governor’s Residence, a fine example of Hanoi’s French architecture, followed by a stop at the One Pillar Pagoda to hear the legend of its construction. Continue to the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, for a quick escape from the busy streets. After lunch, carry on to Bat Trang Pottery Village which is a famous village situated approximately 15km outside of Hanoi, surrounded by fertile farmland. Watch the artisans forming, painting and glazing their products, which are then baked for several days in huge kilns and then enjoy a 1 hour Cyclo tour through the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Lunch is will be provided for you at a local restaurant.

Your English speaking guide and bike are waiting for you at hotel. First stop is Quang Ba flower market, where there are so many different kinds of flowers to be seen. Under flickering light, flower seller girls appear with a radiant smile to attract customers. Admiring the flowers and mixing with the local people will make for some unforgettable memories. If time permits, you will visit HoChiMinh Mausoleum and have a chance to see the flag pulling ceremony with a parade and national song, which is hugely popular amongst the locals. For lunch enjoy famous Vietnamese Pho and coffee.

Today, you will take a walking tour that explores the French Quarter through the ideas of its architects and the shape of its stones with your own English speaking guide. It is set in the time from the unraveling of all the threads of civilization, which have left their mark on the area, beginning with recent reminders of Soviet style. Just around the corner, discover a different world altogether as we visit the Buddhist pagoda of Quan Su, the center of Vietnamese Buddhism and Tran Hung Dao streets. You will learn about the French approach to justice and punishment and hear tales of daring Vietnamese resistance to the repressive regime. Enjoy the end of your tour with a nice cup of Vietnamese coffee. Entrance fee, coffee and mineral water is included in this tour. Lunch is not provided.

You will be picked up by private car with an English speaking guide and transferred from the train station to your hotel in Hanoi.

Transfer between Lao Cai train station and Sapa in a private vehicle with guide and driver.

You will be picked up from your Sapa hotel by private car and English speaking driver for a short drive to the Silver Waterfall (best in the rainy season from May to November). Take a short walk to the waterfall where a great view is offered of the surrounding mountains and the lush forests of Hoang Lien National Park. Here your guide will explain the many species of trees that are grown in this special area of Sapa. Continue by car to Heaven's Gate where Fansipan Mountain, the highest peak in Indochina, can be viewed.

Depart from Sapa and enjoy the magnificent view from your private car on the way to Lao Chai village. Along the road, stop at stalls that serve tea, fruits and sweets. Arrive at the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai, where you will experience the daily life of the community. Afterwards, walk from Lao Chai to Ta Van village, where the Zay hill tribes live. Here you will rest and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by your local guide (included). After lunch enjoy an afternoon of trekking through bamboo forests, followed by relaxation beside a waterfall. Continue and explore the Red Dao village of Giang Ta Chai. The tour ends with a return by private car to Sapa

Leaving Sapa early in the morning, travel by private car to Bac Ha Market (2.5hours). Visit the large outdoor market where various Hilltribe peoples come to buy and sell handicraft goods. After exploring the market, enjoy a complimentary lunch at a local restaurant. Leave Bac Ha Market for Trung Do Village, and enjoy a scenic water buffalo cart ride traveling through countryside of the Tay people. From the village, travel by boat down the Chay River and experience the picturesque scenery and magnificent sights along the way. After the boat trip, enjoy a refreshing cup of tea before transport back to Sapa.

Transfer between Sapa and Lao Cai train station in a private vehicle with guide and driver.

You will be picked up by private car with an English speaking guide and transferred from the train station to your hotel in Hanoi.

Transfer this morning from Hanoi to Halong Bay. The drive is roughly 3 hours.

Your heavenly journey across Halong Bay starts around noon on Tuan Chau Island at the doorstep of Vietnam's most fascinating wonder. As the vessel sets sails, you will be greeted by Paradise Crew and Cruise Manager who will aim throughout your stay at providing you with the highest standards of service for a pure pleasure and utmost comfort onboard the ship’s luxury facilities in stunning surroundings.

Discover some of the treasures disseminated across the Bay of the Descending Dragon during the afternoon like fascinating caves, pristine beaches, picturesque floating villages, fantastic rock formations rising up out of the emerald water.

While onboard, at your leisure you can take advantage of the Spa, Beauty and the Massage services provided. You will also have the opportunity to attend the chef's cooking demonstration and try your skills in the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking. Defined to be one of the highlights of your Paradise stay, a highly refined, innovative and varied cuisine will be presented for lunch and dinner in the elegant dining-room, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages from around the world.

In the morning, early risers can attend a Tai Chi demonstration on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Start the day enjoying some Paradise delights with a colourful buffet breakfast. Continue exploring Halong Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights.

The Paradise Luxury Cruise will come to an end on Tuan Chau Island between 10.30am and 11.00am. From here you will drive back to Hanoi.

Transfer between downtown Hanoi and the International Airport.

Fly one way from Hanoi to Danang.

Airport transfer between Danang airport and Hoi An with private vehicle, driver, and English-speaking guide. (40 mins)

Begin your day with a guided bicycle ride through old streets to the workshop of a local artisan. Receive a brief introduction to the history, shape, and colour of traditional lanterns, and learn the process of making them. You will have an opportunity to create your own lantern and keep it as a souvenir. Next continue to a Hoi An cooking school, where you will learn to cook traditional Vietnamese food, have lunch and relax. After lunch you will return to the workshop to decorate and pack your lantern. The tour ends with a guided ride back to the hotel.

Transfer between Hoi An and Hue by private car and English speaking driver. (3 hrs)

The biking tour along the Perfume River starts in the morning. You will have chance to see how the local people live. In the Vy Da village visitors can enjoy the Hue coffee and learn more about ancient architecture of the place. You will sit on one of antique chests that is situated under the trees, drink a tea or coffee and enjoy watching blooming flowers and hearing the birdsongs. Later afternoon you will come back to Hue City and enjoy Fly kites contest. You will manage the Fly Kite and balance it on the sky.

The private transportation with English speaking guide will take you to a boat trip to the famouse caves at Phong Nha that are located in The Ke Bang National Park. The Park is the world's second largest limestone region. The karsts of Phong Nha can be traced back to Palaeozoic Era. The Park has about 20 grottoes and caves. You will explore the most impressive Phong Nha cave. The Cave is famous for its rock formations which locals call the "Lion", the "Fairy Caves", the "Royal Court", and the "Buddha". After visiting the caves you will have lunch in Dong Hoi (the lunch is included).

You will be picked up by an English speaking guide with a private car and transferred between Hue and Danang. (2 hrs)

Fly one way from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City.

You will be picked up by a private car with an English-speaking guide and transferred between Ho Chi Minh City airport and your hotel.

You will be picked up from your hotel by private car with an English speaking guide and taken around for half day city tour. Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, a neo-Romanesque cathedral constructed between 1877 and 1883 using bricks from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. Also visit the Old Saigon Post Office and Cholon, the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City. During your tour we will also visit the Emperor Jade Pagoda (Phuoc Hai), one of the most interesting pagodas in Vietnam. It is filled with smoky incense and fantastic carved figurines. It was built by the Cantonese community around the turn of the 20th century and is still buzzing with worshippers, many lounging in the front gardens.

Take an enjoyable evening cruise. “Bonsai I” is the biggest existing dragon boat in Vietnam and a replica of a Royal Vietnamese style dragon boat dating back from the 19th century. The three decks offer 3 stylish bars, large buffet and dining deck, live cooking stations, show stage, wheel house, bathrooms, cabins and a fully operated kitchen. The cruise goes along Saigon’s modern skyline to the outskirts of the city.

Today, you will be picked up by private car with an English speaking guide escorted to My Tho. You will be traveling past miles of flat rice fields, along a bustling High Way. On arrival at My Tho, you will board a private Mekong cruise boat to Thoi Son Island where you will be entertained with traditional music. Next, you will change to a paddle boat to cruise through the narrow canals and visit home grown industries like coconut candy and rice-wine making. Travel by motorized boat to another Mekong island to visit a bee farm and try tea with fresh honey from the beehives and enjoy fresh seasonal fruits. On your return to My Tho there will be a visit to the Vinh Trang Pagoda. Enjoy a lovely lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant. At the end of the tour, you will return back to Ho Chi Minh.

You will be picked up by a private car with an English-speaking guide and transferred between Ho Chi Minh City airport and your hotel.