Romance + Cultural Explorations
Embark on a 14 day exploration of Vietnam perfect for those looking to celebrate romance. From North to South, East to West, enjoy sampling cuisines, wandering temples, and learning new skills in the company of your partner. You're guaranteed to fall more deeply in love with the country and each other!
At Travel Beyond, we believe your trip should be designed just for you, not for the masses. Our travel consultants create a custom itinerary for each client, offering recommendations for places and experiences that best fit your style. The itinerary below was planned for a past client, but we’re sharing it for travel inspiration and as an example of what a trip to Vietnam might look like. Let us know when we can design a trip just for you!
Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be met by your guide for your private transfer to La Siesta Premium. Accommodations will be reserved for three nights. Relax and enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure!
La Siesta Premium Meals: N/A
Today, after late breakfast, you and your guide will set off on a leisurely stroll through the bustling Hanoi Old Quarters. Here you can observe the daily lives of local Vietnamese and explore family-run shops and eateries.
Later this afternoon, you will make your way to the Temple of Literature, originally built as a university in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, scholars and sages. The building is a superb example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture. Then, watch the sun set from a bar built on a man-made island within West Lake, accessible only by a torch-lit bridge.
End your first day with a 60-min relaxing couples massage and a romantic dinner at Club D’Oriental located near the iconic Opera House. Sitting around an open kitchen, witness the chefs work their magic.
La Siesta Premium Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
This morning, alongside your guide, hop into a vintage jeep for an epic adventure!
After a 1.5 hour drive through the countryside, you arrive in Duong Lam, an ancient village with houses built of laterite blocks. Stroll around idyllic alleys to Mong Phu Communal House whose architecture dates back almost 400 years. Next is a visit to Moon Garden, just 5kms down the road. Here you will partake in a lunch of Hanoi specialties.
Back in the city, enjoy an afternoon at leisure before having dinner hosted by a local family. The wife is a celebrity chef who will share many of the secrets behind North Vietnam’s cuisine. Through her stories, get an insight into Vietnamese customs and traditions.
For those who love music, visit Binh Minh Jazz club following your meal. Owned by a veteran Vietnamese jazz musician Quyen Van Minh, the club is known for its minimal décor, cozy seating, efficient service, extensive beverages menu, and live performances.
La Siesta Premium Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
Following breakfast, you will be met by your guide and transferred to the Hanoi Airport for your 45 minute seaplane flight to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay.
Take in the areal views of the bay as you land and are then brought to L’Amour private junk boat, your home for the evening.
Upon boarding you will enjoy lunch and set sail to Bai Tu Long Bay. Sit on deck so as to admire the fascinating rock formations as they pass. You will then explore the well-hidden Thien Canh Son cave and visit the white sand beach of Hon Co Island. Spend time swimming or kayaking the crystal clear waters.
Dinner will be served back on board and the remainder of the evening can be spent at leisure.
L’Amour Private Junk Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Take your breakfast on deck enjoying the morning views of Ha Long Bay. Then spend an hour visiting Vung Vieng fishing village via a rustic row-boat.
L’Amour will then return to the harbor for disembarkation and you will be transferred to the Hanoi Airport for your flight to Danang.
Upon arrival in Danang, your guide will meet you and transfer you to Allegro Hoi An, your home for the next three nights. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure.
Allegro Hoi An Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast and a leisurely morning before setting off on a walking tour this afternoon.
Explore the city’s famous old town, which rose to prominence in the 16th century, and for the next two hundred years proved one of Vietnam’s most important trading ports. Occupied by the Chinese, Japanese and Europeans, their influence can be seen throughout the old town, especially in the temples and houses built by merchants who came to trade but instead set down roots.
Wander across the 400 years old Japanese Bridge, past the Assembly Hall and look into former merchants’ houses. Sit down at one of the cafeteria for a drink and watch life passing by.
This evening, afloat a bamboo raft, savor a candle-lit dinner on the Co Co River.
Allegro Hoi An Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
Alongside your guide, spend this morning learning how to make detox cocktails and juice.
The lesson starts with a visit to an organic farm that grows more than fifty types of local vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Follow the owners as they explain all of the amazing colors and aromas you encounter. You will then harvest a few types of local herbs and fruits, including hibiscus, butterfly pea, cinnamon basil, and mulberry, to make various beverages.
While learning the secret recipes, you’ll have the chance to learn about the farm owners’ lives. A certified nutritionist and agricultural engineer, the couple decided to leave their previous careers in order to live their dream of supporting the local farmer community.
You will enjoy a healthy lunch before returning to your hotel for an afternoon and evening at leisure.
Allegro Hoi An Meals: Breakfast / Lunch
After a relaxing breakfast, enjoy a 1.5-hour scenic drive to Lang Co. Located between Hue and Danang, it sits along the Vietnam Heritage Road, a byway that runs along the ocean’s edge. Here you’ll discover turquoise-colored lagoons that sparkle in the sunlight and beaches with sand so soft it melts between the toes.
Upon arrival at Banyan Tree Lang Co, enjoy the day at leisure or arrange to partake in one of the many hotel activities (to be settled directly) such as: a private Yoga session with the resort’s Yogi, a couples cooking class to learn how to make Bun Bo Hue, a regional noodle dish, or spring rolls, or a basket boat exploration of Lang Co’s beautiful lagoons and local fishing villages.
Banyan Tree Lang Co Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy your day at leisure to explore Lang Co and the activities on offer at the hotel.
Banyan Tree Lang Co Meals: Breakfast
Following breakfast, you will depart for a 2 hour drive to Hue.
Arriving around noon, you will check in to Pilgrimage Village, where you will spend the next two nights. Relax and refresh before driving to the Imperial Citadel in the afternoon.
Built by Emperor Gia Long in the early 1800s, the moated Citadel houses his private residence known as the Forbidden Purple City. The fortress has suffered from both natural and manmade destruction over the years, including cyclones and battle damage during the Vietnam War. Yet the enclosure remains extremely palatial and received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1993. You will have the opportunity to explore the citadel on foot and with a 45-minute cyclo-ride.
Tonight, enjoy a French-Vietnamese fusion dinner at Le Parfum restaurant in the Azerai La Residence. It’s al fresco terrace overlooks the hotel’s herb garden and the Perfume River (foods/drinks to be settled directly).
Pilgrimage Village Meals: Breakfast
This morning after breakfast, set off on a boat ride along the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda. Seven stories tall, the pagoda is the tallest religious building in Vietnam. It also home to the car in which Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk who demonstrated against the South Vietnamese government during the Vietnam War, was driven to Saigon prior to his widely reported self-immolation in 1963.
Transferring to bicycles, you will continue your explorations of Hue’s countryside. Heading along rural lanes, you depart Thien Mu Pagoda for Thuy Bieu, a series of picturesque hamlets famed for their delicious pomelos (a type of grapefruit).
Upon arrival, you have the option of continuing your adventure on foot or bicycle, stopping at will to visit ancient ancestral temples, interact with the local people and observe handicrafts being made. Lunch will be enjoyed at local restaurant.
The day’s excursion ends with a soothing foot massage given by local masseurs and masseuses who are visually impaired. You will then be transferred back to your accommodation in Hue.
This evening, you will experience a delicious food tour via a vintage vespa. Immerse yourself in a world of Hue specialties including Hue beef noodle soup cooked. Drive through hidden local family-run eateries and learn how to make traditional steamed green-leaf cake. You will then drive to a venue which is well-know for serving only one dish- the Hue sizzling pancake.
End the evening at a hundred-year-old traditional herbal medicine shop to see how they made herbal tea for Kings. A leisurely ride on the back of the Vespa will take you back to your hotel.
Pilgrimage Village Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
Enjoy a morning at leisure before being transferred to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Upon arrival, you will be met by your guide and brought to Hotel Des Arts, where you will stay for two nights.
In the afternoon, you and your guide will embark on a walking tour around the city center to visit some of Ho Chi Minh City’s historic landmarks. Start with a stop at the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, built between 1863 and 1880. Modeled on Notre-Dame de Paris and built with materials shipped over from France, the cathedral is the religious center for Vietnam’s 6.2 million Catholics.
Then walk over to Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office built between 1886 and 1891. Based on the design of French architect Foulhoux, it has unique vaulted ceiling with wrought iron beams and columns reminiscent of industrial architecture. You will each be given a post card to complete and send home to the other. The notes will be a fun surprise upon your return home!
Your next destination is Book Street, where you will sit down for a drink at one of the many coffee shops, watching how local young people spend their time. Feel free to continue on foot along Dong Khoi street, formerly la rue Catinat and pay a visit to Gia Long Palace – Ho Chi Minh City Museum.
This evening, enjoy the spectacular A O show at the historic Opera House. It depicts the story of Vietnamese culture with a unique mix of bamboo cirque, acrobatic acts, contemporary dance, and theatrical visual art.
Hotel Des Arts Meals: Breakfast
Today, you will explore the social fabric of Saigon, wandering the side streets and small alleys of the local neighborhoods on vespas.
The adventure begins in district 1, also known as the historical center. You will stop for a walk alongside a group of apartments tightly lined up next to each other. Generations mingle in these tiny homes in the heart of the city and the lack of space brings life outside. Keep your eyes open for children playing, grandmothers cooking, and vendors in a constant flurry of activity.
You will then set off for Chinatown, where you can still catch a glimpse of colorful century-old shophouses amidst the more modern buildings. Here, you’ll enter a traditional compound to learn about this district and then zoom to a wet market filled with tropical fruits, fresh fish, herbs, and much more. The rich aroma of butter grilled coffee beans lead you to a third generation Sino – Vietnamese vendor to taste coffee that is roasted on site and prepared the traditional way, with sweet condensed milk.
The Vespa driver then brings you to district 4, zig zagging through small alleys with walls made beautiful by the magic of a neighborhood painter. After a short walk to see the murals up close, your morning concludes with a refreshing drink in a vintage style café.
Back at your hotel, enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure before driving to the city pier for a private speedboat journey to Mia Saigon Hotel. Located along the idyllic Saigon river and away from the main city, this hotel offers a great view of the setting sun, to be enjoyed while sipping champagne (1 glass of Baron Philippe De Rothschild Brut per person included). Following a sumptuous dinner on the terrace, you will board your private speedboat back to the city center.
Hotel Des Arts Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
Spend the day at leisure before your transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
Overnight Flight Breakfast
