Take a full-day tour of this charming capital city. Visit the mausoleum of the nation’s founder, Ho Chi Minh (closed on Monday & Friday), as well as Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature.

Head for one of the most scenic destinations in the world, the Ha Long Bay, after breakfast. The bay covers 577 square miles and has more than 3,000 limestone peaks, or karsts, that jut from the deep blue water as far as the eye can see.

Enjoy your time on board a traditional boat and explore this overwhelming seascape. Your boat features hand-crafted wooden interiors that include a dining room and pleasant, air-conditioned cabins with private baths.

Spend your morning on the upper deck of the boat as it navigates its way past the rocky islands rising from the emerald water of the bay. After a wonderful breakfast, you are off to explore the Sung Sot Cave before heading back to the boat where a brunch will be served.

Welcome to the imperial city of Hue. Hue used to be Vietnam’s political capital from 1802 to 1945 under the 13 emperors of the Nguyen dynasty. Formerly, the city was Vietnam’s cultural, religious and educational center. Visit the main citadel of the city, which was modelled after the Forbidden City in Beijing.

You are free to explore the city on your own today. However, if you are interested in something much more structured, we do have a full-day optional activity for you: discovering kings' tombs.

If you choose this optional activity, you start your day after breakfast by visiting the Thien Mu Pagoda on the banks of the Perfume River, which was a hotbed of anti-government protests during the early 1960s.

Next comes the complex of the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, built in 1840, which is known for its magnificent architecture and elaborate decorations. It is considered one of Hue’s most beautiful pagodas.

Sit down for lunch at a local restaurant and travel next to the Tomb of Tu Duc, a section of which was built for meditation, reading and theater performances in a tranquil setting of forested hills and lakes. Your final stop is Khai Dinh, the last monument of the Nguyen dynasty. It has a remarkably long staircase flanked by dragons as well as ornate ceiling murals and ceramic frescoes.

Today, you head for the South, traveling past the Hai Van Pass and Land Co before climbing over a spur of the Truong Son Mountain Range. Enjoy spectacular views along the way. Upon arrival in Da Nang, visit the Cham Museum, which features a fine collection of open-air sandstone carvings.

Stop at the My Khe Beach, made famous by the American TV series of the same name. It stretches for many miles north to south of the Marble Mountains, a collection of five stone hillocks each of which each is said to represent one of the five elements of the universe. There are many natural caves in this area where Buddhist sanctuaries have been built over centuries.

You have a free day today. Explore the city on your own or choose an optional activity and spend the day with us.

The optional activity will take you to some of the most important landmarks of Hoi An, a major trading center once known as Faifo to the earliest Western traders. It was also an important port for the Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and other merchant vessels from the Far East.

You first visit will be a temple with partially gilded statues in the center, followed by a pagoda dedicated to sailors and fishermen and a chapel with origins in the 1700s that reflects the influences of Chinese and Japanese styles.

Take a trip to the Sa Huynh Museum next. Located near the famous Japanese Covered Bridge, the museum contains exhibitions from the earliest period of Hoi An’s history.

Travel to My Son Sanctuary, a World Heritage site located 50km southwest of Hoi An at 8.00 am. Located in a lush, green valley, My Son was both the capital and religious center of the Cham people.

My Son is considered to be in the same league as some of Southeast Asia’s greatest archaeological sites, including Angkor in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, Ayutthaya in Thailand and Borobudur in Indonesia. All these monuments were built between the 7th and the 13th century.

Start your Ho Chi Minh City tour in the morning. Visit Reunification Hall, formerly known as Presidential Palace. Then travel to the Old Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Jade Emperor Pagoda, Chinatown and the Binh Tay Market, the central market of the city and one of the liveliest areas.

You are free to discover Ho Chi Minh City by yourself today. Or you can join us in an optional full-day excursion to the Mekong Delta.

If you opt for the Mekong Delta tour, your day starts after breakfast with a drive to My Tho, the capital of Tien Giang province. Situated on the Mekong River 75km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho is surrounded by orchards and rice fields that produce food for the entire country.

Visit a couple of islands where people are involved in producing everything from traditional handcraft and coconut candies to honey before visiting the Vinh Trang Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in the delta, during an amazing boat trip on the Mekong River.