Splendours of Vietnam

Departure from Montreal to Hanoi.

Arrival and transfer to your hotel. Free afternoon to relax or explore the surrounding area.

Meals: Dinner
Overnight stay in Hanoi

Depart in the morning to visit the Temple of Literature. Established in a temple to educate Vietnam’s royalty, mandarins, and members of the elite, the university operated for an incredible 700 years before becoming the peaceful landmark it is today. Its gardens and well-preserved architecture offer fascinating glimpses into the country’s distant past.

Continue to the nearby Ho Chi Minh Complex. Here, you’ll explore his mausoleum outside and also the former house where he lived from 1958 to 1969. His stilt house illustrates his famous modesty. Finish the morning with a visit to the small but iconic One Pillar Pagoda.

In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Ethnology, arguably the most comprehensive museum in the country. In the late afternoon, take a pedicab ride through the streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, also known as the “36 Streets.” Take a tour through the charming Hang Be Market and around Hoan Kiem Lake. This bustling area of narrow streets and alleyways is home to literally thousands of small businesses and merchants.

End the day with a water puppet show, a traditional art of Northern Vietnam since the 6th century.

Meals: Breakfast – Dinner
Overnight stay in Hanoi

Depart in the morning through the rural countryside to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam. Visit the Dinh and Le temples, then transfer to the town of Tam Coc for a Vietnamese dinner.

In the afternoon, visit Trang An, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2014. Trang An boasts a spectacular landscape of towering limestone ridges. Rowboats travel down the river, passing through a series of caves. The boat glides gently along the river as it winds around the mountains, earning it the name “Halong Bay on land.”

For the more adventurous, climb to the Bich Dong Pagoda, dating from 1428 and comprising three structures: Ha (bottom), Trung (middle), and Thuong (top). Transfer to your hotel to relax in the late afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Overnight in Ninh Binh

Departure in the morning to Halong Bay to begin your magnificent cruise aboard the Capella. Several activities are offered on board: the Oasis Pool and Jacuzzi; Ocean Floating Pool; Inflatable Water Slide; Mini Golf Course; Cigar and Poker Room; Night Squid Fishing; Games at the Spirit of the Sea Lounge; etc.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner Overnight
stay on board the boat

Welcome the new day with a Tai Chi session on the “Ocean Sky Sundeck”.

Visit the Dark and Bright Cave in traditional rowboats. Admire this inclined passage opening the cave to water level and the beautiful serene lake surrounded by lush trees and steep stone cliffs. Return to the cruise for your Brunch at the Harmony of the Sea restaurant as the boat slowly returns to the port.

Arrival and transfer to Hanoi airport to board your flight to Danang. Welcome at the airport and transfer to your hotel in Hue.

Meals: Brunch – Dinner
Overnight stay in Hue

Morning transfer to the Perfume River wharf. From here, you’ll begin a cruise along this peaceful river, then take a car to the tomb of Khai Dinh, the twelfth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. Admire the architecture of this complex, a blend of ancient Chinese and European architecture. Then, head to the tomb of Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, whose architectural style is different from that of Khai Dinh.

At lunchtime, enjoy a vegetarian dinner prepared by the nuns at Lien Hoa Pagoda. You can visit the nuns’ kitchen, taste dishes, and learn about the art of Buddhist monks’ cooking.

Continue to Thanh Tien Village, known for 300 years for its paper flower making. Meet a villager who will show you how to make beautiful lotus flowers from colored paper. Your visit will help support Backstreet Academy, a society that promotes artisans and artists of traditional Vietnamese crafts.

Your final destination is Tha Om House, where you will be welcomed by Mr. Vinh, the owner, who will introduce you to his 19th-century residence and tell you about its history.

Royal dinner with traditional Hue dishes wearing royal costumes.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner Overnight
stay in Hue

Departure south towards Hoi An. The scenic route also passes through the Ocean Cloud Pass (Hai Van Pass), the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co where you will stop for photos before reaching Hoi An. Arrive in Hoi An in the mid-afternoon. Free time to relax or explore the area.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Overnight in Hoi An

A special morning dedicated to the community, helping farmers with their local project. Start with a 30-minute bike ride along the village roads. Stop at Tra Que Village, where the villagers have come together to create a large, 100% organic vegetable farm! Observe the ancestral methods the farmers use to plant, fertilize, and harvest the fields, then try your hand at raking the soil and sowing seeds. You’ll then be rewarded with a herbal foot bath and massage. Then, join the cooking class, made with vegetables from the garden that you’ve prepared yourself!

Return to downtown Hoi An in the afternoon for a guided city tour. Start with a visit to the commercial port, which once welcomed Chinese, Danish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Arab traders between the 16th and 18th centuries. Today, Hoi An is known for its architecture, handmade silk, and delicious seafood noodles. You will visit several important monuments, including the Chau Ong Pagoda, which dates back to 1653 and was built in honor of the Chinese general Quan Cong, admired for his loyalty and sense of justice.

Continue to Jinshang Temple, dedicated to the goddess of the sea and protector of sailors. Continue to Tan Ky House, which dates back 200 years, and the 17th-century Japanese bridge, the most photographed in Vietnam.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Overnight in Hoi An

Free day to discover Hoi An at your own pace.

Meals: Breakfast – Dinner
Overnight stay in Hoi An

Transfer to Danang Airport to board your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to your hotel to drop off your luggage.

Begin your visit to Ho Chi Minh City with its two famous monuments: Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, built between 1877 and 1883 by the renowned Gustave Eiffel. The Cathedral remains in operation today, holding daily religious services. Next, stroll along Dong Street to reach the Opera House, which boasts a rich history: during the war, it served as a shelter and the seat of parliament. Restored in 1995, the Opera House has returned to its roots as a theater.

Continue to the Reunification Palace, one of the symbols of the South Vietnamese government. It was here on April 30, 1975, that the war ended when a North Vietnamese army tank crashed into the ramparts.

Head to Cholon, Chinatown, and Thien Hau Pagoda, dedicated to the goddess of the sea.

Meals: Breakfast – Dinner
Overnight stay in Ho Chi Minh City

Departure in the morning to Ben Tre, a drive that takes about two hours and offers panoramic views of southern Vietnam. Located in the Mekong Delta, Ben Tre is famous for its fruit orchards and traditional artisans working with coconut leaves.

Arrive in Ben Tre and visit a Caodaist temple before boarding a boat for a first glimpse of life in the Mekong Delta. Visit a coconut product workshop.

Continue along a small waterway to stop and enjoy fruit, honey tea, and music. Visit a carpet maker.

Then hop aboard a tuk tuk (vintage Lambro) or cycle along the village trails through the coconut jungle and plains.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Overnight in Can Tho

Depart early in the morning for a cruise to the Cai Rang floating market. Large boats anchor and create pathways that smaller boats weave through. The main items sold are fruits and vegetables, and each boat has a long pole straight from its bow from which samples of the goods for sale are hung. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats filled with mangoes, bananas, papayas, pineapples, and even pho.

Return to your hotel for breakfast and then take the road back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals: Breakfast – Dinner
Overnight stay in Ho Chi Minh City

Today, visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, which formed an underground city for Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War. The tunnels, more than 250 kilometers long, stretch from Saigon to the Cambodian border. Today, they still contain the remains of an American tank and some craters made by American B52 bombers—seen during a bloody war that killed an estimated 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese.

Meals: Breakfast – Dinner
Overnight stay in Ho Chi Minh City

Transfer to the airport for your return flight to Montreal.

Meals: Breakfast