ASIA
Vietnam: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hué, Hoi An, Dalat, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Small groups of no more than 16 travelers, guaranteed
20 days starting from $3,795
including international airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco
Single Supplement: FREE
Departure Dates: Jan-May; Aug-Dec
Activity Level: Moderately Easy
IT’S INCLUDED
- 18 nights accommodation
- International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges unless you choose to make your own air arrangements
- All land transportation and 3 internal flights
- 41 meals—18 breakfasts, 13 lunches, and 10 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Dinner)
- 31 small group activities
- Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader
- Gratuities for local guides, drivers, ship-crew, and luggage porters
- 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next adventure
ITINERARY
DAY 1 • Depart U.S.
Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam.
DAY 2 • Arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam
Arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam, and transfer to your hotel.
May De Ville Trendy Hotel or similar
DAY 3 • Hanoi • Cyclo-rickshaw ride
Meet fellow travelers who took our Hill Tribes of Vietnam: Journey into Ancient Cultures pre-trip extension, and enjoy an orientation tour of Hanoi this morning. Explore on your own this afternoon before taking a cyclo-rickshaw ride through the Old Quarter. Later, gather for a Welcome Dinner.
Meals: B,D | May De Ville Trendy Hotel or similar
DAY 4 • Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & One Pillar Pagoda • Water puppet demonstration at local puppet master’s home
Today we visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the resting place of the late leader, as well as the iconic One Pillar Pagoda. Then, visit a local water puppet master and his family who will show us how these intricate puppets are made.
Meals: B,L | May De Ville Trendy Hotel or similar
ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHT
On Day 4, enjoy a traditional water puppet demonstration in Hanoi.
DAY 5 • Hanoi • A Day in the Life of Tho Ha Village
Travel to rural Tho Ha Village today to experience A Day in the Life of a local family who earns their living by making rice paper.
Meals: B,L | May De Ville Trendy Hotel or similar
DAY 6 • Hanoi • Bat Trang • Controversial Topic: Land reform • Optional Hanoi local life & food adventure
Visit Bat Trang, a village known for its unique ceramic pottery. Here, you’ll meet with an artist and their family at a ceramics workshop. After, we’ll learn about the Controversial Topic of Vietnam’s land reform from two former landlords. Later, you might join an optional tour to discover Hanoi’s local life and food using local transport.
Meals: B,L | May De Ville Trendy Hotel or similar
DAY 7 • Halong Bay • Overnight cruise
Depart for Halong Bay, where we’ll board our private boat for an overnight cruise. Spend our afternoon plying the bay’s emerald waters, stopping to explore a grotto.
Meals: B,L,D | Traditional Vietnamese boat
ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHT
On Day 7, embark on an exclusive overnight cruise with dinner in Halong Bay, the “emerald bay” of Vietnam.
DAY 8 • Halong Bay cruising • Fly to Hué
Spend the morning soaking up the scenery of Halong Bay while our boat cruises back to port for our flight to Hué.
Meals: B,D | Cherish Hotel or similar
DAY 9 • Explore Hué • Meditation lunch with local nuns • GCF visit: Minh Tu or Hope Orphanage
Tour the Citadel of Hué this morning, then continue to a Buddhist nunnery. Later, visit either the Minh Tu or Hope Orphanage, both supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation.
Meals: B,L,D | Cherish Hotel or similar
DAY 10 • Hoi An • Thien Mu Pagoda boat cruise
Board a boat and cruise to Thien Mu Pagoda where we’ll discover this temple’s rich history. From there, drive to the coastal village of Hoi An. Along the way, stop at My Khe Beach—also known to Americans as China Beach.
Meals: B,L,D | Hoi An Central Boutique Hotel or similar
DAY 11 • Explore Hoi An • Optional Countryside Cruise & Street Food Experience tour
Enjoy a walking tour of Hoi An that includes the Phuc Kien Congressional House and the Japanese covered bridge. The balance of the day is on your own, or take part in our optional Countryside Cruise & Street Food Experience tour.
Meals: B,L | Hoi An Central Boutique Hotel or similar
DAY 12 • Hoi An • Explore Champa Ruins at My Son Sanctuary
Spend half of the day exploring the ruins of the Champa Kingdom at the temple complex of My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return to Hoi An for lunch.
Meals: B,L | Hoi An Central Boutique Hotel or similar
DAY 13 • Fly to Dalat • Home-Hosted Dinner
Fly to Dalat today. This evening, enjoy a Home-Hosted Dinner with a local family.
Meals: B,D | Sammy Dalat Hotel or similar
DAY 14 • Dalat • Optional Dalat Agricultural tour • University student discussion
Today, you can choose to join an optional tour that focuses on Dalat’s agricultural production. Later, gather as a group to visit Dalat University to learn about the Vietnamese education system during a discussion with a professor and local students.
Meals: B,D | Sammy Dalat Hotel or similar
DAY 15 • Explore Dalat • Overland to Nha Trang
Enjoy a city tour of Dalat, including a walk along Xuan Huong Lake and a visit to Dalat’s Central Market. After lunch, travel overland to Nha Trang.
Meals: B,L,D | Em Oi Hotel or similar
DAY 16 • Nha Trang • Village visit • Community lunch
Board motorbikes to visit a local village. Here, we’ll explore a local market before enjoying lunch at a local’s home.
Meals: B,L | Em Oi Hotel or similar
DAY 17 • Fly to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Rise early to fly to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Then embark on a city tour to see the Notre Dame Cathedral, Post Office, and more.
Meals: B,L,D | Central Palace Hotel or similar
DAY 18 • Mekong Delta experience • Sampan ride • Coconut candy workshop
Discover Vietnam’s Mekong Delta today, as we ride a motorized boat to Ben Tre. Walk through the village, then take a sampan ride along one of the town’s canals. Later, visit a coconut candy workshop to learn about making sweet keo dua.
Meals: B,L | Central Palace Hotel or similar
DAY 19 • Cu Chi Tunnels
Tour the Cu Chi Tunnels, a vast underground network that allowed the Viet Cong to control a large area near the former Saigon. Then, we’ll have the opportunity to discuss what life is like postwar with veterans who fought with the Viet Cong. Later, gather at a local restaurant for a Farewell Dinner.
Meals: B,L,D | Central Palace Hotel or similar
DAY 20 • Return to the U.S.
Depart early this morning to the airport for your return flights home or to begin your optional post-trip extension in Cambodia: Angkor Wat & the Legacy of the Ancient Khmer Empire.
Meals: B
PERSONALIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE on your Vietnam adventure
OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS
Choose to maximize your discoveries and value when you add a pre- or post-trip extension—or both—to your adventure.
Hill Tribes of Vietnam: Journey into Ancient Cultures
PRE-TRIP: 6 nights from $1,195
This destination is only available as a trip extension
Discover the diverse ethnic groups of Vietnam’s remote northern hill towns, where lush rice paddies and bamboo forests flourish in the shadow of Fan Si Pan Peak.
IT’S INCLUDED
- All internal transportation
- 6 nights accommodation
- 14 meals—6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 3 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Lunch)
- 8 small group activities
- Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader
- Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters
- All transfers
Learn more at www.oattravel.com/svd-vietnam-2026
Cambodia: Angkor Wat & the Legacy of the Ancient Khmer Empire
POST-TRIP: 5 nights from $1,795
Delve into the ancient splendor of Cambodia’s Khmer Empire at the haunting and spectacular ruins of its capital city of Angkor.
IT’S INCLUDED
- Airfare between Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap
- 5 nights accommodation
- 10 meals—5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Lunch)
- 9 small group activities
- Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader
- Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters
- All transfers
Learn more at www.oattravel.com/svd-angkor-2026
ARRIVE EARLY
We recommend that you relax after a long flight or explore more in depth before your trip. Price shown includes accommodations and private airport transfer.
• Arrive early in Hanoi before your Vietnam pre-trip extension or before your main adventure from $100 per room, per night