Essence of Vietnam & Laos Tour

Today you will fly to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, our guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to relax.

This morning set out for the incredible underground Cu Chi Tunnels and then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City to visit the War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace (the former Presidential Palace), the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office and Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat) absolutely nice choices for a free stroll.

In the early morning, you will head out of the bustling city to Mekong Delta Area. Cruising on the Mekong river for sightseeing: islands of Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle, Phoenix. 

Land on Unicorn island, take a walk on the village road, visit an orchard of tropical fruits. Visit a bee-farm, enjoy honey-tea and visit a typical house in Mekong Delta. Visit coconut candy workshop, taste fresh candies. Enjoy tropical fruits at local farm, listen to Southern traditional music. 

Next to land on Dragon island, transfer by cyclo or motorbike to local home. Have a homemade lunch and enjoy cooking time with some dishes such as “Banh Xeo” (Vietnamese crepe); Spring Rolls.... with the owners. After lunch, return to boat station. Transfer back to Saigon. End of tour at your hotel.

Your guide will escort you to the airport for your flight to Hanoi. On arrival, your private guide will welcome you at the arrival hall and transfer you to your hotel with a private car and driver. Your guide will help you with luggage and hotel check-in and ensure your arrival is worry-free.

Today you'll jump into Hanoi's sights and sounds on a tour that covers all the essentials. You'll visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes the Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh's former stilt-house residence, The Hoa Lo Prison, The One Pillar Pagoda and The Temple of Literature, which, dating back to 1070, is Vietnam’s oldest university.

After lunch, you will explore the enthralling Museum of Ethnology, which contains an extensive display of life-size structures dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities. Next, enjoy an hour-long cyclo ride winding through the narrow, chaotic streets of the Old Quarter - a must for any visitor to Hanoi! The day finishes with a traditional performance of the famous Vietnamese Water Puppets Show.

After breakfast, you will take a private transfer for about 3 hrs to Halong City, where you will begin your one and a half days' Halong Bay cruise. You will board the tradtional Vietnamese junk in the afternoon and cruise around the Halong Bay's limestone islets and caves doted the sea and see the sun set over the clam waters at the deck. Enjoy a wonderful dinner at evening. All meals are included during your stay on board. There are also a variety of optional activities waiting for you. Such as swimming, kayaking, diving...etc.  

Wake up early this morning to catch the sunrise over the bay with a Tai Chi lesson on the sundeck. Continue cruising and you can choose either kayak or traditional rowing boat to around discovering local life on the waters. Disembark at Tuan Chau International Passenger Port at around 11:00, where your guide and driver will wait for you and drive you to Hanoi airport for your onward flight (arrive at the airport at around 1:30 pm).  

Today you will fly to Vientiane. Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met by your private guide and escorted to check in the hotel.

Enjoy this guided tour to discover the charms of Vientiane, the quietest capital of South West Asia. Our tour begins with Wat Sisaket which was built in the Siamese style of Buddhist architecture, with a surrounding terrace and five-level ornate roof, unlike the Lao style. Wat Sisaket has a fence wall with more than 2,000 ceramic Buddha images and silver. Our next visit will be Wat Phra Kaew built between 1556 and 1565, it was the first housed the Emerald Buddha, who now reside in Wat Phra Keaw in Bangkok. The temple was destroyed many times and was rebuilt for the third time by the French in the 1920s.

On the way to the famous sacred stupa of That Luang, a golden-covered Buddhist stupa, the most important national monument in Laos and a national symbol, we will visit the imposing monument of Phatuxay. The Victory Gate or the Triumphal Gate was built and dedicated to what was fought in the struggle for independence against France. Then we will visit COPE Centre. 

Our day will end with a visit to Sao Talat or Morning Market, where you can find an abundance of locally made handicrafts.

Your private guide will accompany you to the Railway Station, you will take the high-speed train heading to Luang Prabang (no guide is proved on the train / Travel time 1h 55m). 

Your guide and passionate foodie will welcome you in the lobby of your accommodation at around 6 pm. Confirming that your stomach is empty and you’ve built quite an appetite, the first stop of this gastronomical evening of local delicacies brings you to a small street stall that serves Khaonom Krok (Lao coconut cakes). From this non-guidebook open-air “creperie”, it is on to the next stop and where else than the Luang Prabang Night Market. Brimming with life, the market is also a haven for local dining establishments with a specialty for Sai Oua (Lao sausage), Khao Soi, and the almighty papaya salad, Laotian style. A dedicated street fills a hungry void and in the evenings, locals sit shoulder to shoulder while savoring what’s been cooking. 

We end the evening with a bit of hands-on cooking; set along the Mekong, a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) barbeque has long been a favorite pastime for Laotians to gather around, share stories, drink a few glasses and BBQ the night away. A Korean concept that truly has transformed into a Laotian concept where vegetables, meat and condiments are put on a hot plate, and sizzle until it is ready to be served to yourself, is now shared with non-Laotians with still some room to spare to eat. The evening comes to an end at around 9 pm when your guide brings you back to your accommodation in Luang Prabang.

Get up early to observe the Buddhist Alms Giving Ceremony at 5:40 am if you like. And then take a short visit to the Morning Market. In the afternoon, you will take a trip to local villages of Lao minority groups at Ban Ouay Village. Then drive to the wonderful Kuang Si Waterfalls where you can splash around in the turquoise pools or wander around in the forest trails. Later, go back to the city to catch the sunset at Wat Phabath.

The first visit today will be Wat Xieng Thong. This 15th-century wat is the most important in Luang Prabang and one of the most important in the entire country. Until the revolution of 1975, Wat Xieng Thong was a royal temple, supported by the royal family. During the 1960s, Wat Xieng Thong was completely remodeled and redecorated, becoming the splendid temple we see today. Walk down a few steps from the temple to the Mekong River, where you'll board a traditional slow boat for the next part of the journey.

We will stop to visit the holy Tam Ting Caves (also called the Pak Ou caves), where the Nam Ou River meets the Mekong. This is a site of ancient spiritual significance, both Buddhist and animist. Within the two caves of Tam Ting are stupas, shrines, and carvings of Buddha. Over 4,000 wooden figures of Buddha, many highly ornate, stand within the natural limestone caves, a testament to the skill of Lao craftsmen through the centuries.

From the boat landing, it's a short walk to Wat Mai (“New Monastery”) built in 1796. It was given its present name following the restoration undertaken by King Manthathourat in 1821. The most striking feature of the temple is the gilded relief panels covering the front facade.  Next to Wat Mai is the old Royal Palace (Haw Kham), which is now the National Museum (closed on Tuesday and Sunday afternoon). It houses many religious and cultural treasures, including the royal throne of the Lane Xang kingdom in its original splendor, and preserves some of daily royal life up to 1975. The museum provides information about its exhibits in English, and your guide will be able to offer additional explanations about the artifacts inside.

We'll end the day tour atop Phou Si Hill. The steps to the top of the hill are studded with small shrines. The gilded stupa at the top of the hill is built on a large rock outcropping. Next to the stupa is a small wiharn (chapel) for prayers. From the top, you'll enjoy a sunset view of the gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city and surrounding landscape, the meeting of two rivers, and the curve of the Mekong as flows into and around the town. Coming down the other side of the hill, we'll pass part of Wat Phra Buddabhat (Buddha's Footprint Temple) and its quirky statues.

Free at leisure until your guide comes and escorts you to the airport for your onward flight.