INDOCHINA DELIGHT 16 DAYS

Your trip begins with arrival in Vietnam. Your private driver will meet and greet you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel by the private transportation. Check-in to the hotel and get over the jet lag. You can mooch through the streets of the city. Historic charm, architectural marvels, and products’ variety are splashed all over this area. After enjoying the first day yourself and return to the hotel for a relaxing sleep.

Meal: None

Overnight: Ho Chi Minh city

Time: start 8.00 – return 17.00 Itinerary: Start from Ho Chi Minh City and depart to My Tho. On arrived at My Tho, visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, a sacred place that is also one of the top local sights. Continue on to the harbor, where you’ll board a boat to explore the Delta region. During the cruise on the Tien River you’ll see the Phoenix, Unicorn, Dragon and Tortoise islands, and fishing villages, stilt houses and fruit plantations along the river. Stop at one of the islets for lunch in an orchard garden. Afterwards, you’ll continue on your sightseeing tour of the attractions of Ben Tre. A sampan ride will take you along the natural canals in the shadows of water coconut trees. You’ll get a real sense of the charm and tranquility of the area. Stop to visit a coconut fudge family business, taste some of their products and buy your favorite candies in the workshop. Savor fresh fruits as you sip honey tea and enjoy Southern Vietnamese folk music performed by locals. Take the bus and back Ho chi Minh City.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city

Time: start 8.00 – return 15.00 (Morning trip) Itinerary: Start from Ho Chi Minh City and depart for Cu Chi Tunnels. Traveling to this destination will take you about 1.5 hours. Understand in advance a part of the Cu Chi’s history and hardships Vietnamese suffered in the past through an introductory video. This overview also shows you information about the process of making the tunnel system and the Vietnamese’s endurance. When reaching Cu Chi Tunnels, begin discovering the permitted areas of the tunnel systems like living areas (bedrooms and kitchens) and martial facilities (storage, fiend hospitals, weapon factories, and command center). Crawling through tiny tunnels to explore the system is actually a great experience. After the exploring, sip tangy tea and enjoy cassava – the main food of former Vietnamese guerillas. The final activity is to try your hand at the real shooting gun. After this, you are taken back to Ho Chi Minh City. Later, transfer to the airport and fly to Danang. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in Hoi An.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hoi An

Welcome you at the hotel’s lobby. Riding bicycle to Hoi An’s colorful central market. Here you will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later. So make sure your camera is handy. Bike to Tra Que vegetable village. Welcome drink for rest and walk through the vegetable gardens where local farmers work on their fields, using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago, no electrical machinery here. Go to the restaurant & work together with the chef. Learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food. After the lesson, enjoy what you have cooked. Recipes: • Tra Que vegetable salad Tam Huu dish • Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake) • Hoi An spring rolls • Transportation: Bicycle • Departure time: 08:00 am & 14:00 pm • Duration: 04 hours • Activities: Cooking Vietnamese food Afternoon exploring the ancient city of Hoi An, a well-preserved South-East, Asian trading port. Wander along the UNESCO-listed streets, learning about the port's rich international heritage—evident in its centuries-old architecture—from a knowledgeable local guide. Meet your guide at your hotel lobby in Hoi An and begin with a walk to the Ancient Town. Walk along the narrow streets, lined on either side by ancient houses with clear Chinese, Japanese, French, and European architectural influences. Learn about the heritage of both international and indigenous cultures in the ancient port. Visit a number of prominent sites, ncluding the 400-year old Japanese Covered Bridge, and the Chinese-style Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall. Walk through the local fish market and enjoy free time shopping in the old town. At the end of the tour, your guide walks with you back to your hotel. Free in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Free day to enjoy the pool. In the afternoon, you can take a walk to explore the Ancient Town on your own including the Japanese Bridge, Phuc Kien Hall and Phung Hung old house typical of Hoian original architecture, Phuc Thanh Pagoda – the oldest pagoda in Hoi An built in 1454 with Chinese bonze. Hoi An is also famous for shopping includingg tailoring shops, handmade shoes, handbags.

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight: Hoi An

Have breakfast at the hotel, have a free leisure time until there will be a private cab transfer you to the airport, and ready for the next flight to HANOI. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight: Hanoi

The colonial capital city Hanoi is a unique Asian city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental pagodas and temples dating back thousand years ago. AM: 7.45 – 8.15: Free pick up at your hotel. Then visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to explore the architectural and historical aspects of Uncle Ho’s final resting-place. Just next door is Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts and lying to one side of the Mausoleum is the One Pillar Pagoda, which was founded by King Ly Thai To in 1049 - the structure has become an important symbol for the people of Hanoi. Then continue on to the Buddhist Tran Quoc Pagoda at West lake (In the pagoda’s garden stands a Bồ Đề (Bodhi) tree, which is attached to a past story. In 1959, on one visit to Vietnam, Indian Prime Minister Razendia Prasat offered the Pagoda a bodhi tree as a gift. The plant was grafted from the holy bodhi tree where Sakyamuni sat in zen (meditation) position and achieved enlightenment in India 25 centuries ago) Lunch at local restaurant. PM: After lunch proceed to visit the Ethnology Museum (apply on Sun, Tue, Thu &Sat), the Literature Temple, see Vietnam’s first university, constructed in 1070 - it’s gardens and well-preserved architecture will offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past. Take you past Hoan Kiem Lake to see the peaceful waters, and the beauty of Ngoc Son temple. At the end, journey through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, where you’ll then have a chance for some shopping and exploration. Then enjoy traditional Water Puppet Show Back to your hotel for overnight stay

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight: Hanoi

In the morning, check-out from hotel and get pick-up by the Cruise. Take a route most scenic to reach Halong Bay, taking you across the Red River Delta with emerald green rice paddies stretching for as far as the eyes can see. On arrival at Halong, you get to enjoy a cruise on the Bay to better explore the limestone rocks and the karst grottoes. After you are done with your exploration of the bay, it is time to enjoy an utterly delicious seafood lunch, after which a trip to the famous limestone cave in Ha Long bay, you’ll get to spend some time here, kayaking or swimming, so that you can get closer to the floating villages and shops. Towards the evening, you will return to the boat for an early dinner, followed by some time at leisure. You can opt to attend the activities taking part in the boat or relax for the day.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight on cruise

Rise early for a lesson in Tai Chi or just to enjoy a hearty breakfast. The boat will make its way back to the port stopping at the Limestone Cave, full of stalagmites and stalactites. From here, it’s clear sailing back to the main harbor and the return Hanoi around 17:00.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Hanoi

Have breakfast at the hotel, have a free leisure time until there will be a private cab transfer you to the airport, and ready for the next flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Meal: Breatfast

Overnight: Luang Prabang

In the morning, we will travel by boat up the tea colored waters of the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Caves. The caves are home to hundreds of statues of Buddha, big and small, that have been left by devotees. You’ll be amazed to see how many are crammed in! Along the way you will stop at a riverside Ban Xang Khomg village to see the famous weavers working on ancient looms before returning to town. Lunch included.

In the afternoon, we will visit to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre where you are able to observe valuable artifacts and traditional clothing and implements from each of the 20 ethnic minority groups which inhabit the Luang Prabang area. We enjoy a tour of the city's oldest temple, Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong where you can see the impressive “tree of life” mosaic set in colored glass. We’ll visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun.

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Luang Prabang

An early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning alms giving ritual to saffron clad monks. This tradition is unique to Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving this procession and we continue to explore morning market to have a sightseeing the sales foods on display. Transfer back to hotel for breakfast.

After Breakfast. Visit The National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture throughout the ages and also visit the Huean Chan, which is Luang Prabang Heritage style house so you can experience of Luang Prabang daily lives from this central traditional house.

In the early afternoon. We depart for a 1- hour drive south to one of Luang Prabang’s most picturesque sights, the Kuang Si waterfall. Once at the waterfalls, take a leisurely hike through the national park towards the Kuang Si waterfalls and pass by the Asian Bear Rescue Center. For the more adventurous, continue to the top of the main waterfall. Swimming in the refreshing waters is possible, although between November and January the water temperature is very cool. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the tranquil surroundings of the park before you transfer back to city. We climb up to Phousi. From there, we explore the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textile made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Breakfast at hotel and free leisure to explore the town until time for transfer to the airport for departure to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight in Siem Reap

After breakfast, visit to The South Gate of Angkor Thom: Bayon Temple, The Royal Enclosure, Phimeanaka, Elephant and Leper King Terrace. Continue visit to Ta Prohm (the Jungle temple). After lunch, visit to Thommanan, Chaosay Tevoda, Ta Keo: small, attractive temple in very good condition, build at the same time as Angkor Wat. Continue to Angkor Wat: The “7th Wonders’ of the World”. World Heritage Site since 1992, famous for its beauty and splendor. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology. Continue visit to Bakheng Hill: Sunset viewing on the top of the hill. Bakheng is the first major temple to be constructed in the Angkor area; this temple-mountain offers extraordinary views of the Tonle Sap and Angkor Wat (visit to Night & Pub Street)

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight in Siem Reap

After breakfast, visit to Floating Village, take a ride by traditional wooden boat on Tonle Sap Lake to experience the human occupations at the edges of the lake is similarly distinctive – floating villages, towering stilled houses, huge fish traps, and an economy and way of life deeply intertwined with the lake, the fish, the wildlife and the cycles of rising and falling waters. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. Afternoon, We will drive to the Pouk district about 15 Km in the West of Siem Reap town you visit the silk farm, a fascinating farm/workshop where you can see the entire silk creation process including growing the food for the silk worms, breeding the worms, silk extraction and refinement, traditional kit dying pattern creation and looming. Retail silk and souvenir shop. On the way back, visit the Western Baray (Baray Occidental) measuring 8 km by 2.3 km which provided water for the intensive cultivation of lands around Angkor.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight in Siem Reap

This morning, continue to visit Artisan D’Angkor, a handicraft center the Handicraft center for the wood and stone carving processes. Continue visit to Wat Thmey or Killing Field, contains a unique glass-walled stupa containing the bones of victims of the Khmer Rouge. Later, transfer to the airport and fly back home.