Da Nang, Hanoi & Ha Long Bay, 5 Nights

You land at Da Nang Airport, where you are met and driven to your hotel in Da Nang. Rooms are available from the hotel's standard check-in time. The rest of the day is free. You stay overnight in Da Nang. No meals are included today.

The morning is free. The shared afternoon tour picks up at about 12:00 and returns at about 19:30. The first stop is Cam Thanh coconut village, where you ride a round bamboo basket boat through the water-coconut palms and try the local way of fishing. In Hoi An's old town the guided walk takes in the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, one of the old merchant houses (Phung Hung or Tan Ky), a show at the traditional performing arts house and the Japanese Covered Bridge, built more than 400 years ago. Dinner is a local speciality. At about 18:00 you take a boat on the Hoai River and release a flower lantern, then have time in the lantern-lit streets and the night market. You are driven back to your hotel in Da Nang. Meals included today: breakfast and dinner.

A shared guided day, with pick-up at about 7:30 and return at about 17:30. At Ba Na Hills you ride the cable car up the mountain, a single span of more than 11 kilometres. At the top are the Le Jardin d'Amour flower gardens, the Golden Bridge held up by two giant stone hands, and Linh Ung Pagoda with its tall seated Buddha. After lunch there is time in the French Village square and Fantasy Park before the cable car down. The alpine coaster, the wax museum, the wine cellar and the coin-operated games are not covered by the entrance ticket. You stay overnight in Da Nang. Meals included today: breakfast and lunch.

After breakfast and check-out a driver takes you to the airport for the flight to Hanoi. The flight itself is not part of the package and is quoted separately. On arrival at Noi Bai Airport you are met and driven to your hotel. A morning flight is needed today. The afternoon is a private tour with your guide. It starts at the Ho Chi Minh complex: the mausoleum, seen from outside because it is closed in the afternoons, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda. A walk through the Old Quarter follows, past its trading streets, old shophouses and French-era buildings, ending at your hotel. You stay overnight in Hanoi.

After breakfast and check-out the cruise's shuttle bus takes you from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of around 2,000 limestone islands and islets. You board around midday and lunch is served as the boat heads out. The afternoon includes a guided visit to one of the bay's caves and a stop at an island, for the beach or a short climb to a viewpoint. Back on board there is sunset on deck, a cooking class and dinner, with squid fishing in the evening for those who want it. You sleep on the boat. The exact programme depends on the cruise chosen, and an English-speaking guide stays on board. Meals included today: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The day starts with tai chi on the sun deck, with tea and coffee as the boat moves on through the islets. There is time to kayak or take a bamboo boat in to the foot of the cliffs. You check out of the cabin at about 9:00 and brunch is served on the way back to shore. The boat docks at about 11:00 and the shuttle bus returns you to Hanoi, where a driver takes you on to Noi Bai Airport. Book a departure flight in the evening, after 19:30. The package services end at the airport. Meals included today: breakfast and brunch.