After all the preparation, the wait is finally over! You depart Sydney for Hanoi, arriving in the evening. Upon arrival you will be met by your World Expeditions Schools Guide and transferred to the group hotel. Due to the late arrival, you will check-in directly upon arrival and enjoy a good night of sleep, ready for your full day tomorrow. Overnight hotel in Hanoi

Meals:  Nil

After breakfast, your World Expeditions Schools tour leader will give a comprehensive tour briefing. Following your briefing, the group will walk across the old colonial district to the Vietnamese Women's Museum - a very interesting place to learn more about the place of women in Vietnam’s history and the evolution of their roles in the society. Then after a quick bus ride, lunch is served at the KOTO restaurant, a social enterprise that trains disadvantaged youths. In the early afternoon you will visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s oldest university (opened in 1070), which is now a temple dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars. This temple is a fine example of the ancient architectural styles of several dynasties. Next you will visit the Ho Chi Minh complex to learn about the period of Vietnam’s war and unification. After a break at the hotel to refresh, you will enjoy a walk along Hoan Kiem Lake and into the Old Quarter to the restaurant for a welcome dinner. Today’s welcome dinner is arranged at a local restaurant where the group can get familiar with the traditional way of Vietnamese meals including the handling of chopsticks. Overnight Hanoi

Meals:  B,L,D

In the morning you drive to the mountainous region of Mai Chau (approx 4 hour drive). Mai Chau is inhabited by a majority of White Thai people, who are named as such due to the white color of the garments the women wear. The White Thai people live in hamlets of wooden houses on stilts. On our way to Mai Chau we drive up to the heights of the province to meet with a Hmong ethnic community at Hang Kia, a little village perched in the mountains at 1300m above sea level. Lunch is served at a local guesthouse and in the afternoon you join the women of the village on a traditional Batik dyeing workshop. Hmong women are famous for their embroidery and dyeing skills and most of the clothes worn by the local people are still homemade. You then bid farewell to the community and drive down the mountain to the valley of Mai Chau. Upon arrival, you'll drop your luggage and take the time to refresh quickly. You will then transfer to a nearby hamlet, where dinner will be served in the traditional way at a local guesthouse on stilts. After dinner, the group will attend a performance of folk music and dance by the ladies of the village. Overnight Hotel, Mai Chau

Meals:  B,L,D

After breakfast, the group will transfer to a remote sub-valley located about 10 kilometres further west. After a short safety and bike oreintation briefing, you will start a 15-kilometre cycling tour on narrow pathways across villages and passing by vegetables gardens. This will give an overview of the rural daily life in the region. After the cycle tour, a cooking session is arranged with the women of a village. The group will learn how to cook several iconic dishes including the rice cooked in bamboo. Lunch will be on the spot with the food cooked by the group plus some additional dishes. In the afternoon, the group transfers back to Hanoi. You will have time to refresh before heading out in the evening for a water puppet show and dinner. Overnight Hotel, Hanoi

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning the group will depart Hanoi for Ha Long Bay in our private air-conditioned coach (approximately a 3 hour drive). On arrival, you board our traditional junk for a journey through the 3000 limestone islands dotted with caves and grottoes. After lunch your captain will find a secluded spot and from here the choice of activities is yours! There is time for exploring the Bay at a leisurely pace by swimming, relaxing and kayaking with your local guides. Tonight we stay in twin share cabins aboard our deluxe junk. Dinner and overnight onboard.

Meals:  B,L,D

Early morning Tai Chi session is arranged on the sundeck followed by a light breakfast. You will then continue your exploration of the Bay and local caves. Brunch is served as the boat cruises back to the pier where you will disembark around mid-morning and drive back to Hanoi. You will arrive back in Hanoi in the early afternoon where the group will have some time for a bit of exploration and shopping. The group will have a day use in a hotel to refresh and rest a bit before an early dinner. At around 6pm you will head to the train station to hop on the Reunification night train to Hue. The train features 4-berth air-conditioned cabins (exclusive use cabins). Overnight train.

Meals:  B,L,D

Upon arrival in Hue, the group is met at the station and taken for breakfast. This morning is dedicated to a walking exploration of the walled citadel and the forbidden city to learn about the relatively recent imperial past of the country. Lunch will be served in a garden house in an old village, where Mandarins of the Emperor used to reside. In the afternoon you will visit the tomb of Tu Duc before hitting the road to the South. You will pass by Lang Co bay and stop at the top of the Hai Van Pass. We aim to arrive in Hoi An in the late afternoon. Hoi An is considered the jewel in the crown of South East Asia with stunning small streets to be explored without traffic. There are many Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Italian influences here to name a few, harking back to the time Hoi An was one of the largest trading ports in South East Asia. Overnight Hoi An

Meals:  B,L,D

Today the group will cycle on small roads and across narrow bridges to an island of the Thu Bon River located about 15km from the hotel. Here you will meet with a local youth collective that acts for a more sustainable future. They will introduce the group to the current coastal erosion situation, explain the challenges, the risks, and the possible solutions. The group will help restore the ecosystem by planting trees and supporting the natural protection against floods. Lunch will be at a local farm on the way back from the tree planting to town. In the afternoon the group will have a walking tour of the old town. You will enjoy the beautiful sunset and dinner on the beach. Later tonight we can visit the markets and you can practise your new found language skills as you barter for goods with the local stall holders. Overnight Hoi An.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning the group is transferred to Danang airport to take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, the group is greeted at the airport and transferred to a restaurant for lunch. This lunch will be one of the local specialties: the broken rice. In the afternoon, you depart Ho Chi Minh City and head to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Our first stop is to visit a family producing rice paper, an opportunity to learn how this essential ingredient of Vietnamese gastronomy is made and to exchange a few stories with locals. We continue and reach Cu Chi Tunnels. After an introductory video, viewing various mantraps, the remains of an American tank, and numerous bomb craters, you will spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels to see how the Viet Cong survived in this underground network. You will return Ho Chi Minh City afterwards for a dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight hotel in Ho Chi Minh.

Meals:  B,L,D

In the morning you will drive to the Mekong Delta region, in Ben Tre district. Upon arrival you first visit a Cao Dai temple, then hop on a private sampan. The morning is dedicated to cruising the river and stopping at various workshops to learn about the local industries. The group reaches Cu Lao Tam Hiep island for lunch in the gardens of a local guesthouse. In the afternoon you have a cycling tour across the island and visit a farm producing the plants used to make the sam jelly. The group can try making some jelly and taste the result. In the mid-afternoon you return to Ho Chi Minh where you have day use rooms to refresh and have a light supper before transferring to the airport for your flight back home.

Meals:  B,L,D

You will arrive into Sydney this morning where a warm welcome awaits!

Meals:  Nil