Two of southern Vietnam's essential experiences, paced into a single well-organised day from Ho Chi Minh City.

The morning belongs to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the vast underground network from which resistance fighters lived, moved and fought during the war. A local guide walks you through the story of the site: the concealed trapdoors, the workshops where scrap metal was turned into weapons, and the underground kitchens, clinics and meeting rooms that made life below ground possible. You can crawl through a widened section of tunnel, see the tunnel model and maps, and taste steamed tapioca, the plain wartime staple that kept the network fed. A shooting range is available for those who want it.

The afternoon shifts to a gentler rhythm in the Mekong Delta. You board a boat to the orchards of Unicorn Island, glide along a palm-shaded creek by sampan, and stop for tropical fruit and southern folk music. From there the day unfolds through the small pleasures of delta life: a cycle along the back lanes, fresh honey tea at a bee farm, a ride through a coconut village, and a coconut-candy workshop where the sweets are pulled and cut by hand.

The group stays small, capped at ten guests, so the pace stays personal and unhurried. Private departures are also available.