Simply Vietnam

Arrive Ho Chi Minh City

On arrival in Vietnam, you'll be met by your private guide, who will accompany you to your hotel.

City Tour

Visit your choice of Ho Chi Minh City’s highlights on a personalised tour with your guide, taking in everything from grand palaces, to French neoclassical architecture, to bustling side streets. We recommend you incorporate the impressive Reunification Palace, and the beautiful Saigon Central Post Office (designed by Gustave Eiffel), after an early morning meander through the alleys and markets of District 1 - a densely populated, and architecturally stunning area, full of aromatic markets and small businesses, that few visitors know exists, let alone see for themselves. Bear witness to the violence of the country’s recent past with a visit to a secret weapon store used by the resistance during the Vietnam war, immerse yourself in the micro-culture of Cho Lon, HCMC’s Chinatown, and end with a visit to the top of the Bitexco Tower for a sundowner with the city’s best views.

Delve into the Cu Chi Tunnels

Depart early from HCMC (to avoid the traffic and the crowds) to visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels - an incredible underground network over 150 miles in length, constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters. The remaining tunnels have been opened to visitors, offering a unique insight into the ingenuity behind them, and a glimpse of underground life during the Vietnam war. Your afternoon is at leisure, giving you time to enjoy a Vietnamese coffee or a stroll through the city. Hanoi - 3 nights Hanoi, Vietnam’s first and current capital, ranks among the most visually stunning cities in the world. Streets full of greenery wind between grand buildings, spacious parks, museums, temples, markets and shops, unifying the town’s many different elements; elegant pagodas rise above the infamously chaotic traffic below, exemplifying two extremes of Hanoi’s character. Join the throng for an exhilarating night-time tour by Vespa and, as contrast, swap the throttle for pedal power to cycle around the city’s peaceful lakeside and sip something cool in the shade of an ancient temple.

Fly to Hanoi, evening Vespa Tour

Enjoy time at leisure until the evening when you’ll start a street food tour with a difference. Riding pillion on a Vespa, you’ll discover delicious Vietnamese specialities and hang out where the locals do. Sip a cool beer at a rooftop cafe, sample some of the city’s best Pho Cuon spring rolls on the shores of West Lake, drive along one of the most romantic and picturesque streets in the city, and fill up on Cha Ca, Hanoi’s signature grilled fish noodles. After eating, head to Ba Dinh square to watch the ceremonial changing of the guard at Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, before finishing the evening on a lighter note with a drink and some live music at a trendy bar.

'Old & New' City Tour

Start the day away from the city centre bustle with a cycle around the perimeter of West Lake. Spend time in the shade of Tran Quoc pagoda’s elegant tower, or watch the world go by from a lakeside cafe. As the sun rises to its highest, continue your journey into Hanoi’s past with a visit to the atmospheric halls of the Temple of Literature on the site of Vietnam’s first university. Tuck into some fast food, Vietnam style, with lunch on the famous Trang Tien Street, enjoying anything from pho to sweet treats, seated on a tiny plastic stool among the locals, with the grand Opera House just around the corner. Explore Hanoi’s contemporary culture with a Vietnamese coffee at Manzi Art Cafe, before heading back in time with a stroll past the workshops and pagodas in the narrow streets of the Old Quarter. Enjoy a beer and keep exploring, or head back to your hotel for a little downtime.

Try your hand at Vietnamese cooking

Spend your morning learning how to prepare and cook traditional Vietnamese cuisine under the expert guidance of the team from Hanoi's Highway 4 Restaurant. The menu changes depending on the season and during the class you can be sure of picking up some useful culinary tips. The proof always being in the pudding, lunch will be an opportunity class to sample your morning’s efforts. Hoi An - 3 nights Hoi An, one of Asia’s most significant ports during the 1500s, has retained much of its original ambience despite the intervening centuries of weather, war and modern development, and is undoubtedly a highlight of any visit to Vietnam. Sample the city’s street food, find your favourite spot for Vietnamese coffee, and dine in style at the many restaurants exemplifying the town’s famous cuisine. Wander across the ancient Japanese Covered Bridge, explore former merchants’ homes, and buy silks, handicrafts, antiques, and immaculate tailored suits (with an astonishing 24 hr turnaround) at the colourful shops and markets.

Fly to Hoi An, Twilight Bites jeep tour

Having flown to Danang and driven the short distance to Hoi An, enjoy time at leisure until the evening when you’ll join your guide for a food tour with a difference. Tonight’s experience will give you a unique insight into Hoi An’s renowned foodie scene whilst travelling in your very own US military jeep. Over the course of the evening you’ll make a number of stops to sample the region’s specialities, as well as ‘bia tuoi’ (fresh beer), in local establishments off the tourist radar.

Old Town walking tour

This morning, take a stroll with your guide through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An. Along with touring the old market, you'll visit popular sites such as the 16th Century Japanese Bridge and some of the town's important temples. You will also learn about some of the dishes that make Hoi An's cuisine so famous throughout Vietnam. Your afternoon is at leisure to relax or continue exploring independently.

Hoi An at leisure

Enjoy a day at leisure in the city. Discover more of Hoi An’s varied temples, spend more time at your favourite sights from yesterday, or simply try as many different variations of the city’s signature cao lau noodles as you can find.

Depart Hoi An

Transfer to Danang airport for your onward flight.