Indochina Revealed 20 days

Day 01: Hanoi Arrival

You will be welcomed upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International airport and transferred to your hotel in town. You will then have free time before a welcome dinner and an overnight stay in Hanoi.

Meal: Dinner

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 02: Hanoi City Tour

The colonial capital city Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental pagodas and temples dating back more than a thousand years ago. This full day tour takes you around Hanoi’s most interesting sights, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, his Mausoleum, and house on stilts, the Presidential Palace, the One Pillar Pagoda, and the Old Quarter (also known as the 36 streets and guilds). Also on the tour, you’ll see the Lake of the Restored Sword and Ngoc Son Temple, the Temple of Literature, peaceful West Lake (with lover’s street “Thanh Nien”), the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple and one of the city’s museums, either the History Museum or the Ethnology Museum. In the evening you will enjoy a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show and an overnight stay in Hanoi.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 03: Hanoi – Halong Bay

After breakfast at hotel. You will be transferred to Ha Long Bay and arrive the jetty around 11.30 p.m.
About 12.00 -12.30, you are welcomed on board and have set lunch while cruising in the bay. Depends on which cruise you choose, the detailed itinerary will basically include a visit to the cave, kayaking,  swimming in crystal water. Dinner and overnight on the cruise.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tour guide: English speaking guide on board

Day 04: Halong Bay – Hanoi

Wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves, fresh air, and breeze. After breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto then walk back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. The boat arrives at the harbor by 11.30 am. Your driver is waiting to take you back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meal: Brunch

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide

Day 05: Hanoi – Hue

Following breakfast, you have free time in colonial Hanoi until transfer to airport for flight to the Hue World Heritage site. You will be picked up and transferred to the hotel for an overnight stay in Hue.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide

Day 06: Ancient Capital Hue

Rising up in the ancient land, you will have breakfast at the hotel before you board a private traditional boat for a cruise on the romantic Perfume River. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded by ancient tombs of emperors past, and a visit to some of these tombs will be on the itinerary for today. You will visit the charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) Minh Mang’s Tomb and Tu Duc’s Tomb. In the afternoon you will embark on a tour to visit the Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City, the Imperial Museum and the Dong Ba market. You’ll enjoy a royal style dinner at a local restaurant before an overnight stay in Hue.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide

Day 07: Hue – Ancient Town Hoi An

You will leave Hue and head to another World Heritage site, Hoi An. You will go over the Hai Van pass and stop in Danang to visit the Cham Museum and handicraft villages at the foot of Marble Mountain. Once in Hoi An, you will check into your hotel and have free time to relax before an overnight in a stay.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide

Day 08: Ancient Town Hoi An

You will enjoy a half day orientation tour of Hoi An, including the Chinese Assembly Halls, the Japanese Covered Bridge, Phuc Kien Pagoda and Tan Ky House. Following the tour there will be free time to shopping or relaxing before an overnight stay in Hoi An.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide

Day 09: Hoi An – Danang – Ho Chi Minh City

In the morning you will transfer to Danang Airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. In the afternoon you will embark on a city tour of Saigon including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, the War Remnants Museum and bustling Ben Thanh Market. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide

Day 10: Cu Chi Tunnel – Cao Dai Temple

This morning you will drive to Tay Ninh home to the Divine Eye, the official symbol of Cao Daism. Cao Dai followers worship Jesus Christ, Confucius, Taoism, and Buddha, and you will see the midday service. On the way back you will stop to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels consist of more than 200km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life was like during the U.S.-Vietnam War. You will stay overnight in HCMC.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide

Day 11: Mekong Delta for a day to Ben Tre

Ben Tre is the best option for a day trip to the Mekong Delta from Saigon, since it is only around 2 hours away, and 15 minutes from My Tho. However, this wonderful destination retains an authenticity which has been somewhat lessened in nearby My Tho.

This picturesque and friendly Mekong Delta town has historically seen very few travelers, but the recent opening of a bridge connecting Ben Tre and My Tho has made it far easier for day trippers to visit from Saigon.

Our one day cruise excursion starts at 8:00 am from the lobby of your hotel in Saigon with a drive to Ben Tre. While there, you can take a walk along the waterfront, lined with French era shops and houses, and you’ll see plenty of coconuts being unloaded from boats for dispatch around the country. Then, jump on a boat for a couple of hours of cruising on the Mekong River. You will enjoy your delicious lunch at a local restaurant or on board. The excursion will end at around 4:00pm where the vehicle will await you for your transfer back to Saigon.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 12: Saigon – Vientiane

You will have free time until transfer to airport for a flight to Vientiane in Laos. You will be met and transferred to your hotel for a welcome dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal: Breakfast
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 13: Vientiane – Luang Prabang

After breakfast there will be a tour of Vientiane. Although it is a capital city, Vientiane has the feel of a small provincial town. The wide boulevards are almost devoid of traffic and with its many temples, the city retains the feel of another age. The tour includes visits to the major temples of Vat Sisaket, Vat Phrakeo and the impressive That Luang Stupa, the country’s most important monument. You will also see the city’s “Arc de Triomphe”, the National Museum and shop at the morning market before transferring to the airport for a flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 14: 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 (often in the form of sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the ritual.

You will visit Wat Xieng Thong Temple, then take a traditional boat trip upstream on the Mekong River to visit the famous caves of Pak-Ou (located on the side of a steep cliff), home to hundreds of Buddha statues. En route you will visit a local rice wine distillery and Ban Phanom weaving village. Next, you will visit Wat Phousy on the top of the hill overlooking the Mekong River and have an overnight stay in Luang Prabang.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 15: Luang Prabang

Today you will visit the morning market, the national museum (the former king’s palace), and climb up to Phousi Hill overlooking the city. You will have free time in town and then an overnight stay in Luang Prabang.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 16: Luang Prabang – Siem Reap

You are free until transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap. Once in Siem Reap, you will visit the fascinating ruins of Ta Prohm, shrouded in overgrowth and the roots of Banyan trees.

In the afternoon you will start exploring Angkor Thom and the South Gate, Bayon, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. You will have dinner during an Apsara dance show at a local restaurant before an overnight stay in Siem Reap.

Meal: Breakfast
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 17: Angkor Wat

Following breakfast at the hotel, you will take a drive off to Pre Rup and East Mebon and visit Banteay Srei and Bantaey Kdei. In the afternoon you will visit Angkor Wat before an overnight stay in Siem Reap.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 18: Siem Reap -Phnom Penh

Following breakfast, you will take a 2 hour boat cruise on Tonle Sap Lake. In the afternoon you will take a short flight to Phnom Penh, and upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. You can enjoy a free day of leisure in the capital of Cambodia, while shopping or just relaxing before an overnight stay.

Meal: Breakfast
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 19: Phnom Penh

In the morning you will visit the National Museum, the Royal Palace, and the Silver Pagoda. Then, you will continue your visit to the riverfront, the most popular place for tourists. The view of the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers is quite unique. Next, you will visit Wat Phnom and Yeay Penh’s Statue (“Grandmother Penh”) before lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon you will visit the Victory Monument, the symbol of Cambodian independence regained from French colonialism in 1953. Then you will visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (aka S21 Prison) and the Cheung Ek Killing Field. You will stay overnight in Phnom Penh.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 20: Phnom Penh Departure

There is no activity planned for today so you are free to enjoy your free time for souvenir shopping until transfer to the airport for your onward flight. Thanks for joining us at Smart Asia Travel!

Meal: Breakfast
Tour guide: English Speaking guide