First stop will be in Hanoi, the Capital of Vietnam. Explore the fascinating Old Quarter and its hundreds of specialty shops selling silk clothing, lacquer ware, embroidered linens, furniture, bamboo, cooking utensils, ceremonial objects and more. Ride a cyclo into the old quarter and watch a performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater, also 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.  

Next, board the Express Train bound for remote Sapa, a mountain village near the Chinese border. Visit local markets where hill tribe minorities (including Hmong, Red Dao, Tay, Xa Pho and Giay) trade their goods. View spectacular waterfalls and drive through mountain valleys. Explore the hill station town of Sapa , and visit several villages where the tribes live. Also spend an overnight in Halong Bay  where thousands of limestone rock sculptures jut dramatically from the sea and numerous grottoes have created an ephemeral, fantastic landscape. 

Fly to Hue, the former Imperial capital that is a quiet city renowned for the magnificent architecture of its citadel, palaces, royal tombs, pagodas and temples, built under the Nguyen dynasty on the banks of the Perfume River. 

Drive to Danang and stay several days at the beachfront Furama Resort. Nearby, see ancient sculpture in the Cham Museum or My Son, and tour Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains. Visit atmospheric Hoi An a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site and riverfront port town crammed with historic homes, tiny museums, cafes, and bustling silk and fish markets. 

Leave Da Nang for HCMC (formerly Saigon) by a short fly , the country's commercial center and home to a growing number of upscale restaurants and shops. Visit the Thien Hau Pagoda, the Reunification Palace , the Opera House, visit the moving War Remnants Museum. Explore colorful outdoor markets and Dong Khoi Street, the city's upscale shopping boulevard with boutiques selling clothes and accessories designed by new Vietnamese designers, hill tribe crafts, high quality linens and house wares. Alternatively, spend the day cruising the narrow canals of the Mekong Delta.