This tour includes the key highlights of Vietnam (HCMC and Hanoi) with daytrips to the most interesting attractions of each city.

You will begin in bustling HCMC (formerly Saigon), the country's commercial center and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. You'll visit Chinatown, the Thien Hau Pagoda, the Reunification Palace, the Opera House and the Hotel de Ville. If desired, you can also visit the moving War Remnants Museum. Next, you will explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city's main shopping boulevard with shops selling clothes and accessories by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and housewares. Next, you will take a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and watch an unusual, eclectic religious ceremony at the main temple of Cao Daism, a unique fusion of world religions. On another day trip, you will tour the narrow canals of the Mekong Delta to see a traditional side of Vietnamese life.

Next, you will fly to charming Hanoi, Vietnam's artistic and intellectual capital. You will explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquerware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. You will also be able to walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, ride a cyclo to dinner, and watch a performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. You will dine in French colonial villas converted into gourmet restaurants and enjoy people watching at stylish cafes. You can also shop for impressive modern art in the city's many galleries, then visit Hanoi's main cultural attractions, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum and the Temple of Literature. Alternatively, on a day trip, you can cruise among the dramatic limestone islands of Halong Bay.