22 HIGHLIGHT DAYS VIETNAM – LAOS – CAMBODIA PACKAGE TOUR

Our guide will pick you up at the airport, then ahead to your hotel in Hanoi

Arrive Hanoi Old Quarter, check-in hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi

8:00: Our guide will pick you up at your hotel. We start with visit to President Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. We also visit the famous One Pillar Pagoda nearby.

9:00: Leaving the President's complex, we continue to visit the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu). Although several Van Mieu can be found throughout Vietnam, the most prominent and famous is that situated in the city of Hanoi and was functioned as Vietnam's first university.

10:00 - 10:30: Next is the Hanoi Opera house, the most beautiful architecture in Hanoi.

11:00: Finally, visit the Tran Quoc Pagoda, the national pagoda of Viet Nam.

12:00: End the trip and have lunch.

Afternoon

(Or you can have the food tour right after finishing the city tour at 12:30PM)

17:00: We start our excellent street food walking tour at your hotel in old quarter of Hanoi along the perimeter of the market, dozens of street hawkers sell a staggering variety of produce fromlive seafood to exotic fruits and spices.Your expert English-speaking local guide will give you aninsight into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture including details on ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular northern dishes. We eat as we go,trying seasonal fruits and sampling a tasty French- inspired snack from a street cart.

Walking through the maze of bustling streets that make up Hanoi’s Old Quarter, we tempt our tastebuds with the famed Hanoi dish Banh Cuon at a local eatery. Watch in awe as the skilled chefs demonstrate for you how this tasty dish is put together. Continuing into the atmospheric heart of the Old Quarter, we wander past street stalls and quiet residential lanes where you can observe local life that has changed little since Hanoi was founded over 1000 years ago.

Our next two snack stops are at outdoor barbeque stalls. We sit down with the Hanoi locals and sample various meat, vegetable and bread specialties that are flame grilled over hot coals forextra flavour. It’s then time for dessert as we venture down a small alley to join in the local tradition of feasting on fresh fruit served in a cup and smothered with crushed iced and condensed milk – this speciality is one not to be missed!

20:00: Back to your hotel in Hanoi

Overnight in Hanoi

08:15 – 08:45: Hotel or private address pick up with our shuttle bus. Short break half way.

11:45 – 12:00: Arriving Tuan Chau marina, transferred by tender of cruises.

12:45 – 13:00: Welcome aboard the cruise. Refresh with our welcome drink. Meet the captain, crew in the cruise briefing, safety instruction.

13:00 – 13:15: A special lunch in Vietnamese cuisine of fresh seafood and an assortment of appetizing favorites are served while sailing through Islets of Con Vit.

15:30: The Cruise sails through Lan Ha Bay. The area is surrounding of extraordinary limestone karsts landscapes. We progress to Ong Cam Area of Lan Ha Bay- a separate part of Ha Long Bay. This is a quiet tourist paradise in Vietnam, enjoy kayaking and/or enjoy swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Bay.

17:30: Back to Cruise, drop anchor for staying overnight. Enjoy cooking demonstration (teaching you how to make our speciality, Spring rolls) and the complimentary Sunset Party on the sundeck with local wine and fresh fruit.

19:00: Dinner is served in the restaurant. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served for you by our wonderful onboard catering staff. After dinner, retiring to your cabin or join the fishing excursion, watch a movie, have a drink at the bar, wifi access or play exciting games.

Overnight on cruise

06:00: Enjoy sunrise and admire the never-ending miraculous scenery of the Bay. Practice an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck.

06:30: Light breakfast, coffee and tea served.

07:15: Visit Dark & Bright Cave and islets by local rowing boats which is a wild and mysterious beauty in the middle of the World Heritage.

09:15: Back to Cruise, relax before checking out.

10:00: Lunch is served on board.

12:00: Disembark at the Tuan Chau marina by tender. Take our shuttle bus to return to Hanoi

15:00 – 15:30: Arrival back Hanoi.

(You can add the mini hotel after back to Hanoi with extra 15USD/room. If not, you can leave the luggages at our office then wait for the evening train)

Ahead to the train station by taxi, check-in and take the ticket

Train Hanoi to Sapa 

Overnight on train

- Morning: Have breakfast in hotel. And start 2km of trekking down to Lao Chai village of the H’mong. Enjoy a cooking class and lunch at a local family, and then walk through terraced rice fields to Ta Van village of the Dzay minority people where we stay for the night. It gives you aworth chance for you to learn about the local house architecture which is full of their daily lifestyles and exclusive custom. Enjoy the landscapes. (4-5km trekking)

- Have lunch

(On the way back, if you are tired, you can ask for themini bus in advance to be back to your hotel, it will be extra 10USD/person)

Overnight in Sapa in hotel

8:00: The van takes you down to the Southwest of Sapa (around 4 km) to visit Cat Cat village of the Black H’mong. Relax at the foot of the stunning waterfall and the vestige of a hydro electric power station that was constructed by the French during colonial time in Vietnam. (2km – 3kmtrekking)

Have lunch.

13:00: Back to hotel and take the luggage, be ready to back to Hanoi

14:00: The sleeping cabin or the limousine back to Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi

Check-out hotel then ahead to the airport. Arrive airport 

Flight Hanoi – Danang 

Our car picks up at the airport, transfer to the hotel in Danang.

Overnight in Danang

Have breakfast in hotel

8:00: Pick you up from your hotel in Danang and transfer to visit My Son Sanctuary

9:00 - 9:15: Arrive in My Son Holy Land– the former capital and religious center of Cham people, now remaining with the red brick towers and sanctuaries. It is a huge religious complexwith over 70 towers and temples of different architectures.You can spend a couple of hours to discover Cham’s Cultures as well as the architecture and history with our tour guide.

Besides, you can have a opportunity to watch Cham’s People Dancing Show inside My Son

12:30: Have lunch at the restaurant in Hoi An Old Quarter

14:00 : Start to walk around Hoi An Ancient Town.Our guide will lead you to visit some famous places such as the Japanese Bridge, Kwan Temple, PhucKien Chinese Assembly Hall and Tan Ky Old House,..Besides, you can have a opportunity to see the numerous art galleries and tailor shops, get some made- to- order clothes if you like around Hoi An old old town

16:00 - 16:30: Our guide and driver will take you back to your hotel in Danang

Overnight Danang

Have breakfast in hotel

8:00: Pick up from your hotel

9:30: Get on a Cable Car which gains 4 world scores.

• Guide will take you to Debay Wine Cellar and Le Jardin D’Amour Flower Garden.

• And a highlight in this tour is the Golden Bridge (also called ” Hands of God”). This bridge was built with a very special structure with 2 hands holding the bridge.

• Visit Linh Ung Pagoda, located at around 1,500 meters above sea level.

11: 30: Have buffet lunch.

12:30: Visit Linh Chua Linh Tu Temple. Explore the French Square, visit and play some games in Fantasy Park – one of the largest indoor amusement parks in Vietnam

14:00 – 15.00: Back to the cabin down the mountain. Back to your hotel in Da Nang

Overnight in Danang

You can choose the departure time slots

Arrive and check-in hotel.

Overnight in Hue

8:00: Pick-up at the hotel, starting to visit Khai Dinh Tomb- a blend of Western and Eastern architecture

11:30: Have lunch at local restaurant

13:00: Explore Hue Imperial City (The Citadel): learn about the place where special activities and events of the Nguyen Dynasty took place

15.00: Visit Thien Mu Pagoda

17:00: Back to Danang and drop off your hotel.

Overnight in Hue

Check-out hotel then ahead to the airport. Arrive Airport

Flight Hue to HCMC 

Our car picks up at the airport, transfer to the hotel in HCMC.

Overnight in HCMC

7:30: Departing from your hotel in district 1. The mini van/ car arrives at Cu Chi. On the road, we arrive at Handicraft Village. You can find out about traditional Vietnamese art paintings. Paintings are drawn sophisticatedly and brightly.

9:00: It takes us 1 hour to reach Ben Dinh – a system network belonging to Cu Chi tunnels.When you go through the entrance, you will watch a brief of propaganda video, which introduce Vietnam war and the way the tunnels were utilized to struggle against G.Is in Vietnam war.We will visit the surroundings and follow our tourguide to discover the Ben Dinh tunnel. Tour guide will explain to you the life of people who lived under the ground and how they survived and contacted each other

11:00: Then, you will experience realistically by crawling through the tunnels and eating boiled tapioca which was the main food people had to digest day by day.

12:00: Lunch time! We have lunch at local restaurant.

14:00: The coach/ car takes us back to Ho Chi Minh city. We will visit Reunification Palace –The building, which was named Norodom Palace, was constructed for the French government in 1868. This place is famous not only for its history but also for its unique architecture.

15:30: We keep going to two popular places which are known as symbols in Ho Chi Minh city.Central Post Office, which built between 1886 and 1891, has French colonial architecture combined with Eastern style. This place has been existed with history of Ho Chi Minh city for along time and there are two painted maps created inside the post office.

16:00: Continue the journey, we head to War Remnants Museum. The must - visit museum for tourists in Ho Chi Minh city. This place is also the last destination in this trip.

Back to your hotel.

Overnight in HCMC

7:30 – 7:45AM: Depart Ho Chi Minh City and journey to Vinh Trang pagoda, one of the largest in the Mekong Delta. Admire its ornate facade and large Buddha statue.

9:00: Then, cruise along the Tien River to experience life in the Mekong Delta up close. Pass by 4 small islands - Phoenix, Unicorn, Dragon and Tortoise Island - see lush tropical trees and the typical stilt houses of the fishing villages as you make your way through the narrow canals by rowing boat.

11:30: Stop for lunch in an orchard garden and then learn how to make coconut candy.Sample sweet pieces of the candy and buy some of your favorites to take home. Savor a snack of fresh fruits and honey tea as locals entertain you with Vietnamese traditional folk music.Return to the minibus for the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City, where you will arrive atapproximately 17:00.

Overnight in HCMC

Check-out hotel.

The car picks up at your hotel then ahead to the airport.

Flight HCMC to Siem Reap

Our car picks up at the airport, transfer to the hotel in Siem Reap

Overnight in Siem Reap

8:00: After breakfast, we depart to Preah Khan Temple.It is located northeast of Angkor Thom and just west ofthe Jayatataka baray, with which it was associated. It was the center of a substantial organization, with almost 100,000 officials and servants.

8:15: Next is Neak Poan, “the entwined snakes” is a small temple located on an island in the center of the now dry Jayatataka baray, a water reservoir 3,500-meter-long and 900 meter wide.Continue to Tasom offers some beautiful photo spots, especially the rear entrance where tree roots adorn the gateway.

10:00: We will visit the Landmine Museum where Mr. Aki Ra, a child soldier in the Khmer Rouge, has dedicated his life to helping those in need. Having spent most of his childhood fighting for the Khmer Rouge, Mr. Aki Ra was trained by the United Nations to detonate landmines; His fantastic work earned him a nomination for CNN Hero of the Year in 2010. They will stop at a local village to visit the families that are producing palm sugar.

Drive to the rural outskirt 35km from Angkor area to visit the smallest, but magnificent, Banteay Srei built in the 10th Century and dedicated to Shiva. The temple was the birthplace of Khmer classical style architecture and the bas-relief work is the best example of Khmer classical art remaining. The pink sandstone structure bears a series of striking and beautiful sculptures, lintels,pediments and friezes. Khmers say the temple must have been carved by women for the details are too fine for the hands of a man. On the way back stop at Pradark Village, where you will seethe villagers making palm sugar, handicraft for selling to tourist. It’s a nice chance for you to see the local people living at the country side with their struggling for daily life.

17:00: Not to be missed is Banteay Samre: Its rose-colored sandstone walls are decorated with carvings and bas-reliefs, which are among the most accomplished Angkor has to offer.

Overnight in Siem Reap

We start very early in the morning so we can capture the iconic picture of the pre-dawn facing Angkor Wat temple. Sunrise at Angkor Wat can be a busy venue especially during the months of December, January,February and March.

After sunrise, we will explore the vast and rich of Angkor Wat temple, taking pictures at different angles, playing with light and shadows and capturing the most beautiful devatas carved in sandstone.

Next destination will be the Ta Prohm "Tomb Raider" fame. Ta Prohm has been abandoned to the elements, a reminder that while empires rise and fall, the riotous power of nature marches on,oblivious to the dramas of human history. Left as it was ‘discovered’ by French explorer Henri Mouhout in 1860, the tentacle-like tree roots here are slowly strangling the surviving stones, man first conquering nature to create, nature later conquering man to destroy.

Next, at the Golden Hour, will be the impressive Bayon temple with its 54 towers and 216 faces overlooking the defunct city of Angkor Thom. The final stop will be at one of gate of Angkor Thom to capture sunset over the moat.

Overnight in Siem Reap

Overnight in Siem Reap

Depart for the Tonlé Sap. You will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in South East Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. You will see a fishermen's "floating village" with floating schools, floating policestation, etc. It is same as a big village floating on the lake,and the "village" move from place-to-place following water levels and current.

You will go to local pagoda, where you should change to clothes you can get wet in as here you will experience the ceremony “Srouch Teok”, which roughly translates into “Water blessing”.A monk will chant in ancient Pali as he splashes water over you, washing away your sins and bad luck so you can start fresh and by being a good person can increase your good luck.

Check-out hotel

Transfer to Siem Reap airport for flight to Luang Prabang

Upon arrival at Luang Prabang Airport. Luang Prabang that is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia.You will be met by our guide and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

After breakfast, we visit the National Museum at the former Royal Palace displays a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign. The National Museum and the Central Market are not to be missed. We enjoy a short tour seeing the city’s oldest temple Wat Sene and Wat Xieng Thong, a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional art. Later we’ll visit the impressive Wat Visoun, the oldest temple that houses many Buddha images. Next is Wat Aham, the ‘Monastery of the Blossomed Heart’ exudes serenity, and Wat Mai, the largest and most richly decorated of the temples in this city.

We embark on a boat for a leisurely trip on the Mekong River, stopping en route at Ban XangHai to see the production of and to sample the local rice wine. Upon leaving this village we pass through stunning mountain landscape to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves. These two linked caves are crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes, all brought there by devout villagers. After the river trip we drive toward Ban Phanom, a small village known for its hand weaving.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos,being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession.

Travel south of town to the famous Kuangsi Waterfall; the turquoise color of the water with a backdrop of white limestone cliffs gives the waterfall a magical appearance. Depending on the season the water level varies and you can be swimming in the beautiful pools. While there, you also will have the opportunity to visit the Sun Bear Reserve, a conservation center that rescues animals from the wildlife trade.

We also visit Kuang Si Butterfly Park is a project that was initiated in January 2014 from 2 Dutch passionate people from Holland. The mission is to create a research centre studying and publishing about Laos butterflies, host plants and preservation because of environmental issues in Laos.

Last but not least, we visit Laos Buffalo Dairy is a socially responsible, sustainable farm, and social enterprise.

Our aim is to improve the rural prosperity, welfare, nutrition, and health of the local population,with a focus on buffalo farming, and childhood nutrition.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

8:00 – 11:30: Join this foodie walking tour around Luang Prabang with your guide and discover all the tasty food spots that the locals love. Sample traditional snacks, learn about monks' Buddhist traditions and visit a food market and a temple.

Start your walking tour at downtown cafe (Joma Bakery),your guide will meet you on foot. Walk through Luang Prabang morning food market to learn about the ingredients of Lao food. Smell the sweet aroma of spices and freshly cooked food as you walk around. Learn all about the rich, spicy flavor of Lao food from your guide. Taste one of Lao's special specialty dishes; the Luang Prabang.

Need a morning coffee Don't worry, kick start your day with a Lao hot coffee. Visit a temple in the UNESCO town to learn about Buddhism from a Monk and get the blessing.

Check-out hotel.

The car picks up at your hotel then ahead to the airport.

Flight Luang Prabang - Hanoi