Trip Overview

​This 15-day tour of Vietnam immerses you in a cultural adventure that you’ll be talking about for many years to come.  In it, you explore all the hidden passageways in a house used as a secret bunker by the Viet Cong; ride a water buffalo and get hands-on planting rice; you'll row basket boats with local fisherman at our “secret beach” that’s not yet mentioned in any guidebooks (there, you can also collect some of the most beautiful shells we’ve ever seen!); you'll watch exhilarating dragon dances and see a mock battle in period costumes that occur only once a year at a Tet Festival (February 2025 tour only); you'll eat dinner at a Michelin recognized restaurant and a few nights later in a clam hut in the middle of a lagoon; marvel at beautiful silk lanterns in Hoi An (the whole town is one giant photo opp!) and watch silk worms at work; “wow!” at the views as we drive along the stunning Hai Van Pass overlooking the South China Sea; visit the UNESCO World Heritage Cham ruins of My Son; learn the symbolism for dragons, phoenix, unicorns, turtles and bats and how they are used to tell stories in temples and pagodas.  These are just a few of the magical activities we have in store for you. 
  This highlight tour of Vietnam is comprised of a small, 4-8 person group.  The entire tour will be a mix of urban and rural adventure and will feature the people, culture, food, handicrafts and unbelievably beautiful landscapes of Vietnam.  Throughout your trip, you’ll receive an introduction to Vietnamese street food, sample specialty foods of each region we visit and enjoy several multi-course home-cooked Vietnamese meals in traditional Vietnamese homes. You’ll visit Vietnamese markets and temples and learn all about the fascinating culture of the Vietnamese people
     Only 8 people will be included on this tour (but 4 guests are adequate for the tour to make). Are you a laid back, intrepid, fun-loving traveler who's up for an adventure? Then this tour has your name all over it.  If you’re ready to go or if you’d like to learn more, please call or email us.  We hope you’ll accept an invitation from Vietnam and Open Door Travel to create stories, memories and the experience of a lifetime.
​*Note that the February 2025 version of this tour is 16 days to accommodate an extra day to attend an extraordinary Tet Festival!

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UPCOMING DEPARTURES

  
​ 3 star hand-selected budget boutique accommodations, 8 people maximum and a visit to Vietnam's hottest new sensation -  
​Hanoi's Train Street!

​Tour Dates 2025
February 8 - 23, 2025
*February dates include an extra day in Hanoi
to attend an amazing Tet Festival!
16 days       $6985
​payable in 3 payments​

Itinerary (click each line for detailed info)

HANOI / Arrival

Arrive in Hanoi.

Xin chao! Welcome to Vietnam!

I will personally greet each of you at the airport and either accompany you to our hotel or, if flight times require that I stay to greet other guest, I will put you on a private van who will drive you to your home for the next 5 nights … an upscale brand new boutique hotel perfectly situated in the Old Quarter with only a 5 minute walk to Hoan Kiem Lake.

Settle in for a bit because there’s SO MUCH to see and do in Hanoi!

FUN FACT: When saying goodnight/sleep well, the Vietnamese say “chuc ngu ngon” which literally translates “sleep deliciously!” Isn’t that adorable? We wish you a delicious sleep in your comfy bed. Welcome to Vietnam!

Day 1-4 HANOI / Be Charmed by the Ancient Capitol

DAY 1 - Overnight in Hanoi

After a lunch of Hanoi’s favorite food (and no, it’s not pho! Although we’ll get to that too), get your first look at the Old Quarter from the seat of a quaint cyclo - a 3-wheeled human-powered transport designed by the French in 1933. You relax in a cozy seat up front while the driver pedals.

Following free time to explore the Old Quarter on your own or sleep off your jetlag, we’ll see a contemporary state of the art world-class performance staged entirely on water. The show, featuring 120 villagers in addition to 80 professional dancers, is a lovely mesmerizing blend of modern technology while celebrating the fascinating history and cultural heritage of north Vietnam’s art, poetry, religion and traditions.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

THE FEBRUARY 2025 TOUR will have an extra day here to attend an amazing Tet Festival that only occurs once a year! We'll see dragon dances, a royal ritual in a temple that's been taking place for hundreds of years, lion dances, a UNESCO Heritage recognized dance and an exhilarating mock battle in period costumes with ancient weapons! You won't want to miss this!

DAY 2 - Overnight in Hanoi

Today we visit the “must sees” you already know about. I mean you don’t visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower, right? - Ho Chi Minh - mausoleum where Uncle Ho as he’s lovingly known here is embalmed in wax. A truly unique experience to see. - One Pillar Pagoda - Temple of Literature which has been classified as a national relic and 82 doctorate steles have been recognized by UNESCO as "World Documentary Heritage" Hoa Lo Prison also famously known as “The Hanoi Hilton”

Lunch will be a unique experience that celebrates the disappearing culture of far north Vietnam. Adventurous eaters will have the opportunity to try fried cricket salad (truly one of my favorites!), but there’s plenty of “normal” food that is equally delicious.

Then we’ll visit a cool coffee shop in ancient traditional Vietnamese house that’s rich in ambiance. On the second floor, you can peek into the gorgeous family temple! And the extra cool thing? It’s accessed through the middle of a fabric store. You might even see someone driving their motorbike through the store to go there!

In the evening, over bia hoi and hotpot - 2 VERY Vietnamese experiences - you’ll have an incredibly unique opportunity: we’ll meet a war vet who fought with the Viet Cong in what is known here as the American War. He’ll tell you fascinating stories and you can ask him questions.

Included: Breakfast and Dinner

DAY 3 - Overnight in Hanoi

Hold on to your hats as we dive deep into cultural immersion today, exploring the riveting Mother Goddess worship (Dau Mau), a folk religion unique to Vietnam. The religion itself and its central ritual, hau dong (also known as len dong), have been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

During the hau dong ritual, the performer achieves a state of trance and from this state will perform activities such as singing, dancing, playing an instrument, creating special sounds and throwing “holy” money into the air - all of which followers of this religion believe will result in blessings from the Mother Goddess and riddance of all bad luck.

You’ll hear stories and see the actual tools and relics used by Vietnamese women who acted as spies during both the French war and what is known in Vietnam as the American War.

Then we hop on the back of vintage Russian Minsk motorbikes driven by professional drivers. Our guide tells the best stories from his childhood, both tender and endearing as well as heartbreaking. You’ll really get a feel for Vietnamese culture through your time with him.

The backdrop for these stories … we’ll adventure through a black market, an eye-popping wet market (get your camera ready!) and tiny warren-like backstreets that only locals would know. You’ll try Vietnam’s celebrated egg coffee at its original shop, explore the banana-tree-filled countryside right in the metropolis of Hanoi and visit Insta-famous train street and experience the exhilaration of a train passing at speed only inches from where you’re sitting!

Enjoy a couple of hours for rest.

We wind down our day at a Michelin recognized restaurant that specializes in duck.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 4 - Overnight in Hanoi

I’m a believer in learning about culture through food and have carefully curated all your meals accordingly. Each will be different and give you a great insight into “Vietnamese food beyond pho.” You’ll see their culinary philosophy in action: balancing flavor between hot, sour, sweet, and salty and also the balance of hot and cold foods – not the temperature, but of the hot and cold elements and energy of foods.

So yes, you’re getting a bonus unofficial 2 week food tour within this trip! Prior guests “complained” “We never stopped eating. Amazing, delicious food.”

After our food adventure, we’ll visit a village where all the families are artisans who specialize in making the gorgeous, over-the-top paper mache creations purely for burning at Mother Goddess ceremonies! You’ll get to try your hand at making them too!

Follow me in the evening down a hidden lane lined with flower gardens, fruit trees and beautifully lit silk lanterns dangling from above. I know about a secret garden in the middle of bustling Hanoi. In the garden is one of the most charming and talented chefs you’ve ever met. Prepare to be enchanted.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 5-6 HUE / Dragons, Phoenix, Unicorns and Emporors

DAY 5 - Overnight in Hue

Morning departure to Hue - the Imperial City.

You’ll be astonished at the opulence and artistic flair of the UNESCO World Heritage tomb of Khai Dinh, emperor of Vietnam in 1916–25 and father of Vietnam’s last emperor, Bao Dai.

Then it’s time to relax.

You’ll be staying at the dripping-in-charm garden-filled home/boutique hotel of Vietnam’s last princess’ grandaughter in a sweet little countryside village. The chef there specializes in dinners featuring iconic Hue dishes that are exquisitely presented.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

DAY 6 - Overnight in Hue

This day is another day of absolute immersion in local culture exploring Hue’s untold stories, handicraft villages and … you guessed it … more good food!

To really experience it in true Vietnam style, we’ll be adventuring from the back of a motorbikes driven by professional drivers.

We will visit the magnificently preserved century old garden home built by a high-ranking mandarin of the royal court. Our host, his charming, welcoming grandson, tells fascinating stories about his grandfather, including showing us his opium bed!

From there we will be treated to a private tour of the family temple of another royal mandarin that is not featured in any guidebook. It’s REALLY special.

You’ll enjoy beautiful views of the countryside and everyday life so different from our own as we motorbike into another village where we’ll relish a home-hosted lunch and enjoy an herbal foot bath. All the herbs and ingredients collected form our host’s own garden.

Then we ride to a unique style of tile-roofed bridge (only 3 like it still remain in all of Vietnam!) built in 1776. You might see Aunt Kinh who keeps the soul of the bridge in her lullabies.

We take more delightful backroads to a 400 year old village where we observe the traditional art of folk painting, once outlawed by the communist government, still preserved in Do paper by a talented artisan who hid his work during the illegal years.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 7 LANG CO / Sunset Dinner in a Cool Clam Hut

DAY 7 - Overnight in Lang Co

A visit to the Imperial City isn’t complete with exploring the Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was bombed practically out of existence during the “American War.” Diligent restoration work has been progressing over the past decade and it’s now returning to its former glory. The newly restored opulent Kien Trung Palace opened in 2024 and the impressive Ngu Phung (Five Phoenixes) Pavilion opened in 2021. The old imperial days will come to life before your eyes.

After visiting the Citadel, we head further south, stopping at a fascinating site called City of Ghosts, a cemetery but a highly unusual one. Contrary to it’s name, City of Ghosts is principally unoccupied, less a city of ghosts than a hamlet of them. What makes it worth visiting are a multitude of incredibly ostentatious tombs most of which are still empty. They are funded primarily by Viet Kieu (Vietnamese ex pats now living overseas). You’ll hear the story of the connection between this village, these tombs and the infamous Vietnamese Boat People.

In Lang Co we explore the lagoon by boat, where my friend will show you first-hand some unique local fishing and oyster farming practices.

And then we’re eating again! Enjoy gorgeous sunset views of the lagoon along with your scrumptious seafood dinner in a rustic clam hut in the middle of the lagoon. After dinner, we boat back to shore by moonlight.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 8-11 HOI AN / Enchantment at Every Turn

DAY 8 - Overnight in Hoi An

Next up is poetic, every-where-you-look-is-a-photo-opp Hoi An whose Ancient Town streets overflow nightly with beautifully lit silk lanterns.

After lunch at the beach, we’ll check in to our charming hotel that is perfectly situated for easy walking distance access to the Ancient Town. Go ahead and settle in. We’ll be here for 4 enchanting nights.

Enjoy an entirely free afternoon to get fitted for some tailor-made clothes or wander the Ancient Town.

Included: Breakfast and Lunch. Dinner on your own so you’re not rushed with your tailoring experience should you choose to have clothes made. We’ll provide recommendations for dinner and tailoring if you’d like them.

DAY 9 - Overnight in Hoi An

Today, you’re officially introduced to Hoi An’s Ancient Town - once a flourishing Asian trading port from the 15th to the 19th centuries, the town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll hear lots of stories today including the story of why it looks almost exactly today the way it did in it’s heyday.

Graceful, historic, poetic and charming are all words that aptly describe the atmosphere of the Ancient Town which remains practically just as it was in its very early days. Be prepared to be smitten. Hoi An is one giant photo opp!

Ready to learn how silk is made? You’ll see it all starting with the fascinating method of harvesting silk threads from silk worm cocoons.

Enjoy a special lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.

Then you have free time until dinner to have a second fitting with your tailor, have a day at the beach or photograph Ancient Town. I can’t get enough of it and expect you won’t be able to either.

We’ll reconvene for dinner by the beautiful Thu Bon River. Then we recommend an early bedtime before our sunrise tour in the morning.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 10 - Overnight in Hoi An

We’ll be waking up the roosters today for our sunrise tour, but it will be well worth it. We’re visiting My Son, the lovely ruins of ancient Cham temples and another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was reclaimed from the devouring jungle 100 years ago by French hunters. And because we’ll be leaving just as the hordes of tourist buses descend, in the quiet and mist of sunrise, you’ll be able to experience the sacred energy that drew the Cham people to build their temples here.

Enjoy some free time for another clothes fitting or a rest after our early morning start.

Then buckle up. You’ll have a whole new appreciation for rice farming after you plow a rice paddy with a water buffalo and plant and harvest rice yourself.

Your hard work will be rewarded with a traditional dinner and short cooking lesson at the farmer’s house. And don’t worry - we only do enough of the work to experience all the phases of it hands on. You’ll have a really fun time! But you’ll certainly appreciate what back-breaking labor it is for those who do it for real.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 11 - Overnight in Hoi An

We’re back on motorbikes today (again, on the backs being driven by professional drivers) as we travel from small village to small village to see and try our own hand at the art of weaving sleeping mats, making basket boats, wood carving and rice paper making.

We’ll have a very light lunch at an adorable tea house. You’ll want to have as little in your tummy as possible for the evening when we go on the hands-down best food tour lead by one of the most energetic, fun, best story-telling guides ever.

You’ll have been seeing all the charming sampan boats with their beautifully lit silk lanterns floating down the river. Tonight it’s your turn! And be thinking about something you dearly want. From the sampan, you’ll release a brightly colored lantern lit with candles into the river along with your wish.

The sight of thousands of other wish-carrying lanterns shimmering on the river makes for a memorable sight.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 12 - 13 QUY NHON / Secret Beach Time in the Area

DAY 12 - Overnight at the Beach

We’ll get an early start today as we board the “Reunification Express,” a train which will take us south to Quy Nhon. In your own private train cabin, your window essentially becomes a 6 hour movie screen on which the enchantment of the Vietnamese countryside unfolds. A quick van ride delivers us to our our hotel at the “secret beach” in a charming fishing village.

You’ll have the rest of the afternoon and evening on your own to enjoy the breezes, sand between your toes, a swim and the unique rocky outcroppings that pop up here are there along the beach.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch.

DAY 13 - Overnight at the Beach

Today is mostly free for you to kick back on the beach or explore the fishing village. In the afternoon, we’ll take a boat to a nearby island to hunt for some of the most exotic shells you’ve ever seen!

Included: Breakfast.

Day 14-15 SAIGON / Be Awed By the City’s Hip Style Along With It’s Historical Significance

DAY 14 - Overnight in Saigon

Next we catch a flight to hip Saigon with it’s wide French boulevards, bustling energy and style, style, style!

We’ll grab a special lunch and some of the best iced tea in the country at a delightful little eatery.

Enjoy some free time to get settled in and roam the hotel, visit the fascinating-but-tragic War Remnants Museum or go for a lie-flat shampoo and foot massage at one of our favorite spas.

In the evening, we’re back on motorbikes again for an energetic multi-course progressive food-tour dinner, sampling some of Saigon’s tastiest street food and exploring apartments originally built for American GI’s during the war.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

DAY 15 - Overnight in Saigon

On our last day of the tour (unless you sign up for the option extension), we’ll visit 3 of Saigon’s coolest neighborhoods in answer to the question “What makes this city so unique?”

We’ll (safely) explore a village in Mafia territory and understand how the locals live, try herbal remedies in Chinatown and visit an astonishing temple.

We’ll pay our respects at the site where the venerable monk Thích Quảng Đức self immolated in protest of the war and the government’s treatment of Buddhists.

And we’ll go down into the secret weapons cellar at a commando safehouse from the war.

You’ll enjoy the quintessential dish of Saigon - cơm tấm - for lunch.

There’s free time for you to explore on your own or do any last-minute shopping.

Our farewell dinner is special multi-course family-style.

For those whose flight schedules and packing time allow, we’ll explore some fun old former apartment buildings that have been converted to personality-filled spaces for unique cafes and shops.

Whether you fly out tonight or the next day, you’ll be provided a private car from the hotel to the airport.

DEPARTUREI / Return Home

We have loved having your as our guest and look forward to traveling with you again soon!