Hanoi – Halong – Phu Quoc – Ho Chi MinhVietnam in 8 nights

Welcome to Vietnam. Our guide meets you at Noi Bai Airport and takes you to your hotel (check-in from about 2 pm). In the afternoon, a guided visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex: the Mausoleum (seen from outside, as it is closed on Mondays, Fridays and every afternoon), the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda. Then a walk through the Old Quarter's busy lanes, old shops and colonial buildings, before you are dropped back at the hotel.

After breakfast and check-out, the cruise's shuttle bus takes you to Ha Long Bay. Board the boat and set off over a lunch of local dishes, out among some 2,000 limestone islands and islets: a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose name means 'descending dragon'. In the afternoon, a guided walk through a cave of stalactites and stalagmites, then time on a small island to swim or climb to a viewpoint over the bay. Back on board, watch the sunset, join a Vietnamese cooking class and have dinner on deck; squid fishing is optional later. An English-speaking guide stays on board.

Start with tai chi on the sundeck at dawn, with tea and coffee as the boat moves on through the islets. Later, kayak or take a bamboo boat into a hidden lagoon if you like. Check out of your cabin around 9:00 and have brunch as the boat heads back to shore, then disembark around 11:00 and take the shuttle bus back to Hanoi. Check in at your Hanoi hotel; the evening is free.

After breakfast and check-out, the morning is free until a driver (no guide) takes you to the airport for your flight to Phu Quoc (air fare not included). A driver meets you and takes you to your hotel; the rest of the day is yours.

A driver takes you to Vinpearl Safari, a large semi-wild park where animals roam open habitats; allow two to four hours, and go early, when they are most active. In the afternoon, VinWonders, Vietnam's largest theme park, with rides and shows for all ages.

Pick-up about 8:30, back about 17:00. A speedboat takes you to the southern islands: snorkel over the coral at Gam Ghi and Xuong (Mong Tay) islands, then laze on the white sand at May Rut, with lunch on an island. A sea walk among the fish is optional, at your own cost. On Hon Thom, time at the water park, then a 25-minute cable car back to the mainland over the sea at sunset.

After breakfast and check-out, the morning is free until a driver (no guide) takes you to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City (air fare not included). You are met on arrival and taken to your hotel. The rest of the day is free.

Pick-up about 7:30, back about 19:00. Morning in the city: Independence (Reunification) Palace, the French colonial Notre-Dame Cathedral (seen from outside while it is restored) and Central Post Office, and the War Remnants Museum. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, about 1.5 hours by road to the Cu Chi Tunnels: a short film, then the tunnels themselves, with their kitchens, sleeping quarters, workshops, field hospitals and hidden trapdoors. Tea and cassava, the guerrillas' staple, to finish. A shooting range is there if you want it, at your own cost.

After breakfast and check-out, the rest of the day is free until a driver (no guide) takes you to the airport for your flight home.