Geology, conservation and culture: Vietnam

August 2026 - 13 days

Register for 2026 now at tours@newscientist.com and we will contact you later this year with confirmed tour details.

Discover a different side of Vietnam in this wide-ranging tour that explores the country's geology, stunning landscapes, animal conservation and history. Experience tropical jungles, limestone caves, blissful villages and amazing feats of underground engineering. Immerse yourself in local culture and sample Vietnamese cuisine, ranging from street food to dining like royalty. 

Beginning in Hanoi, immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of this vibrant city. Continue to Cuc Phuong National Park where you will visit the Save Vietnam Center to meet conservation staff and observe how they protect and feed pangolins, civets, otters and other wildlife species. This rescue centre is one part of the worldwide effort to save endangered primates from extinction through poaching and loss of habitat.

From here, board a sailboat and glide down the river through the Ninh Binh valley, with rice paddies and karst limestone mountains around you. Visit the Tam Coc grottoes, part of an exquisite cave system with ceilings just 2 metres high, eroded through the limestone hills.

Embark on a traditional Vietnamese junk boat, for your cruise through Ha Long Bay. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994, the bay you see today has been in the making for 300 million years. Centuries of erosion from the rain and sea have shaped the karsts, valleys and caves that make this incredible landscape. Visit Thien Canh Son cave, strewn with stalactites and stalagmites located in ones of the bays. 

Continue to Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam and a significant battlefield of the Vietnam war. Before heading south to Hôi An via the Lang Co lagoon, an idyllic panorama of water overlooked by the Annamite Cordillera mountains covered by jungle. You will have free time to enjoy this picturesque town, before returning to Hanoi.  

This tour is a perfect introduction to this vibrant country and is suited for those with an interest in geology, wildlife and culture. 

In partnership with Intrepid Travel

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN HANOI

Welcome to Vietnam! Check into the Leah Silk Hotel. Hanoi is famous for its beautiful lakes, shaded boulevards, verdant public parks and its thriving Old Quarter. The latter is a veritable architectural museum piece, with blocks of ochre buildings retaining the air of a 1930s provincial French town. In the evening, you will have a welcome dinner at the hotel with fellow guests where the tour leader will brief you on the tour ahead.

DAY 2: CUC PHUONG NATIONAL PARK

After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, you will head to Cuc Phuong National Park, about a 3-hour drive away. Here, you will visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Center, where they focus on the conservation of gibbons and langurs. You will have a chance to see how the staff feed them, study their behaviour and prepare them for full release into the wild.

After checking into the Cuc Phuong Resort, you will transfer by car to the Save Vietnam Center to meet conservation staff and observe how they protect and feed pangolins, civets and otters. This rescue centre is one part of the worldwide effort to save endangered primates from extinction through poaching and loss of habitat. The entry fee (included in the tour price) helps fund their work, which includes rehabilitation, reintroduction, research and conservation education. This is followed by a late dinner just inside the national park’s gates.

DAY 3: ENDANGERED PRIMATES AND STUNNING LANDSCAPE OF NINH BINH 

After waking to the sounds of the jungle you will take a short guided trek in the forest, then drive to the town of Ninh Binh. You will take lunch in a traditional Vietnamese restaurant, then transfer to Tam Coc pier where you will take a boat up the river. While gliding along the Ngo Dong river among the rice paddies and karst limestone mountains, you will visit the Tam Coc grottoes, part of an exquisite cave system with ceilings just 2 metres high, eroded through the limestone hills.

In the late afternoon, when it is a little cooler, you will visit the misnamed Mua cave whose main attraction is two karst mountains with 500 steps each that afford amazing views of the Ninh Binh landscape of beautiful, forested limestone pillars, calm river, pristine rice fields and local villages.

Overnight you will stay at the luxurious Ninh Binh Hidden Charm Hotel & Resort.

DAY 4: CRUISING HA LONG BAY

In the morning you will transfer to Ha Long City wharf, where your cruise will begin at midday aboard the small but luxurious Athena Luxury Cruise ship.

Ha Long bay was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 and according to geologists, the Ha long Bay you see now has been in the making for 300 million years. Centuries of erosion from the rain and sea have shaped the karsts, valleys and caves that make this incredible landscape. The cruise stops at “Bo Nau” cave (Pelican Cave), the core area of the world’s natural heritage. Transferring by tender to “Sung Sot” Cave (Surprising cave) – the biggest and the most beautiful cave in Halong Bay. Leaving Surprising cave, keep moving by tender to the Titov island was named by Uncle Ho, after Gherman Stepanovich Titov – the Soviet astronaut who visited in 1962. Time for swimming, relaxing on the beach or climbing the steps of the Rock to the top of the island.

In the evening, a fusion set menu will be served to warm up your stomach after a long active day. Evenings are beautiful on Halong Bay, and just because the sun goes down, it doesn’t mean the night is over. Relax on the top deck or join the squid fishing.

Please note the itinerary is subject to change due to the weather, tide level and operating conditions without prior notice.

DAY 5: CRUISE TO THEN EXPLORE THE OLD QUARTER OF HANOI

Enjoy a Tai Chi session on the sundeck in the morning with a light breakfast of tea, coffee and pastries. After breakfast, Visit “Luon” cave – one of the caves open to the form beautiful endemic then vegetation of Halong Bay. You can either choose to go kayaking for free or join a traditional woven (bamboo) boat rowed by a local boatman (public ticket 50.000đ/person).

Afterwards, you will go back to Athena cruise, relax and pack your luggage to be ready for check out. Enjoy your time to sunbathe and relax in the fascinating background of the bay. After a delicious brunch and farewell from the crew, you will be transported back to Hanoi and check in again to the La Siesta Premium Hang Be Hotel. 

The leader will pick you up in the early evening. You will have a walk through the Old Quarter and then stop at the local restaurant for ‘Bún Chả’ – Hanoi’s specialty. Your last stop of the day will be the Hanoi railway tracks. Where houses are often located just meters away from the tracks yet still retain their beauty.

After a long day, you will finish with evening beers at famous Bia Hoi Corner, where you will taste local freshly brewed beer.

DAY 6: HANOI TO DONG HOI

This morning, you will meet your guide around 7am and head towards Hoan Kiem Lake. It is common in Vietnam to wake up very early and start the morning with some exercise, and you will see several groups of people practicing tai chi and aerobics. Be part of Vietnam and join the locals in their morning routine! 

After visiting the Ngoc Son Temple, located in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake, you will try Vietnam’s traditional local coffee and street food. Later, you will get deep into Hanoi’s Old Quarter with a walking tour where you will be able to spot the French architecture of different Vietnamese buildings, including St Joseph's Cathedral and Hoa Lo Prison. To finish your morning, you will visit Huu Tiep Lake, better known as "B-52 lake", owing to the US B-52 bomber wreckage.

You will then take a short flight to Dong Hoi on the north coast, followed by a short drive to the Phong Nha Lake House Resort. The area is renowned for its enormous caves, karsts and jungle-clad mountains leading to an extraordinary ambiance.

DAY 7: TREK TO THE HANG TIEN CAVE

After a very early morning pick-up, you will head to Tan Hoa, located 70 kilometres away. The drive is beautiful, passing alongside jungle, fields and over the historic Da Deo Pass.

You will have the choice of two activities today, the Thien Duong Cave Discovery or the Tu Lan Experience., depending on your level of ability.

The first option is the Thien Duong Cave Discovery:

Head to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. You will take the boat trip along Son river to reach Tien Son Cave that normally called as the Dry Cave. Discovered in 1935 by a local inhabitant by accident, Tien Son Cave is one the of most spectacular caves in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. Then you will go back on the boat to admire Phong Nha Cave AKA Water Cave. Phong Nha has been The World Heritage Sites of Quang Binh province since 2003. The cave is well-known for its fame as the oldest Karst Mountain in Asia which formed around 400 million years ago with the longest underground river system of 8km length and 50 meters height. After lunch, continue exploring Paradise Cave which was discovered by a local man in 2005 and the first 5 kilometres of this cave was explored by explorers from British Cave Research Association in 2005, the whole 31 kilometres was explored and publicly announced by the British cave explorers. This cave is 31 kilometres long, longer than Phong Nha Cave which had been considered the longest cave in this national park.

The second option is the Tu Lan Experience:

Enjoy an action-packed day to discover the magnificent caves of the Tu Lan cave system, including trekking, climbing, swimming and picnic lunch by a waterfall.

Drive to the Oxalis Adventure office in Tan Hoa, located 70 kilometres from Phong Nha. Here you will have a tour safety briefing, sign the release form and receive the required equipment for the tour. The trek starts after the briefing with a flat path past peanut fields and grazing buffalo and cows. A river crossing leads to a 60 metres rocky uphill section. Here you will visit Little Rat Cave with numerous unique challenges and opportunities to capture wonderful photos await. Pass through the cave exit and drop downhill into the Rat Waterfall, where you will have lunch, and lots of time to swim in the wilderness.

After your chosen activity, head back to Phong Nha for a well-earned rest after this amazing day.

DAY 8: KEY SITES OF THE VIETNAM WAR

The day starts with the Vinh Moc tunnel complex that sheltered 60 families from intensive bombing in the Vietnam war without any loss of life. Be guided through the tunnels and gain insight into this feat of engineering and human resilience.

Then it is onto the Hien Luong Bridge over the Ben Hai river in the middle of the DMZ (demilitarized zone). The river was the only true physical demarcation between North and South Vietnam during the Vietnam war.

After midday, you will visit the Quang Tri Citadel, a military bastion and an administrative head office of Nguyen Dynasty in Quang Tri province from 1809 to 1945. In 1972, the Citadel came under intense attack from American forces for 81 days but managed to remain in Vietnamese hands.

After lunch near the Citadel, you will transfer to Hue and check into the Pilgrimage Village Hotel for two nights.

DAY 9: DISCOVER HUE THE AUTHENTIC WAY

Hue is the ancient capital, a centre of arts and religion in Vietnam, plus a significant battlefield of the Vietnam war. You will get a taste of what life is like here today with local guides who grew up here. Hear stories of their childhood, their families and their experience of the war. If available, you will receive a blessing from the monks at Thien Mu Temple. Continue along the calming Perfume river by boat, see and experience the famous bronze factories of Phuong Duc, have a local lunch in a local restaurant.

In the evening, we will have dinner with the local family. This is the great chance for you to enjoy the local specialities made by home chef and hear the story about their daily live. Spend time learning about her family’s past and taste the authentic dishes. A huge step away from the well-known street food culture of Vietnam, it will give you the chance to not only taste some special dishes but also have the perfect dinner host for the occasion. 

DAY 10: LANG CO LAGOON AND HOI AN

Today you will travel to Hoi An via Lang Co lagoon. The Hai Van Pass mountains form an important tropical rainforest with rare species such as the Annamite rabbit, the antelope-like saola and the douc langur.

Upon arrival in Hoi An, you will check into the Anantara Hoi An Resort for two nights, then explore this World Heritage Site on a guided walking tour. Hoi An was a major international trading port during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Today, parts of the beautifully preserved town retain the feel of centuries past.

DAY 11: A DAY AT LEISURE IN HOI AN

Today is a free day to relax in the lush gardens of the resort or explore historic Hoi An. The tour leader will have suggestions and will also be able to make arrangements for you. 

DAY 12: BACK TO HANOI

After breakfast, you will take a short flight back to Hanoi. Upon arrival, you will check back into the Leah Silk Hotel and have the rest of the day free to hang round the Old Quarter and enjoy more local specialties. As always, the leader will be able to suggest things for you to do.

DAY 13: DEPART HANOI

After breakfast at the hotel, you will say goodbye to Hanoi and Vietnam. There will be a group transfer to the airport for your flight back home. Alternatively, there is the option to extend your time in Vietnam if you wish. Please speak to the Intrepid Travel team for suggestions.