Day 1 : Hanoi
Welcome to Hanoi–your arrival transfer to the hotel is included. Check in and get excited to meet your fellow travellers during a welcome meeting this evening where all families can bond before the Journey ahead.
Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group
Hanoi
Your opportunity to meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Arrival Transfer
Noi Bai International Airport - Hanoi
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Day 2 : Hanoi
Explore Hanoi's historic Old Quarter aboard a traditional cyclo, a three-wheeled bicycle taxi, taking in the lively sights and colorful shops selling everything from wooden handicrafts to fresh fruit juice and traditional candy. Afterward, visit Kym Viet, a G Adventures-supported social enterprise, for a special hands-on stuffed animal crafting workshop. Enjoy lunch together, then set out on a family-friendly Street Snack Challenge through the bustling streets, completing playful missions, learning simple Vietnamese words, and sampling iconic local treats. Cap off the day with a visit to a traditional water puppet theater to watch a centuries-old art form bring popular Vietnamese legends and folktales to life.
Hanoi cyclo adventure
Hanoi
Take a seat on a cyclo for a tour of Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter. Let the driver navigate through the bustling streets and start taking some photos or just use the tour to help get familiar with the area.
Kym Viet Local Enterprise Visit
Hanoi
Visit the staff and team at KymViet, a local enterprise supported by G Adventures. KymViet is a community organization that helps people with disabilities learn real life skills and create their own dignified source of income. With a focus on stitching and sewing, their team members lead travelers on handicraft workshops to make high quality products like stuffed animals and home decorations. Learn about the organization while having a regional refreshment, learning some sign language and enjoy a delicious lunch.
Street Snack Challenge
Hanoi
Explore Hanoi's bustling Old Quarter on a fun Street Snack Challenge, where you'll complete missions while sampling a variety of local treats. Discover new flavours, learn a few Vietnamese words, and work together to earn a prize at the finish!
Explore Hanoi's bustling Old Quarter on a fun Street Snack Challenge, where you'll complete missions while sampling a variety of local treats. Discover new flavours, learn a few Vietnamese words, and work together to earn a prize at the finish!
Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre Performance
Hanoi
Watch a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show with beautiful live music and intricate puppets dancing in a water stage.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch
Day 3 : Hanoi/Hạ Long Bay
Travel to Halong Bay and step aboard your overnight cruise. After lunch on board, paddle through the calm waters of Luon Cave by kayak and hike to the viewpoint at Titop Beach. As the sun sets, join a sunset party and learn how to make Vietnamese spring rolls before an overnight stay on the water.
Private Vehicle
Hanoi - Hạ Long Bay 2h30m - 2h30m
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Halong Bay cruise adventure
Hạ Long Bay
Sail past breathtaking scenery, explore hidden caves, and join a sunset party aboard your cruise to learn the art of crafting authentic Vietnamese spring rolls.
Sail past breathtaking scenery, explore hidden caves, and join a sunset party aboard your cruise to learn the art of crafting authentic Vietnamese spring rolls.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Day 4 : Hạ Long Bay/Hoi An
This morning, head to the sundeck for a gentle Tai Chi class, a traditional practice of slow, flowing movements and deep breathing, as the sun rises over the bay. Then, explore the chambers of Surg Sot Cave, where giant rock formations and winding passageways twist deep into the hillside. After brunch on board, head back to the airport for your flight to Hoi An, a charming riverside town famous for its lantern-lit lanes. Upon arrival, enjoy a free evening to rest and recharge.
Private Vehicle
Quảng Ninh - Noi Bai International Airport 2h30m - 2h30m
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Plane
Noi Bai International Airport - Da Nang International Airport 1h30m - 1h30m
Board a short flight south from Hanoi to Da Nang, trading the historic energy of the capital for the golden coast of central Vietnam.
Transport
Da Nang - Hoi An
Settle in and scan the scenery as you journey to your next destination.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch
Day 5 : Hoi An
Travel to the old town for a tour led by guides from the G Adventures-supported Oodles of Noodles program, which trains local youth in the culinary arts. Taste your way through different kinds of noodles at a food market, pick out your favourite fresh ingredients, and take your haul to the training kitchen to cook up a meal of your own. Explore the streets of Hoi An Ancient Town and set off on a family scavenger hunt, discovering historic buildings and following clues along the way.
Did you know Hoi An is home to 26 different kinds of noodles? Join local youth guides to explore the colourful market, taste tasty noodle dishes, and then cook your own delicious creation while supporting a G Adventures community program.
Ancient Town Discovery
Hoi An
Discover the magic of Hoi An together as you explore the Ancient Town, with adults uncovering its rich history while kids embark on a fun scavenger hunt filled with clues, hidden treasures, and local discoveries nearby.
Discover the magic of Hoi An together as you explore the Ancient Town, with adults uncovering its rich history while kids embark on a fun scavenger hunt filled with clues, hidden treasures, and local discoveries nearby.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch
Day 6 : Hoi An
Grab your bike and pedal through the countryside to Tra Que Village, where you'll meet local farmers and learn how fresh herbs and vegetables are grown using traditional methods. Gather ingredients straight from the fields and bring them together during a hands-on cooking class. Enjoy free time in the afternoon to explore Hoi An at your own pace.
Tra Que Village cooking experience
Hoi An
Hop on a bike and explore the countryside of Tra Que Village, where you’ll discover how local farmers grow fresh vegetables using traditional techniques. Get hands-on in the kitchen as you learn to make tasty Vietnamese dishes, then enjoy your homemade lunch before cycling back to Hoi An.
Hop on a bike and explore the countryside of Tra Que Village, where you’ll discover how local farmers grow fresh vegetables using traditional techniques. Get hands-on in the kitchen as you learn to make tasty Vietnamese dishes, then enjoy your homemade lunch before cycling back to Hoi An.
Optional Activities - Day 6
Traditional Lantern Making Experience
Hoi An
In Hoi An, it's said that hanging a lantern in front of your home will bring luck, happiness, and wealth to your family. Learn how to make traditional lanterns, handicrafts that are found hanging all over the Old Town of Hoi An. First appearing in the 16th century when the Chinese came to Vietnam, lanterns are used for decoration and in traditional celebrations like the monthly Hoi An Lantern Festival, which marks the full moon.
Go home with some new (handmade!) clothes from one of Hoi An’s famous tailor shops. Walk the streets lined with hundreds of local shops that turn out gorgeous suits, dresses, winter coats, shoes, purses – almost anything – in a day's time to create next season's wardrobe.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch
Day 7 : Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City
Travel to the airport and fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's most populous city and economic hub. Get to know this city on a cyclo tour, exploring the sights, sounds and smells of this buzzing metropolis. Cruise past French colonial buildings and stately monuments, then dive into a local market, where the calls of vendors, the aroma of street food, and the colourful displays dazzle the senses. Finish your first day in the city with a traditional pho dinner.
Ho Chi Minh City Cyclo Tour
Ho Chi Minh City
Take a city tour on a cyclo (cycle rickshaw) – a great way to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Ho Chi Minh City while keeping your hands free for that camera action.
Take a city tour on a cyclo (cycle rickshaw) – a great way to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Ho Chi Minh City while keeping your hands free for that camera action.
Plane
Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City 1h30m - 1h30m
Take a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City, setting the stage for your exploration of southern Vietnam.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Dinner
Day 8 : Ho Chi Minh City
Today, travel by bike to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a vast network of underground passageways built and used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. The tunnels connected residents to subterranean schools and hospitals, during the war these tunnels were protected using booby traps smeared with poisonous concoctions to injure enemy soldiers. Try the local cassava root, which sustained Viet Cong soldiers for years, and emerge from the bunkers for a traditional lunch by the river. Spend the remainder of the day exploring at your own pace.
Pedal to the Past: Cu Chi Tunnels
Ho Chi Minh City
Start off on the back roads. Ride through rubber plantations and sleepy villages where residents tend rice fields. See where rice paper is made. Finish the ride at the Cu Chi Tunnels, extensive underground bases and an example of one of the greatest advantages the Viet Cong held over the Americans in the war.
Start off on the back roads. Ride through rubber plantations and sleepy villages where residents tend rice fields. See where rice paper is made. Finish the ride at the Cu Chi Tunnels, extensive underground bases and an example of one of the greatest advantages the Viet Cong held over the Americans in the war.
Free time:
Ho Chi Minh City Evening
Enjoy a the rest of the day exploring this bustling city.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch
Day 9 : Ho Chi Minh City/Siem Reap
Catch a flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia, the gateway to the ancient ruins of Angkor. Upon arrival at the hotel, enjoy a free evening to settle in and relax at the hotel or choose to explore Siem Reap on your own.
Plane
Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap 1h15m
Board a short flight across the border to Siem Reap, leaving Vietnam's energetic southern hub behind to discover the gateway to the ancient world of Angkor.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Day 10 : Siem Reap
This morning, explore the Angkor temple complex, nestled deep within the Cambodian jungle. Wander hidden passageways and crumbling courtyards where the forest is steadily reclaiming its territory. Grab your camera for the first stage of your photo challenge, capturing the temples from your own unique perspective. Enjoy a delicious lunch at the New Hope Cambodia vocational training restaurant, a G Adventures-supported project that provides hospitality training to unemployed young adults. Return to the hotel to bring your favourite photos to life, turning them into a one-of-a-kind keepsake album with help from your National Geographic Expedition Leader.
Angkor Wat Guided Tour
Angkor Wat
Enjoy a tour of the impressive ancient ruins with a local guide. Explore magnificent Angkor Wat temple--Visit the enigmatic faces of Bayon within the walled city of Angkor Thom, and tour Ta Prohm (aka the "Tomb Raider" temple), which is slowly being swallowed by the jungle.
Explore Angkor's ancient temples through an interactive photo challenge, capturing your own unique discoveries along the way.
Explore Angkor's ancient temples through an interactive photo challenge, capturing your own unique discoveries along the way.
New Hope Vocational Training Restaurant
Siem Reap
Enjoy a traditional meal of Khmer food at the New Hope Vocational Training Restaurant, an initiative kickstarted by G Adventures. Providing skill-building opportunities to marginalized community members, the project also funds the adjacent free community school and health centre. Visit the restaurant run by locals and see how the New Hope project has supported positive change in the community.
Young Explorers Photo Workshop
Siem Reap
Become a junior photographer for the day with a fun Nat Geo-inspired photo assignment! While parents enjoy a relaxed dinner at the hotel restaurant nearby, kids choose their favourite shots, create captions, and design their own mini photo album to showcase their travel memories.
Become a junior photographer for the day with a fun Nat Geo-inspired photo assignment! While parents enjoy a relaxed dinner at the hotel restaurant nearby, kids choose their favourite shots, create captions, and design their own mini photo album to showcase their travel memories.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Day 11 : Siem Reap
Hop aboard a boat and explore Tonlé Sap Lake's floating world. Visit Kampong Phluk to see homes, schools, and shops perched high above the water and learn about life in this unique village. This evening, brush up your acrobatic skills at a workshop with Phare, a Cambodian circus and social enterprise that employs underprivileged youth. Tumble and somersault to your heart's content, then watch and photograph one of Phare's performances. Gather for dinner to celebrate the adventures you've shared as a family.
A Journey Through the Floating Village
Siem Reap
Set out by boat to explore Tonlé Sap Lake and discover life in a unique floating village. Cruise past stilted homes, flooded forests, and towering trees while learning how local communities live alongside this incredible natural landscape.
Set out by boat to explore Tonlé Sap Lake and discover life in a unique floating village. Cruise past stilted homes, flooded forests, and towering trees while learning how local communities live alongside this incredible natural landscape.
Free time:
Siem Reap Afternoon
Enjoy the afternoon your way, with time to unwind or explore town for some last-minute shopping and souvenirs.
Phare Circus Workshop
Siem Reap
Join the talented performers of Phare Circus for a workshop. After a thorough warm-up, learn some circus basics and fun beginner acrobatics.
Meals Included:
Breakfast | Dinner
Day 12 : Siem Reap
Depart at any time.
Not ready to leave? Your Expedition Leader can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
