Day 01: Hanoi Arrival
Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be welcomed by our guide and transferred to
your hotel. Hanoi is one of Asia's most charming cities, with its romantic
tree-lined boulevards and colonial houses. The day is free for your own
exploration and shopping.
Overnight at hotel
Day 02: Hanoi city (B, L)
Your trip will be start from Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays and
will be alternated by the History Museum), which offers informative and
well-documented displays of the country’s 54 ethnic groups.
- You will then visit the Temple of Literature, which was constructed in
1070 to worship Confucius and served as the first Royal National University
in Vietnam.
- Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
- We then move to Ngoc Son Temple, which along the lake itself is the
picturesque heart of Hanoi.
- In the evening, you will perfectly wrap up the day with a water puppet
show, a unique traditional theater art in Vietnam.
Overnight at hotel
Day 03: Hanoi - Mai Chau (B, L, D)
Depart from Hanoi to Mai Chau, a picturesque valley, home to many hill
tribes including the Dzao, Muong and Thai.
- We will arrive in Mai Chau around noon and check into the Thai ethnic
homestay in Van village, a village of the ‘White Thai’, who predominantly
inhabit this area.
- A typical Thai meal will be served for lunch at the homestay.
- In the afternoon, you can take a short walk around the village where you
will encounter friendly local people, and get the chance to communicate
with them and get to know their traditional lifestyle.
- Enjoy a traditional dance show at night while tasting Ruou Can, the local
rice wine.
Overnight at homestay
Day 04: Mai Chau - Van Long - Hoa Lu (B, L)
After breakfast, we will drive to Ninh Binh via Nho Quan with its peaceful
countryside settings.
- After lunch, you have the choice of exploring the village either by
buffalo cart or bicycle.
- We will then board a small rowing boat to explore the Van Long Nature
Reserve which covers some 3,000 hectares of picturesque waterscape. You
will enjoy two hours of rowing through spectacular scenery made up of
limestone mountains reflected in emerald waters adorned by lush rice
paddies. The forest is home to the Delacour Langur, an endangered species
counting a mere 200 animals globally.
- We will disembark our boats and walk to visit two temples dedicated to
King Dinh and Le in Hoa Lu, which served as the capital of Vietnam during
the 10th century.
Overnight at hotel in Hoa Lu
Day 05: Hoa Lu - Halong Bay (B, L,D)
After breakfast, you will be on a 3.5-hour transfer through the Red River
Delta to Halong Bay. Crossing from west to east, you will pass the immense
rice fields in the most fertile lands of Northern region.
Upon arrival, you will set out on a beautiful junk cruise through the
bayfor 2 days and 1 night. The junk will pass through the magical Halong
bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the emerald
waters like spikes on a dragon’s back.
During the cruise, you will take a short trek to a nearby summit fora
panoramic view of the bay, go for a swim at a quiet beach or sunbathe on
the sundeck.
On the cruise, you can enjoy Halong signature seafood and other specialties
prepared by talented local chef on board.
Overnight on board
Day 06: Halong Bay - Hanoi - Flight to Hue (B, L)
Enjoy breakfast and savor the incredible sunrise from the sundeck while the
boat sails to Luon Cave and one of Halong’s floating villages then back to
the harbor.
- On the way back to Hanoi we will stop in Bac Ninh province to visit
Vietnam's first Buddhist centre, the But Thap Pagoda, which was built in
the 13th century and reconstructed in the 17th century on the southern bank
of Duong River. It is renowned for its valuable statues, the most
remarkable of which is a thousand-handed and thousand-eyed Buddha
considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese sculpturing.
- We continue our drive to Hanoi where we head to the airport for flight to
Hue. On arrival, you are picked up & transferred to hotel for check in.
Overnight in Hue
Day 07: Hue city (B)
In the morning, we will visit Hue Imperial City, the remaining vestiges of
Hue's citadel, including: Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns,
Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace and the Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam
Thanh).
- The tour will end with a visit to Minh Mang Mausoleum, a beautifully
landscaped royal complex consisting of 40 buildings (palaces, temples &
pavilions).
- The rest of the day is free for you to explore Hue at your own leisure.
Overnight at hotel
Day 08: Hue - Thuy Bieu Eco village (B, L)
We will depart from the hotel in the morning to visit Tu Duc Royal Tomb,
one of the most beautiful royal mausoleum compounds in Hue. You will then
enjoy a leisurely boat trip along the poetic Perfume River, and en route
visit Thien Mu Pagoda also known as "Heavenly Lady Pagoda" the symbol of
Hue. We will then continue the cruise toward Thuy Bieu eco-village, an
ancient village situated on the bank of the Perfume River where lunch will
be served.
The afternoon is reserved for cycling through the peaceful village,
visiting several communal houses, ancient temples and the highlight: the
garden-house, a typical and unique feature of Hue. Soaking your feet in
medicinal herb water followed by an excellent blind massage will refresh
them after a day of sightseeing.
Back to the hotel for the night.
Day 09: Hue - Danang - Hoian (B,L)
Morning drive on the Mandarin road – a scenic journey from Hue to Hoi An,
which allows you to see a picturesque Vietnam with stunning beachs and lust
tropical forest. Take some stops for photo taking on route before visiting
the Museum of Cham Sculpture - with many precious artifacts of the former
Cham Kingdom on display. Continue transfer to Hoi An ancient town which
used to be an important South-East Asian trading port from the 15th to the
19th century. You can see it by your own eyes when visiting Japanese
Covered Bridge, Chinese’s street, Phung Hung old house, Hoi an market and
ancient port & the old house of Tan Ky. Overnight in the hotel.
Day 10: Hoi An – Danang – fly Ho Chi Minh (B)
You can continue exploring Hoi An until the departure to the airport for
you flight to Ho Chi Minh. Overnight at hotel.
Day 11: Ho Chi Minh city (B, L)
In the morning, we will visit Cho Lon, Vietnam’s largest China Town where
you can shop to your hearts content and sample the fabulous cuisine. We
then visit Thien Hau Temple, the most lively temple in Ho Chi Minh City,
dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea, and Giac Lam Pagoda, the oldest pagoda
in the city. Back to downtown Saigon to visit Notre Dame Cathedral (built
in 1877) and the Central Post Office.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Reunification Palace formerly known as
Independence Palace. It served as the residence and working place of the
President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The tour ends with a
visit to Ngoc Hoang Temple dedicated to the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity
in Taoism. Overnight at hotel.
Day 12: Ho Chi Minh - Mui Ne (B)
After breakfast, take a 5-hour drive to Mui Ne, a getaway to paradise with
pristine beaches, vast sand dunes, postcard-perfect fishing villages, a
vibrant nightlife and friendly people. Overnight at hotel
Day 13: Mui Ne free (B)
You will spend the whole day to relax on the beach or at your own resort
Day 14: Mui Ne free (B)
You will spend the whole day to relax on the beach or at your own resort
Day 15: Ho Chi Minh - Ben Tre - Long Xuyen (B,L)
Leaving the bustling city of Saigon behind, we depart to the Mekong Delta
considered Vietnam’s biggest rice basket. Arrive at Hung Vuong pier in Ben
Tre and embark our boat to cruise along Bến Tre River, a tributary of the
great Mekong, to explore the local lifestyle and the daily hustle and
bustle. Stop at the brickfield belonging to Mr. Tu Lo to see how bricks are
made by hand in Vietnam and a coconut candy home factory located along the
canal to witness the process of making this local candy and other
souvenirs. You will then have the opportunity to taste bee honey tea at a
local honey farm and a variety of tropical fruit that grow amply in the
orchards of the Mekong Delta. You can then walk or cycle hrough the coconut
groves and green rice paddies to soak up and relax in the tranquil
countryside atmosphere.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon we will take a trip on small rowing boats through a maze
of waterways lined by two rows of palm tree. Cruise back to the pier and
disembark. We continue to Long Xuyen passing Sadec where we will visit Kien
An Cung Pagoda, built by the family of Huynh Thuy Le, the main character in
the novel “L’amant” by French novelist Marguerite Duras, and Trung Vuong
primary school where her mother taught. We will continue our trip to Long
Xuyen where we will arrive in the late afternoon. Overnight at hotel.
Day 16: Long Xuyen - Chau Doc (B, L)
In the early morning, we embark a sampan to explore Long Xuyen floating
market, the least visited yet most authentic floating market in the Mekong
Delta. It is crowded with thousands of boats jostling for space. We then
take a boat trip to visit a floating fish farm where you have the chance to
feed the fish yourself. After disembarking the sampan we will visit a
village of the Cham ethnic minority.
Our last stop of the day is Cu Lao Ong Ho also known as "Tiger Island",
home of Vietnam's first president. We will then drive to Chau Doc, atown on
the border of Cambodia and Vietnam, where we will spend the night.
Day 17: Chau Doc - Phnom Penh by speedboat (B, L)
In the morning we will take a speed boat to Phnom Penh and arrive in the
capital city of Cambodia around noon. Time to rest and have lunch. The
afternoon will be spent exploring Phnom Penh. We commence our tour with a
visit to the National Museum, then on to the Silver Pagoda situated inside
the Royal Palace complex and lastly Wat Phnom Pagoda considered the
spiritual heart of the city. Overnight at hotel.
Day 18: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap (B,L)
After breakfast we will drive 168km to Kampong Thom, a picturesque town
situated on the banks of the Tonle Sap Lake. En route, we will drop by Skun
Market, a unique place selling spiders. Passing the beautiful landscape of
the Cambodian countryside, we will reach Sambor Prei Kuk which once served
as the capital of Chenla and was built in the early 7th century. We will
continue our drive for 147 km to reach Siem Reap passing quaint villages
and lush rice plains. We will stop at Kompong Kdei to visit an old bridge
dating back more than 1000 yearsr and was built under the reign of king
Chayravaman VII. Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 19: Siem Reap - Angkor Thom - Angkor Wat - Siem Reap (B,L)
After breakfast, we will visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom also referred
to as "Great City", the famous Bayon Temple built in the late 12th century
and the Baphoun Temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the Terrace of
Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King and Phimean Akas known as
"Heavenly Palace".
In the afternoon, we will tour the World Heritage site "Angkor Wat", the
world's largest religious building. We continue our day with a visit to
Bakheng Hill Temple and watch the sunset from the top of the hill. Back to
the hotel. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 20: Siem Reap - Kbal Spean - Banteay Srei - Siem Reap (B,L
)
We will start our day trip by visiting Kbal Spean referred to as “The river
of a Thousand Lingas” which is situated 30km north of Angkor Wat, roughly a
one hour drive. It closes at 3pm. We will take a forest walk and then
return for lunch. We will continue from there straight to Banteay Srei,
"The Citadel of Women" built at a time when the Khmer Empire was gaining
significant power. Like numerous others, it is dedicated to the Hindu god
Shiva. It is a masterpiece of Khmer art with its intricate, pink sandstone
construction and ornate design. On the way back to Siem Reap, we will visit
Srah Srang, "The Royal Bath" and Banteay Kdei, a richly decorated Buddhist
temple. Overnight at hotel.
Day 21: Siem Reap - Tonle Sap - Departure (B)
In the morning we will discover Tonle Sap Lake by boat. It is the largest
lake in Indochina with a length of 100km. We will cruise for 1 to 2 hours
and visit a fishing village where all fishermen live in floating houses. We
will then drive back to Siem Reap through the countryside and villages. The
rest of the day is free to relax until we bring you to the airport for your
flight home. The hotel room is available until noon only.
Asiatica Travel’s services end at the airport.