Brief Information
Tour Route: Luang Prabang – Hanoi – Halong Bay – Hoi An – Danang – Hue – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Mekong Delta – Phu Quoc Island
Duration: 18 Days/ 17 Nights
Date: No fixed departure dates. You may go whenever you wish.
Start/ End: Luang Prabang/ Saigon
Tour Customizable: Absolutely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Luang Prabang Arrival
Day 2: Pak Ou Cave – Baci Ceremony at a Local House
Day 3: Kuang Si Waterfall – Bear Rescue
Day 4: Luang Prabang City Tour – Fly to Hanoi
Day 5: Hanoi City Tour
Day 6: Hanoi – Halong Bay
Day 7: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Fly to Hoi An
Day 8: Hoi An Walking Tour
Day 9: Hoi An Leisure
Day 10: Hoi An – Hue via Danang
Day 11: Hue City Tour (Tinh Tam Lake)
Day 12: Hue – Fly to Saigon
Day 13: Saigon City Tour
Day 14: Saigon – Mekong delta
Day 15: Saigon – Phu Quoc Island
Day 16: Phu Quoc Island
Day 17: Phu Quoc Island – Saigon
Day 18: Saigon Departure
Full Itinerary
Day 1: Luang Prabang Arrival
On your arrival at Luang Prabang airport, you will be welcome by our guide then be transferred to the hotel for check-in and relax. The rest for the day is your leisure to explore this city
Day 2: Pak Ou Cave – Baci Ceremony
Today, visit Wat Xieng Thong, with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. Then transfer to the boat pier to embark a private traditional boat to visit Pak Ou Cave, two connected caves containing thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues in with many sizes and shapes. En route, visit Ban Xang Hai famous for rice wine products and Ban Xang Khong, famous for Saa paper-making. This evening, join in Baci Ceremony at a local house. Then have dinner at Tamarind Restaurant – the must-try restaurant in Luang Prabang.
For your information
Baci is a traditional ceremony of well-wishing. It is used to celebrate on many occasions such as pleasing the house spirit, welcoming honorable visitors, farewelling visitors, and paying respect to seniors or parents. The Baci is often held within the family or in public.
During the ceremony, everyone sits around the “Pha Khouan”, a traditional bouquet of colorful flowers. An elderly of the village conducts the ceremony by leading preaches and good wishes. To convey them to you, white cotton threads will be bound around your wrists, called “Soukhouan”. T They should be worn for at least 3 days.
Day 3: Kuang Si Waterfall – Bear Rescue (B, L)
After breakfast, explore Living Craft Center by Ock Pop Tock and enjoy 30 minutes tour to learn about Lao handicraft and have a chance to see the weavers working to create local products. Then transfer to Khuang Si waterfall where you can splash around in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest trails. Once at the waterfall, visit Bear Rescue Center before hiking to the waterfall, where swimming is possible. Come back to the city, en route visit Buffalo Dairy Farm and have a scheduled tour to see how people make the dairy products from buffalo milk and have a chance to taste buffalo milk ice cream. End your day by reaching the top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view and the glowing reflection on Mekong River.
Day 4: Luang Prabang – Hanoi (B, L)
Today, wake up before dawn to witness and participate in offering alms to hundreds of saffron-robed monks – an awe-inspiring sight. You can do the offering or keep distance and observe in silence. Then return to the hotel for breakfast.
Afterward, enjoy a short guided tour seeing Wat Visoun then we visit Wat Mai – the holy temple and The National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a wonderful collection of the artifacts reflecting the rich cultures of Laos. Later, take a domestic flight to Hanoi. Welcome to Vietnam! You will be picked up by a local tour guide and driver then transfer to hotel. Relax for the rest of the day and overnight at the hotel.
Recommended Night Activities:
- Enjoy local beer at Ta Hien Streets and experience the ambiance of sleepless streets with live music
- Spend your time at shopping malls or various boutique shops.
Day 5: Hanoi City Tour (B, L)
Today, explore Hanoi, the city of over 1000 years old. First of all, reach the Ho Chi Minh complex which is built to honor the greatest president of Vietnam. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, his former stilt-house, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Museum and One Pillar Pagoda. Then travel to Temple of Literature, which originally built as a temple to Confucius and the first national university in Vietnam.
After lunch, visit the Museum of Ethnology, which is commonly acknowledged as the best in Vietnam and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnamese ethnic minority peoples or the infamous Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Hoa Lo is also known as the ‘’Hanoi Hilton’’ and was where former US presidential candidate John McCain was incarcerated for over 5 years.
The optional show tonight is My Village – Lang Toi at Tuong Theatre. Through Vietnamese music, dancing, acrobatics, juggling and bamboo, the show will tell you the cultural story of North Vietnam.
Day 6: Hanoi – Halong Bay by Private Seaplane
After breakfast, travel to the airport to take a private seaplane to Halong Bay. You will have a chance to behold this World Heritage Site from the bird eye’s view. Then embark on the Orchid Cruises and enjoy a warm welcome drink while receiving cruise briefing and safety instructions. After check-in in your cabin, cruise to Da Chong islet, where you can a lighthouse of 100 years old built by French.
Enjoy an International Buffet Lunch while passing the islets of Con Vit area with amazing limestone karst formations rising up out of the sea in an impressive manner. Later, arrive in Gia Luan and start a land excursion on Cat Ba Island with a visit to Trung Trang cave in the middle of Cat Ba National Park. The cave was carved by nature for more than 2000 years. The cave has many stalactites taking on various shapes that will awe and inspire visitors to use their imagination.
Visit the less populated areas at Tra Bau to enjoy the green emerald and cool water by swimming before returning to Orchid Cruises to enjoy the gorgeous sunset. Next, you are free to enjoy Happy Hour on the cruise or massage service. In the evening, enjoy Sumptuous Candlelight Deluxe Dinner prepared and served by wonderful onboard catering staff in an intimate romantic setting. The rest of the evening is your free time to behold the landscapes of the bay on the top deck, enjoy drinks at the bar, try night squid fishing, or massage services. Overnight on cruise
Day 7: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Hoi An (B, L, D)
Be an early bird this morning to behold the mesmerizing dawn at Lan Ha Bay then participate in an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck. After breakfast, continue your journey with kayaking on Frog Lake to unlock the hidden charm of the Bay.
Afterward, return to the cruise, check-out the cabin, enjoy lunch and tea ceremony to know more about Vietnamese tea culture. Farewell the cruise team later, disembark at the quayside in the south of the bay. Transfer back to Hanoi then take a domestic flight to Danang. On arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel in Hoi An.
Day 8: Hoi An Walking Tour (B)
Today, explore the Hoi An ancient town, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It used to be the vibrant trading center in the 17th and 18th centuries. Therefore, Hoi An is the melting pot of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese cultures. After breakfast, start your leisure walking tour around the ancient town to visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An.
In the afternoon, you can join in a lantern making class (optional). Ride a bicycle along the town to the home of a craftsman in the village. Here you will have a brief introduction to the history, shape, and color of the lanterns as well as the many stages of making them. You can make our own lantern and keep it as a souvenir. After the lesson, return to the town by a gentle bicycle ride.
Note: Bicycle can be replaced by cyclo if you can not ride the bicycle
Day 9: Hoi An Leisure (B)
The day will be free for shopping, strolling in the town, lazing on the beach, or whatever takes your fancy.
Day 10: Hoi An – Hue via Danang (B, L)
After breakfast, travel to Hue along scenic highway 1A through Hai Van Pass with the rich mix of mountains and seas. On arrival in Danang, take a brief visit to Cham Museum – the houses of the most complete collection of Cham Artifacts and Marble Mountain – the five elements of the Universe (water, wood, air, fire, and earth). Arrive in Hue in the afternoon. The rest of the day will be free for strolling in the town, or whatever takes your fancy. Overnight in Hue
Day 11: Hue City Tour – Tinh Tam Lake (B, L)
In the morning, board the Dragon Boat on the romantic Perfume River heading out for the countryside. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be the first stop of the day. Thien Mu Pagoda is considered the symbol of Hue, and of Buddhism in Vietnam. From here, rejoin our van and go visit King Khai Dinh’s Tomb and King Tu Duc’s Tomb.
In the afternoon, visit the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945, after exploring the ruins of this wonderful monument. We will then depart to the Hue Royal Fine Art Museum, which is housed within the former Dien Long An Royal Palace. Then have a trishaw around Tinh Tam Lake (Lake of Peace). Overnight in Hue
Day 12: Hue – Fly to Ho Chi Minh city (B)
After breakfast, you will be free until your driver arrives to take you to the airport for your departure flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, you will be greeted and driven to the hotel in the city center. After check-in, you are free to wander around the hustle and bustle city. Overnight in Saigon
Option: Saigon Vespa Tour after dark
This unique activity is specially designed for those who want to discover a different Saigon by night. The Vespa drivers are so skillful that you still feel relax and comfortable on the back seat. You will travel around all the attractions and highlights in Saigon and see how the nightlife is, colorful and brightening. You also try many kinds of local foods such as Seafood, “Banh xeo – Vietnamese pancake”, “Cha gio – a type of Spring roll”, “Bo xien nuong – roasted beef” and local beers…
Day 13: Ho Chi Minh City Tour (B, L, D)
Today, visit all the highlights of Saigon such as the Reunification Palace, a palace of old President in South of Vietnam during the American war; the War Remnants Museum where is the poignant display of the futility of war; Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, the iconic architectures in French colonial period.
After lunch, visit Cho Lon (China Town) and FITO Museum – the first and the most interesting museum on Vietnam traditional medicine. Then head back to the center to do shopping at the famous Ben Thanh market, this bustling and well-organized market is very popular with tourists, primarily due to its central location. Before dinner, you should spend time having a cup of coffee at the rooftop of Rex Hotel for the fascinating view of the whole city. Tonight, enjoy dinner at Luc Tinh restaurant – the best and most unique restaurant in Ho Chi Minh city.
Day 14: Saigon – Mekong Delta (B, L)
Today, travel to Cai Be and arrive at the pier in Phu An Hamlet. Welcome on board and fresh towels are served. The cruise will take you to visit Cai Be colorful floating market, cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables. Then proceed to Dong Hoa Hiep Island located between Vinh Long and Cai Be to discover beautiful landscapes along the river. Then visit Ancient Mandarin House dating from 1890 with a personal welcome by the House Owner, observe the activity of rice business at the biggest rice market in Cai Be while sailing to visit a traditional brick factory or to learn how locals build houses with palm leaves. Stop at local home factories to observe the traditional procedure of making rice ice paste, coconut candies and other specialties.
Lunch will be at “Le Longanier”, a superb Indochinese villa located by the river, in a lush tropical garden surrounded with fruit plantations. After a short walk along a beautiful canal, the excursion will end at Ba Bon Bridge where we will have our own private vehicle to drive us back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 15: Ho Chi Minh City – Phu Quoc Island (B, L, D)
Today, catch a domestic flight to Phu Quoc Island, the pearl in southern Vietnam. On arrival, you will be transferred to the resort to check-in and relax. The rest of the day is your leisure to enjoy the beach.
Day 16: Phu Quoc Island
Enjoy your free time at the resort or join in some short trips to explore the island highlights as Ham Ninh fishing village, pepper garden village, Phu Quoc famous fish sauce factory, pearl-cultivating farm. You also can try some diving and snorkeling or visit Phu Quoc former prison, An Thoi port, and Sao beach.
Day 17: Phu Quoc Island – Saigon
Feel free at leisure until the vehicle transfers you to the airport for the flight back to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon.
Day 18: Ho Chi Minh City Departure
After breakfast, you are free to relax at the hotel or explore the city before transferring to the airport for your flight home. Your luxury trip ends.
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