ID4: Indochina overview 11 days

Itinerary in Brief:

Day 1: Vientiane arrival (D)
Day 2: Vientiane – Luang Prabang (B, L)
Day 3: Luang prabang – Pak oucave (B, L)
Day 4: Luang prabang – Siem reap (B, D)
Day 5: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
Day 6: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
Day 7: Siem reap – Phnompenh (B, L)
Day 8: Phnompenh – Ho chi minh (B, L)
Day 9: Ho chi minh city – Cu chi tunnel (B, L)
Day 10: Ho chi minh – Mekong delta – Caibe floating market (B, L)
Day 11: Ho chi minh departure (B)

Itinerary in Details:

Day1: Vientiane arrival (D)
Upon arrival, you are met at airport  and transferred to the centrally located hotel, check in, relax. After a short rest, we start to visit the major sights of the capital; including the oldest Wat Sisaket with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. On the way to the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. From there, we visit the Central Market call "Morning Market" where you can find the antique items for collection, well handmade textile and gift away items. Overnight in Vientiane.

Day 2: Vientiane – Luang Prabang (B, L)
Breakfast at hote. We spend the day touring Lao capital, visiting the National Museum (Revolutionary Museum) where varied antique items and legend of Laos’s history fighters and leaders displace from the ancient times to new revolution period. We then board a short flight to Luang Prabang, which is perhaps the best - preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. UNESCO registered 1995 as World Cultural Heritage City. 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 Asia. On arrival, we transfer you to hotel. After a short rest, we are strolling around to see the Street Night Market, where you can find the lovely collection and handmade textile by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang, we then climb up to the top of Phousi Mount for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as viewing a beautiful panorama sunset over this once royal ancient city and the Mekong River. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 3: Luang prabang – Pak oucave (B, L)
Breakfast, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temple of impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham, Wat Mai, 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 boat embarking 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 local rice wine. On return, We  take a short drive to Ban Phanom, well known for its hand weaving. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 4: Luang prabang – Siem reap (B, D)
06:00 Early this morning you may want to wake up early and participate in the daily early morning ritual of saffron-clad monks with their black Alms-giving bowls being given offerings from the local people, including the ubiquitous sticky rice. This is the highlight of tour prior goodbye to this charming city. Breakfast, we then visit 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. We continue visit the silver smith’s and Fine Arts School and the Central Market are not to be missed. We visit these sights before we catch a flight to Siem reap. Pick up at Siem reap airport, transfer to the hotel, check in, relax. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Siem reap.

Day 5: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
Visit the Roluos Group. The monuments of Roluos, which served as the capital of Indravarman I (reigned 877-89), are among the earliest large, permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of Khmer classical art. Preah Ko erected by Indravarman I in the late 9th century dedicated by the King to his ancestors in 880. Bakong the largest and most interesting of the Roluos group temples, with his active Buddhist monastery just to the north of the east entrance. Lolei built on an islet in the center of a large reservoir (now rice fields) by Yasovarman I, the founder to the first city at Angkor.
In the afternoon, continue your temple tour. See the unique interior brick sculptures Prasat Kravan, the Srah Srang reservoir (known as "The Royal Baths" was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Eastern Mebon (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation) and the mountain-temple of Pre Rup until sunset.

Day 6: 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.
Afternoon, passing through the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Sunset at Angkor Wat.

Day 7: Siem reap – Phnompenh by speed boat (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, transfer to the pier to take the speed boat to Phnompenh. It take you around 5 hour on Mekong river to get Phnompenh. Pick up at Pier, transfer to hotel, check in, relax.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Phnom Penh city tour: 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 - 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 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 Phnom Penh during sunset.

Day 8: Phnompenh – Ho chi minh (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, free until transfer to the airport for flight to Ho chi minh city. Pick up at Tan Son Nhat airport, transfer to city center, check in, relax. Take a short city tour 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. After seeing the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War Remnant Museum, we continue our trip on to the bustling Ben Thanh Market where anything and everything is for sale.  Overnight at hotel in Ho chi minh.

Day 9: Ho chi minh – Cu chi 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 10: Ho chi minh – Mekong delta – Caibe floating market (B, L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Cai Be, stop for photos at Tan An town over the flat rice fields. Arrive to Cai Be, start the motorized boat to visit the Cai Be floating market, see how river life goes on, experience how people exchanging goods, fruit and many other commodities on their vessels. Visitors then roam into the small villages to visit the orchard, fruit plantation. Keep cruising to Vinh Long through small canals to enjoy the charm of the Upper Mekong Delta. Visit some hand made family business products such as the coconut candy mill, the crispy rice popcorn. Arrive in Binh Hoa Phuoc village the green pearl of Vinh Long town where you can indulge yourself into the nature. Have lunch with fresh river food served in the heart of the garden. Take a nice walk through the bonsai garden. Meet the car/van in Vinh Long. Back to HCMC.

Day 11: Ho chi minh departure (B)
Breakfast at hotel, free time until  transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Say goodbye Vietnam.

Thank you for traveling with Asia View Travel.

Accommodation Options

Tour includes:
• All accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotels
•  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 Vientiane – Luang Prabang, Luang prabang – Siem reap, Phnompenh - Ho chi minh
• Speed boat ticket Siem reap - Phnompenh
• 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
• Surcharge on 24,31 December and Lunar New Year
• Personal travel insurance (Compulsory)
• Personal expenses such as Telephone and Laundry bills
• Tips and gratuities