Highlights of Indochina 15 days

Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Check in and relax. (Your room will be available from 13:30.)

The rest of the day is free at your leisure. Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: N/A

Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

In the morning, embark on an excursion to the incredible Cu Chi Tunnels. Explore the underground tunnel system and learn about the lives of guerrilla fighters during the war, including how they worked, slept, ate, and attended school underground.

Return to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon.

Afterwards, set out on a city tour of the former capital of French Indochina. Visit French colonial landmarks, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Old Central Post Office, and the Opera House. Then continue to the bustling Chinatown, home to the famous Thien Hau Pagoda and Cho Lon Market.

Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

After breakfast, depart for Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta (a 2.5–3-hour drive). Stop at the Phong Nam brick kiln to see how bricks are painstakingly made by hand.

Board a boat and cruise along the Chet Say Canal, stopping at local workshops to gain insight into the local economy, including a coconut-shell charcoal factory and a coconut-processing workshop that produces coconut candy and other products. As the boat cruises through narrow canals, discover authentic village life in the Mekong Delta.

The boat will land at a quiet village, where you can take a short walk to visit a mat-weaving house and even try weaving yourself. Then, hop on a ‘xe loi’ (a type of motorized rickshaw) or a bicycle and ride through the village to see farms, rice fields, and vegetable gardens.

Stop at a local house for a delicious and filling lunch featuring regional specialties such as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp, accompanied by cold drinks or beer.

In the afternoon, board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. Then return to the main road for a transfer to the charming town of Cai Be. Check in and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Dinner is at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B, L

Accommodation: Hotel in Cai Be

After breakfast, begin your visit to the colorful Cai Be Floating Market by sampan. Your sampan will take you to several local home workshops, where you can discover the traditional process of making rice paste, rice popcorn, coconut candy, and dried longan.

Then, return to the hotel, check out, and transfer directly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport for your flight to Da Nang.

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel in Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

In the morning, enjoy a leisurely cycling trip through the rural countryside of Hoi An to Tra Que Vegetable Village, a small farming village located on the banks of Tra Que Lagoon, about 15 minutes by bicycle from Hoi An. Alternatively, you can travel by cyclo or private vehicle.

Join local people in their daily activities, including planting and watering vegetables. Then, learn to prepare some local dishes and enjoy lunch featuring the dishes you have made.

Return to Hoi An Town and explore its quaint streets lined with more-than-two-century-old Chinese houses. Highlights include the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Chinese Temple, and the Phung Hung Chinese-style trading house.

Dinner is at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B, L

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Spend the morning at leisure. Check-out time is usually around noon. Transfer to Da Nang Airport for your flight to Hanoi (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes). Upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport, our guide and driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Hanoi.

After a short rest, enjoy a walking tour of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, and Ngoc Son Temple. The tour will last approximately 3 hours.

Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

After breakfast, our guide will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi at around 8:30 AM for a full-day city tour.

First, head to the Ho Chi Minh Complex to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Uncle Ho’s House on Stilts, and the One Pillar Pagoda. Then, visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, located within walking distance of the complex.

In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays), where you can gain insight into the diverse ethnic groups living in Vietnam. Then, transfer to one of Hanoi’s most typical pagodas.

In the evening, enjoy a traditional water puppet show.

Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

In the morning, depart for Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (approximately a 3.5-hour drive). Arrive at the wharf in Ha Long City around noon and embark on a scenic cruise to explore the bay, renowned for its magnificent limestone islands and emerald waters.

Enjoy fresh seafood meals served on board. Overnight on the cruise.

Meals: B, L, D

Accommodation: Cruise

Wake up early to enjoy a spectacular sunrise over the bay. After breakfast on board, return to the wharf around noon and transfer to Noi Bai Airport for your flight to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel. Check in and spend the rest of the evening at leisure.

Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel

Early in the morning, from around 5:30 to 6:30 AM, visit Vat Nong Temple to witness the Tak Bat (Alms-Giving Ceremony), a must-see experience for travelers to Luang Prabang.

During the ceremony, devotees stand along the sidewalks, holding bowls of food, flowers, or incense sticks and waiting for the monks. Silent lines of saffron-clad monks walk down the streets to collect alms. Immerse yourself in these culturally significant moments as the ceremony unfolds in a peaceful and respectful atmosphere, with no words exchanged between the monks and local people. If you wish, you can participate in the ceremony. Remember to dress appropriately and take photos from a respectful distance.

After the solemn ceremony, follow your guide to a local market and experience its bustling atmosphere, which is sure to awaken your senses. As you walk past the stalls, you will have the opportunity to sample some local snacks. Then, head to a local restaurant for breakfast and enjoy a cup of coffee to energize yourself for the day ahead.

During your city tour of Luang Prabang, visit several famous temples, including Vat Xieng Thong, or the Temple of the Golden City, set in a beautiful garden on the banks of the Mekong River; Vat May, a capped sanctuary featuring a five-sided roof surmounted by three parasols; and Vat Visoun, the oldest temple in the city, which was once home to the Prabang Buddha. Then, visit the Royal Palace (National Museum).

In the late afternoon, climb Mount Phousi to admire the sunset, then explore the H’mong Night Market on your way back to the hotel.

Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel

In the morning, drive to the pier and board a traditional boat to cruise along the Mekong River to Pak Ou Cave, a sacred site also known locally as Tham Ting, which houses hundreds of Buddha statuettes. After visiting the cave, enjoy a home-cooked lunch in a nearby village.

Return to Luang Prabang and transfer to Kuang Si Waterfall. The journey to the waterfall is well worth taking your time over, offering scenic views of rice fields and opportunities to meet local people along the way. Weather permitting, you can also enjoy a swim in the waterfall pools.

Return to your hotel in Luang Prabang in the afternoon. Dinner is at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B, L

Accommodation: Hotel

Enjoy your free time at leisure until your transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap (approximately 2 hours).

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Check in and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel

In the morning, enjoy breakfast at your hotel before setting out on a full day of exploration. Begin by discovering the wonders of the magnificent Angkor Wat temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most remarkable man-made monuments in the world.

In the afternoon, visit Banteay Srei, known as the Citadel of Women. This temple is unique for its pink sandstone construction, a distinctive feature among the temples of Angkor.

On the way back to your hotel, visit the ancient Ta Prohm Temple, also known as the Jungle Temple, which was made famous by the movie Tomb Raider.

Meals are at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B

Accommodation: Hotel

In the morning, depart for Kompong Khleang Floating Village, located in the Tonle Sap Lake area. Explore the village and meet local residents and their children. Afterwards, board a boat and travel along the canals to the open lake, where Vietnamese communities live. Return to the village and enjoy a picnic lunch in a local villager’s stilt house.

In the afternoon, return to Siem Reap and visit Angkor Thom (the Great City) and the attractions within its walls. Begin at the South Gate, then visit the famous Bayon Temple, the spectacular central temple of the ancient city. Continue to the Elephant Terrace and the Leper King Terrace.

Dinner is at your own expense. Overnight at the hotel.

Meals: B, L

Accommodation: Hotel

Enjoy your free time at leisure until your transfer to the airport for your onward flight home or to your next destination. Check-out time is usually around noon.

Meals are at your own expense.

End of the tour.

Meals: B

Accommodation: N/A