Meet at the group hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi where we meet our tour leader. A single group transfer is provided. In the afternoon we will enjoy a cyclo tour through the atmospheric Old Quarter. This part of Hanoi, a bewildering maze of 35 narrow streets, tells a fascinating story about the history of the city. Historically each street was known for a particular trade, the street names still reflect this. Afterwards, we enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. We should get the chance to sample a variety of dishes, we can recommend ordering some fragrant summer rolls, or a delicious steaming bowl of pho (noodle broth).

After breakfast at the hotel, a good chance to sample the rich and chocolatey Vietnamese coffee, we will visit the Ho Chi Minh complex. Ho Chi Minh was the founder of Vietnam's nationalist movement. Inspired by the Bolshevik Revolution, he sought to liberate Vietnam from French control. He was the founder of the Viet Minh and a key figure in the Viet Cong - the arch rival of the United States during the Vietnam War. The complex includes his stilted house, the presidential palace and mausoleum. We make the, highly scenic, 100 mile drive through North Vietnam's spectacular karst outcrop scenery and lush vegetation, in to mountains separating Vietnam from neighbouring Laos. It will take around 4 or 5 hours to our lunch at Mai Chu and a further half hour from there to reach Quan Hoa close to the Laotian border. From here our 3 night trekking adventure begins with a 3 hour wal through the Pu Luong Nature Reserve to Ban Hang Village. Here life proceeds very much as it has done for centuries. We spend the night in one of the traditional wooden stillted houses as guests of a local family.

We have a full day of trekking amongst rice paddies and lush jungle vegetation. We will also pass through the small villages of Eo Ken and Dong Dieng and their surrounding terraced hillsides. Tonight we stay overnight in Kho Muong Village.

This morning we stop to visit an impressive cave around 30 minutes walk from the village. Afterwards, we continue with our main trek, once again following a trail through a landscape of verdant vegetation interspersed with rice terracing as we pass through busy villages. Today we will see several examples of the irrigation systems, including traditional wooden water wheels used to lift water to the rice paddies. After 5 - 6 hours trekking we arrive at our final homestay village at Huou.

We begin today with a gentle walk from Huou Village to Pho Doan. We then transfer a short distance by vehicle to Ban Cong where we will enjoy a short hike through the rice and sugar cane fields. We meet our transport again at La Han Bridge and after taking lunch in a local restaurant, we drive for approximately 4 hours to Ninh Binh on the Red River delta. From Ninh Binh we continue a further 15 minutes to Tam Coc where we check into our bungalow accommodation.

Tam Coc is known as 'Halong Bay on Land' for the similarity of its massive limestone towers rising abruptly from the fields and network of rivers and canals. After breakfast we head to the river to board small bamboo boats for a 2hr tour amongst the limestone cliffs and caves. The locals row their boats in the traditional way moving the oars with their feet. Returning to the wharf we drive to Hoa Lu, the old capital of Vietnam. Here we will visit two temples dating from the 11th century and dedicated to Kings Dinh and Le. After lunch at a local restaurant we meet our transport and transfer to Mua Cave, where we can hike up the 500 steps to the small altar of Quan Am (the Goddess of Mercy). It will take around 40 mins to climb the stairs; the views from the top are worth it. Afterwards we return to our hotel, stopping off to visit Bich Dong temple on the way.

Driving through the heart of the Red River Delta we embark on the 4 hour journey to Ha Long Bay. We check into comfortable cabins aboard our boat and set sail to explore the fantastic scenery of the bay and some of its 3000 islands. Almost all these islands are individual limestone towers between 50m and 100m tall rising in spectacular fashion from the ocean and topped with thick jungle vegetation. Many of the islands contain caves and grottos and some have lakes inside, while others have beautiful beaches. This evening we enjoy a special seafood dinner before settling in for a night on board. A really special experience.

This morning after breakfast aboard our floating guesthouse, we continue our cruise through the bay and then make our way back to the piers at Halong City. In the afternoon, we return by vehicle to Hanoi. Arriving into Hanoi we will have a little free time, before joining together to enjoy a street-food tour, this may not be enough food to serve as tonight's meal so it will be worth picking up some snacks for our train journey. Later in the evening, we will transfer to the railway station and board the "Reunification Express", the overnight train to Hue. Once on board we find our berth in 'soft sleeper' class and make up our beds ready to be rocked to sleep as the train heads south through the Vietnamese countryside.

We arrive in Hue, one of Vietnam's most beautiful cities and the home of the Nguyen Emperors, in the early morning. We'll head straight to local restaurant to take breakfast before heading out to explore Hue's Imperial Citadel, an impressive 19th century fortress built by Emperor Nguyen. The citadel, which was surrounded by 8 kilometres of wall and a moat, housed several important buildings including the 'Forbidden City' containing palaces and courtyards reserved exclusively for the Nguyen Imperial Family. American bombing in 1968 destroyed much of the former glories of the Imperial Citadel but several buildings have been restored including Thai Hoa Temple, Can Thanh Temple, The Mieu, and Hieu Lam Cac; afterwards, we head to the river and board our boat for a short cruise down the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda. We'll then transfer back to our accommodation where we can freshen up, take lunch and enjoy a relaxing foot massage before we head out again to explore. In the afternoon we visit Emperor Tu Duc's tomb, before heading to a local restaurant for dinner.

After breakfast, we set off on the drive to Hoi An. The 3hrs drive takes us along one of the most beautiful roads in Vietnam, the Mandarin Road. We will cross Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass), a mountainous highway offering splendid views over the South China Sea. Hoi An, famous for its tailors, bridges and lantern lined river, was recognized by UNESCO as being World Cultural Heritage in 1999. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Hoi An was once an active port of trade with the Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese. The streets, houses and architecture remain largely untouched, despite Vietnam's recent turbulent history. On arrival we head to the coast at Cua Dai, where we board a traditional sampan that will take us up the Thu Bon river, following the route that traders would have used centuries ago. We will take lunch in a restaurant near the old harbour of Hoi An. After lunch, we enjoy a walking tour of the old town and we will visit the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Tan Ky ancient house amongst other sites.

Hoi An is one of Vietnam's most charming and atmospheric towns and today you can enjoy wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere. You might even want to find a tailor and invest in some new handmade clothing! In the evening we recommend heading back to appreciate the ambience of the lantern lit riverside at night time.

We will be up early to take in the morning light on the river, before transferring to the airport for our short flight to HCMC. Arriving, we drive south directly into the Mekong Delta, an extremely fertile region often referred to as the 'rice bowl of Vietnam. The Delta here is formed by a network of nine major arms and hundreds of smaller branches of the Mekong River. The area is prone to flooding and many of the villages in the Delta are built on stilts. After around 3.5hrs we arrive at one of these river branches known as Tien Giang River, we board a sampan and sail to our overnight accommodation at the lovely Mekong Lodge where we'll spend the night next to the river in charming riverside bungalows, surrounded by beautiful gardens. In the late afternoon, there is time for a walking tour of the surrounding villages.

We board our sampan for a tour of the river and its islands. We stop off at a workshop where we can watch the production of rice wine or 'ruou', rice cakes and paper. Stopping on one of the islands we enjoy spread of the tropical fruits that can be found growing in the surrounding forests. We then begin our journey back to HCMC, detouring off to visit the fascinating Cu Chi tunnels on the way. The tunnels are a 250km network of underground passageways, created and used be the Vietcong during the American War to enable them to stay hidden and keep control of the area. More than just a means of moving around secretly, the Cu Chi tunnels included hospitals, munitions stores, gun factories and living quarters. Afterwards, we drive the last distance back to HCMC. Arriving into this lively and modern city we check into our hotel. Tonight's dinner is not included so we can make our own choice of where to dine.

Flight time allowing, this morning we have a city tour, visiting the Reunification Palace and the poignant war museum. The rest of the day is free for independent sightseeing or shopping. Ho Chi Minh City, which is situated on the Saigon River and formally known as Saigon, is the economic powerhouse of Vietnam. Each year more sky scrapers grow and the ancient pagodas and temples are now interspersed with modern shopping malls, stylish restaurants and bars and a typical modern city traffic problem! Despite all this energy and a future facing population, parts of the city remain timeless and you can still find traditional markets bustling with trade being practised as it has been for an age. The amazing thing about HCMC is that the blend of ancient and modern really works. In the middle of the afternoon a group transfer to the Airport is provided. KE Land Only package services end with this transfer. If you would like to extend your stay in HCMC additional hotel nights can be arranged, or you may want to consider adding an extension to visit neighbouring Cambodia, and the magnificent temples at Angkor Wat.