Vietnam: From the Mekong Delta to Hanoi

The expedition begins upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, a metropolis where the tropical air is thick with the energy of commerce and history. An overland transfer from the airport leads into the city's core. The remainder of the day is unstructured, allowing for acclimatization and independent discovery before the formal itinerary commences.

The exploration of the layered history of modern Vietnam begins at the Reunification Palace, where the preserved 1970s-era reception rooms and the subterranean war bunker offer a stark physical archive of the final moments of the Vietnam War. Lunch is at ST25 by KOTO, a social enterprise restaurant where the meal supports the organization's mission of providing professional hospitality training to disadvantaged youth. In the afternoon, a walking route through the colonial quarter highlights the city's French colonial architectural legacy, passing the Central Post Office and the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral. A subsequent stop at Cong Cafe, a space styled to evoke the post-war subsidy period, provides a tangible window into the country's economic and social history. The day concludes at the Hotel des Arts Saigon.

Today's exploration of Saigon shifts perspective, first through a photography workshop using vintage film cameras. The exercise encourages a slower, more deliberate way of seeing the city, focusing on the textures of hidden alleyways, market life, and peeling colonial facades, starting from Cheo Leo, the city's oldest coffee shop. After a classic pho lunch, an overland journey leads to the Củ Chi Tunnels.

Here, the guide is a Vietnam War veteran whose personal testimony provides a visceral context for the vast underground network. Descending into a section of the tunnels offers a direct, physical understanding of the conditions of guerilla warfare. The return to the city is via speedboat on the Saigon River, a scenic transit that reveals the contemporary life of the waterway against the backdrop of the emerging skyline.

The route turns south from the urban density of Saigon, embarking on an overland journey of approximately 130 kilometres into the verdant, water-laced landscapes of the Mekong Delta. The first stop is a local cacao farm, offering a field-to-bar education in chocolate production, tracing the process from the raw pod to roasting beans, and featuring a tasting of regional specialties like cacao wine. After lunch amid the farm's tropical foliage, the journey continues deeper into the delta's agricultural heartland to its main city, Cần Thơ. The day concludes at the Legacy Mekong, a riverside resort situated along the waterways. This base provides an ideal vantage point to observe the river's agricultural rhythms before the next day's immersion in what is known as the 'rice bowl' of Vietnam.

The day begins before dawn with a sunrise boat trip through the vibrant Cái Răng Floating Market. As the sun rises, the waterway becomes a kinetic theater of commerce, with boats laden with pineapples, watermelons, and other produce, which vendors advertise by hanging samples from long bamboo poles. Following this early morning market excursion, the route transitions from the southern waterways to the central coast, taking a flight from Cần Thơ (VCA) to Da Nang (DAD). From Da Nang, a short overland transfer leads directly to the ancient port town of Hội An. The evening offers a detailed culinary introduction to the region's gastronomy at Mango Restaurant, exploring the distinct and complex flavors that define central Vietnamese cooking. This journey along the coast concludes at the Anantara Hoi An Resort, which serves as the accommodation for the night.

A walking route through the ancient town of Hội An navigates a preserved world of mustard-yellow merchant houses, Chinese assembly halls, and streets draped in bougainvillea. The morning features a hands-on noodle-making class at Oodles of Noodles, a social enterprise and youth-empowerment project that uses culinary training to support local at-risk youth. Here, the focus is on mastering the art of making the region's signature noodles. The afternoon is reserved for exploring the historic quarter, where the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge remains a central architectural landmark. You can observe the ongoing structural preservation efforts of this historic structure as the evening lanterns begin to light the surrounding area. To conclude the day, overnight accommodation is at the Anantara Hoi An Resort.

The morning is free for final explorations of Hội An before a transfer to Da Nang's railway station. From there, the journey north to Huế is aboard the Heritage Train, a route renowned for its dramatic coastal scenery as it climbs over the Hải Vân Pass. The views of the coastline and jungle-clad mountains are a destination in themselves. Upon arrival in the former imperial capital, a short transfer leads to the hotel.

The evening provides a rare point of entry into the city's aristocratic past. Dinner is a private affair at Ben Xuan Garden House, the elegant residence of an artist and descendant of the Nguyễn Dynasty emperor Minh Mạng. Surrounded by antiques and orchids in a candlelit garden villa, the meal is accompanied by an intimate performance of traditional music, creating a direct connection to the refined cultural life of imperial Vietnam.

The day is dedicated to the architectural and spiritual legacy of the Nguyễn Dynasty. A boat trip on the Perfume River leads to the seven-story Thien Mu Pagoda, a longstanding symbol of the city. From there, an electric car provides transit through the vast grounds of the Imperial City, the former seat of government. The visit includes a stop at a historic tea house for a traditional tasting, which serves as a lesson in the philosophies of Vietnamese tea culture. After a vegetarian lunch honoring the city's Buddhist traditions, the afternoon is spent exploring the tomb of a Nguyễn emperor, a complex designed as a harmonious fusion of architecture and landscape.

In the late afternoon, a transfer to the airport is followed by an evening flight to Hanoi, Vietnam's thousand-year-old capital.

The day begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex, a solemn site of national pilgrimage, followed by a restorative foot massage at Dao’s Care, a social enterprise that trains and employs visually impaired therapists. A walk across the historic Long Bien Bridge, a symbol of Hanoian resilience, highlights its enduring role in trade, war, and daily life. In the afternoon, a curated street food tour by cyclo navigates the traffic of the Old Quarter to sample signature dishes like bún chả and the city’s famous egg coffee at their source. The journey continues to the Temple of Literature, the first national university, where the ancient courtyards preserve the stone stelae that record the names of scholars from centuries past. The day concludes at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

The 90-kilometre overland journey south from Hanoi leads directly to the dramatic karst landscapes of Ninh Bình, a region frequently described as 'Hạ Long Bay on land.' Here, the day's primary exploration occurs within the Van Long Nature Reserve, a tranquil wetland ecosystem of limestone cliffs and quiet waterways. Boarding a traditional sampan boat allows for silent navigation through these flooded karst formations, where the main objective is to spot the critically endangered Delacour's langur, a primate endemic to this specific region. After a family-style lunch, the afternoon provides an opportunity to observe the local environment and contemplate the intensive conservation efforts underway to protect these vulnerable primates and their fragile wetland habitat. The day concludes with an arrival at the Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh, which serves as the overnight accommodation, positioned conveniently close to the reserve's edge.

Today's itinerary is a deep dive into wildlife conservation, centered on a visit to two key facilities within Cúc Phương (a 30-kilometre drive) National Park: the Endangered Primate Rescue Center and Save Vietnam’s Wildlife. The latter was founded by National Geographic Explorer Thai Van Nguyen, and the visit provides direct access to the front lines of the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. Guided by staff, the walk through the centers reveals the meticulous, often difficult work of rehabilitating rescued pangolins, lorises, and langurs, with the ultimate goal of release.

The conversation with the conservation team offers unvarnished insights into the operational and political challenges of their work. Returning to the resort, a final farewell dinner celebrates the journey and reflects on the efforts of the people and organizations working to protect Vietnam's natural and cultural heritage.