Travel the length of Vietnam on this weeklong tour, stopping in HCMC (in the south), Hanoi (in the north), and the beachesand small towns of the central coast in between. You'll begin in dynamic HCMC, the country's commercial center andhome to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. You'll also check out Chinatown, the Thien Hau Pagoda, theReunification Palace, the Opera House and the Hotel de Ville. If you wish, you can also visit the powerful War RemnantsMuseum. Then, venture through the colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city's main shopping boulevardwith fashionable boutiques and accessories designed by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens andhousewares. Next, take a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and watch an unusual, eclectic religious ceremony at the main temple of CaoDaism, a unique fusion of world religions, in Tay Ninh. Alternatively, you can spend the day cruising the narrow canals ofthe Mekong Delta.

Next, you will fly to atmospheric Hoi An, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage site and river town, crammed with historichomes, tiny museums, cafes, and bustling silk and fish markets. Nearby, you'll see ancient sculptures in the Cham Museum,and tour Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains. You may also opt to stay at a luxury beach resort in nearbyDanang, or a boutique riverside hotel in the heart of Hoi An.

You'll wrap up in Hanoi, Vietnam's artistic and intellectual capital, where you will explore the fascinating Old Quarter andits hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquer ware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils,ceremonial objects and more. You'll want to be sure to walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, then ride a cyclo to dinner, andwatch a performance at the Thanh Long Water Puppet Theater. You will love dining in French colonial villas converted intogourmet restaurants and people watching at stylish cafes. Art lovers will also want to shop for impressive modern art inthe city's many galleries. And of course, you will want to visit Hanoi's main cultural attractions, including the Ho Chi MinhMausoleum, his House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature.

Best of all, you'll spend a day cruising Halong Bay, where thousands of limestone rock sculptures jut dramatically from thesea and numerous grottoes have created an ephemeral, fantastic landscape.