Day 1: Arrive Hanoi 
Arrive in Hanoi. Airport welcome by NTS guides with signboard. Transfer to hotel in air-conditioned coach while luggage is taken care of by porters and transported separately. Welcome banner on arrival at hotel and welcome cocktail while checking-in. A welcome gift is left in each room. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Hanoi. (The first day’s programme can be arranged according to arrival time of group in Hanoi). (D)

Day 2: Hanoi 
Leave the hotel by bus after breakfast for a morning of sightseeing around Hanoi which includes the One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the former Governor of Indochina’s Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s home and a 20-minute tour of the 36 streets of the famous Old Quarter by cyclo, the Vietnamese version of the rickshaw. Lunch is at Seasons of Hanoi. In the afternoon visit the 11^th century Temple of Literature, the Lake of the Restored Sword, Ngoc Son Temple and Quan Thanh Temple. Transfer back to the hotel and around 20:00 transfer to the Hanoi Press Club, one of the capital’s top restaurants for dinner. Transfer back to the hotel after dinner. Overnight in Hanoi. (B,L,D)

Day 3: Hanoi-Halong-Hanoi 
After breakfast at the hotel transfer to Gia Lam Heliport for a 50-minute flight by chartered helicopter to Halong Bay. (Each helicopter can carry from 20 to 24 passengers.) Arrive at Halong Heliport and transfer to a private boat for a five-hour cruise on the magnificent Halong Bay with a seafood lunch. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 3,000 spectacular limestone islands rising dramatically from the emerald green waters of the bay. Transfer back to Halong Heliport and board the helicopters for a different but just as spectacular view of the bay. After a 15-minute fly over the bay head back to Hanoi. Transfer to the hotel on arrival at Gia Lam Heliport. In the evening transfer to Truong Chinh National Theatre for a very special farewell dinner. A troupe of traditional musicians will welcome the group on arrival. Thousands of fairy lights lead the way to the artificial lake where there is a 30-minute performance of Hanoi’s famous water puppets. The show is followed by cocktails and a gala dinner. During dinner guests can enjoy a traditional Vietnamese musical and dance performance. While guests are enjoying dinner a model helicopter ingeniously made from soft drinks cans is placed in each room. Transfer to hotel after dinner. Overnight in Hanoi. (B,L,D)

Day 4: Hanoi-Danang-Hoi An-Danang 
After breakfast in the hotel transfer to Noi Bai Airport for the short flight to Danang in the centre of Vietnam. Guests are welcomed by NTS guides on arrival in Danang and transferred directly to the Cham Museum. The luggage is taken care of by porters and transferred separately to the hotel. After visiting the Cham Museum, which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world, transfer to the charming historic town and former trading port of Hoi An. Lunch is in a typical local restaurant, the Pho Hoi Garden. On leaving Hoi An transfer to the Furama Resort, one of Vietnam’s premier beach resorts. Dinner is by the resort pool looking out over the East Sea. Overnight in Danang. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Danang-Hue-Danang
Leave the hotel after breakfast and transfer by air-conditioned coach over spectacular Pass of Ocean Clouds to Hue. Hue is the former imperial capital of Vietnam from where the Nguyen Dynasty of emperors ruled from 1802 till 1945. Take a boat trip on the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and then re-join the coach to visit the elaborate mausoleum of former emperor Tu Duc. Lunch is in the Hoa Mai Restaurant followed by a tour of the Imperial Citadel. Transfer back to Danang and the Furama Resort for an evening BBQ Beach Party. Overnight in Danang. (B,L,D)

Day 6: Danang-Ho Chi Minh City
After breakfast transfer to Danang Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. The luggage is taken care of by porters and transferred separately to the airport. Guests are welcomed by NTS guides on arrival in Ho Chi Minh City and transferred directly to the hotel. A morning city tour visits two fine examples of French colonial architecture, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office. After lunch at the excellent Mandarin Restaurant the city tour continues to Cholon, the city’s chinatown, with a visit to Thien Hau Pagoda and Binh Tay Market. At Binh Tay Market, the largest in Ho Chi Minh City, there is 30 minutes free time for shopping. Leaving chinatown, visit a lacquerware factory and finish the afternoon with a visit to the restored city theatre and a stroll down Dong Khoi Street, the fashionable Rue Catinat of old Saigon. Transfer back to the hotel. In the evening transfer to the Binh An Village for a very special farewell dinner. The Binh An Village has been built in the style of a traditional village and is set in beautiful tropical gardens on the banks of the Saigon River. Dinner is alfresco in the large gardens with entertainment provided by a martial arts display and a jazz band. After dinner, there is more jazz with a private performance by the owner, who is a well-known singer. During the evening a farewell gift of a traditional oriental marble stamp engraved with the guests initials is left in each hotel room. Transfer back to the hotel after dinner. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Depart Ho Chi Minh City
After breakfast a fleet of microbuses and guides will be available outside the hotel for guests who would like to do some last minute shopping. Transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for onward flight by air-conditioned coach while luggage is taken care of by porters and transported separately to the airport for check-in. (B) ( the last day’ programme can be arranged according to departure time ofgroup).