Treasures of Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos 21D20N

 

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is a city of lakes, shaded streets and verdant public parks. Come to Hanoi, you will have a chance to explore the rich cultural heritage with the Old Quarter, prominent delicious Vietnamese cuisine as well as other interesting spots.
Upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport, our guide and driver will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel. After check –in, you are free to stroll around the city and catch a first glimpse of this elegant city. In the evening, a special dinner out at a stylic restaurant, where our guide will summarize the itinerary for coming days.

At 8am, our guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and begin the full day city tour with Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and “House on stilts” at the same area with the Presidential Palace and the famous One Pillar Pagoda. We also make a visit to the Temple of Literature – the first university of Vietnam, which is now dedicated to Confucian worship and “Hanoi Hilton” – a nick name given by US pilots during the war.
Enjoy lunch with authentic delicious Vietnamese cuisines, then we continue our day to the impressive Ethnology Museum, dedicated to Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups. After that, the trip will be followed by one – hour cyclo tour through the busy Old Quarter where you can see peddlers are selling wares as if they have done that for centuries! In front of the peaceful Hoan Kiem Lake is the famous water puppet theatre where we will see a fantastic performance at the end of the day.

Departing at 7am from Hanoi for three and a half hour journey through Hoa Binh Town, then gradually climb the beginning of the Truong Son Mountain Range to Man Duc Town, a town with spectacular karst scenery. Upon arrival in Lac Village, Mai Chau, we will be greeted by friendly White Thai family. You will have a chance to communicate with Thai minority people and enjoy a simple lunch with them - The Thai has their own language, dress, customs, usages and singular blend of belief, worship and myth. After lunch, we will do a two and a half hour trek to three White Thai villages of La Poon, La Thia and Poom Coong. Return to Hanoi around 6.30pm.

In the morning, you will take 3 –hour journey to Halong. The road to Halong will lead you through the magnificent landscapes of the Red River Delta. Upon arrival at Bai Chay Dock, Ha Long City, you will check in your deluxe junk boat. The stunning views, limestone caves, off-shore islets, sea-bathing onboard and the delicious seafood lunch will make this a remarkable trip. Dinner will be served among a wonderful sunset. Relax and overnight onboard.

The breakfast will be continued by a cruise to explore more some 1,600 islets. Visiting floating village, swimming or kayaking is the highlights for this day. After having lunch onboard, you will head for the new route back to Ha Long Harbor, where the waiting vehicle will pick you up for a drive back to Hanoi. Upon arrival, you can do last minute shopping or relax in a cafe with some snacks before proceeding to Hanoi railway stations for the night train to Hue. Overnight on train.

 

Reaching Hue at around 8am, you will be transferred to your hotel for some refreshment. Hue with splendid tombs of the Nguyen emperors, notable pagodas and the remains of the Citadel becomes one of Vietnam’s attractions to tourists from all over the world, who like to explore the traditional cultural values of Vietnam.
We start our day with guided touring around the Imperial Citadel, visiting the Noon Gate and Forbidden City; then followed with the Antiquity Museum for some view. After delicious lunch at a local restaurant, we can drive out Hue outskirt to visit Khai Dinh Royal Tomb and Minh Mang Mausoleum. In the evening, we enjoy a nice dinner, followed by a cruise on Perfume River while Hue traditional folk music is performing.

After breakfast, we will be on 4–hour journey to Hoi An. The winding road begins as we make our way up the Hai Van pass. The breath -taking view from the top of the pass is one of Vietnam’s most impressive panoramic scenes. We also make stop for relaxation at charming Lang Co Beach. Our next stop is Da Nang City, famous for the Cham Museum and the My Khe Beach, a place called R and R (Rest and Rehabilitation) where thousands of American GIs came for a break during the war in Vietnam. Also, we have a short sightseeing at the Marble Mountain, whose peaks represent the five elements of the universe.
Arriving in Hoi An in the early afternoon, we enjoy lunch, check in hotel and then start a walking tour through the Ancient Town. Here we can see the vestige of the mix combination of Chinese and Japanese architecture as well as traditional cultural values. In December, 1999 Hoi An is declared a Unessco World Heritage site. We will discover by ourselves interesting proper character. Overnight in Hoi An.

 

Today is free at your leisure. You can relax on An Bang Beach, enjoy hotel’s facilities or join shopping tour at the ancient town. Skillful tailors are willing to make any piece of clothing in any design and in any fabric to fit you. Why don’t we test their talent and test your bargaining skill?. An option (not included in the package) for you is to participate a cooking class with authentic Vietnamese dishes. Overnight in Hoi An.

An early morning transfer to Da Nang Airport for a short flight to Saigon. Saigon is a fast growing city, which is changing day by day and recognized by high buildings and big roads. The ongoing changes in economy have given the city a really cosmopolitan and dynamic character.

 

Leave Ho Chi Minh city, enjoy the scenic journey along the National Highway bordered by green rice fields. On arrival at My Tho, visit Vinh Trang pagoda, take a leisurely boat ride along the river, view stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages along the river bank. Proceed to Tortoise islet, have lunch in the orchard garden. Then a boat ride to An Khanh – a less touristy attraction in Ben Tre, enjoy cruising on a hand-rowed sampan under the shade of water coconut trees along natural canals, then enjoy seasonal fruit & honey tea to the sound of "Southern Vietnamese folk music", performed by the locals. Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle, taste delicious coconut candy & observe the pastoral life as you roam through the fruit plantations and villages. Proceed to Can Tho. Overnight in the hotel (family home-stay with dinner can be arranged on request). Free time to visit the bustling Can Tho market.

Take a leisurely boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong river (Bassac River), then proceed to Cai Rang floating markets (& Phong Dien is optional), which are the liveliest in the whole religion.
Have you ever tasted Vietnamese vermicelli soup? Well, now go and see how it is made. Then wander around the village and meet the friendly local people and experience how to pass a "Monkey bridge" which is built by only one stem of bamboo. Visit the orchard garden. Stop for lunch. Proceed to Chau Doc, continue the tour to visit Tra Su, getting to the wild birds Sanctuary, cruising smoothly with small boats to discover the arrays of splendid canals deep into the forest, watching storks, cranes and other tropical birds. Back to the Town, hotel check in. Overnight in Chau Doc.

After breakfast, take a nice boat trip through the floating village to visit a fish farm to see how the Mekong Delta people raise fish in their floating houses. 1:30 Pm, we will get on speed boat boating along Mekong river to Phnom Penh. Overnight in Phnom Penh

Visit Toul Sleng Museum ( S-21 ) 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 Cheung Ek ( Killing Field ) between 1975 and 1978 about 17,000 men, women, children and infants detained and tortured at S-21 prison were transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. Finish by lunch time.  
Afternoon, sightseeing with cyclo, we start from you hotel along the river where you can see some French Colonial Old Building and continue to Wat Phnom is a Buddhist temple (Wat) located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Independent Monument
Your local guide will bring you along the river for sightseeing until you arrive FCC (Foreigners Correspondent Club ), where you can have bars, restaurants, shops and your walk to your hotel just around 10 minutes.  
Evening: Enjoyed diner cruise on Mekong river.
Overnight in Phnom Penh

After breakfast at 08:00 A.M, we have the tour to see Angkor Wat is visually architecturally and artistically breathtaking, Ta Prohm (Jungle Temple )
Afternoon, we are going to see Angkor Thom ( the great Capital ) with 9 Square Kilometers and was the last Capital of the Angkorian Empire Baphoun, Phimean Akas and Royal Palace . The Leper King and Elephant Terrace and
Bayon ( Four Smiling Faces ). Seeing sunset
Overnights in Siem Reap

In the morning, drive through the lovely countryside to visit Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre, which many consider Bantaey Srei to be the prettiest temple was built with pink sand stone.
In the afternoon, visit Preah Khan, Neak Pean and Ta Som temples. Also, have some time for a re-visit of Angkor Wat and wander around on your own.

You will have the day free to wander around the markets until we take the afternoon flight to Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast at hotel, we visit the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong where you can see the impressive “tree of life” mosaic pattern set in colored glass. We embark on a boat on the Mekong River, giving us a beautiful view of the tranquil countryside and visit the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, which are two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.  Have lunch at local restaurant with great view next to Mekong river. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xang Hai.
In the afternoon, you will visit some landmarks, including the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, the shrine of Wat Aham, the city's oldest temple of Wat Sene and the Wat Mai with five tiered roofs. Free time to visit the Old Quarter by night or shopping at Night Market. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Have breakfast at hotel then we take a driver (around 30km) to visit the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can take a dip in the large turquoise pools or walk along the forest paths. Our picnic lunch is served at the shady park nearby KuangSi waterfall. On the way back, we’ll visit a fresh produced market namely Talad Phosy and Ban Na OUne, a small village of a hill tribe group “Hmong”. In the late afternoon, you can climb up Phousi Hill, the 328 steps for a beautiful sunset view in the whole Luang Prabang and Mekong river. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

05.30AM, you can wake up early and participate in the daily early morning ritual of saffron-clad monks with their black Alms-giving bowls being given offerings from the local people, including the ubiquitous sticky rice.
8:00 am – 8:30 am: Depart your Hotel.  Pick up by our English speaking guide and car to go to the “Elephant village” about 15 km out of town. You will take a small boat  to Elephant Camp and Tad Sae Waterfall. Enjoy the new perspective and the wonderful nature on this 30- 40 min Elephant ride through which you support the rescue of our former logging Elephants then relax in the clear water then we have lunch at  local restaurant  nearby to Tad Sae fall with set menu included a mineral water/person and  bananas (vegetarian options available). Free time to take some nice pictures with this amazing waterfall (in dry season from Jan – July).
At 14:00PM, the driver and guide will take care you to Luang Prabang airport. Say good bye and see you soon in Laos in near future.
Note: Elephant Village reserves the right to break larger groups into smaller groups and/or operate tour activities in a different order than published above if the conditions of the day require it.