Hanoi – Ninh Binh – Ha Long Bay – Phu Quoc
The north compressed into three days, and the island given the rest. Hanoi on foot on the first afternoon, then Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay as day trips from the same hotel, then a night flight to Phu Quoc. On the island the days stand separately rather than running as one long tour: the parks and night streets in the north, four islands and the sea-crossing cable car by speedboat, six stops around the south coast, and an evening out with the squid fishermen.
Day 1
Met at the airport and driven to a hotel in the Old Quarter, where the walk begins at 13h30. Hoan Kiem Lake and Nam Huong Temple come first, with the story of King Le returning the sword and the preserved Hoan Kiem turtle on display; The Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son Temple are yours to take or skip. St Joseph's Cathedral follows, with banh mi from the stall beside it, a sugarcane juice or a street coffee, and half an hour to look through the shops nearby. Train Street closes the afternoon at 16h00: houses opening straight onto live track, and a train through the middle of them if the timing works.
Meals: No meals included
Day 2
A full day out of Hanoi and back. The coach leaves at 08h00 and covers 110km of farmland with a stop halfway. Hoa Lu at 10h15: Vietnam's first capital, and the temples to the Dinh and Le kings. At 11h30 you swap the coach for a bicycle and ride the canal lanes between the villages. Buffet lunch at 12h15, goat and fried rice among the dishes, with vegetarian options. At 13h00 you are rowed into Trang An through the Sang, Toi and Nau Ruou caves, a landscape UNESCO listed in 2014 and Kong: Skull Island used in 2016. At 15h15 comes Mua Cave, almost 500 steps to the top of Lying Dragon Mountain. Hanoi by 19h30.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 3
Limousine at 08h30, Tuan Chau Island by midday, and six hours on the bay. You eat on board, Vietnamese dishes and seafood, while the boat passes the Incense Burner and the Fighting Cocks. Sung Sot Cave at 13h30: 25 metres above the water, 10,000 square metres inside, an 800-metre lit path from end to end. Luon Cave at 14h45 by kayak or bamboo boat. Titop Island at 15h45 for the beach or the climb to the lookout. The sunset party on the sundeck starts at 16h30, the harbour comes at 18h00, your Hanoi hotel at 20h30, and the 22h00 flight takes you to Phu Quoc.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 4
You land on the island and a private car takes you from the airport straight to the resort; your guide stays with you through check-in. Nothing else is planned today and no meals are included. It is the only open day at the front of the island week: the four that follow each take a full day or a full evening, starting with the theme parks in the north.
Meals: No meals included
Day 5
The shuttle runs to the north end of Phu Quoc, where the day splits in two. VinWonders takes the daylight: the largest theme park in Vietnam, with rides, a water park, a castle, the Fairy Tales garden, a Viking village and an aquarium that stages a mermaid show. Lunch is at a restaurant. After dark you cross to Grand World, which the island calls the sleepless city, for the Bamboo Legend structure and the Vietnamese Essence show, which the tour price does not cover. Dinner is bun quay, a Phu Quoc noodle dish, and the last thing of the night is The Colors of Venice out on the canal.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6
An early start: 07h20 from the hotel, the pearl farm at 08h30, the speedboat out of An Thoi harbour at 09h30. Four islands follow, each with its own use. May Rut Trong is for swimming and photographs. Mong Tay, May Rut Ngoai on some maps, is the lunch stop, with paddleboards on the sand. Dua, sometimes Roi, has coral in one to three metres of water, shallow enough to snorkel over. Coral Park and its sea walking cost extra if you want them. Hon Thom is last, crossed to on the world's longest three-wire sea cable car, with Aquatopia water park at the far end. Sunset Town from 16h00, hotel at 17h00.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 7
A 09h00 pick-up and six stops around the east and south of Phu Quoc. Sunset Town first, Mediterranean in style and built around the Kiss Bridge. Then Phu Quoc Prison, and a traditional fish sauce factory where the barrels and the process are explained. At 12h00 you transfer to Sao Beach for lunch and time to swim: white sand, clear water, one of the best beaches on the island. The afternoon is Ho Quoc Pagoda, set with the mountain behind it and the sea in front, and Sunset Sanato Beach, known for the elephant sculptures and other installations along the sand. Back at the hotel by 17h00.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 8
The day is free until late afternoon. Between 16h30 and 17h30 a car collects you from the hotel and drives you to the harbour. At 18h00 the boat is out on the water for the sunset. From 18h30 to 20h00 you fish for squid alongside the local crew, and at 20h00 dinner is served on board, cooked with what has come up. Drop-off at your hotel at 21h00.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Day 9
The programme leaves this day open. Breakfast at the resort is included and nothing else is fixed, so it lands wherever you want it: the beach again, the spa, or a return to whichever part of the island you liked most. If you would rather have it filled, any of the island day tours can be repeated or exchanged, and we will confirm the arrangement with you before you travel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10
Breakfast, check out, and the drive to the airport by private car, timed to your departure.
Meals: Breakfast
The programme as supplied covers days 1 to 8 and the departure day, and leaves one day on Phu Quoc open; we hold it as free time unless you ask us to fill it. The Hanoi to Phu Quoc flight leaves at 22h00 on day 3 and the fare is not included. Day 1 runs in two versions, the full walking tour or a shorter walk finishing with an egg coffee class at a local coffee house.
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