GRAND INDOCHINA

(18 days / 17 nights)

Hanoi - Ha Long - Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An - My Son - Ho Chi Minh city -

Mekong Delta - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap - Vientiane - Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang

Day 1: ARRIVE IN HANOI

Arrival in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, transfer to the hotel. Walking around the downtown of this stylish and gracious city that retains an unique old world charm and some of Asia’s most striking colonial architecture with many peaceful lakes and parks, tree-lined boulevards and traditional temples.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2: HANOI (B)

Explore this one thousand year old capital city with the mausoleum of the nation's founder Ho Chi Minh (close on Monday & Friday),  the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, the Museum of the Ethnology, the West Lake, Tran Vu Pagoda, the Lake of the Restored Sword and Ngoc Son Temple.

Late afternoon we take a cycle ride through the bustling old quarter streets.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 3: HANOI - HA LONG (B, L, D)

Morning drive through the Red River delta to Halong Bay (165 km), a World Natural Heritage Site, view the rural scenery en route. Upon arrival, we board a traditional wooden junk for a cruise through the spectacle of the nature - Ha Long Bay, the Vietnam's most scenic site. Explore its natural beauty and cave. If weather permit, we can dive off the boat and have a pleasant swimming in the deep blue water of South China Sea.

Overnight on board.

Day 4: HA LONG - HANOI - HUE (B)

Continue our cruise exploring the natural beauty of the World Heritage visiting Dinh Huong island, Ga Choi island, Dog island, Sail island, the cave of Surprise, one of the biggest and the most beautiful cave in Ha Long beautifully decorated by thousand of stalactites and stalagmites.

Afternoon drive back to Hanoi. Late afternoon, transfer to the Hanoi Railway Station to take an overnight train to Hue, the last imperial capital of Vietnam, the World Cultural Heritage Site, well-known for magnificent architecture, pagodas and royal tombs laid in small villages and surrounding hills.

Overnight on train.

Day 5: HUE (B)

Morning arrive in Hue. A boat cruise on the romantic Perfume River takes us to the Hue’s oldest and most revered site, Thien Mu Pagoda, an unofficial symbol of Hue.

Afternoon visit the Imperial Citadel, the Purple Forbidden City, the elaborate tomb of Emperor Tu Duc and the famous Tu Hieu Pagoda.

Overnight in Hue.

Day 6: HUE - DA NANG - HOI AN (B)

We drive to Hoi An (136 km), a World Cultural Heritage. Stop en route visiting Cham museum which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. Upon arrival in Hoi An, wander its peaceful narrow streets to see many centuries-old architectures combining influences of many exotic trading community, visit the 200 year-old Tan Ky house, Phuc Kien Pagoda, the former merchants’ houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful riverside market.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 7: MY SON (B)

Excursion to My Son Holy land (35 km), once the spiritual capital of Champa Kingdom that dominated South East Asia for nearly a thousand years and occupied most of the central parts of Vietnam from 2nd century to 16th century with very rich in history and culture. Contemplate its remarkable red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from between the 7th and 13th centuries.

Drive back to Hoi An, rest of the day is free to cycle through rice paddies to the nearby beach, shop for souvenirs among the antique shops and art galleries or just sit at sidewalk cafes and soak up the atmosphere of this friendly little town.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 8:  HOI AN - HO CHI MINH CITY (B)

Morning flight to Ho Chi Minh city, the biggest industrial and commercial center of Vietnam. We stroll around the downtown to explore the different local ways of life and visit the Reunification Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, the former Presidential Palace, the China town with Thien Hau pagoda and Binh Tay wholesale market.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 9: MY THO (B)

Journey to My Tho (65 km). Upon arrival we take a boat trip visiting the fish whalf, the 4 famous islands of Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle and Phoenix. Take a short tour by “xe loi” (motorized rickshaw) to the bank of Mekong River visiting a rice farm, candy workshop and honey bee farm, then journey by small sampan through the canals and mangrove forests where we watch the fishermen lay their fish traps. Enjoy time on the Unicorn island visiting the fruit orchards, taste diverse types of tropical fruits, tea mixed with bee’s honey. Experience a wonderful show of Mekong Delta’s traditional music and songs.

Afternoon drive back to Ho Chi Minh city.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 10: HO CHI MINH CITY - PHNOM PENH (B/D)

Flight to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia Kingdom. We visit to the Royal Palace compound build in 1866 by the Predecessors of King Norodom. Nearside the Royal Palace is Silver Pagoda (The Emerald Buddha temple), display plenty of Buddha Statues that were decorated and made by diamond, emerald, gold and silver. Proceed to visit Independence Monument which was constructed in 1954 after Cambodian took their country back from French colony, continuing visit to National Museum, the distinctive red building with a beautiful Khmer architecture was build since 1917 and contains more than 5000 art objects made of sandstone, bronze, silver, copper, wood and others. We pass through the River Front park whose scenery is much worth shooting, and continue to the only one hill in town with sacred sites called Wat Phnom Wat. Phnom Daun Penh – the name of a pagoda, was built by lady Daun Penh in 1372 on a little hill, Legend has it that after a particularly heavy flood, a wealthy Khmer woman named Daun Penh found a tree on the banks of the Mekong with four statues of Buddha hidden inside. Visit Tuol Sleng prison (Genocide Museum) was the most secret organ of the Khmer Rouge regime. S-21 stands for "Security Office 21." was Angkar's premier security institution, specifically designed for the interrogation and extermination of anti Angkar elements. Then shopping at Toul Tompong Market (called Russian Market), so-named because of the prevalence of items from the Eastern Bloc in past times, the Russian Market today is a treasure trove for tourists, that you will feel a bustling daily life of local people with Cambodian’s special character through local specialties, their houses, their face. Dinner and stay overnight in Phnom Penh.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Day 11: PHNOM PENH – UDONG - SIEM REAP (B, D)

Depart from Phnom Penh for Udong. En route, visite a Cham Muslim village, Silver craft Village. Drive to Udong, visit the various temples and the three large Stupas where the ashes of three former Kings are preserved. Next, visit the most impressive structure of the site, the "Vihara of the 18-Cubit Buddha". En route to Phnom Penh, stop to visit a silver craft village. On route you will witness the everyday lives of Cambodians as you pass through interesting provincial towns, bucolic villages, and delightful scenery. This is no freeway dash as you will often slow down to let cows and water buffalo wander across the road, pass horse drawn carriages, and school kids walking and cycling to/from school.

Last you may wish to stop off in Kompong Kdei, to look at Spean Prahtos – an ancient Angkorian bridge built by the Khmers 1,000 years ago. Then continue to Siem Reap town for hotel check in.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 12: SIEM REAP (B/ D)

We start on our bike and cycle (45 minutes for cycling) to world heritage areas on the roads less travelled. Ride among the jungle passing local village and local shop. It’s a very special and acting day as you will explore some of Angkor’s most beautiful temples. You will visit the West Gate of Angkor Thom – undiscovered by mass tourist. The ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century) - See the South Gate, Bayon Temple – unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, Baphuon temple lying just to the north of Bayon a pyramidal representation of mythical Mont Meru, The Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, The Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Afternoon we start visit to the famous temple: Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a World Heritage Site since 1992, famous for its beauty and splendor. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology, visit Bakheng Temple and enjoy a romantic sun set view form Bakheng hill. Dinner with Apsara Dancing show at local restaurant

Enjoy walking at busy pub street where you can find many bars for cool drink or shopping at Angkor Night Market.

Day 13: SIEM REAP - VIENTIANE (B)

Leave Cambodia and fly to Vientiane - the capital of Laos, transfer to the hotel. Visiting this sleepy riveside capital city with the Great Sacred Stupa - That Luang, the beautiful Wat Phra Keow, the remarkable Wat Sisaket and the Arc de Triumph. 

Overnight in Vientiane.

Day 14: VIENTIANE - VANG VIENG (B)

We leave this wonderful town after breakfast for our journey northbound on route no. 13. We will see some breathtaking scenery enroute as we pass through spectacular countryside towards the mountainous region. We make a stop along the way at Vang Xang, a famous archeological site dating back to the 11th century. We reach our final destination in the afternoon, the small and tranquil village of Vang Vieng, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. Its stunning scenery with a mixture of quiet water and limestone outcrops remains unspoiled, despite recent developments with the advent of tourism. On arrival at Vang Vieng, we cross the Nam Song River to Tham Jang caves and then enjoy a short trek through breathtaking mountain landscape to explore the Tam None Cave and some hill villages. Today ends with a superb panorama of the sunset reflecting over the Nam Song River.

Overnight in Vang Vieng.

Day 15: VANG VIENG - THAM PHOUTHAM (B)

After breakfast, we start our board on a local tractor through paddy field areas heading to Tham Phoukham caves, where your breath will be taken away seeing the most beautiful and famous limestone cavern, surrounded by natural forests. Along the way, you have chance to explore the local cultures by greeting the local villagers and learning about their daily lifestyle. There is a small natural pool in front of the caves where you can take a swim to refresh yourself from the hot climate or you could explore the nearby area. You will have a picnic lunch enjoying the scenery. After spending the day at the caves and its surrounding areas, we make our return to the Vang Vieng town, using local transportation or tractor. En route, we visit the ethnic minority villages of Hmong, Souay and Taidam villages meeting the warm and friendly hill tribe people and observing their traditional tribal costumes.

Overnight in Vang Vieng.

Day 16: VANG VIENG - LUANG PRABANG (B)

We have an early start for our expedition up route 13 north to Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang that is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The roads are well paved along the way for a smooth journey; we pass some stunning landscape scenery with a mixture of steep terraced fields and hill villages, we take a few photo stops at some small hill tribe village enroute. Each hill tribe village in Laos has a different feel, some are more prosperous than others but all have plenty of life. The Muang Xieng Nguen village is our next stop and we spend a short amount of time observing the local lifestyle prior to reaching Luang Prabang.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 17: LUANG PRABANG - PAK OU CAVES (B)

Today, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city's oldest temple, Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong where you can see the impressive “tree of life” mosaic pattern set in coloured glass. Its exterior architecture is remarkable with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, representing classical Laotian architecture. We then embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a beautiful view of the tranquil countryside. We take an interesting visit to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xang Hai, famous for the production of Lao rice wine. On return to Luang Prabang, we take a short drive to Ban Phanom, a small village well known for its hand weaving.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 18: DEPART LUANG PRABANG (B)

The National Museum (close Tuesday) at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of the artefacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign, and the Central Market is not to be missed on this morning sightseeing tour. We bid farewell to this remarkable city and the trip ends after your transfer to the airport for departure. End of services.

Inclusion:

•    All transfers and transportation in private air-conditioned vehicle with driver

•    15 nights hotel accommodation in twin sharing room

•    1 night on board the junk in Ha Long

•    1 night on board the train to Hue

•    Meals as mentioned

•    English speaking tour guide

•    Entrance fees

•    Boat trips to indicated sights

•    Train ticket Hanoi / Hue (soft sleeper, air-conditioned compartment)

•    Tropical fruits, tea mixed with bee’s honey in Mekong Delta

•    Show of Mekong Delta’s traditional music and songs

•    Show of traditional Apsara music and dances

•    Bike & 1 hour foot message in Siem Reap

•    Cycle ride    

•   1 FOC for group of 15 paying pax up, base on twin sharing room, for landcost only.

Exclusion:

•    Visa to Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos

•    International and domestic flights

•    Drinks

•    Other meals

•    Single room

•    Travel insurance

•     Tip & Personal expenses