When I decided to our Cultural Vietnam itinerary I expected a second round of what I’d already seen during my Thailand and Malaysia trips. What I got in Vietnam was an amazing, eye-opening experience. The country is so rich in culture, as well as beautiful beach resorts.
Hanoi: History And A Hopping Atmosphere
Booming cities in South-East Asia aren’t for the faint-hearted, but you get used to the mopeds pretty quickly. I was after something more than a mad rush hour and neon signs, though. For me, Hanoi was the answer. I found so much authenticity in the Old Quarter’s French and colonial architecture, and 36 streets here are named after the shopping you’ll find in them.
The food scene is really impressive here. Street stands get going early with steaming pho bowls and omelettes, but it was the French influence that surprised me the most. Banh Mi baguette sandwiches and croissants were the last thing I expected to find in a Vietnamese city, but they were fantastic.
I did a half-day tour of the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, before opting for a rickshaw ride around the streets which was a really nice way to see local life. The highlight for me was definitely the Halong Bay Cruise which took us past limestone rocks, caves and some much-welcomed calm. Back in the city, there’s also the Hoan Kiem Lake which tones down the district’s buzz, you find locals hanging around here on a weekend. The locals were some of the nicest I’ve ever met. Most of them speak some English and unlike other destinations, they don’t expect money in return for helping with directions.
We stayed in the Tirant Hotel which is in the Old Quarter. The rooms are really quirky, the views are great and it’s one of the only hotels in the area with a pool.
Next Stop- Ho Chi Minh City
I flew from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh, where the feel was definitely different. Ho Chi Minh is really cosmopolitan, so it’s more about fusion cuisine, big wide streets and tall buildings than Hanoi’s narrow alleys. Still, there’s a lot of deep-rooted culture here. Ho Chi Minh was formerly Saigon, and it was great to do a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels which are now easily reachable from Ho Chi Minh by boat. The Delta is also meant to be magical, with floating villages, pagodas and nice views of rice paddies but unfortunately we didn’t have time to explore this part of the country, however my colleagues say it’s definitely worth visiting.
Again, food here is a big deal. You’ll find everything under the sun at the Ben Thanh Market and Saigon Street Eats tour, but I was more about picking what I fancied as I found it. A word of warning about museums here, though. Vietnam has its fair share of traumatic histories, and the country doesn’t exactly hold back when it comes to displaying them. While some of the Imperial exhibits were a bit gruesome, the rest of the city was fun to explore. We stayed at the Liberty Central which is right by Ben Thanh Market and a 10-minute walk from both the Saigon River and Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Hoi An’s Lanterns And Beaches
My schedule meant I had to skip Hue, so it was onto Hoi An, the picturesque town that’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was nice to switch up bustling cities with a relaxing beach setting, although Hoi An has quite a lot going on. You’ll see Chinese, Japanese, European and Vietnamese architecture here, lots of lantern-lit spots, antique stands and the nice Old Quarter.
Market haggling is something you get used to anywhere in Asia, but Hoi An is famous for whipping up made-to-measure clothing for bargain prices. Some of the people in my group came home with tailor-made dresses and suits.
Despite dreading the Hoi An cycling trip, I ended up loving it. I got the once-over of village life, local culture, pretty rice fields, crops and wildlife. Hoi An definitely isn’t a wild party zone. Most bars here close before midnight, and while there are some backpackers, they’re not the rowdy type. An Bang Beach is popular here, and for coastal views, Lang Co or the Marble Mountains are stops I often recommend, although I didn’t have time to visit them.
When You Somehow End Up In Hong Kong
As I was flying from Manchester, the best flights went via Hong Kong and as I’d never been it seemed daft not to have at least have a brief stay, so I wrapped up my trip with 36 hours there. While I definitely felt I was in a 21st-century mega-city, it was great to see one the largest seated Buddha statues in the world, a Kowloon light show and the Victoria peak. You can also get around easily with a 24-hour public transport tourist card.
For me, Vietnam was a beautiful blend of East meets West, unique cities, fantastic food and something I just hadn’t experienced before. To experience it yourself, take a look over our Vietnam multi centre holidays or get in touch directly for a tailored quote.
Why choose eShores?

One to One Service
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.

100% Tailor Made
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.

Fully Protected
Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.

Competitive Pricing
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.






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Mark
I have just booked three destination Greek holiday through E shores( Rachael) and can’t fault their approach and helpfulness . I amended my plans half way through but by the end we had successfully booked the three hotels I requested and organised ferry transfers . My input was minimal and all the work was carried out by Rachael Very satisfied with everything from start to finish Mark
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Rashid
Excellent service from Emily, she handled my enquiry from start to finish. Once i had made payment, she still kept in touch which shows great customer service.
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Judith
I have used this form a couple of times and they are excellent. Helpful staff and cost effective prices. Recommended
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Jeanette
Fantastic service once again from Dave Felton and the team at e-shores. All flights, transfers and hotels booked. Looking forward to Bali and Lombok Excellent knowledge, advice and customer care from the team, I would definitely recommend booking any holiday with e-shores✈️😎🌴
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Sandra
Fantastic service, another trip organised through eShores. Nothing was too much trouble.
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Lance
as always Eshores come up trumps, fantastic customer service with fantastic prices. Matthew our travel guru always sorts our trips,nothing is too much trouble .I have used E-Shores for 6 of our long haul trips ,manages to sort all connections,hotels and car hire to a sensible budget and always communicates . 5 star plus,give them a try you will not be dissapointed.
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NicholasDavid
Just booked our 3rd holiday with e-shores, yet again a full professional service and insight to the destinations we wanted to visit- no pressurised selling, and if we kept wanting our itinerary changed - Nick Chadwick didn’t mind at all. Easy to deal nothing to much trouble, also arrange everything to the last detail, no way would we contemplate a holiday to Chile, Argentina and Dominion Republic without eShores - thank u
Posted 5 days ago -
Wendy
We have recently been on an amazing 3 week holiday to Kuala Lumpur, Borneo and Singapore arranged by Hannah at eshores. Everything went smoothly and we had the perfect holiday. We loved our multi centre trip so much we have booked with Hannah to go to South America. Again the service and support is great and so easy to make tweaks to our itinerary. Looking forward to what I'm sure will be another great holiday. I would definitely recommend eshores.
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Deborah
We just booked our first trip with Nick from eshores and will be heading to Vietnam next April. Nick was very patient and professional. He listened to what we wanted and made changes to package where requested. Nick was very knowledgeable and made the process very easy.
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SusanMary
During the booking process, Dave has been brilliant, always very quick to respond and answered all of my very many questions. Our travel is not till next year but, if our tour goes as well as our experience to date, it will be fantastic.
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