JOURNEY ON A JUNK

Starting in Vietnam’s pulsing city of Saigon, the first two nights of your honeymoon will certainly be memorable ones. In an old-meets-new city, you’ll have views of glistening skyscraper towers slotted next to iconic colonial buildings and ancient pagodas. You’ll stay in the highest hotel in the city, the luxurious Reverie, where you can lose yourself in the massive spa, in the divine restaurants or by simply looking out of your room’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Once you’ve come back down to Earth – or at least travelled the 39 floors back to the ground – you’ll be taken on a food safari on the back of a vintage vespa, tasting the city’s most delicious and unusual cuisine as you take in the main sights of the city. Dating back to ancient times, you and your partner will take part in a sacred cleansing ritual, where a Buddhist monk will bless your marriage in a traditional pagoda.

Hopping from the city to the countryside, you’ll take the traditional Song Xanh Sampan boat down the Mekong Delta for an unforgettable journey through Vietnam’s bucolic scenery. For two nights aboard the converted rice barge, you’ll be waited on hand and foot and have the boat to yourself – except for the crew – where you can relax on the deck soaking up the sun with a local beer in hand or take the small rowing boat out for fishing excursions. If you’d like to stretch your legs, there are bikes available for leisurely rides along the quiet pathways fringed by the vibrant paddy fields and stunning local villages that you are welcome to explore.

Back on land, you’ll be driven past lush landscapes and stilt houses to arrive at the beautiful valley of Mai Chau, where you’re in for a taste of traditional and rural Vietnam. For three nights, enjoy immersing yourself into the slower-paced way of life here. You can take morning bike rides around the countryside, engage with local hill tribes to learn more about their agricultural way of life and watch a traditional dance show while you sip on locally produced rice wine. For avid-walkers, the mountains are ideal for morning hikes – you might be lucky enough to find the H’mong hill tribe village, gaining further insight into life in rural Vietnam. A rustic retreat perched atop a hill overlooking the colourful rice paddies and lush mountains, the Mai Chau Ecolodge will be your base and offers stilted bungalows, a lagoon-style swimming pool and a well-equipped massage centre – the perfect antidote to the morning’s hike.

From Mai Chau, you’ll have one night in Hanoi before being catapulted to the beautiful landscapes of Halong Bay. On arrival into the capital, we recommend heading straight out to explore its streets, brimming with colourful colonial buildings, spacious tree-lined boulevards and pretty lakes. Start in the fascinating Old Quarter to wander its maze of characterful alleys, which sell anything and everything from lacquer ware and silk products to coffee beans and paintings. When your feet get tired, return to your hotel, the Hotel De L’Opera Hanoi, for a quick dip in the pool and a session in the sauna before heading back out to feast on the intoxicating cuisine found in the traditional food stalls and restaurants that line the ancient walkways.

Arriving in style, you’ll climb into a helicopter and fly to Halong Bay where you’ll board the luxurious Halong Violet for a cruise around the spectacular towering limestone islands. This floating hotel is a beautifully restored traditional junk boat that oozes romance, from the king-sized four poster beds to the marble bathroom and private balconies – and you even get your own personal butler. Over the two nights, you can visit the atmospheric Tien Ong cave, full of stalagmites and stalactites, before dropping in on the fishing village of Cua Van, the area’s largest fishing community. Back on board the Halong Violet, you can unwind with a Tai Chi class, take in the sights from the deck and relax on your private balcony sipping champagne as the sun sets over the bay.

Having explored northern Vietnam, you’ll end this adventure honeymoon by flying to the ivory beaches of Vinh Hy Bay, set along the country’s southern coastline. The stately Amanoi will be your home for three nights, which sits on a hillside on the edge of the Nui Chua National Park and offers panoramic views over the mountains, lake and East Sea. Here, you can do as much or as little as you like, whether you want bliss out in the heavenly spa, set beside a lotus-filled lake, with a coffee-infused invigorating massage or paddle through the turquoise waters in search of coral reefs, kaleidoscopic shoals of fish and giant marine life.