You could venture to Vietnam every 12 months, and still feel like you’ve only just scratched the surface. From the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An, to feeling the ripples of Lan Ha Bay rock you to sleep in your junk boat, or savouring that first slurp of pho in Hanoi’s Old Quarter – Vietnam offers romance, adventure and mystery.
Of course, you can try and tackle it solo, and many do. But if you prefer the sound of exploring without your nose forever embedded in a map or guidebook, book onto one of our small-group Trips. They come complete with an expert Local Insider, who’ll give you the inside scoop on both big-hitter and off-the-radar sights. Besides, a good banh mi is best experienced in the company of others, right?
Talking of which, if you want an authentic taste of Vietnam’s street food scene, look no further than Hue. Jump aboard a rickshaw and tour the restaurants and secret eateries, sampling local favourites such as bun ho hue (spicy beef noodle soup), or banh beo (steamed rice cakes with shrimp).
While Vietnam’s cities are intense and frenetic, its countryside is anything but. In rural areas such as Mai Chau, life goes on in the same way it has done for centuries. Farmers tend to their rice fields, water buffalo pull ploughs, and women weave bamboo baskets in the shade of stilted huts. There’s nowhere better to decompress from the urban crush than here. Except, maybe, aboard a junk cruiser drifting across Lan Ha Bay.
You’ll find all this and more on our authentic small-group Epic Trip to Vietnam, so what are you Hue-ting for?