Xin Chao (Hello) Hanoi. This is it then, the starting point! We know that you'll be excited, nervous, apprehensive or all three… So to help ease you into life here in Vietnam, our experienced team of guides will collect you at the airport and transfer you to our first hotel. Relax, freshen up and meet your new travel family before we take you to one of our favourite spots for dinner. We may even stop off for a local beer or two on what’s known as… beer street. That should set you up well for this epic adventure.

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast & dinner

We'll kick today off with an informative orientation so that you can get your bearings and find out about all the activities, rules of the road and what we have planned for you along the way. It’s time to head into town for a walking tour… we’ll visit local markets, the famous Hoan Kiem Lake, Bamboo street and take you down hidden alleyways that only the locals know their way around. Finish the day at a cultural water puppet show before we sit down for an included local buffet… YUM!

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Goodbye to the hustle and bustle of the crazy capital and welcome to Vietnam's extraordinary Ha Long Bay. After jumping onboard our traditional junk boat, we'll cruise through the iconic emerald waters dotted with thousands of towering limestone cliffs. The afternoon will be spent kayaking, swimming and relaxing on the beach before the drinks get flowing for happy hour cocktails on the top deck for sunset… How does that sound? 

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

This morning will be all about the Tai Chi if you're an early bird. After breakfast hop on some row boats to explore the fishing villages and learn how the locals live on the water. Before we head back to the mainland we’ll help the crew prepare lunch with a spring roll making demonstration… time to get your hands messy. That afternoon we'll make our way to Ninh Binh, check into our unique bamboo bungalows and relax by the pool before indulging in a home made dinner that’s not to be missed.

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast

Did you know that the Hollywood blockbuster King Kong was filmed here? Well, you do now and for good reason! This place is simply stunning… So let's grab a bicycle and get lost (not literally) in Vietnam’s beautiful countryside and rice fields. If you’re up for an adventure then let’s hike to the top of Dragon Laying Viewpoint and take another journey by row boats to discover rivers through caves. Chu Chu… that’s right, it’s time for the overnight train!

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast

Welcome to Hue, the old capital of Vietnam and your home for next 4 nights. After checking in, freshening up and having a good breakfast after the overnight train, we’ll show you the best of this incredible city before we get stuck into out volunteer project the next day. Take a ride in a 3 wheeled rickshaw, explore the famous Imperial Citadel, visit the iconic Thien Mu Pagoda and cruise back to your hotel for sunset by dragon boat.

🥢 Meals included: 3 x Breakfast & 3 x lunch

It's that time! It's time to give something back because that's what we do best! Working alongside one of the top NGOs in Hue, your three days on project will have you rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. Community development is something Way To Travel loves to support and such projects include: building toilets for families, building sustainable chicken farms and pens, and educating the community on how to provide food and a steady income for the future.

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast

Making our way to the historic Hoi An today, we'll travel down the famous Hai Van Pass - a scenic, winding road with panoramic views. If the weather's kind to us, we'll stop at a secluded waterfall and a beautiful lagoon for lunch with a view. Arrive in our boutique hotel with a swimming pool only 5 minutes walk to the heart of Hoi An... the lantern town.

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast & lunch

Start the day with a gentle cruise by boat to take you to the coconut kingdom. After paddling our way through the coconut groves in bamboo baskets we’ll take a short trip in electric cars to the Tra Qua Vegetable Village. It’s time for one of our highlights on the trip, as we take a traditional cooking class that will have you whipping up delicious Vietnamese food in no time. 

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast & dinner

This is your day! The Hoi An old quarter is packed full of pretty yellow buildings, boutiques, tailor shops, and quaint little coffee shops for you to explore. We’ve got lots of options of things to do on your free day: Cycle down to An Bang beach, learn to make your own lantern or we can even arrange a trip to the world famous golden hand bridge in Da Nang. That evening we’ll all get together for a final group meal for those of you not joining us on the 5 Day Bolt On to the south.

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast

That's it! It's time to say bye-bye to some of you on the shorter trip. For those lucky ones that have chosen to stay for something special we will wave goodbye to Hoi An together and take take a short flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh). The flight takes around 1 hour and before you know you’ll be checked in to your hotel right beside the famous Ben Thanh Markets. We’ll take you for a quick explore of District 1 and see what this vibrant city has to offer at night.

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast

For those of you with an inner history-geek and let’s be honest, we all do! Today will see each of you guided through one of the most important pieces of Viet Cong infrastructure during the infamous US - Vietnamese War. Once a near impossible fortress to penetrate, the Cu Chi Tunnels are now open to tourists to see. This underground base-camp and transportation network is truly something not to be missed. After a busy day you’ll have no doubt built an appetite for thirst, so let’s go for a bite to eat and a few cold beers.  

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wave goodbye to the concrete jungle that is Saigon and say hello to the green rice fields, mangroves and stunning landscapes of the Mekong. Today is as local as it gets with our authentic homestay experience. You’ll be greeted by the heart warming local family who’ll have your lunch ready for when you arrive. Pick your own coconuts and learn to make traditional cakes before an experience you’ll never forget… fishing like a local! You may get a little dirty as you attempt to catch catfish with your bare hands. 

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast & dinner

You’re time in the Mekong isn’t up yet. The last river cruise we promise… but this time we will be taking multiple stops to show you how the locals make a living in the area. A candy factory, a honey farm and a brick factory (much more interesting than it sounds) are just a few of the places we’ll check out. We’ll have to drag you away from paradise now to head back to Saigon for our last night where we’ve got a lovely included farewell dinner waiting for you.

🥢 Meals included: Breakfast

That’s it, it really is over now so it’s time to say goodbye to your travel family. Our guides will be around if you need any help with your onward travel plans. We know you’ll have had the most incredible time on this journey, safe travels!

$20 of every booking goes towards Gravity Water... who provide clean drinking water systems to schools in rural areas around the world, including Vietnam 💦

Jane at Way To Travel has been the national director of this incredible organization based out of America since 2018. 

By booking a trip with us to Vietnam you'll not only be directly changing lives with our giving back project, you'll be giving children access to clean water