Vietnam & Laos Signature Tour
Arrival at Vientiane airport, Arrival airport, please go to the customs desk as your first point of entry to get visa-on-arrival into the country and pay stamping fees directly by cash to the customs office there then guide will pick you up outside and transfer you to the city for check-in.
Overnight at a hotel in Vientiane
An early morning departure at 7:30 am for the National Park at Phou Khao Khuay, the closest national protected area to Vientiane. You will discover the National Park under the expert guidance of a French orchid specialist who will tell you all about the different plants and wildlife.
You arrive in the village of Ban Hatkhay at around 9:30 am where you will be joined by two local guides with your freshly made Lao picnic. The Orchid Trek begins at Pha Say with its stunning view across a 40m deep gorge and the dense jungle. You follow narrow, shaded trails and discover the different types of forest in the park: semi-deciduous, tropical, and bamboo – extraordinary, unspoiled habitats. You have the chance to learn about the medicinal uses of the forest plants and also the other plant types that abound in the forest. You take your picnic lunch in a dry river bed (depending on the season). Your afternoon continues with a pleasant stroll to the waterfall at Tad Say before making your return to the village. You may be lucky and see some of the colorful butterflies and birds that live in the forest. Return to Vientiane is at around 6:00 pm. Overnight stay at your hotel.Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Vientiane
We will take the morning flight to Luang Prabang.
Upon arrival, we embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. En route, you will stop at Ban Muang Keo, a well-known village for its traditional Lao rice whisky distilling. You will arrive back in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon and continue by car to the outskirts of town to visit Ban Xangkhong, a village well-known for its wood paper making and also Lao silk weavings with natural dyes.
Arriving back in town, we will transfer to visit Wat Prabath to admire the sunset; this is a really peaceful place to catch the last beauty of the day. 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.
Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Luang Prabang
An 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, we will take a short visit to the morning local market near the Royal Palace. At the market, you can find anything from rice to fresh vegetables, steamed fish, frogs, and anything else that might be the day’s catch, just set up on the ground, this is what the locals do every day. This is the chance for you to get a real flavor of the local culture.
After breakfast, your car and guide will take you to Elephant Village. On arrival at the camp, you can stroll around to make friends with some very big elephants before enjoying the elephant riding about 1 km to the nearby jungle. We then transfer back to the center for the city tour. Along the way, we take a short visit to the tomb of the 19th-century French explorer Henri Mouhot; the first European to rediscover Angkor Wat and the Royal Kingdom of Luang Prabang.
In the afternoon, your city tour begins with a visit to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. One of our most important stops today is the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. After that, we will visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures.Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Luang Prabang
You are free at leisure until transfer to the airport for a flight from Luang Prabang to Hanoi – Vietnam. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Welcome to Vietnam! Please be sure your visa should be pre-arranged, or your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to the customs desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival.
Your private vehicle and guide transfer you to the hotel for check-in. The driving distance is approximately 45 minutes.Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi
The city tour begins with a visit to the 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 Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, or 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. Next, head for 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. 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 Hanoi
Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Halong Bay, which is about 160 km or a 3.5-hour drive away. The transfer is approximately 3 hours. 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 and you may stop on the way to admire the local scenery.
Arrive in Halong 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.
Arrive in Halong City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk when your journey across Halong Bay starts. Halong 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.
After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, go swimming on a quiet beach, or sunbath on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with an opportunity to interact with local people who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. An optional kayaking trip is available weather permitting. Back onboard enjoy a lavish dinner and enjoy the bay view at sunset. Spend a night on board.
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight on board
In the morning, refresh your body and mind with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Have tea and coffee onboard and continue exploring Ha Long Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Normally, check out at 09:30, and have a buffet brunch while cruising back to shore. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to the Hanoi capital.
Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to the airport for a flight to Hue. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes..
Arrival Hue airport, you are transferred to town by private car & guide. The transfer from the airport to the hotel is approximately 20 minutes. Check-in & relax.
Meal: Brunch
Overnight at a hotel in Hue
Morning, take a full day tour of Hue City, the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam for the 1802-1945 period and the last refuge of Vietnamese feudalism. The city’s beauty is characterized by a natural scenic landscape and an extensive variety of historical relics. Begin with Hue Citadel, a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site which is a 520-ha fortress-like grand complex built in the early 1800s and featuring 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. Continue to Khai Dinh Tomb, the burial site of Vietnam’s second-to-last king, and the most elaborate compared to other kings’ tombs. The tomb shows a vivid European influence in architecture despite its Asian style. Next, visit Tu Duc Tomb, one of the Nguyen Dynasty’s finest architectural works nested in a pine forest where the 4th emperor of the Nguyen family was laid to rest.
We continue to take a boat cruise along the Perfume River to enjoy the open view of the river and its surroundings. Stop along the way and land on shore to visit two prominent historical landmarks namely the Minh Mang Tomb, where the 2nd Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was buried, and Thien Mu Pagoda, an active Buddhist monastery overlooking the river from a vantage point with its origin dating back to 1601. Afterward, 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. Arrival Hoi An, check in hotel for overnight
Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Hoi An
Morning, meet our guide at your hotel and transfer out for a full-day city tour to discover the charm of Hoi An Today, 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 a total of 70 constructed by Cham Kings between the 4th and the 14th Centuries in dedication to the god Shiva. It is regarded as 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.
In the afternoon, discover the charm of Hoi An recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, which 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. Your sightseeing will include the 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. Return to your hotel
Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Hoi An
Morning, free at leisure until transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide. The transfer distance is approximately 30 minutes.
Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh
Morning, meet your guide and transfer about 75 km Northwest of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaled over 120 km in length. Its complexity was beyond imagination, containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches, and emergency exits all aimed at guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Return to the city at noon time for a rest.
Afternoon, your guide continues to bring you to visit the War Remnants Museum which features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of the Vietnam War with both the French and Americans, and the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975. Move to Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. Next, visit the Sai Gon Post Office, a fine colonial building that was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Last, stop for shopping at the French-built Ben Thanh Market which dates back to 1870 and whose main entrance clock tower has become a city’s symbol.
Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh
Today, you will be picked up and travel past miles of flat rice fields, along a bustling road to the Mekong Delta, the world’s largest delta and Vietnam's largest rice bowl.
On arrival in My Tho City, board a motorboat and navigate through intricate canals while observing the local daily life up close as well as the landscape of waterways and lush islands. Land on Thoi Son Island where you can listen to Southern traditional music performed by native artists. Next, you will change to a paddle boat to cruise through the narrow canals and visit households with traditional occupations of home-based coconut candy and rice-wine making. Continue to travel by motorized boat to another island to visit a bee farm, taste tea with fresh honey from the beehives and enjoy fresh fruits. On the return to My Tho, stop to visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, a prominent local Buddhist structure built in 1850 with a unique architectural mixture of Vietnamese, Roman, Chinese, and Cambodian styles characterized by a highly ornate façade. You might enjoy a lovely lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant. At the end of the tour, you will find the way back to Ho Chi Minh.
Meal: Breakfast
Overnight at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh
Meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to Saigon airport for a flight
Meal: Breakfast
- Accommodation in a double or twin room with daily breakfast
- One night cruise on a wooden junk in Ha Long Bay
- Lunch or dinner as specified in the itinerary (B=Breakfast/ L=Lunch/ D=Dinner)
- Services of a driver and private air-conditioned vehicle during all tours and transfers.
- Experienced English-speaking guide during all tours and transfers
- Private boat for sightseeing as mentioned in the program, Entrance fees for all visits as mentioned in the itinerary
- Mineral water is available as a complementary
- International & Domestic flight tickets
- Visa stamping fee at the airport (25US$ in Vietnam & US$ 30 in Cambodia, US$ 35 in Myanmar, paid by cash at the airport)
- Personal expenses, such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc. All other services not specified in the itinerary
- Meals, if not specified in the itinerary
- Tipping for guides, drivers, hotel staff, restaurant staff, boat riders, etc.
- Surcharge for Peak season, Tet Lunar New Year holidays, and compulsory dinner at some hotels & resorts on Xmas and New Year’s Eve
DESTINATION | 3 STARS HOTEL | 4 STARS HOTEL | 5 STARS HOTEL |
HA NOI | LA DOLCE VITA HOTEL | SILK PATH LUXURY HANOI HOTEL | PAN PACIFIC HOTEL www.panpacific.com |
HA LONG | SWAN CRUISES
www.swancruiseshalong.com |
ATHENA LUXURY CRUISE www.athenacruise.com |
MON CHERI CRUISE |
HUE | EMM HOTEL
www.emmhotels.com/en/hotels |
ELDORA HUE www.eldorahotel.com |
SILK PATH GRAND HUE HOTEL & SPA |
HOI AN | LE PAVILLON HOI AN PARADISE HOTEL & SPA | HOI AN CENTRAL BOUTIQUE HOTEL & SPA | ALLEGRO HOI AN (LITTLE LUXURY HOTEL & SPA)
www.allegrohoian.com |
HO CHI MINH | ACNOS GRAND HOTEL | EDEN STAR HOTEL SAIGON | MAJESTIC SAIGON HOTEL |
VIENTIANE | LAO ORCHID HOTEL | EASTIN HOTEL | GREEN PARK BOUTIQUE HOTEL |
LUANG PRABANG | SUNRISE GARDEN HOUSE | SOUPHATTRA HOTEL
www.souphattra.com |
SATRI HOUSE |