Itinerary
Arrive in Vietnam’s capital, a vital, modern city with a layered history shaped by centuries of Chinese and French influence. Off tree-lined boulevards abuzz with countless scooters, narrow lanes shelter hidden homes and traditional shops where commerce is conducted unchanged over generations. Outdoor markets, flower stalls and street food vendors do a brisk business among sophisticated hotels and trendy cafes. And Hanoi’s sacred heritage is evident in the 600 temples and pagodas found throughout the city.
After settling into your hotel, join a guided walk through the Old Quarter, the cultural and historic heart of Hanoi and its most beguiling neighborhood. Thrumming with energy, the tight grid of twisting lanes reflects the names of the particular product historically sold on each of the 36 streets. The area’s history of artisanship dates back more than a thousand years, when Emperor Ly Thai To moved his capital to Hanoi in 1010. Craftsmen followed the imperial entourage, setting up shop outside the new palace and forming guilds. Still today, silversmiths, potters and mat weavers ply their trades alongside more contemporary vendors hawking a whole host of practical wares. Antique brick houses and skinny storefronts line the maze of alleyways, while stalls heaped with fresh fruits and vegetables add a rainbow of color to the jumbled street life collage. This evening, enjoy an introduction to Vietnam’s celebrated cuisine at a welcome dinner, as our Expedition Leader shares an overview of the days to come.
Hanoi lies in the center of the Red River Delta, one of the most fertile regions in Vietnam, where rice cultivation dates back nearly 5,000 years. The river flows 700 miles from Yunnan in southwest China through northern Vietnam to the Gulf of Tonkin, and we cross it this morning en route to Bat Trang, a bankside village famed for its thousand-year history of ceramic production. Based in family tradition using the abundant white clay in the region, Bat Trang pottery was renowned early on, gifted to the Chinese Emperor in the 11th and 12th centuries. The village still holds about 80% of the 1,200 kilns that have fired ceramics since Bat Trang was established, and accomplished potters take pride in passing down their skills to new generations. Wandering narrow lanes lined with ceramic walls and workshops, we observe how ancient craft blends seamlessly with contemporary life.
Visit Van Chi Temple in the heart of the village, an important cultural site honoring the ancestors and masters of the ceramic craft. Then meet with a local artisan to try your own hand at ceramic making under expert guidance. Lunch follows in a private home, where our hosts invite us into their beautifully restored family villa. Return to Hanoi in the afternoon for a city walk with our Expedition Leader, pausing for a traditional coffee at a local cafe. Coffee culture is huge in Hanoi and throughout Vietnam, and you may wish to try a classic egg coffee or an iced coffee with condensed milk. This evening, we head to dinner at a local restaurant.
Depart Hanoi and travel south to Ninh Binh, a magical landscape where sheer limestone mountains rise from rice paddies and emerald marshes. Sometimes called “inland Ha Long Bay,” this entrancing karst region remains untouched by mass tourism. The region, which was the capital of Vietnam in the 10th and 11th centuries, has been recognized as a dual-status UNESCO World Heritage Site, holding both outstanding cultural and natural value. We explore the Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve by traditional sampan, drifting quietly through calm channels in one of the last intact lowland marshes in the Red River Delta. As the oars slip silently through the water, the imposing peaks, draped in dense green vegetation, are reflected in the still surface. The reserve is one of the last refuges of the critically endangered Delacour’s langur and the only place the species is seen in the wild.
Continue on foot through a nearby village, feeling the rhythms of rural life as we walk along small lanes past farm fields and simple homes. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit picturesque Bich Dong Pagoda, originally built in 1428 and rediscovered in the early 18th century by two traveling monks after it was lost to the jungle earlier. The pagoda was expanded to become a series of cave temples set into the hillside. Then, traverse rice fields to reach Thai Vi Temple, an 800-year-old sanctuary that remains a peaceful place of prayer, meditation and thanksgiving. Here, and across Vietnam, landscapes like this where water, stone and cultivated land converge are regarded as naturally sacred, deeply connected to animism and folk religion, where the boundary between the natural and spiritual worlds is blurred.
By late afternoon, arrive at Jiva Hoa Lu Retreat in a tucked-away forested valley, where low-slung villas reflect traditional Vietnamese architecture, and gardens are woven into the natural limestone landscape. With views across rice fields and karst cliffs, the retreat offers a serene setting for relaxing before dinner at the fine restaurant on site, set within a 125-year-old church.
Leave Ninh Binh this morning and travel west through a tranquil landscape of rivers, terraced farmland and tiny villages. Around midday, we arrive in the Mai Chau Valley, ringed by the steep mountains of Hoa Binh, where we enjoy a traditional lunch prepared by local hosts. Relative isolation has allowed ethnic hilltribe communities, including White Thai and Hmong, to retain their distinct identities, expressed through locally unique architecture, regional dress, traditional cuisines, and distinctive cultural arts including weaving and batik. In the afternoon, set out on an easy walk through nearby villages, passing bamboo-stilt houses, rice paddies worked with water buffalo, and everyday scenes of life in the valley. There may be an opportunity to experience traditional music and dance shared by members of a local ethnic community. Late in the day, arrive at Avana Retreat, where individual suites are secluded in the forested hills above the Mai Chau Valley amid waterfalls and dense vegetation.
Begin the day with a gentle walk through the Mai Chau countryside, following village paths through rice fields and bamboo-shrouded hills. A short scenic transfer provides access to more remote areas, including the hill village of Hich, where we meet local White Thai families and learn about their close-knit community and subsistence agricultural practices. One of the oldest Indigenous ethnic groups in Vietnam, the Thais came to this region between the 7th and 13th centuries. They are known for their colorful woven textiles featuring intricate decorative patterns. We also visit with a Vietnamese veteran of the Vietnam War, who offers a personal perspective on the traumatic conflict and its lasting imprint on the region. Return to our hotel for lunch, followed by an opportunity to learn about traditional Thai crafts practiced by the local community. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure before we gather again for dinner in our secluded sanctuary.
Leaving Mai Chau, travel eastward toward Hanoi, watching the landscape transition from mountains and valleys to open lowland plains. At the Tien Huong Temple complex, featuring one of the tallest Buddhist towers in Vietnam, we have a private visit with Nguyen Duc Hien, a respected cultural historian and keeper of Dao Mau traditions—Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship. This syncretic folk religion honors the female deities of three realms representing Heaven, Water and Mountains/Forest. UNESCO has inscribed the practice on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its vibrant rituals featuring music, dance and elaborate costumes. During our visit, learn about the history and social significance of this religious tradition, then observe a Len Dong ceremony in a private setting. This central element of Mother Goddess worship features mediums that channel spirits—through song, dance and costume changes—to seek health, prosperity and blessings for the living. Afterward, over lunch at the temple with our host, we have time for informal conversation and reflection.
Then it’s time to transfer to the airport and fly south to Hue, celebrated as the intellectual, spiritual and cultural heart of Vietnam. Set along the Perfume River, Hue was Vietnam’s former imperial capital under its last royal dynasty, the Nguyen kings. The Nguyen reign lasted from 1802 until 1945, weakened under French colonial influence in its latter decades before falling to the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, in the August Revolution. Hue today retains its many layers of historic imprints, with Chinese-inspired pagodas, bridges built by Gustav Eiffel, and French colonial art deco mansions.
Explore Hue this morning, beginning with a guided tour of the Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty. Emperor Gia Long unified Vietnam and established its feudal capital here in 1802, constructing a massive citadel modeled after Beijing’s Forbidden City, which became the site of royal administration and a locus for Confucian study. Inside the fortress walls of this architectural masterpiece, trace a path through the sprawling complex of palaces, pavilions, shrines and courtyards that embody the city’s royal past.
Continue to a Luc Bo Culture Space, a unique venue where visitors can enjoy an immersive experience in Vietnam’s rich artistic and cultural heritage. Participate in a hands-on workshop, learning age-old techniques to create traditional handicrafts. Next, we head to Dong Ba Market, one of the oldest markets in Hue, dating to 1899 in its current location, and its busiest site of street commerce, with vendors selling everything from exotic fruits and fermented anchovy paste to silk pajamas and Vietnam’s traditional conical hats. Take a break for a private lunch in an ancient garden, spending time with a monk who studied under Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Over tea, discuss Buddhist philosophy and contemporary spiritual life in Hue. This evening, enjoy a private dinner at Ben Xuan Garden House along the Perfume River. Built in Nguyen dynasty period style using ancient bricks, tiles, porcelain and wood, the romantic setting offers the perfect venue for the live music accompanying our meal, with chamber music and folksongs performed by a traditional instrument ensemble.
Depart Hue and travel south to An Bang, a seaside village known for its elaborate tombs. Nicknamed the City of Ghosts, An Bang was originally a typical fishing town. In the 1990s, it was transformed in an exuberant display of artistic flourish and showy wealth when residents who had emigrated to the U.S. and Europe after the reunification of Vietnam in 1975 sent money back to relatives to build lavish homes and monumental tombs. Honoring ancestors is an important part of Vietnamese culture, reflecting the worldview that the dead remain an active presence in family life. Soon, the village cemetery became crowded with multi-story mausoleums adorned with intricate spires, carvings and filigreed facades. As we wander among this splendid “kingdom of the spirits” with our Expedition Leader, we learn about the Vietnamese belief that meticulously decorating and caring for tombs will bring good fortune to the family.
Continue to Lang Co, stopping for a walk in this scenic fishing village spanning a stretch of pristine white sand beach. Then cross Hai Van Pass, following a winding coastal corridor along the spine of lush mountains that meet the turquoise East Sea. Stop for lunch in the oceanside city of Da Nang on My Khe Beach, then continue to Hoi An and check into our riverside hotel near the Old Town. As evening falls, we take a walk through lantern-lit streets and along the Thu Bon River, followed by dinner at a restaurant on its banks.
Beguiling Hoi An awaits our exploration, as we discover the enticing elements of this one-time trading port on the Thu Bon River. Merchants from China, Japan and Europe settled in Hoi An from the 15th to 19th centuries, creating a unique architectural fusion. The city’s historic Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a jumble of tile-roofed shop houses, weathered pagodas and hanging flower baskets, with bikes and cyclos weaving among the foot traffic while sampans come and go from the old ferry quay. Outside the city, narrow roads weave through green rice fields to the coast.
Early risers may opt to visit a local market as Hoi An awakens for the day, watching vendors set out fresh produce and residents gathering food and goods for the day. After breakfast, travel into the countryside to Thanh Dong Organic Farming Village, an innovative agritourism enterprise. This collaborative effort of local farmers showcases sustainable agricultural practices while immersing guests in a slice of rural life. As part of our experience, we visit a local market to select fresh ingredients, then join a local chef for a cooking class focused on regional specialties, followed by lunch featuring the dishes we have created. We'll also take a ride in a traditional round basket boat along the river’s coconut palm-lined waterways. Return to Hoi An for a relaxed afternoon, with time to wander more of the Old Town at your own pace before gathering for dinner at a local restaurant.
Travel to the forested hills outside Hoi An to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of My Son, a sacred Hindu temple complex built by the Cham civilization between the 4th and 13th centuries. With a local expert, walk among the ruins of more than 70 red brick and sandstone temples as we learn about the sophisticated design involved in their construction. Alhough the Champa Kingdom declined centuries ago, and the structures suffered substantial bombing damage during the Vietnam War, many of the temples were reconstructed after the French uncovered the site in 1899, and its spiritual and architectural legacy endures.
By late afternoon, return to Hoi An for a peaceful boat ride at sunset. As the light begins to fade, drift toward the lantern-lit streets of the Old Town, where reflections of glowing lamps ripple across the water. At dusk, take part in a traditional lantern ceremony on the river, a romantic finale to our journey through Vietnam. This evening, we gather for a privately hosted farewell dinner in a historic merchant house. Once home to trader families, these well-preserved residences have endured through centuries of global commerce, with layered updates to their design. Over dinner, experience the intimate atmosphere of one such home, a fitting setting for our final night in Hoi An.
After breakfast, check out of our hotel and transfer to Da Nang International Airport. Your Expedition Leader assists with departure formalities as you say farewell to Vietnam, carrying with you a deeper understanding of its complex history, living culture and vibrant communities.
