Vietnam Highlights Journey
From the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An to the emerald waters of Halong Bay, discover Vietnam on this premium small-group journey.
From AUD$4999
18 Oct 2027
14 Nights
Women only
Join Melissa and a small group of like-minded women on this unforgettable 15-day Vietnam Highlights Journey, created exclusively for Ladies Who Travel members in partnership with Intrepid.
Designed to showcase the very best of Vietnam in comfort and style, this carefully curated journey blends vibrant cities, breathtaking landscapes, rich culture and meaningful local experiences with the warmth and connection that Ladies Who Travel is known for.
From the bustling streets of Hanoi and the emerald waters of Halong Bay to the lantern-lit charm of Hoi An and the energy of Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll experience the incredible diversity of Vietnam alongside a supportive group of women and an experienced local female tour leader.
Along the way, enjoy immersive cultural experiences including cooking classes, market visits, traditional craft workshops, women-owned social enterprises and authentic local food experiences that offer a deeper connection to the heart of Vietnam.
Cruise through the spectacular limestone karsts of Halong Bay, travel through stunning countryside and coastal scenery, explore fascinating historical sites and enjoy time to relax, shop or simply soak up the atmosphere in some of Vietnam’s most beautiful destinations.
With premium accommodation, airport transfers, domestic flights, many meals and thoughtfully included experiences throughout the journey, this itinerary has been carefully designed to create a comfortable, enriching and memorable travel experience for Ladies Who Travel members.
Whether you’re travelling solo, with a friend or simply looking for a meaningful adventure shared with other women, this promises to be a truly special journey through one of Southeast Asia’s most captivating destinations.
This map is for illustrative purposes only
Xin chao! Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s vibrant capital city.
You’ll be met on arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
If you arrive early, Hanoi offers plenty of enticing experiences. Perhaps head to the city’s colourful old quarter and explore the charming jumble of shops and cafés, or check out the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, showcasing Vietnamese art from ancient to contemporary.
This evening, join your leader for a welcome dinner at a beautifully decorated restaurant. Dive into the exciting world of Vietnamese cuisine as your leader introduces you to a range of classic dishes made with the freshest local ingredients.
- Accommodation: The Lapis Hotel – Superior or similar
- Included Meals: Welcome Dinner
Enjoy a guided half-day tour of Hanoi, gaining insights into the city’s history during visits to the Temple of Literature – an oasis of calm in town.
Continue the day by discovering the Vietnamese Women’s Museum in central Hanoi, which offers a meaningful look into the lives, traditions, and heroic contributions of Vietnamese women.
Then enjoy a warm and home-style lunch at Tam’s Cuisine – The Mother’s Kitchen, where local Hanoian women bring their family cooking to life. These skilled home chefs preserve traditional Hanoi recipes, choose seasonal ingredients, and share stories that reflect the soul of Vietnamese culture. It’s an authentic dining experience shaped entirely by the talent and tradition of the women who run the kitchen.
Finally, discover the art of traditional indigo dyeing at Indigo Store Hanoi, a fair-trade craft studio dedicated to preserving the textile heritage of Northern Vietnam’s ethnic minorities. Here, you’ll be introduced to natural indigo dye, the cultural stories behind it, and hands-on tie-dye techniques. It’s a meaningful and creative experience where you not only learn how indigo is grown and processed but also craft your own naturally dyed piece—directly supporting sustainable livelihoods and helping keep an ancient craft alive.
- Accommodation: The Lapis Hotel – Superior or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch at Tam Cuisine (Mother’s Kitchen)
- Included Activities: Temple of Literature, Women’s Museum & Indigo Dyeing Workshop
Leave Hanoi this morning in a private coach transfer to Mai Chau. This peaceful town is situated in a valley and surrounded by green mountains, making it famous for its breathtaking scenery and friendly hill tribe communities.
After a lunch hosted by a local family, your leader will take you on a walk through the villages. Along the way, you’ll pass terraced rice fields and traditional stilted houses. We will also visit a social enterprise that’s centred around preserving and celebrating the traditional crafts of the Thai minority groups who settled in northwest Vietnam.
Then, join some local women to learn about their crafts and how to make an embroidery pattern or dye cloth.
Next, you’ll learn how to make Ruou Can, a traditional fermented rice wine, as well as the cultural significance behind each step of the process.
The rest of the day is free for you to spend as you wish. Relax at your hotel or speak with your leader about optional activities in the area.
- Accommodation: Mai Chau Ecolodge – Junior Deluxe or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch (local family lunch)
- Included Activities: Village visit, Traditional Textile Social Enterprise Experience (Women Owned Business) & Rice Wine Producer
After breakfast, head back to Hanoi. Along the way, we will visit Van Phuc silk village, the cradle of the best silk in Vietnam. You will find it very interesting in the silk village with many colourful clothes, hats, bags, ties… made of authentic silk. Visit the silk producing workshop, learn about the silk-making process and shop for the finest silk products in Van Phuc village.
While here, visit The Intrepid Foundation partner Vun Art – a local organisation empowering people with disabilities in Vietnam by providing job training and employment opportunities. See how they produce tote bags and art pieces from discarded silk sourced from Van Phuc Silk Village. Vun Art also aims to reduce climate impact by reusing these scraps and in the process, keeping traditional art alive.
In the evening, sit down to a traditional water puppet performance. This northern tradition, dating back nearly a thousand years, is performed alongside traditional Vietnamese music that employs drums, wooden bells, horns and bamboo flutes.
- Accommodation: The Lapis Hotel – Superior or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast
- Included Activities: Van Phuc Silk Village Visit, Vun Art NGO Visit (Intrepid Foundation) & Water Puppet Show
Today you will drive to Halong Bay – this World Heritage-listed wonder is undoubtedly one of the world’s most spectacular sights. Visiting the bay, you will experience the magic and wonder of the world. From the harbour, board our boat for a cruise among the numerous limestone karst rising from the emerald water.
Make a stop en route to visit a grotto of spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.
- Accommodation: Rosy Cruise – Junior Suite Balcony or similar.
- Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Included Activities: Overnight Boat Cruise & Activities
Enjoy a Tai Chi session on the sundeck in the morning with a light breakfast of tea, coffee and pastries. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were still dreaming upon waking up today. Soak up the scenery of Halong Bay from your floating accommodation and take in those turquoise water views one last time before hitting the road toward Hanoi.
Enjoy brunch on the boat and then disembark at Ha Long cruise port at around noon time, then transfer to Hanoi airport for your flight to Hue.
This evening, enjoy your free time to balance the day.
- Accommodation: Eldora Hue – Deluxe City View or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Brunch
Today, you will visit the Imperial Citadel, including the Forbidden Purple City. The latter was almost completely destroyed during Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, but its humble, foliage-covered ruins remain a testament to its proud history. Here your leader will provide some insight into the horrific damage endured during the war.
Then take a visit to the Thien Mu Pagoda, the unofficial symbol of Hue. The Pagoda is an active Buddhist monastery that dates back to 1601. For lunch, savour a vegetarian feast in a nunnery.
Later, stop by a local non-government organisation that supports Hue’s deaf community by providing training, employment and a place to connect. Meet the hosts and learn a few words in sign language so you can communicate (something priceless to take home with you!), then take part in a paper flower-making workshop. Your hosts will help you and the kids to make paper flowers that you can then take home as souvenirs.
- Accommodation: Eldora Hue – Deluxe City View or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
- Included Activities: Imperial City half day guided tour, Thien Mu Pagoda & Lavin Home paper flower making (Women owned business).
Ready your appetite, as today you’ll be diving into Hue’s culinary scene. First up, head to a street food eatery for Bun Bo Hue. This spicy noodle soup is usually made with beef and pork knuckles and is an absolute must-try in Hue.
Next, meet a local chef and explore a local market where you can taste and smell all the herbs and ingredients that bring local dishes to life while learning about the culture of Vietnamese cuisine.
Continue to the local chef’s home and discover how to cook up dishes using the fresh ingredients from the market.
Later, you’ll visit the elaborate royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, with its beautiful lake, frangipani and pine trees.
- Accommodation: Eldora Hue – Deluxe City View or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
- Included Activities: Market Tour and Cooking Class with local chef & Royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc
Travelling by bus, head south through coastal rice paddies, then traverse the spectacular Hai Van Pass along the mountains en route to Hoi An (approximately 4 hours).
Upon arrival, discover Hoi An’s stunning architecture and unique mix of influences. With its charming, low tiled houses and tranquil feel, this is a delightful town to walk around. Start with a visit to an opulently decorated historic house that was once home to a prominent trader.
Cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, stop by the Chinese assembly hall and pay a visit to a local museum to learn more about the history you uncovered on your walk. We will also visit Reaching Out Tea House, a non-government organisation that supports the local deaf and mute community by providing employment and vocational training. The peace and quiet of this café stand in stark contrast to the bustling streets outside.
Enjoy lunch at Ms Vy’s Market Restaurant, one of Hoi An’s most iconic culinary destinations. Inspired by the lively atmosphere of traditional Vietnamese markets, the restaurant features live cooking stations where you can watch chefs prepare fresh local dishes right before your eyes.
Individual airport transfers are included.
- Accommodation: Legacy Hoi An Resort – Superior Garden View Balcony or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch at Ms Vy’s Market restaurant (Women-owned restaurant)
- Included Activities: Ancient Town Walking & Tea tasting in silence
Once a significant port of the Champa Kingdom, Hoi An remains home to many Cham descendants today. This morning, your leader will guide you through My Son Cham – a collection of temples constructed by the Kings of Champa that date back to the 4th century. Learn about the ancient architecture of this UNESCO World Heritage site and see the craters created by American bombs during the war.
After exploring the temples, experience an Apsara dance performance, featuring sparkling traditional costumes, panpipes and drums. Return to Centre town, we will visit Yaly Couture, one of Hoi An’s most respected tailor-made boutiques. The business began as a small market stall run by Ms. Quynh, a talented local woman whose passion for design and quality transformed Yaly into a world-renowned tailoring brand with several shops across the Old Town. Today, it stands as a leading example of a successful, women-built enterprise in Vietnam.
- Accommodation: Legacy Hoi An Resort – Superior Garden View Balcony or similar
- Included Meals: Breakfast
- Included Activities: My Son Sanctuary,Yaly Couture Tailor Made Shop Visit (Women owned business)
The rest of your time is left free to relax in this beautiful area. Hoi An is one of the best places to shop for souvenirs, especially if you’re looking for t-shirts, paintings or ceramics. For those interested in getting clothes tailored, this is definitely the place to shop. You might also like to speak to your leader about arranging an optional activity below. Or simply spend your day by the pool.
- Accommodation: Legacy Hoi An Resort – Superior Garden View Balcony
- Included Meals: Breakfast
- Optional Activities: From farm to table dinner experience, An Bang Beach Biking and Picnic Lunch, Hoi An Food Adventure
This morning you will take an early flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City.
After checking in to your hotel, see Ho Chi Minh City through the eyes of a local during a bus and walking tour with your leader. Visit the Reunification Palace to learn about the end of the war and then take a sobering trip to the War Remnants Museum after stopping by the Notre Dame Cathedral. Stroll the city’s streets and notice the many French buildings along the way, including the main post office and Ho Chi Minh City Hall, modelled on Paris’s Hotel de Ville.
Later on, visit Thien Hau Temple – an 18th-century temple dedicated to Mazu — the revered Lady of the Sea. Built around 1760 by Cantonese immigrants, the temple reflects centuries of Chinese-Vietnamese history with its incense-filled courtyards, intricate roof dioramas, and strong sense of living tradition.
- Accommodation: Silverland May Hotel – Khaya
- Included Meals: Breakfast
- Included Activities: Flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Thien Hau Temple
This morning, head out on a day trip to explore the Mekong Delta.
Board a private boat to My Tho to visit the coconut gardens and stop at a local home to sample tropical fruits and coconut jams.
Afterwards, paddle in sampans (small rowing boats) past coconut trees along the Mekong Delta. Take a tuk-tuk tour around the villages and learn about rural life and the industry created around coconut products and candy.
Eat lunch at a restaurant in the heart of the Delta, sampling regional specialties such as the famous elephant ear fish.
Cruise the major waterways to the boat pier, then return by bus to Ho Chi Minh City.
- Accommodation: Silverland May Hotel – Khaya
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
- Included Activities: Mekong Delta Day Trip & Tuk Tuk Tour
This morning, head on a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels – an extensive underground network (some 200 kms) of tunnels dug initially by the Viet Minh and later expanded by the Viet Cong. They housed hospitals, dwellings, and schools, and were extensively used as a refuge, for storage, and as a military base. As you explore this labyrinth, your leader will explain more about its history and the 1968 Tet Offensive, and you will meet with a war veteran for a firsthand account of life during the war. A section of the tunnels has been widened to give visitors a sense of what underground life must have been like. These tunnels will be quite hot and can get claustrophobic, so there’s an option to view them from above ground if you’d like.
Return to Ho Chi Minh City for an afternoon at leisure.
This evening, head out for a final farewell dinner with your group and fellow travellers.
- Accommodation: Silverland May Hotel – Khaya
- Included Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
- Included Activities: Vietnam War Veteran Meeting, Cu Chi Tunnels Visit, Farewell Dinner
With no activities planned for today and the walking done and dusted, your adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning.
Individual airport transfers are included.
- Included Meals: Breakfast
Itinerary Disclaimer
Travel is always an adventure — and sometimes the unexpected becomes part of the story.
While every effort is made to ensure your journey runs smoothly, travel can occasionally involve changes, delays or unexpected situations beyond anyone’s control. That’s especially true on more unique and meaningful journeys like this one, where part of the magic comes from stepping a little outside the ordinary.
This Ladies Who Travel experience has been carefully designed to offer a supportive, memorable, and authentic journey, guided by experienced local experts who know the destination intimately and are adept at adapting as needed along the way.
We do ask our ladies to travel with a spirit of flexibility, patience and adventure. Sometimes the moments that don’t go exactly to plan become the memories and stories we treasure most later on.
If anything unexpected does arise during the trip, please raise it with your local guide or the LWT team as soon as possible so we can do our very best to assist and minimise any impact on your experience.
At Ladies Who Travel, we believe the most rewarding journeys are often the ones that take us a little beyond our comfort zone — creating connection, confidence, unforgettable memories and experiences far removed from everyday life.