Cultural Sonata

An example of a fourteen-day private tour visiting four centres and focussing upon lifestyle and culture – art, handicrafts, and cuisine

Highlights: Hanoi, fine arts and local artists, craft villages, a night on Ha Long Bay, and cooking classes in three cities. Hue’s Citadel, Royal Tombs, Museum of Antiquities and garden houses. The Hai Van Pass, Hoi An, the Marble Mountains and Ho Chi Minh City

Your tour begins with four days in Hanoi, starting with ...
... time to recover, a ‘Welcome’ dinner, and a light-hearted introduction to Vietnam’s rural culture.

The following day is about aspects of Vietnamese art ranging from the Fine Arts Museum to an old man who brush-paints traditional calligraphy. Another day takes you into the multitude of craft villages dotted around Hanoi. We’ve chosen silk weaving, manufacturing furniture with inlaid mother-of-pearl, and ceramics, and added a Quan Ho music performance for good measure.

Next, you’ll have a morning cookery class where you’ll get to know basic northern dishes such as ‘pho’, Hanoi’s delicious speciality and cook your own lunch. The remaining afternoon is free to allow you to shop, wander or relax as you wish.

Meals: three breakfasts, three lunches and one dinner
Escort/guide: transfers from and to the airport, the first evening, and two days thereafter

A day on Ha Long Bay
An early-morning drive across the Red River Delta takes you to Bai Chay where your boat will be waiting to take you to Ha Long Bay. There’ll be time for sightseeing and finding out about the fascinating ‘karst’ process that created Vietnam’s most famous natural heritage area. On the way back, you’ll stop off at a craft village specialising in ceramics

Meals: one breakfast and one lunch
Guide: fully escorted from leaving to returning to your hotel

Three days in Hue
After a free morning and a flight to Hue, you’ll have a day and a half to soak up the unique atmosphere of a city steeped in Imperial heritage, one aspect of which is a distinctive cuisine including basic dishes, local specialities and a royal tradition. You’ll find out more when you met the owner of one of the city’s garden houses, who will not only show you round, but also prepare, cook and serve your dinner.

Of course, you’ll have time to visit the sights of Hue – the mighty Citadel, the Imperial City and the tombs of the Nguyen Emperors – and we’ll also fit in a couple of craft villages: conical hats, bronze products and incense sticks this time.

Meals: three breakfasts, two lunches and one dinner
Guide: two and a half days from arrival in Hue

Two days in Hoi An
The view of the coast and Danang from the top of the Hai Van Pass makes the journey to Hoi An more interesting and demands some serious photography. You’ll also visit the famous Marble Mountains en-route. Hoi An, a charming gem in Vietnam’s cultural crown, was once an major commercial port ancient town. You’ll have an expert guide to show you around and accompany you on a trip up the Thu Bon river to meet the members of a couple of communities that specialise in carpentry and pottery.

Meals: two breakfasts and two lunches
Guide: both days

Three days in Ho Chi Minh City
A free morning until your noon flight from Danang. Ho Chi Minh City is a bit of a culture shock after Hoi An. It’s brash, noisy and obsessed with commerce, but it’s undeniably exciting. We’ve left the rest of the day free for to adjust!

On the following day, you’ll ‘do’ the sights – the museums, the Jade Emperor and so on, and a visit to a lacquerware workshop to show you the remarkably complicated process involved. There’s plenty to see and do in the city, and there’s a good range of bars and restaurants. We’ve included another cookery class on the next day – southern food, this time. By now, you should be an expert in Vietnamese cuisine and able to astonish your friends at dinner parties back home. We’ve also added visits to some of the better art galleries.

Meals: three breakfasts and two lunches
Guide: transfer and two days

Time to leave!
You’ll be free until your car arrives to take you to Ho Chi Minh City airport.

Meals: one breakfast

This tour is fourteen days/thirteen nights
It includes:
All transfers and domestic flights
All accommodation
Thirteen breakfasts, ten lunches and two dinners