Upon arrival at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, you will be greeted by your driver and transferred to your hotel.

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam's capital which celebrated its anniversary of 1,000 years in 2010. As you travel to your hotel, take a look out your window and take a look at the landscape and architecture. Historical emphasis on the arts and learning stipulates that buildings in Hanoi remain small, simple, and in harmony with nature.

Depending on the time of your arrival, you have the afternoon free to take a first look around.

In the evening, depart from your hotel to a charming Indochina-style villa by the Duong River, where you’ll enjoy an intimate home cooked dinner hosted by a local Hanoi mother. The meal features a selection of traditional Vietnamese delicacies, lovingly prepared using age-old family recipes and techniques. 

Today with the help of your private guide and driver, you will get to explore the city’s top attractions, sample Hanoi’s authentic local dishes away from the tourist trails, hunkering down with the locals on the street at a variety of atmospheric food stalls.

In the morning, you’ll have time to relax or to set off and explore the Old Quarter on your own to explore galleries, cafés, and more.
In the afternoon, uncover Hanoi’s hidden secrets and treasures on a tour filled with insights and stories told by insiders. This tour includes the city’s everyday people and places that are often overlooked, or barely given a second glance, by visitors as they are not on any Hanoi must-visit list.

The tour starts with a leisure walk from your hotel. We see a gentle and quiet Hanoi at the break of dawn when many local people exercise and street vendors start their morning selling around Hoan Kiem Lake - the heart of the city. From here we will continue walking to a market located in the middle of the Old Quarter. Despite its small size, this market is dubbed the market for the rich as it sells the most expensive, yet the most delicious, pre-cooked food for busy housewives. Continue to travel to the city’s backstreet alleys to see tiger-cage apartments that reflect the life of Hanoians in the subsidy period. Regardless of its ramshackle appearance, it recalls a nostalgic Hanoi for many people. Nearby is a 70-year-old notorious black market that used to be a place to buy/ sell stolen goods a few decades ago.

Later, we'll head to the home of a local water puppet master. After watching traditional water puppets in action during a private show, we'll enjoy a hands-on demonstration on how to manipulate the puppets to make them move — a Viland exclusive experience. Then, we'll learn how these intricate puppets are made. In Vietnam, the art form of water puppetry continues to thrive at least 1,000 years after it originated with peasants in the Red River Delta of the north. Puppets are suspended over water and directed by puppet masters who must sit, semi-submerged, for hours at a time. The French used to call these puppets “the souls of the Vietnamese rice fields”—made of lacquered, water-resistant fig wood, they depict villagers, farm animals, dragons,...
In the late afternoon, transfer to the train station for the night train to Lao Cai with a private cabin. Overnight on train.

06.25: The train arrives at Lao Cai train station and you will be warmly welcomed by your local guide and driver. 

After breakfast at a local restaurant, depart on a drive along reasonably good roads to the Bac Ha Market, the colorful market in the area. Every Sunday morning, many different ethnic groups like the Flower H’mong, Phu La, Black Dzao, Tay and Nung minorities gather to buy and sell local products including homemade wares ranging from embroidery, tobacco and rice wine to farmyard animals such as chickens, pigs, horses and buffaloes. This is also a place for the locals to catch up and meet friends over rice wine at the end of the week. Transfer to Sapa for hotel check-in.

On this trip, you will go to the most remote part of Sapa area to explore the natural life of ethnic minority groups living in the mountains. Have lunch in a remote but beautiful village of Red Dao minority, in a comfortable riverside lodge with its own bridge and terrace. 
You will commence the tour with a transfer deeper into Hoang Lien National Park to the trek starting point near Sin Chai village. You are now “off the beaten track”. Enjoy beautiful views of high mountains, waterfalls and the deep valleys. The trails will soon lead you to the Red Dao village of Nam Nhiu, here you will meet the villagers, visit their home, and learn about their daily life as mostly farmers. Leaving the village behind, you will turn into a small dirt trail and soon note the marvelous views of the valley dotted with bamboo huts, which are used by local farmers as overnight lodge during harvest season. 
After passing the rice terraces and a river you will walk on a quiet road for a while before arriving at the charming Nam Cang village. Your lunch is served at local restaurant. 
Nam Cang village locates at the far end of Sapa valley and the Red Dao women wear some of the most colorful and diverse costumes of all Vietnam’s ethnic groups. They are also famous for herbal bath, local medicine and embroidery. Accompanied by your guide, you will explore the village and learn how the local villagers make writing paper, silver jewelry and colorful embroidery. You then meet your vehicle for the journey back.

The whole morning is free at leisure. You can take a leisure walk to visit Sapa town, Sapa market.

12:00: Check out of hotel. Lunch on your own account. 

15:05 – 15:30: Pick up at your hotel in Sapa Town 5.5-hour direct drive incl. two 20-minute breaks. 

21:00 – 21:30: Arrive at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter. Dinner on your own account. Overnight in Hanoi. 

Optional: Enjoy Red Dzao Herbal Bath in a local Spa 
In Red Dao communities, herbal baths are prepared for women a week after giving birth, to help them recover their strength. The baths are also used to alleviate aches in muscles and bones, and to ward off colds and flu during the chilly Sapa winters. In modern wellness terms, the baths combine hydrotherapy and aromatherapy to increase blood circulation, calm the mind, and reduce pain in the body. The herbs in the bath gently detox pores and soothe skin.

At 08:30 your driver will pick you up at your hotel for departing for Halong Bay, arriving at the jetty around noon. 
Embark on a unique journey, meeting at Heritage Line’s lounge at Tuan Chau Marina. A short speedboat transfer takes you to your luxurious floating home, the starting point for exploring the wonders of Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island. Lunch is served in the almost 360-, light-flooded, elegant dining room during we sail deeper into the bay. Unwind on the terrace deck or private balcony, soaking in the surreal seascape.
Mooring close to Cat Ba Island, we step on land heading to Viet Hai Village, nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by jungle-cladded mountains. Cycling through this valley offers wonderful insights into the isolated life of the local inhabitants. The community, surrounded by thick forests and mountains, and only accessible by sea, is self-sufficient, cultivating vegetables, fruits, and fishing on the bay.
Returning to the ship, we sail to our overnight anchorage spot in Lan Ha Bay. Participate in a Vietnamese tea tasting, pamper yourself with spa a treatment, or enjoy some time in the sauna located in the ship’s vast spa area. After dinner offers you can opt for a guided “Singing Bowl Meditation” in the wellness studio or simply relax under the stars on the terrace deck or your private balcony to embrace the serenity of this surreal landscape.

Begin your day with a Tai Chi session on the terrace deck, offering a rejuvenating experience under the morning sun. During breakfast time the ship sails toward the northern access port to enter Cat Ba Island and its national park. A short scenic bus ride takes you through the lush park and the starting point for a leisurely hiking outing to get to know this designated biosphere reserve better. The Park hosts about 1,500 plant species, 78 avian, 20 reptilian and 32 mammalian species including deer, macaques, and civets.

Returning to the ship for lunch and some enjoyable sailing time reaching eventually a secluded spot for the afternoon activities. The afternoon is “at your own pace” with options including relaxing on a natural beach, swimming in the bay, enjoying spa treatments, steam bath, or sauna back on board. Make the most of this unhurried afternoon, creating enduring memories in Lan Ha Bay.

As the sun sets, the ship sails to its overnight mooring spot. Savour a multi-course dinner and join again our guided “Singing Bowl Meditation” or retire to your suite to unwind on your private balcony.

Wake up early for a Tai Chi session on the terrace deck. Traditional Vietnamese coffee, tea and breakfast pastries await in the dining room for a first bite. The ship sails to a place called “Frog Lake”, a secluded area which is perfect for an energetic morning excursion by kayak. Explore this captivating marine landscape with cliffs stretching vertically out of the water and you feel a sense of freedom while paddling through a labyrinth of jade-green water, rocks and vivid tree-topped islets.

Back on board, we serve a hearty breakfast or brunch while cruising back to the disembarkation spot, from where we transfer you back to the pier by speedboat. Savour the last moments of this unique journey while relaxing on the terrace deck.

Your private car takes you back to Hanoi and head directly to the airport for the flight to Da Nang, in the central of Vietnam

Upon arrival at Da Nang airport, you will be picked up by your private guide & driver and taken to your hotel in Hoi An, the UNESCO heritage town. Hoi An has a pick of two beaches just 5kms (3 miles) away with so many beautiful beach resorts so please advise us if you prefer to stay on the beach.

Note: The itinerary is subject to change without notice, in accordance with the weather and other operating conditions.

Today is yours to unwind and enjoy the gentle rhythm of Hoi An at your own pace.
In the morning, take a leisurely stroll through the lantern-lined streets, stop by a riverside café for a cup of Vietnamese coffee, or simply relax at your resort with a spa treatment. 

Free time at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An. 

Breakfast at your hotel and free on your own time. The room will be available until 12.00. Lunch and dinner on your own account. 

Your guide will be waiting for you at the hotel’s lobby and take care you on a private transfer to the airport for your flight back home. 

Meals: Breakfast