Day 01
Hanoi Arrival [Vietnam]
Upon arrival, pick up at the airport then transfer to the hotel for check-in. Free at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.
Transfer to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex and the One Pillar pagoda. Continue with a visit to the Ethnology Museum where you learn the various life aspects of 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam. After lunch, visit the Literature Temple, the first university of Vietnam and enjoy a cyclo tour to visit the Old Quarter. Late afternoon, enjoy the traditional water puppet show which you will experience an overview of daily life in Vietnam’s rural areas.
Day 03
Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L, D)
Leave Hanoi for Halong Bay. Upon arrival, board an overnight cruise to discover the legendary Halong Bay. Enjoy full board meals and many indoor & outdoor activities. Overnight on the cruise.
Day 04
Halong Bay – Hanoi – Flight to Hue (B)
Join a Tai Chi session then enjoy an international breakfast while the cruise cruises among hundreds of islets before coming back to the pier. Drive back to the airport for a flight to Hue.
Enjoy a boat trip on the Perfume river to visit Thien Mu pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hue city, then discover the Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 – 1945. After lunch, continue to visit the elaborate tombs of emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh where you will learn about Royal’s life and their architecture.
Transfer by car over the most spectacular Hai Van Pass to Hoian. En route, visit the Marble Mountain, Cham Museum and the Stone Village. In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour to visit the ancient town. You then continue with a visit to the home of a craftsman where you will discover the daily life of local people and observe how they make a lantern.
Day 07
Hoian – Flight to Ho Chi Minh City (B)
Free at leisure or you can contact us for more activities such as countryside tour, cycling tour, sunset cruise, cooking class, Golden bridge, My Son sanctuary, etc. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport in Da Nang for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 08
Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels (B, L)
Depart to Cu Chi Tunnels which are a maze of underground passages used by the Vietnamese communists during the Vietnam War as protection against the American air raids. After lunch, visit the War Remnants museum–it exhibited the old military equipment from the Vietnam War. Continue to visit the Reunification palace, formerly the Presidential palace that was the sight of South Vietnam’s surrender in April 1975. Walk down to see Notre Dame Cathedral then finish at General Post Office.
Day 09
Mekong Delta (B, L)
You will explore Ben Tre through a scenic boat ride along the river, witnessing traditional brick making, exploring coconut workshops and immerse yourself in local music. Then, you take a leisurely walk to a farmer's house crafting sleep mats, journey through coconut groves and local villages via tuk-tuk. After that, you will enjoy a rowing boat ride along palm tree-lined canals, followed by a lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 10
Ho Chi Minh City – Flight to Bangkok (B) [Thailand]
Free at leisure until transfer to the airport for a flight to Bangkok. Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to the hotel for check in. Overnight in Bangkok.
Transfer to visit the Grand Palace complex and it consists of not only royal and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. And then visit Wat Phra Kaew. After lunch, take a joint local public ferry crossing the Chao Phraya River. Along the way, stop at Wat Arun and then take a joint local public back to visit Wat Pho, you will also visit the Golden Buddha. A walk to visit Chinatown before going back to the hotel for relaxing.
Day 12
Floating Market – Railway Market (B, L)
Transfer to South west of Bangkok – a green and wet delta area, criss-crossed by canals and full of coconut plantations. You will enter the Damnoen Saduak floating market by long-tailed boat via a labyrinth of narrow canals through the orchards. After lunch, visit the Maeklong Market where most stalls are placed on the railway. When the train comes through, all vendors must move, swing their stalls away from trails but return to normal in the short term.
Day 13
Bangkok – Flight to Chiang Mai – Khantoke Dinner (B, D)
Free time until transfer to the airport to take a flight to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel for check-in. In the evening, enjoy Khantoke dinner with a music show by local dancers and singers.
Visit the Mae Taeng where you will see the demonstration of how the elephants are used as work animals including elephant bathing in the river, working in the jungle, dragging and pushing the logs and responding to commands. Then you will ride an elephant for 45 minutes through the jungle, stopping at Lisu village. After lunch, you will take the bamboo raft along a river and then return to the hotel. On the way, stop to visit the orchid & butterfly farm.
Day 15
Chiang Rai – Golden Triangle (B, L)
Transfer to Chiang Rai. On the way you will visit Wat Rong Khun, known for its famous white temple. Next, visit the famous Golden Triangle then enjoy the boat ride for a panoramic view of the Mekong River. Continue to Mae Sai, the border between Thailand & Myanmar. Enjoy shopping for Myanmar products at the local market and then drive back to Chiang Mai. On the way, stop to visit the villages of Akha, Yao and Long Neck.
Day 16
Chiang Mai Departure (B)
Visit Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the most sacred temple containing a holy relic of the Lord Buddha. The temple compound offers a great view of Chiang Mai and surrounding countryside. A visit to Meo village will be made then transfer to the airport for your own departure flight home.
