9-Day Vietnam Tour from Hanoi to Hoi An with Cruise and Caves

• 08:30: Pick up from your hotel or private address by shuttle bus. Take a short break halfway through the journey.

• 12:00: Arrive at Got Ferry Terminal, transfer by tender to La Pandora Cruise, and enjoy welcome drinks. Receive a cruise briefing and safety instructions, check in to your cabin, and set sail through Ha Long Bay while admiring the magical landscape. The cruise passes Da Chong Islet, where you can see a lighthouse built by the French more than 100 years ago.

• 13:00: Enjoy a special Vietnamese lunch of fresh seafood and an assortment of appetizing favourites while sailing past the islets of Con Vit.

• 15:30: The cruise continues through Lan Ha Bay, an area surrounded by extraordinary limestone karst landscapes. Proceed to the Ong Cam area of Lan Ha Bay, a quieter part of Ha Long Bay and a peaceful tourist paradise in Vietnam, where you can enjoy kayaking and/or swimming in the crystal-clear waters.

• 17:30: Return to La Pandora Cruise and drop anchor for the night. Enjoy the complimentary sunset party on the sundeck with local wine and fresh fruits.

• 19:00: Dinner is served in the restaurant. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served by the onboard catering staff.

• 21:00: Retire to your cabin or join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, or play games.

Overnight on board.

• 06:00: Enjoy sunrise and admire the endless, miraculous scenery of the bay. Join an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck.

• 07:00: Relish a light breakfast with coffee and tea.

• 08:30: Transfer to the day boat to visit Viet Hai Village. Take a bicycle ride along the village path through rain forests and dark tunnels, and enjoy stunning views of rice fields along the way. Stop at the village to relax and visit an ancient local house made of straw, mud, and bamboo. You will have the chance to observe local life in this valley community.

• 11:30: Return to the day boat to continue visiting Lan Ha Bay. Lunch is served on board.

• 13:30: Visit Lan Ha Bay, kayak to discover the bay for yourself, and swim in the blue water. Continue to the Van Boi area, the heart of Lan Ha Bay, where there are many white-sand and coral beaches.

• 16:30: Return to La Pandora Cruise for time to relax. Enjoy the complimentary sunset party on the sundeck with local wine and fresh fruits.

• 19:00: Savour dinner in the restaurant. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served by the onboard catering staff.

• 21:30: Retire to your cabin or join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, access the internet, or play games.

Overnight on board.

• 06:00: Enjoy sunrise and admire the endless, miraculous scenery of the bay. Join an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck.

• 07:00: Have a light breakfast with coffee and tea.

• 07:45: Visit Dark & Bright Cave and the surrounding islets by local rowing boat, and experience their wild and mysterious beauty.

• 09:15: Return to the ship and relax before checking out.

• 10:00: Join a cooking class demonstration and learn how to make the local speciality, spring rolls.

• 10:30: Lunch is served on board.

• 12:00: Disembark at Got Ferry Terminal by tender and take the shuttle bus back to Hanoi.

• 15:00: Arrive at your hotel or home.

• 06:00 - 06:30: Pick up from your hotel or the meeting point and depart for Sapa by limousine bus via the Noi Bai - Lao Cai highway. Along the way, contemplate the beauty of the northwest mountains, where terraced fields sparkle in the sunlight or fade into thick fog.

• Take a short 30-minute break, then continue the journey to Sapa.

• 13:00: Arrive in Sapa, check in at the hotel, and have lunch.

• After lunch, your Vietnamese tour guide will pick you up from the hotel and you will begin trekking down to Lao Chai Village to visit the Tay and Dzay tribes. Continue along the bottom of the Muong Hoa Valley to Ta Van Village, home to the Dzay minority. This is the most beautiful ethnic village in the area.

• Check in at the homestay and get to know the Dzay family. Spend time enjoying mountain life at sunset. You may join the family in cooking local dishes and enjoy dinner in a peaceful setting.

• In the evening, you can visit a nearby local bar with music and socialize with other travellers.

• Spend the night at the local homestay with the family. The accommodation is clean, with basic bedding and mosquito nets provided, along with a western toilet and shower. You will sleep on a mattress on the floor in a mixed-gender dormitory.

• Enjoy breakfast at the homestay and start the day early at 8:00 AM.

• After breakfast, begin an easy 5 km trek to visit H'mong villages. The trek follows local paths, up and down rice terraces and into the villages and homes of local hill tribes. Along the way, enjoy a beautiful waterfall and a rattan bridge, with picturesque landscapes through bamboo forest before reaching the main road to take the jeep back to Sapa.

• 2:00 PM: The bus will pick you up from Ta Van Village and return you to Sapa Town.

• Enjoy free time in Sapa to refresh.

• Around 3:00 PM, the driver will be waiting for you for your short drive to Sapa Town, where the staff will have prepared a takeaway sandwich for the journey back to Hanoi.

• 21:30: Arrive in Hà Nội.

• 8:10: Pick up from your hotel or meeting point in the Old Quarter and travel to Ninh Bình Province in the south of Northern Vietnam.

• 9:30: Visit Hoa Lư, the ancient capital of Vietnam from 986 to 1010. Explore King Đinh Temple and King Lê Temple from the 10th century, and learn about the heroic history of these two kings during the Chinese wars.

• 10:30: Explore Mua Cave (Dancing Cave), where you can enjoy an impressive panoramic view of Tam Cốc and Ninh Bình City from the top of Ngọa Long Mountain after climbing about 500 stone steps.

• 12:00: Enjoy a set-menu Vietnamese lunch at Wonderland Bungalow, where a cooking class activity is available.

• 13:00: Discover Tam Cốc (Three Water Caves) on a sampan boat ride of nearly two hours, passing through three caves by boat: Hang Cả, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba.

• 15:00: Be amazed by the beauty of the northern Vietnamese countryside during a cycling experience.

• 15:30: Attend a sunset party at the swimming pool. After discovering the incredible beauty of Ninh Bình by walking, hiking, and cycling, you can relax by swimming, drinking local tea, and eating fresh fruits while the sun sets, if conditions are suitable for swimming.

• 16:00: Transfer to Ham Rong Homestay in Ninh Bình for dinner and rest.

• Around 20:30: Transfer to the train station to take the night train from Ninh Bình to Đồng Hới for Phong Nha National Park.

• Depart at 21:47.

• 07:30 - 08:00: Pick up by the driver and guide at Đồng Hới station, airport, bus station, or your hotel in Đồng Hới City or Phong Nha Town, then travel to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

• 09:00: Visit Paradise Cave, discovered by scientists from the British Caving Research Association in 2005. At 31 km in length, it is the longest dry cave in Asia. You will travel by electric car from the parking area to the foothills of the cave, about 2 km away. Walk through the jungle, see many kinds of trees, and hear the sounds of animals. Explore about 1 km of the cave on a wooden walkway and admire stalactites in many different shapes. With its naturally primitive features, Paradise Cave looks like a landscape painting, with white crystal stalactites resembling glass pillars and many other spectacular formations.

• 12:00: Enjoy lunch at a restaurant serving local specialities.

• 13:00: Continue the journey to visit Phong Nha Cave.

• 13:30: Visit Phong Nha Cave, considered the "First Cave wonder." Take a boat ride of about 5 km along the Son River to reach this river cave. Along the Son River, children can play on the waterfront, and you will have the opportunity to observe the daily life of the riverside village, which reflects the soul of the Vietnamese countryside.

• Return to the boat station.

• 16:00 - 16:30: Transfer back to Phong Nha Town or Đồng Hới City.

• 17:00 - 17:30: Return to Nam Long Plus Hotel for an overnight stay.

• After breakfast, the car will take you to the train station for your train to Huế, departing at 8:05 AM.

• Arrive in Huế at around 11:05 AM.

• 08:00 AM: Pick up from your Huế hotel by tour guide and motorbike.

• Embark on a full-day trip from Huế to Hội An by motorbike. This scenic coastal route is one of the best ways to travel between the two cities if you only have one day.

• Your first stop is Elephant Springs, where you can wade in the rock pools.

• Next, stop for photos at Lang Co Beach before travelling over the Hải Vân Pass. Hải Vân means "Sea of Clouds," and at the top of the pass you are literally surrounded by clouds on one side and stunning ocean views on the other.