Tour Code:       C12M – GT

Trip Length:     14 Days / 13 Nights

Category:         Classic (Leisure)

Operate:          Year round / on demand

Destination:     Vietnam, Laos

I. DETAILED ITINERARY:

Arrival day. Greetings at the airport, we are transferred to hotel for check in and tour briefing. We can acclimatize ourselves with a walking tour in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City - the biggest city in Vietnam. A welcome Vietnamese dinner to be hosted by Latitude Journeys.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meet your private guide at hotel at 8:30 AM then drive through typical southern Vietnamese countryside to Cu Chi Tunnels. That’s an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. There is a chance to visit the underground shelters where the revolutionary cadres were living.

Leaving Cu Chi we drive back to  Ho Chi Minh City and the tour continues to the War Remnants Museum and the central market of Binh Tay and the Thien Hau Pagoda.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meet your guide at hotel and leave Ho Chi Minh City for Vinh Long early in the morning. On arrival at Cai Be, we’ll board a boat to explore the floating market, typical of the Mekong Delta. Continue by boat to Binh Hoa Phuoc Island to visit orchards of tropical fruits and have lunch in the famous Bonsai garden of Mr Sau Giao. After lunch we proceed by boat to Vinh Long Town for transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Morning flight to Danang. After a visit to the world-famous Cham Museum in Danang, and an introduction to the history and culture of Champa, we’ll drive to Hoian Town, 30 Km. south of Danang. Start from your hotel in Hoian and explore the town’s winding streets and centuries-old architecture, which combines Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese influences. Hoian was a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries whose architecture and relaxed lifestyle has changed little over the years. Highlights are the Chinese Assembly Hall, homes of the old merchant families, ancient temples, and the Japanese Bridge.

Overnight in Hoian.

We will depart our hotel after breakfast by bicycle and head out of town to the countryside.  We will pass over small narrow roads encountering water buffalo, bamboo bridges, and small ponds full of ducks on our way to the an organic farm. At the farm we will have a chance to learn how the locals work on the farm. Next we will go to the river where we will put our bikes on board and head downstream. Our first stop will be the palm paradise where we will paddle round basket boats through the narrow passageways that were used as a hiding place for the Viet Cong during the American War.  Next we will stop and visit with a fisherman who will teach us about fishing with a cast net. We will get to pull in the fish from the boat and then we will learn how to cast on land.  After that we will learn about the fishing traps on the river and get to use pull them up and see if we have caught any fish. Later on we go to the fishing village for a fresh seafood lunch at the local restaurant. Afternoon we take a leisure cycling along the Cua Dai beach return to Hoi An.  

Overnight in Hoian.

Today, we drive northward to Hue, and over the coastal route, into some of the most beautiful scenery in Viet Nam’s center region. Hue is the self-proclaimed intellectual and artistic center of Viet Nam, and we’ll explore Hue’s Nguyen Dynasty by visiting the Imperial Citadel, Ming Mang’s Tomb, and other important sites in Hue.

Overnight in Hue.

Enjoy a morning visit to the mausoleum of King Tu Duc, a replica of the King’s Palace, but built especially for his next incarnation. We transfer to Hanoi by domestic flight and upon arrival, tour Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a labyrinth of 36 specially designated “Guild Streets” which have thrived for centuries on the same trades.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Meet your guide at hotel and start a full day city tour of Vietnam’s capital. Hanoi is a unique city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples. We’ll see the city’s outstanding historical and cultural sites: President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ba Dinh Square, the Presidential homes, the National Assembly area, and an opportunity to learn more about the country’s constitution. We’ll continue to the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, and become acquainted with Viet Nam’s two major religions, Buddhism and Confucianism. We top off the morning by touring the Fine Arts Museum then enjoy lunch at a nice restaurant (on your own). We restart in the afternoon with the Museum of Ethnology where cultures of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups are depicted. We get back to the very heart of Hanoi for a walk around the Lake of the Restored Sword then explore the famous Old Quarter of 36 guild streets by rickshaw. Evening highlight is a performance of the internationally renowned water puppetry theater. Return to hotel and finish the memorable trip.

Overnight in Hanoi.

In the morning, we start our exploration day by a ride to Halong Bay, northeast of Hanoi and enter into the Red River Delta, rich with rural beauty and picturesque rice-farming villages. Not just pictures, we can stop for close-up views of  buffalos ploughing, women in conical hats scooping their paddies. Once reaching Halong Bay, we board our cruise and set sail for an extraordinary cruise of Halong Bay. Declared as the World Heritage Site twice for its nature beauty and geological by UNESCO, we’ll cruise through its three-thousand islands and rich rock-formations and stop at Ga Choi Island, Dinh Huong Island, Dog Island, Sail Island… You’ll be able to sample the rich seafood served on-board while viewing the islands. Late afternoon we have chance to explore the bay on our kayaks. We’ll close out the day by a romatic dinner and overnight on board.

Wake-up for sun shine and morning coffee then we take a bamboo boat to visit Sung Cot Cave – one of the largest in Halong Bay. We then continue our exploration by the cruise pass-by the city’s market – Hon Gai and enjoy our last seafood lunch on-board before get back to Halong City. Our car will take us back to Hanoi in the afternoon.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Free until transfer to the airport for flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to the hotel. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos. After a short rest, we visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham, Wat Mai; we then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred, gilded stupa as well as capture a beautiful view of the city and the Mekong River at sunset. From there, we visit the Night Market, where you can browse a lovely selection of handmade textiles, made by the local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

An optional 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. You will visit the morning Phosi Market where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings.

AM: After breakfast, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside as well as an interesting visit to the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. Along the way, we stop at the small village of Ban Xanghai, where the local rice wine is distilled. We return to Luang Prabang in the afternoon, on the way we take a short drive to Ban Phanom, a small village well known for its hand weaving.

PM: We continue our excursion toward Khouangsi Waterfall, en route, we visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, Hmong Village, Ban Ou, Laoloum Village and Ban Thapene, Khmu Village, then drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can splash around in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest trails. We return to Luang Prabang by late afternoon and continue to Ban Xangkhong, a village well known for silk hand weaving and for traditional Saa Paper making. We return to the city by late evening to observe the sunset at Wat Phabath.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

The National Museum (close Tuesday) at the former Royal Palace, displays a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign. The National Museum and the Central Market are not to be missed. We visit these sights in the morning before catching our flight back to Vientiane.

Upon arrival in Vientiane, we see the major sights of the capital; including the oldest Wat Sisaket, the temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. On the way to Lao’s national precious heritage, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we stop en route to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. We watch the sunset by Mekong Riverside and spend the evening here absorbing the city’s nightlife.

Overnight in Vientiane.

After breakfast, we visit the Morning Market and the weaving village of Ban Nong Bouathong (if time permits). The tour ends after your transfer to Wattay airport for departure.

End of Itinerary

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Tour Includes:

• Accommodation
• Meals as mentioned (B= Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
• Domestic Air Tickets (Ho Chi Minh City – Danang//Hue - Hanoi)
• English or French speaking guide
• Sightseeing fees and permits during guided time
• Additional surprises

Tour Excludes:

• International Air Tickets
• Visa fees
• Not mentioned services
• Tip and gratuities