Day 1: Hanoi - Vietnam

Vietnam surprises most American visitors. In fact, it is difficult to recognize this country if you&rsquore familiar only with the televised images that flooded American living rooms for the better part of a decade during the war. Whatever the expectations, the reality is something else, indeed. Vietnam's capital is described by almost all who go there as "an old-fashioned city".

Old-fashioned in style, it is a city of lakes, parks, trees, villas, mansions and an area called the Old French Quarter where crumbling houses are crammed into narrow alleyways that are still named after the goods that were traded there - Silk Street, Gold Street, even Fried Fish Street! Old-fashioned in atmosphere, Hanoi has sidewalk cafes, pavement barbers, less traffic than Saigon, less frenetic rushing about, less noise, simply less people.

Wide tree-lined bicycle-filled boulevards, elegant colonial French mansions, the grandeur and solemnity of Ho Chi Minh's monumental Mausoleum, the incongruous rustic simplicity of the house in which 'Uncle Ho' lived out his final years, the barely concealed misery of the Hoa Lo Prison, the 'Hanoi Hilton' where so many prisoners of war were incarcerated, the religious pride that constructed the beautiful temple of Literature compound - it's all here in Hanoi, a microcosm of the Vietnamese culture.

The speed with which this country has been able to put the past behind it is nothing short of amazing. The Vietnamese people have been intent on healing and rebuilding as they look with hope toward the future. We are met upon arrival in Hanoi. Drive into town, and check in to the Metropole, the city's most elegant and historical hotel. Built in 1911 and recently renovated, it sits in the heart of the city near the theatre and Hoan Kiem Lake. Lunch is on your own today.

This afternoon, you begin your meandering, a tour by cyclo around the city's lovely French Quarter, filled with artefacts from Vietnam&rsquos colonial past. At the end of the day, freshen up at the hotel before we sit down to a traditional Vietnamese dinner at local restaurant popular with the locals and visitors alike.

Overnight: Sofitel Metropole Hotel, Hanoi (classic room)
(Dinner)

Day 2: Hanoi

No visit to Vietnam would be complete without a visit to this historical monument (closed on Friday, Monday and Oct/Nov). When it is open, you can join the silent single file queue of Vietnamese and foreign people going to pay their respects to Ho Chi Minh&rsquos embalmed corpse. The tomb is monumental, built of marble, granite and precious wood. Behind the Mausoleum, you can see Ho Chi Minh's house. The simple house where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked is made of wood and enjoyed a tranquil setting, with a view of a lotus pond. Ho Chi Minh&rsquos belongs, including books, radio and hat are on display and you can walk up the steps of his house to see his bed room.

Close by, you will see a famous pagoda built since 11 Cent. The One pillar pagoda and next door is Dien huu pagoda &ndash very good image of Buddhism in Vietnam. You continue to visit Temple of Literature. Founded in 1076, Van Mieu, the Temple of Literature, serves as a pleasant respite from the bustle of Hano&rsquos street scene. Emperor Ly Thanh Tong built it to honor academicians and men of literary accomplishment, and it served as Vietnam&rsquos first university, educating the sons of mandarins. Its five courtyards, the temple itself, and its 82 steal represent Vietnamese architecture at its finest. Lunch today is at a charming Vietnamese restaurant, the Indochine.

Afternoon is at leisure.

Overnight: Sofitel Metropole Hotel, Hanoi (classic room)
(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 3: Hanoi &ndash Hue

At leisure this morning until transfer to Hanoi airport for a flight to Hue. One of the country&rsquos foremost cultural, religious, and educational centres' Hue began its existence as the citadel of Phu Xuan in 1687, just northeast of the present-day city, and assumed the role of capital city of southern Vietnam in the mid-1700s. More than a century later, French forces encircled the city, and the Vietnamese were powerless in their battle to keep their homeland. A colony was born. Hué suffered some of the bloodiest battles of the 1968 Tet Offensive, and it was the only city to be held by the Communists for more than a few days. By the 1970s, much of the old city was decaying, but the local government recognized its value, and in 1993 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site. Restoration and preservation work continues.

On arrival, we begin to explore the city. Take a boat trip on Perfume River and go to a local island village (Con Hen). Stop at a local morning market and walk around local areas. Enjoy box lunch at a riverside café then continue boarding to go to Thien Mu Pagoda. Late afternoon, visit to Imperial Citadel. Kinh Thanh, the citadel, is perhaps the most well-known site in Hué. Begun in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long, it is actually a complex comprised of the Imperial City, several museums, lakes, and lovely gardens, all laid out in a series of concentric circles.

Specialist local guide in Citadel. We also visit the Forbidden Purple City, originally built in the early 1800s for the personal use of the emperor and staffed by eunuchs who posed no threat to the royal concubines. Nearly destroyed in the Tet Offensive, today the ruins house the Royal Library and the grounds flourish with mimosa plants and vegetable plots.

Overnight at Saigon Morin Hotel in Hue (deluxe river view room)
Tonight you will enjoy an Imperial Dinner at the hotel.
(Breakfast, Lunch box and Dinner)

Day 4: Hue

This morning, you will visit Thien Mu Pagoda by boat then continue by boat to the less visited and perhaps most majestic of all of Hue's tombs - the tomb of Minh Mang. Built between 1841 and 1843, this tomb is well known for its harmonious blend of architecture and natural landscape.

After enjoy picnic lunch at the tomb, we&rsquoll drive just outside the former capital to the tombs of the Emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. The tomb of Tu Duc, a 19th century Emperor who lived in the most splendid opulence, is regally set among groves of frangipani and pine trees. The tomb of the 20th century Emperor Khai Dinh is grandiose but, unlike that of Tu Duc and the others, is a melange of Eastern and European architectural styles which perhaps accurately reflects the changing political currents which were taking place in the country at the beginning of the century.

Dinner at local restaurant
Overnight at Saigon Morin hotel in Hue (deluxe room)
(Breakfast, Lunch box and Dinner)

Day 5: Hue &ndash Danang

After breakfast, leave Hue for Danang, around 3.5 hours transfer by coach then to Hoi An. Hoi An is an extraordinary jewel of a town. In a country so ravaged by war, Hoi An managed to remain untouched, and as you wander the completely traffic-free streets of this ancient seaport it is not hard to imagine yourself amidst the sailors and merchants of the 18th Century, when Hoi An was one of the busiest trading ports in Asia. Chinese, Japanese and European architecture bears witness to a cosmopolitan past and allows today's visitors a glimpse of Vietnam that no longer exists elsewhere.

We wander the cobbled streets to visit former merchant homes, temples, art galleries and absorb the atmosphere of one of the country&rsquos most colourful marketplaces. Pause for lunch at a local restaurant then proceed for walking tour of Hoi An. Drive back to Danang and check into the most beautiful beach resort in China Beach &ndash the Furama.

Dinner and Overnight Furama Resort, Danang (garden view room)
(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 6: Danang &ndash Saigon

This morning transfer to the airport for the onward domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City. If Hanoi and Hué represent the colonial past of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City stands for its future. This city is booming with new economic opportunities, new construction, new technology, and newly arrived Western influences. More and more, cars are replacing bicycles, and cell-phone sales are on the rise. Situated on the northeast edge of the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City is poised and ready for a new millennium of growth.

We begin our touring with an orientation of the city. Get your bearings as we view the colonial General Post Office (1886), City Hall (now the HQ of the People&rsquos Committee), and Notre Dame Cathedral (closed by the Communist regime after the 1975 takeover, but now flourishing again, with services each day at dawn).

Thereafter continue to visit the War Remnants Museum, which offers a different perspective on the "American War." Military equipment and evidence support allegations of war atrocities committed by the enemies of Communism in the 1960s and 1970s. Lunch at Tan Nam restaurant. This afternoon, visit Reunification Palace, once known as the Presidential Palace. It was toward this building that the first Communist tanks rolled into Saigon on the morning of 30 April, 1975

After crashing through the gate, a soldier ran into the building and unfurled a VC flag from the fourth-floor balcony. The rest, as they say, is history. Next, you&rsquoll explore Ben Thanh market at the end of the day for shopping.

Dinner will be taken nearby at Maxim&rsquos Nam An restaurant, a stunningly designed French villa serving impeccable Vietnamese cuisine.

Overnight Majestic Saigon Hotel (superior room)
(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 7: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

This morning we explore the Cu Chi Tunnels, just beyond the city limits. This amazing underground camp served as a refuge for thousands of Viet Cong during the war. For years the American military had no idea that the enemy lived literally beneath their feet in 125 miles of tunnels, staging camps, hospitals, operations bunkers, and more. Today we can climb down into the tunnels to view their rooms and passageways. (This is not for the claustrophobic, as it is a very close space and you must slide along on your stomach at times.)

Beforehand, watch a documentary that explains Cu Chi&rsquos importance during the war.

Return to Saigon for lunch at Pho Co restaurant and rest of the day is at leisure.

Dinner tonight is at Vietnam House restaurant.

Overnight: Majestic Saigon Hotel
(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 8: Mekong Delta (My Tho)

Full day Mekong Delta Tour with Lunch.

Travel the bustling highway into the surrounding countryside where you will pass lush rice paddies carefully tended, before boarding your motorised sampan for a unique experience on the mighty Mekong Delta waterways.

You will see how, to the people of Delta, the water is a lifeline - the focus of all daily activity - as you journey through a maze of tributaries and fruit plantations. Enjoy a sample of delicious fruit in the shade of a fruit farmer's garden.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, where the speciality is a remarkable dish of 'elephants ear fish' on the way back to Saigon.

Farewell Dinner at Mandarin restaurant
Overnight hotel Majestic in Saigon
(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9: Saigon &ndash departure

Morning at leisure until transfer out for the onward flight
(Breakfast)

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