Day 1:

Arrive in Hanoi.Transfer to Anh I Hotel.  Lunch on your own at the hotel or at local restaurant. Meeting with the Vietnam-USA Society, followed by Cyclo tour of the old quarters of Hanoi (36 Streets & Wares).  Evening: Welcome Party/Group Dinner at the Dinh Lang Restaurant.

Day 2:
Breakfast at the hotel and then get luggage on the bus.  Visit to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, House & Museum; Temple of Literature.  Transfer to Hanoi Thang Long Opera Hotel and then lunch on your own at the hotel or at a local restaurant
Afternoon:  Visit to the Relics of Hoa Lo Prison (“Hanoi Hilton”) and “Working in Vietnam today & Project RENEW” by Mr. Chuck Searcy, Vietnam veteran, Representative of the Vietnam Veterans of Memorial Fund (VVMF).  Evening: Group Dinner.

Day 3:
Breakfast at the hotel, then meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU).  Afterwards, free time to explore Hanoi and lunch on your own at a local restaurant.  Afternoon:  Optional meeting with Vietnam Writers Association.  4:30 pm Water Puppet Show, then dinner on your own at the hotel or a local restaurant.

Day 4: (Friendship Village working day)
Breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the Vietnam Friendship Village.  Meeting with Mr. Dang Vu Dzung, Director of the Friendship Village and the veterans and children as victims of Agent Orange/dioxin.  Work for the day at the Friendship Village (painting the wall or weeding in the vegetable garden or orchard) with a break for lunch.  Aftewards, back to the hotel with dinner on your own at the hotel or a local restaurant.

Day 5: (After the day’s activities you will travel to Sapa—take only a backpack or small bag; big bag left at the hotel)
After breakfast, check out of the hotel.  8:30 am, Visit to the Vietnam Museum of Military History and then the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.  Lunch on your own at the hotel or a local restaurant with afternoon free time to explore Hanoi.  At 8:00 pm, leave the hotel for the Hanoi train station where you will board the train for travel to Lao Cai, arriving in Lao Cai at 06h30 am the next morning.

Day 6:
Welcome tour group at Lao Cai railway station and transfer by bus to Sapa, in the Hoang Lien Son Range.  After hotel check-in at the Royal Mountain View Hotel, breakfast or brunch is served before trekking from hotel to Lao Chai (Black H'mong tribe).
Lunch on the way on footpath, near Lao Chai bridge and then trek through Ta Van village.  Return to hotel by bus.  Free evening.

Day 7:
Breakfast and then trekking to Cat Cat village (Black H’mong tribe). Group Lunch at the hotel, and then transfer to Silver waterfall, nearby Heaven gate by tourist bus. Return to Sapa for dinner.

Day 8:
Breakfast and then trekking to Ham Rong mountain, visit Orchid garden and  traditional ethnic village.  Back to hotel for lunch and check out and transfer to Lao Cai city, visit Upper Temple, Lao Cai international border gate.  Dinner on your own at the restaurant by the train station.  Tour guide see off.  End tour in Sapa.  Travel back to Hanoi. Overnight on the train.

Day 9:
Pick-up at Hanoi Train Station.  Breakfast (on your own) and then travel from Hanoi to Ha Long, Quang Ninh with a visit to the Hong Ngoc humanitarian workshops en route (where the handicapped children are given free training of marble sculptures and then provided with jobs).  Board a Bai Tho Junk boat to cruise on Ha Long Bay, Group Lunch  on the boat.  Visit to Suprising Cave and Titov Beach.  Group Dinner aboard the boat and overnight in Halong Bay.

Day 10:
Sampan-boat cruise to Hang Luon Grotto, with group breakfast while boat cruising back to Ha Long City.  Group Lunch on the boat.  Travel to Noi Bai Airport for the flight to Hue with a visit to Dong Trieu Workshop of Ceramics and Pottery en route.  Fly to Hue and transfer to the  at 15h00 Hue Heritage Hotel.  Dinner on your own at the hotel or at a local restaurant.

Day 11:
Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a visit to the Imperial Citadel and Imperial Museum.  Visit to the College of Foreign Languages of Hue National University, followed by a group lunch at Tropical Garden Restaurant.  Afternoon: Visit to Tomb of King Tu Duc.  Late afternoon: Explore Hue and dinner on your own.  Evening: Boat cruise in the Huong/Perfume River with folkloric performance

Day 12:
Breakfast at the hotel.  Check-out and visit to Thien Mu/Heavenly Lady Pagoda.  Travel south to Hoi An via Hai Van Pass.  Group Lunch at Thanh Tam Restaurant by Lang Co Beach.  Afternoon: Visit the Cham Museum (sculpture and art of the Lost Kingdom of Cham) and then the Marble Moutains and Marble Sculpture Village.  Late afternoon: Visit Non Nuoc Beach (“China Beach”) where U.S. Marines landed in 1965.  Continue on to Hoi An.  Check in at Hoi An Hotel.  Dinner on your own.

Day 13:
Breakfast and free morning to explore Hoi An.  At noon, leave hotel for Hoi An Seaside Resort for group lunch at Hoi An Seaside Resort and then swimming at the beach.  Travel back to Hoi An (or return on your own with bus).

Day 14:
Breakfast at the hotel and then travel to Duy Xuyen, Quang Nam (60km South of Hoi An) to visit the My Son Temples (ancient holy sanctuary of former Champa Kingdom.  Travel back to Hoi An for lunch on your own and then walking tour and free time to explore.  Group Dinner at Cargo Café.

Day 15:
Breakfast and then free morning; check out of the Hotel.  Travel to Da Nang Airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City.  Check-in at the Saigon Dong Du Hotel.  Dinner on your own at the hotel w/ free evening
    
Day 16:
Breakfast at the hotel.  Visit to the Reunification Hall (i.e. the former Presidential Palace) and the Museum of War Remnants, followed by lunch on your own at a local restaurant.  Afternoon: Meetings with the Union of Friendship Organizations of Ho Chi Minh City and then with the U.S. General Consulate to study US-Vietnam Relations.  Afternoon: Visit to Notre Dame Cathedral and Thien Hau Pagoda.  Evening: Group Farewell Dinner at My Canh Ship Restaurant.
(Meal 13)

Day 17:
Breakfast at the hotel, then travel to Tay Nin.  Visit the Cao Dai Temple to view the Holy Ceremony.  Group lunch at Thu Thao Restaurant.  Depart Tay Ninh for Cu Chi to visit the infamous Cu Chi Tunnels.  Return to Ho Chi Minh City with dinner on your own at the hotel or at a local restaurant.

Day 18:
Breakfast at the hotel.  At 8:30 am, visit to the Museum of History and An Dong Market/China Town.  Lunch on your own at the hotel or a local restaurant.  2:30 pm, leave hotel with luggage for Tan Son Nhat International Airport.  Check-in and custom clearance for return flights to Charlotte.