ID6: Beauty Indochina tour 15 days

Itinerary in Brief:

Day 1: Phnompenh arrival (D)
Day 2: Phnompenh – Siem reap (B, L)
Day 3: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
Day 4: Siem reap – Saigon (B)
Day 5: Saigon  – Cuchi tunnel (B, L)
Day 6: Saigon – Danang – Hoian (B)
Day 7: Hoian – Hue (B, L)
Day 8: Hue city tour (B, L)
Day 9: Hue – Hanoi (B, L)
Day 10: Hanoi – Halong Bay on board (B, L, D)
Day 11: Halong – Hanoi (B)
Day 12: Hanoi – Luang prabang (B, D)
Day 13: Luang prabang- pak oucave ( B, L )
Day 14: Luang Prabang – Vientiane ( B, D)
Day 15: Vientiane  departure (B)

Itinerary in Details:

Day 1: Phnompenh arrival (D)
Pick up at airport, Transfer from Phnom Penh International Airport to the hotel, check in, relax.
Afternoon, visit the Victory Monument, and the National Museum, also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. A French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, designed it in Khmer style in 1917. The museum contains a collection of Khmer art - notably sculptures – from throughout the ages. Visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. Located within the grounds of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90kilograms and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha.
End your afternoon with the visit of the Wat Phnom Temple, Phnom Penh's namesake, from where you can enjoy views over the tree-lined avenues of the city during sunset.
Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel.

Day 2: Phnompenh – Siem reap (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel.
Transfer to Phnom Penh International Airport and departure by Siem Reap Airways International or similar to Siem Reap. Arrive at Siem Reap International Airport and transfer to the hotel (rooms may not ready until the afternoon).
In the morning, visit Prasat Kravan with its unique brick sculptures and Ta Prohm. One of the area's most beautiful temples, Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. Visit as well Takeo, Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Visit Preah Khan temple. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulders-hanging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Continue your visits to Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake and visit the temple of Ta Som as well as Srah Srang ("The Royal Baths"), undoubtedly used in the past for ritual bathing.

Day 3: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel.
In the morning, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat's five towers symbolize Meru's five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), until sunset.
 

Day 4: Siem reap – Saigon (B)
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning visit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. Transfer to the airport for flight to Saigon. Pick up at Tan Son Nhat airport, transfer to hotel, check in, relax.

Day 5: Saigon - Cuchi tunnel (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, drive to visit the Cuchi Tunnels. At the height of the Vietnam war, the tunnel system stretched from the outskirts of Saigon  all the way to the Cambodian border of over 250 kilometers of tunnels. The tunnel system, built over 25 years starting in the 1940s,  let the Viet Minh  and, later, the Viet Cong, control a huge rural area.  It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers.  In places, it was several  stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people who virtually lived underground for years.... getting married, giving birth,going to school. The ground here is hard clay, which made this whole thing possible. But even so, the planning and construction was incredible. People dug all this with hand tools, filling reed baskets and dumping the dirt into bomb craters. They installed large vents so they could hear approaching helicopters, smaller vents for air and baffled vents to dissipate cooking smoke. There were also hidden  trap doors and gruesomely effective bamboo-stake booby traps. Today, the trees and bushes have grown back. And since 1988, two sections of tunnels have been open for visitors.

Day 6: Saigon city – Danang – Hoian (B)
Breakfast at hotel, we start Ho chi minh city with the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975, and some French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Sai Gon Post Office, transfer to the airport for short flight to Danang. On arrival you are greeted and driven to Hoian, which was originally a Cham seaport but has been influenced down centuries by a myriad of traders from various cultures. Overnight at hotel  in Hoian.

Day 7: Hoian – Hue (B, L)
The ancient architecture of Hoian is a fascinating combination of Vietnamese traditional characters with Chinese and Japanese influence. There are plenty to see in this delightful and tranquil town, some of which are the famous Japanese Covered Bridges, the Pottery Museum, the 200 years old Tam Ky House, the Chua Ong Pagoda, the vibrant market. We visit these on our morning walking tour past many low tiled houses scattered along the small streets and assembly halls which reflect the town's multi-cultural past. Leaving Hoi An in the afternoon, we drive north to the old imperial city of Hue. Along the way, we make stopover at the sensational Marble Mountains, the Danang Beach and Danang City for a visit to the Cham Museum. We then follow the road crossing over the scenic Hai Van Pass before arriving in Hue, Vietnam's last imperial capital of Vietnam. Overnight at hotel in Hue.

Day 8: Hue city tour (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, we then set out for the exploration of Hue's famous highlights, including the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. Built in the 19th century by the Nguyen dynasty, the City was home to the former Emperors of Vietnam from 1802 until 1945. We embark on a boat for cruise upstream on the Perfume River which also gives us a taste of the scenic countryside as well as an enjoyable visit to The beautiful pagoda of Thien Mu. One of the most poignant displays here is a car belonging to a former monk, who in 1963, drove to Saigon and set himself alight to protest against the South Vietnamese regime and its treatment of Buddhists. Disembark the board for a visit the elaborate mausoleum of former emperor Tu Duc, Emperor Khai Dinh. On return to the city, we then take a walk to the bustling Dong Ba Market and pass many fantastic eating spots where visitors have a chance to sample some local delicacies.

Day 9: Hue – Hanoi (B, L)
Transfer to the airport for flight to Hanoi. On arrival in Hanoi, pick up and transfer to hotel, check in, visit. We the start city tour with 11th century Temple of Literature - the first University of Vietnam, the Restored Sword Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake) and Ngoc Son Temple. Do the walking and shopping in the Old Quarter, take a cyclo tour around Hanoi Old Quarter to understand more about simple life of Hanoian. Enjoy water puppet show- a remarkable Vietnamese art form that combines traditional music, fireworks, underwater puppeteers, and elaborate puppets floating gracefully over water . Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Day 10: Hanoi – Halong Bay on boat (B, L, D)
Breakfast at hotel and then at 8:30am start a 3-hour drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long City. Comfort stop en route for photos  before arriving to Ha Long City. We then transfer to a refurbished wooden sailing junk for a cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, giving us the chance to take in the stunning scenery of this World Heritage Site. While on board we will be served a sumptuous fresh, local seafood lunch followed by a swim and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. When the sun comes down we drop anchor for the night nearby a remote island..Overnight on Junk.

Day 11: Halong – Hanoi (Brunch )
Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay we have time for an early morning dip with joys and emotions for watching sunrise on sea followed by breakfast. This morning we continue to move around the bay to find more secluded areas . The junk will be near us at all times serving as a back up vessel for those that require it. At around midday we will return to the main harbor before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for a 3-hour journey back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi at  4:00 pm. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Day 12: Hanoi – Luang prabang (B,D)
Transfer to airport for the flight to Luang prabang. Upon arrival at the airport, you are 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 Phousi Mount for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Mekong River. From there, we explore Street Night Market, where you can find the lovely collection and handmade textile by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 13: Luang prabang – Pak oucave (B, L)
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 represent the classical architecture of Luang Prabang temple. We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a beautiful view of the tranquil countryside as well as an interesting visit to the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves, crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the distillation of local rice wine. On return, we take a short drive to Ban Phanom, well known for its hand weaving. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 14: Luang prabang – Vientiane (B, D)
The National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which 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, and the Central Market are not to be missed. We visit these sights , this morning before we catch a flight to Vientiane. Upon arrival , we see the major temples including the oldest Wat Sisaket, a temple of thusands of miniature Budha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. On the way to the famous, sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph, sunset by Mekong riverside and late evening, overnight in Vientiane.

Day 15: Vientiane departure (B)
Breakfast at hotel, free until transfer to the airport for your departure flight. End of tour.

Thank you for traveling with Asia View Travel.

 
Accommodation Options

Tour includes:
• All accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotels
•  2 days1 night cruis in Halong Bay
•  All tours & transfers in private air-conditioned vehicle
• Private English or French speaking guide
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary at local restaurant with local foods (B = breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)
• Boat cruise as stated
• Flight Ticket Phnompenh – Siem reap, Siem reap – Saigon, Saigon – Danang, Hue – Hanoi, Hanoi – Luang prabang, Luang prabang – Vientiane
• Entrance fees and permits for all sights visited
• Mineral water & towel
• Government taxes & Service charges

Tour excludes:
• International flights that not mentioned above
• International departure tax
• Vietnam visa arrangement (upon request visa on arrival at 15 USD, not including stamping fee at 25 USD)
• Cambodia Visa (available at the airport at 20 USD/person)
• Laos visa (available at the airport at 30 USD/person)
• Meals not indicated in the itinerary
• Kayak in Halong Bay
• Surcharge on 24,31 December and Lunar New Year
• Personal travel insurance (Compulsory)
• Personal expenses such as Telephone and Laundry bills
• Tips and gratuities