Indochina Connection

Xin Chao! Welcome to Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City) – the most hectic and business city of Vietnam. Upon arrival at the airport, welcomed by the local tour guide and transfer to the city center to check in hotel.

Afternoon, we start the city tour at the Reunification Palace, the witness of the fierce Vietnam War ended in 1975. The grand building today is a Museum and Hall of official receptions. Nearby the palaces are the colonial-styled Central Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral (visit outside only because of renovation), built between 1877 and 1883 and one of the city’s major landmarks. Have a walking tour on Nguyen Hue street to take the photos of the Opera House and the Ho Chi Minh Committee (outside). From here, walking to Ben Thanh Market one of the most typical symbols of Saigon to experience the daily life of the locals and do shopping the hand-made goods there. Having welcome dinner at the fine dining restaurant. Overnight in Saigon.

Please note: Standard check-in time is 14:00. Early check-in is subject to availability of the hotel.
 

After breakfast at the hotel. Picked by at hotel and drive heading to My Tho the homeland of coconut and family factories with local products like coconut candy, rice paper,… Upon arrival, embark on the boat cruising on the mighty Mekong River viewing the life to the local people live along the banks. We stop at one of 4 islands in the area for sightseeing. Enjoy the fresh tropical fruits served in the heart of the garden accompanied by traditional southern Vietnamese folk music at the plantation. After that, you will embark on the small boats rowed the local people thru the small canals with water coconut tree to visit the local factories. There you will taste the honey tea and see the local people produce the coconut candy milk and of course you also can try it or stroll in the garden where the locals feed honeybee. After that enjoy the horse-cart trip through the tranquil road of the village. We continue getting on the big boat to visit the vast area. Enjoy your lunch at a local restaurant nearby Mekong River with the Elephant Ear fist. Afternoon, drive back to Saigon with a stop to visit Vinh Trang pagoda, a famous pagoda in the area that its architecture is a mix of Chinese, Cambodian, and French culture. Overnight at hotel in Saigon. 

Morning visits Cu Chi Tunnels, one of the few remaining monuments to the Vietnam War. Beneath the ground lies 200 km of tunnels, dug by hand and inhabited by the forces of the Vietnamese guerillas during the conflict. At its peak, prior to the Tet Offensive in 1968, the tunnel complex was base to almost 10,000 troops. To this day, it remains one of the most impressive examples of how fierce the war used to be.  You even can try to crawl some dozens of m on the tunnel underground to have the real experience. Lunch at the local restaurant. Transfer back to the city then straight to the airport for the flight to Danang. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel in Hoian. Check in hotel. Time at leisure. Overnight in Hoian.

Note: Internal airfare is not included
 

Breakfast at the hotel.

This morning you take an interesting walk over the tile-roofed Japanese Bridge, visit taciturn Chinese Assembly Halls, enjoy the attractiveness of ancient houses or listen to the folk music of Central Vietnam at old club-houses. Later we can stop at shrines or stroll into the market located by Thu Bon river, where you may find the same feelings of the artists, who see the rooftops of Hoian a magical old world of Oriental feel and source of inspiration. This is also a wonderful town to shop for lanterns, soft silk, raw silk, or get your clothes tailored within a day. Lunch at the local restaurant. Rest of day will be free on your own to discover the town or cycling along Thu Bon to Cua Dai Beach. Overnight in Hoian.

Breakfast at the hotel.  Our guide welcomes you at your hotel and starts to make a bicycle trip to the countryside of Hoi An Town. Riding on the bike you can see the tranquil atmosphere of the countryside of Vietnam. Arrive at Tra Que Organic village, you have a walkthrough and visit the garden where local farmers work on their farm and use the traditional methods without having electrical machines support. Next, you are under the instruction of household; he will show you how to prepare and make the land, you fertilize green manure before growing vegetables. Watering the vegetables, which you have just grown, is the last activity in the procedure of planting them. After that, you pick fresh saw-tooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for your cooking lesson later.

You have about 20 minutes to relax by soaking your feet in Vietnamese herbs. This is one of the ways to refresh yourself after a hard time in the garden. Then you can join with the family chef and learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking local Vietnamese dishes. Have your lunch with the family after class.

Afternoon back to your hotel and have the rest of the day at your leisure.

Overnight in Hoian.
 

After breakfast and check-out hotel, we will depart from Hoian to Hue thru the Hai Van Pass (the “Ocean Cloudy Mountain Pass”) and enjoy the beauty of Lang Co Beach before reaching Hue. Being recognized by UNESCO as the 1st Cultural World Heritage for Vietnam, Hue is highlighted by the old royal architectural works and the most traditional Vietnamese lifestyle. We will discover the charm of the city from the Royal Citadel, Forbidden City, Hue Royal Museum. Go on to take a boat trip on Perfume pagoda to visit Thien Mu pagoda, an iconic of Hue City which was built in 1601t on the hill overlooking the river. End of the day, visit Dong Ba Market. Overnight in Hue.

Breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning, visit the Tombs of King Minh Mang and Khai Dinh – two important monuments of the Nguyen Emperors since the early 19th and early 20th centuries with its unique beauty. After lunch, transfer to the airport for the flight to Hanoi. You will be welcomed at the Noi Bai airport and transfer to the hotel to check-in. 

Your time at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.
 

Today, we will start our city tour from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his simple house-on-stilts and the One-Pillar pagoda near Ba Dinh Square, where the most solemn ceremonies of Hanoi take place. Go on to the Temple of Literature, the very first high school of Vietnam Scholars and a temple dedicated Confucious. Have lunch at KOTO Van Mieu restaurant where provides hospitality and life skills to disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. 

Afternoon, we will visit the Ethology Museum to discover about 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. After that, have an overall view of the capital by a “cyclo” visit, which will start around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, stop at Ngoc Son Temple located on the Hoan Kiem Lake (the “Sword” Lake). End of the day, we will enjoy a unique fascinating show of Water Puppetry, a traditional stage art of Northern Vietnam.

Note: Internal airfare is not included
 

Breakfast and a short relax before transferring to Halong Bay. At 9 am, head East for nearly 3 hours to Halong Bay, the pride of the Gulf of Tonkin, a Natural World Heritage as designated by UNESCO in 1994 and 2006. Upon arrival in Halong, check in the overnight cruise to discover the magnificent beauty of this “Descending-dragon” bay, created by thousands of odd-shaped limestone rocks and karst grottoes. After lunch on board, we can visit the Grottos, stop for swimming or kayaking, passing floating houses and approach islets to enjoy their beauty in close distance. Back to the cruise, enjoy cooking demonstration before having dinner. Evening attends activities on the boat or relax at your own leisure. Overnight on the cruise. 

Please note the program may be little varied upon the cruise you choose. 
 

You should wake up early to enjoy the dawn on the sea in the early morning. The Vietnamese call the "East Sea" by a point-oriented name "Eastern Sea", so you may guess how miraculous seeing the sunrise over the islets of the Bay. After breakfast our boat will continue to cruise in marvelous areas, where almost every islet has its own name, adopting its shape or reminiscent like Sail Island, Fisherman’s head rock, Butterfly rock or Turtle islet, etc. Check out your room and have brunch on board while the cruise coming back the pier. Disembark from the cruise, transfer overland to Noi Bai Airport for boarding the flight to Luang Prabang.

On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos. Dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Note: Internal airfare is not included
 

After breakfast, we visit The National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through to the last sovereign. Continue to explore some of the major sights in this fabulous city, including the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene, the magnificent Wat Xiengthong, its exterior architecture is remarkable with decorated gilded stuccoes and doorways, a “tree of life” mosaic pattern set in coloured glass on the back wall and its three-tiered roofs sweeping low to the ground representing classical Laotian architecture. 

Afternoon we then embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside as well as explores the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.  Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine. On return, we take a short drive to Ban Xangkhong, a village well known for its silk weavings and for its Saa (jute) Papermaking and 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. 

From there you will visit the morning Phosi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings. Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, and today you will visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, Hmong Village, Ban Ou, Laoloum Village and Ban Thapene, Khmu Village, then drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest trails. We return to the city by late afternoon 

We climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Mekong River. From there, we explore the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by the hill tribes and local people surrounding Luang Prabang. 
 

After breakfast at the hotel, continue our visit at the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham, Wat Mai. After that, transfer to the airport for the flight to Siem Reap (early afternoon flight).

Upon arrival, welcome by the tour guide in Siem Reap, transfer to check in hotel. Later transfer to have dinner at the local restaurant with Apsara dance show. Overnight in Siem Reap.
 

After breakfast, continue visiting the ancient capital of Angkor Thom starting with the South Gate of Angkor Thom which is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone. Bayon Temple - unique with its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces, Baphuon temple located in the North of Bayon represented of holy Mount Meru the residence of the gods in Hindu tradition. Finishing the visit at this ancient city by going around The Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Afternoon, visit Angkor Wat, highlighted by the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, carved on the walls and tell the stories of Hindu legends. This architectural masterpiece was constructed in the 12th  century and covers an area of about 210 hectares. Strolling around this massive edifice, seeing many galleries with Colums, libraries, pavilions, courtyards, and ponds full of water reflecting the towering temple. 

End of the day, visit Pre Rup Temple where you can calmly relax and enjoy sunset view. Return to Siemreap downtown. Overnight in Siem Reap. 
 

After breakfast, we explore the Angkor temples including Preah Khan, built by King Jayavarman VII to dedicate to his father, was a Buddhist temple at the original time and Takeo temple, a mountain temple built in a pyramid shape to represent Mount Meru, the mountain of the center of the world in Hindu mythology. Continue visiting the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm. There are enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers which embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man’s creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature. This temple is famous for being chosen for major activities of Tomb Raider acted by Celebrity Angelina Jolie. The next stop is Banteay Kdei set in a peaceful and quiet place, serving as a Buddhist temple. Its name means Citadel of Chambers. Then continue to Srah Srang – the Royal bathing pool which was once used for ritual washing. Lunch at the local restaurant.

Afternoon, drive to explore the less visited temples at the remote places including Banteay Srei or the Citadel of Women, a temple boasts a remarkable preservation of excellent stone carvings in pink color and Banteay Samre which is believed to be built around the same time as Angkor Wat, because the architecture is of the classic art of the same period though not much inscription has been found for this temple. Late afternoon, return to Siem Reap Town, visit the local market. Overnight in Siem Reap.
 

Breakfast at hotel.
If your flight is in the  afternoon, you will have a half day more for the sightseeing and shopping before the departure till check out time and transfer to the airport for the departure flight back to your sweet home. End of our services.
Please note: Hotel Check-out time is around 12.00.