Fantastic Indochina Tour – 17 Nights from Hanoi

Hanoi, the first stop for your Indochina tours. Upon arrival, our private Vietnam Tour guide and driver will welcome your Vietnam Holiday to Hanoi, a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of new Asia. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. A city with a blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace, an architectural museum piece evolving in harmony with its history, rather than bulldozing through like many of the region’s capitals. Hanoi is where imagination becomes reality. Free at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam with a long background of history and culture. Besides historical destinations, Hanoi is well-known for its beautiful lakes with the image of local Tai Chi in the early morning, tree-line boulevards, funny street vendors & special street food cuisine.

05:30 Wake up early and be ready for an amazing morning trip around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter – the symbols of Hanoi city and Hanoian. You will be surprised by seeing local Hanoians doing morning exercises around Hoan Kiem Lake as they are so natural practicing such strange Tai Chi in their own ways. Let’s see the way they do and join with them! From Hoan Kiem Lake, take a look at the Old Quarter as it is the only time in day you can enjoy quiet atmosphere.

07:00 Have breakfast with Pho – the most famous and popular dish in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular.

08:00 Transfer to visit Ho Chi Minh complex with first stop at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – a large memorial to the national hero – President Ho Chi Minh who led the country to independence and reunification. The Mausoleum is located at Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh President read the Declaration of Independence on 02nd Sep 1945 establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Then take a short walk to the Presidential Palace & House on Stilt. Near from Ho Chi Minh complex, One Pillar Pagoda – symbol of Vietnam with unique architecture of lotus flower is a must-see destination for all Vietnam tours. Our next stop will be the Temple of Literature which is the first university in Vietnam. It was constructed in 1070, first to honor Confucius and nowadays to celebrate the doctorates and high rank scholars of Vietnam.

After lunch time, we continue our Hanoi city tour to the Museum of Ethnology offering an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam. It introduces Vietnamese traditional ways of life from religious events to the symbolic rituals as well as displays a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas outside.

End the day with a short cyclo ride around the old streets observing daily life of Hanoian, take exotic photos of Hanoi traffic and enjoy a fantastic water puppet show.

Overnight in Hanoi.

08:30 Pick up at your hotel and take a smooth drive on new national highway to Sapa, passing beautiful sceneries on both sides of the road including countryside areas, rice fields and mountains.

14:30 Arrive at your hotel in Sapa, check-in your hotel and take a short rest.

16:00 Take a glimpse of Sapa town and you will have chance to see Sapa Stone Church and old streets.

Have dinner at a local restaurant (on your own) and overnight in Sapa.

From Sapa, we trek via Y Linh Ho through beautiful scenery to the Black H’mong Village of Lao Chai where we spend time looking around the village and learning about life in the village. We enjoy our picnic lunch in Lao Chai or at an appropriate spot.After lunch, we walk through rice terraces and on local paths to the Zay village of Ta Van. This is the only village in the Sa Pa area where the Dzay people live. We spend time looking around the village.

Then, countinue trek to the meeting point where our driver is waiting for us for driving back to Sapa.

Overnight in Sapa.

The markets in the Northern Vietnam are always the colorful meeting places for the hill tribes, spotlight for any Sapa Tours and of course, your unique Vietnam Tours experience. Minority people come down from the mountains to sell their products, or just for catching up on the latest news, gossip, drinking away troubles or seeking for lover. In the morning, drive to visit one of the areas weekly markets;

Market days:Can Cau Market – SaturdaysBac Ha Market or Muong Hum Market or Muong Khuong Market – SundaysCao Son Market – WednesdaysLung Khau Nhin Market – ThursdaysCoc Ly Market – Tuesdays

In the afternoon, drive back to Hanoi for overnight.

We start at 8.00 A.M for the 3 hour drive (170 km) through the Red River Delta, which offers plenty of chances for taking photos of Vietnamese farmers tilling the vast green paddy fields. At half way, we’ll have a visit to a handicraft workshop with fine clothes, embroidered paintings, stone statuettes and all kinds of gems mined in Vietnam such as star rubies or sapphires… Our destination is the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay. The bay offers some 3000 mountain islands and islets towering in the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Vietnam Sea.

Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed on board our luxury junk and treated with wine and fresh local seafood. As our junk gliding further into the tranquility of Ha Long Bay amid the towering mountain cliffs and on the emerald green water, you’ll have relaxing time combining the fine tastes of the wine and the freshness of Ha Long Bay. During the cruise, we’ll stop some times for visiting the amazing Sung Sot cave and the Ti Top white sand beach before anchoring for the night. Overnight on board the junk in the wild of Halong Bay.

It is said that your Vietnam Tours will not be complete without a tour to Halong Bay and spending one night on romantic Halong Cruise. People describe Halong Bay as majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious and words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is Halong Bay, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn from the hand of nature.

After breakfast, we’ll take a little sampan to visit a secret lagoon of Ha Long Bay while the surrounding mountains are just waking up. After that our cruise takes us further into the Bay of Bai Tu Long traveling past the Human Head Island, the Turtle Island, and the Duck Islet… to the studio site where the famous Indochine film was shot. Around noon, our junk travels back to the harbor, pick up and drive back to Hanoi. Stop in Hai Duong to visit the famous Con Son pagoda. Transfer back to Hanoi Airport for your afternoon flight with Vietnam airlines to Luong Prabang. Pick up and transfer to your hotel, evening free at leisure.

Overnight in Luong Prabang.

Luang Prabang is the perfect break during your Indochina tours. If you wish, get an early start (6:00am or so) and go watch or participate in the traditional Lao rite of Almsgiving to the monks. In the city, some 300+ monks file through silently collecting alms. This is an amazing sight and your guide will be on hand to demonstrate and explain this important ritual.

This morning, we visit Wat Xieng Thong (Golden City Temple), the city’s most magnificent temple by the Mekong. From here, we catch a traditional long boat trip up the Mekong river to visit the famous Pak Ou cave. The upper section of the cave is part of a limestone cave staffed with Buddha images of all styles and sizes. En route, we will also visit Ban Phanom, a traditional weaving village.

Overnight at hotel in Luangprabang

Leisure day in the morning or walking around the city for shopping or sight-seeing before our private Indochina tour guide and driver will tranfer you to the airport for the flight to Siem Reap at 13.00 p.m. Upon arrival at Siem Reap you will be greeted by your guide and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon you will have a tour of the Angkor Wat Temple before making your way to the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset over this ancient land.

Siem Reap is no doubt a surprise for your Indochina tours. Morning visit to the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, Terrace of Elephant, Terrace of Leper King and Pimean Akas. Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon visit to the famous temple of Cambodia, Angkor Wat. Overnight in Siem Reap.

This morning, we take a wonderful cruise on Tonle Sap Lake for 1hour, visit floating village and fisherman life, then back to visit Chantie Ecole-Artisan D’Angkor and Old Market. Lunch at local restaurant.

This afternoon, transfer to visit the base of Silk Village Phauk, it’s the village of Marble work, silk weaving and silk sewing and back to visit West Baray. Back hotel. Dinner at local restaurant and enjoy traditional Khmer folk performance of Apsara.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Free until our private Indochina tour guide and driver in Siem Reap will transfer you to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh. Arrive at Tan Son Nhat airport, welcome by our private Vietnam tour guide and driver and transfer to you hotel for check in. Ho Chi Minh, the most exciting city of Vietnam, a mecca of commerce, also a city with a chequered history and a rich culture, its pagodas, museums, public buildings, parks and boulevards make it one of the most delightful Vietnam Tours and cities to visit in Vietnam.

Free time at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh

Around 08:00 Tour guide pick you up in your hotel lobby, then driving 90Km (2hrs) to Ben Tre. The boat will cruise along the Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces including a brick works, a salt refinery, a coconut processing workshop and a mat weaving house. The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life, boarding your Xe Loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) and stopping at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch, featuring such local specialties as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp.

After lunch, it’s time to board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. You will back to the river to board your boat. Then, we will head back to Saigon and arrive at your hotel at around 17:00.

On this full-day program, you’ll depart Ho Chi Minh City at 08:00 for a pleasant drive through the countryside to Cu Chi.

Before entering the tunnels you’ll see a short introductory video about their construction. Spend the next hour exploring the tunnel maze. Also on display are various mantraps, the remains of an American tank, and numerous bomb craters created by 500-pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers.

Afterwards, you’ll head back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving at around 13:00.

In the afternoon your Ho Chi Minh City tour begins with a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office, fine examples of classical French colonial architecture.

See the Reunification Palace, one of the city’s most important buildings. Here on 30 April 1975 the American War officially ended when tank number 843 of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of what was at the time the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam.

Formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, the War Remnants Museum features poignant displays of the futility of war. The courtyard outside contains the spoils of war, namely rusting jets, tanks, and cannons captured from the American military machine.

Visit the bustling Ben Thanh Market, which is very popular with tourists, primarily due to its central location. It has a wide selection of goods ranging from fake Nike shoes to beautiful silk ao dais, the traditional costume for women.

The tour ends at approximately 18:00 and you’ll be transferred back to your hotel. Note that you have the option of staying on at Ben Thanh Market and making your own way back to the hotel.

This morning, we take a private car transfer to Phan Thiet (5 hours). Once a part of the Cham Kingdom, it’s now a perfect stop for Vietnam beach holidays and to end your Vietnam Holiday, an unremarkable town with a reasonable beach, some decent hotels, and a very good golf course. In a nice setting with white sand beaches and coconut trees, the beach resort of Phan Thiet is also endowed with amazing spots such as sand dunes, natural lakes and astonishing red canyons. Phan Thiet still has sizeable populations of Cham and Raglai ethnic minority groups. The former are a part of the area’s Cham heritage.

Upon arrival, check in at the hotel, free time at leisure. Overnight Phan Thiet.

Days are free at leisure for you to write about your Indochina tours experience or to explore the area including the fishing village of Mui Ne which locates at the far end of the beach, the village and several hectares of massive rolling sand dunes make a pleasant diversion from relaxing on the beach, swimming and windsurfing. The village is worth a visit for three reasons – firstly, very few tourists go further than the dunes, secondly, the small harbour is picturesque (there’s an excellent view from where the dunes road turns off) and thirdly, there’s an interesting pagoda where followers of Vietnam’s whale cult hold services and store skeletons of the massive sea mammals.

Overnight Phan Thiet.

Days are free at leisure for you to write about your Indochina tours experience or to explore the area including the fishing village of Mui Ne which locates at the far end of the beach, the village and several hectares of massive rolling sand dunes make a pleasant diversion from relaxing on the beach, swimming and windsurfing. The village is worth a visit for three reasons – firstly, very few tourists go further than the dunes, secondly, the small harbour is picturesque (there’s an excellent view from where the dunes road turns off) and thirdly, there’s an interesting pagoda where followers of Vietnam’s whale cult hold services and store skeletons of the massive sea mammals.

Overnight Phan Thiet.

Free time at leisure for you to wrap up your memorial  Indochina Holiday until our private guide and driver will transfer you back to Ho Chi Minh airport for your departure flight with the sincere thanks for traveling with Travel Vietnam. We hope that you have enjoyed your Indochina tours with us and look forward to welcoming you back for your next Indochina tours, goodbye and see you again!!!