Morning, take a full-day city tour beginning with Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday, and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages, and outstanding Vietnamese scholars. 

Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History, or the Museum of Ethnology. Go to Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species, and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Next, take a one-hour cycle tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Ha Noi

Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. On the way, you will see some rural areas of the Red River Delta with plenty of chances to take photos of Vietnamese farmers working in paddy fields. Stop halfway to visit a handicraft workshop of fine clothes and embroidered paintings. Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk right after the welcome drink is served. Start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view.

Ha Long Bay means Descending Dragon Bay in Vietnamese as legend has it that it was where a holly dragon landed down from the sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2. The bay cruise will continue with up-close sightings of Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island, Sail Island, a visit to Sung Sot Cave, and a swimming stop at Titov Beach. Relax to enjoy the bay view at sunset, have dinner after, go fishing at 09:00 PM, and spend a night on board.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight on cruises in Ha Long Bay 

Wake up at 06:30 AM and refresh your body and mind with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck. Tai Chi is an ancient internal martial art often practiced in soft and gracefully slow moves to enhance internal harmony and vitality. Have tea and coffee onboard before proceeding to Titov Islet or SoiSim Island to trek and swim. Check out at 09:30, and have a buffet brunch while cruising back to shore. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Hanoi.

Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to the airport for a flight to Da Nang.

Arrival Da Nang airport, you are transferred to Hoi An ancient town by private car & guide

Meal: Breakfast,

Overnight at a hotel in Hoi An

Morning, welcome by our guide and begin to visit Hue Citadel, a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, which is a 520 ha fortress-like grand complex built in the early 1800s which features three enclosures separated by heavy ramparts namely Kinh Thanh Hue (Civic City) as the outer, Hoang Thanh (Royal City) as the middle and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden City) as the inner. Move on to Khai Dinh Tomb, the burial site of Khai Dinh, Vietnam’s second-to-last king, which is the most elaborate compared to other kings’ tombs. The tomb shows a vivid European influence in architecture despite its Asian style. Take an hour cyclo tour around the peaceful city.  

Afternoon, start sightseeing again with a boat cruise along the Perfume River for sightseeing and visiting two prominent historical landmarks namely Minh Mang Tomb, where Minh Mang, the 2nd Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was buried, and Thien Mu Pagoda, a Buddhist monastery still in use with its origin dating back to 1601. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hue

Morning, drive about 200 km from Hue to the Son River in Quang Binh province, where you take a boat trip to the famed caves at Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. The Park is one of the world's two largest limestone regions. In comparison with 41 other world heritage sites which have karsts, Phong Nha has dissimilar geomorphic, geologic and biotic conditions. The karsts of Phong Nha can be traced back to Palaeozoic 400 million years ago. This makes Phong Nha the oldest major karst in Asia. The area has numerous grottos and caves. Vietnamese and British scientists have so far surveyed a total of 20 caves with a total length of 70 km. Of these surveyed caves, 17 were in the Phong Nha area and three in the Ke Bang area. Following the narrow underground river, you explore the most impressive Phong Nha cave, from which the name to the whole system. The Cave is famous for its rock formation which have been given names such as the "Lion", the "Fairy Caves", the "Royal Court", and the "Buddha". Afterwards, you return to Dong Hoi for lunch before driving back to Hue.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hue

Morning, transfer to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass). Enjoy a stunning headland-and-bay panoramic view from the pass, which for miles hugs the mountainside along the shoreline and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. On the way, you will stop to visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture built in 1915 and housing the world’s most extensive collection of Cham ethnic sculpture artworks.

Afternoon, continue a Hoi An city tour to discover the charm of Hoi An as a renowned World Heritage Site. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Highlights for sightseeing include the town’s iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the local market vibrant with colors and activities. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Morning, meet our guide at your hotel and transfer about 40 km West of Hoi An to visit My Son Sanctuary, another UNESCO-recognized world heritage which was once a religious center of Cham people where royal ceremonies and burials were performed. The site now is a colony of partially ruined Hindu temples from the total of 70 constructed by Cham Kings between the 4th and the 14th Centuries in dedication to god Shiva. It is regarded one of the foremost Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia and is often compared with other temple heritages of Southeast Asia such as Angkor in Cambodia, Ayuthaya in Thailand or Borobudur in Java.

Afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Thu Bon River to enjoy the countryside landscapes. Land on Kim Bong village where carpentry has been practiced since the 16th Century as the village’s trademark to visit some old-fashioned boatyards using timber as the main material. Move on to Thanh Ha village to see its traditional ceramic production trade still alive and thriving despite the 500-year passage of time. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Full day free time for sightseeing and shopping. Late afternoon, I transferred to the Airport in Danang for a flight to Siem Reap.  Arrival Siem Reap, meet our local guide and transfer to the hotel for check in.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap

In the morning, visit to the antique capital of Angkor Thom (12 century) : the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. After your rest, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap

Morning: (start tour by 8:00AM), visit an ancient Hindu temple at the countryside, BANTEAY SREY (citadel of women, 35 Km north of Siem Reap), was built from 968-1001 AD, is dedicated to Shiva God. In Cambodia it is a unique pink sandstone temple which has the most beautiful deep carvings. Afternoon:  Beng Mealea (Beng Mealea temple was built in the 12 century, the layout and style of Beng Mealea is very similar to Angkor Wat. Its current state, however, is dominated by jungle. Trees have grown out of the towers and vines entangle columns. Lintels and others building blocks lay around in a tumble and require visitors to climb up and down as they approach the completely collapsed central towers. Ancient capital of Khmer Empire of Rolouse group such as Lolei, Bakong and Preah Ko temples.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap

Morning, pick up from your hotel for an excursion to visit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen's "floating village" with floating schools, a floating police station, etc. It is the same as a big village floating on the lake, and the "village" moves from place to place following water levels and current. Next visit the Old Market where you can see the fresh local produce being sold as well as browse the souvenir stalls

Afternoon, free at leisure until transfer to Airport in Siem Reap flight to Luang Prabang.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Luang Prabang

Full day city tour begins with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts.  We then head to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. A visit to Luang Prabang would be incomplete without ascending the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view of the city and its glowing reflection on the Mekong River. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Luang Prabang

I

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. 

Today we embarked on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, firstly stopping at Xieng Mene, where we visited Wat Rong Khun, and the limestone cave Tham Sakkarin, and a tour around Ban Xieng Mene village. Following a picnic lunch, we then continue by boat up the Mekong which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside as well as time to explore 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 Xang Hai, where they make the local rice wine. On return, we take a short drive to Ban Phanom, a small village known for its hand weaving. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Luang Prabang

Morning, we drove to the Living Land Lao Organic farm at Phoung Van village. Your guide and the representative of the farm briefs about the historical and activity of the farm.  Today I attended a half day of rice experience including a growing ride until stream ride. We also have time to visit the Organic products after the rice experience. 

In the afternoon, drive to the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfall where you can splash around in the pools or walk along the forest paths. Before coming back to Luang Prabang, we still have time to visit Kuang Si Falls Butterflies Park, newly opened January 2014; it is now one of the must-see spots in Luang Prabang. We return to the city by late evening, for observing the sunset at Wat Siphouthabath. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Luang Prabang

You are free to strolling around this charming town before taking the departure flight