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Day 1: Hanoi - Arrival

Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport and transfer to hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Overnight at Zephyr Hotel 4 star in Hanoi  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Dinner inclusive)

Day 2: Hanoi - Bat Trang - Hai Phong – Ha Long Bay

Drive to Bat Trang, the famous pottery village about 15km from Hanoi, which is surrounded by fertile farmland. Watch the artisans form, paint and glaze their products, which are then baked for several days in huge kilns. Proceed to Haiphong, the largest port in North Vietnam, 102 km East of Hanoi. Short orientation tour: Du Hang Pagoda and Hang Kenh Communal House, both with fine examples of traditional woodcarvings. After lunch time, continue to Halong Bay.

Overnight at Ha Long Plaza Hotel in Halong City  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 3: Halong Bay - Hanoi

Discover Halong Bay, listed as a World Heritage Area of outstanding natural beauty. “Dragon descending to the sea“ as it is known in Vietnamese, picturesque Halong Bay has more than 1,000 limestone islets rising from the sea, many of them containing beautiful grottoes. Enjoy a relaxing 5-hour boat trip through Halong Bay, fresh Seafood lunch is prepared and served on board. Afternoon, drive back to Hanoi.

Overnight at Zephyr Hotel 4 star in Hanoi "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast, lunch inclusive)

Day 4: Hanoi City Tour

This day, we have full day city tour: Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (closed on Monday and Friday and the whole months of October-November), Ho Chi Minh’s Residence, One-Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, built in the 11th century as Vietnam’s first university. Afternoon visit of Museum of Ethnology, Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son Temple and Old Quarters.

In the evening, attend the famous performance of a water puppet show, the unique Vietnamese traditional art.

Overnight at Zephyr Hotel 4 star in Hanoi  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 5: Hanoi - Cuc Phuong National Park - Ninh Binh

Drive to Cuc Phuong National Park. 3 hours easy trekking to discover the rich flora of the park. The landscape of Cuc Phuong is a wonderfully rich ecosystem. The rocky outcrops of Cuc Phuong contain very valuable archeological vestiges such as a fossilized sea reptile, dated at 200 - 230 million years old and evidence of prehistoric people, who lived in the forest some 7500 years ago. Drive to Ninh Binh.

Overnight at Hotel in Ninh Binh  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 6: Ninh Binh - Hoa Lu - Tam Coc - Phat Diem - Ninh Binh

Drive to Tam Coc, often called “Dry Halong Bay”. Limestone rocks rise from rice fields and winding streams. Enjoy the spectacular scenery during a leisurely boat ride in traditional local sampans to Tam Coc caves. Lunch at local restaurant. Visit Bich Dong Pagoda and Temples of the Dinh and Le Dynasties. Proceed to Phat Diem and visit the stone church, a striking architectural complex in the style of a Vietnamese pagoda. Return to Ninh Binh for overnight.

Overnight at Hotel in Ninh Binh  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 7: Ninh Binh - Dong Hoi

Full day drive to Dong Hoi through charming rural scenery, which offers a glimpse into the life in the southern Red River Delta.

Overnight at Hotel in Dong Hoi  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 8: Dong Hoi - Phong Nha Cave - Vinh Moc Tunnels - Hue

55km to the north-west of Dong Hoi is you will find Phong Nha Cave which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The cave has many kilometres of underground passageways and river caves, the main cavern is almost 8km long. Drive to beautiful Phong Nha Caves, accessible by boat on the clear waters of the Son Rivers. Proceed south to visit Vinh Moc Tunnels, dug to accommodate an underground village safe from American air raids in the north of the DMZ. Continue driving through the sites of the fierce battle fields of Vinh Linh, Doc Mieu and Dong Ha before arriving in Hue, the former Royal City of the 13 ruling Nguyen dynasties.

Overnight at Imperial Hotel 5 star in Hue "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 9: Hue City Tour

Boat ride on the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda and Minh Mang Tomb. Visit Imperial Citadel with its Forbidden City and Tu Duc Tomb.

Imperial City: This is in the Citadel and wad built in the early 19th century and modeled after Forbidden City in Peking. There are numerous palaces and temples within these walls, as well as towers, a library and a museum.

Ngo Mon gate: This is the principal entrance to the Imperial Enclosure and faces the Flag Tower. The central passageway with its yellow doors was reserved for use by the emperor, as wad the bridge across the lotus pond.

Thai Hoa Palace: built in 1803 and moved to its present site in 1833, Thai Hoa Palace is a spacious hall with ornate roof of huge timbers supported by 80 carved and lacquered columns.

Halls of the mandarins: these buildings, in which the mandarins prepared for court ceremonies, held in Can Chanh reception hall, was restored in 1977.

Nine Dynastic Urns: These were cast in 1835-36. Traditional ornamentation was then chiseled into the sides of the urns each dedicated to a different Nguyen sovereign.

Overnight at Imperial Hotel 5 star in Hue   "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 10: Hue - Danang - Hoi An

Departure for Danang. The scenic 4-hour drive via Hai Van pass offers spectacular views of mountains, sea, idyllic beaches and villages. Visit Cham Museum then continue to Marble Mountains with its beautiful grottoes and temples, which can be reached by climbing steep steps (please wear appropriate shoes). We continue further south to the charming historic city of Hoi An.

Overnight at Golden Sand Resort 5 star in Hoi An   "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 11: Hoi An Sightseeing

Known to early Western merchants, Hoi An was one of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century. Hoi An has a distinctive Chinese atmosphere with low, tiled-roof houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets is still virtually intact. Many of the houses were constructed of rare timbers and decorated with lacquer panels engraved with Chinese characters and pillars carved with ornamental designs. During a leisurely discovery tour on foot you will visit some of the historic merchant and community houses, places of worship and famous bridges. Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight at Golden Sand Resort 5 star in Hoi An   "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 12: Hoi An - Danang - Nha Trang

In the morning, drive to Danang and transfer to airport for flight to Nha Trang. Visit Long Son Pagoda and Po Nagar Cham Tower, a sacred Hindu site dating back to the 2nd century AD. The town was built between the 7th and 12th centuries and is still used today as a place of pilgrimage for the Cham and Vietnamese Buddhists.

Overnight at VinPeart in Nha Trang  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 13: Nha Trang – relax on beach

We have full day free at leisure for your own activities

Overnight at VinPeart in Nha Trang   "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 14: Nha Trang - Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Leisure time until transfer to airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival transfer to hotel for check in. A half day for City tour: War Museum, the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral, photo stop at the former Presidential Palace. Continue to Chinatown and visit Thien Hau Pagoda and a local market.

Overnight at Windsor Plaza hotel 5 star in Ho Chi Minh City  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 15: Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh/ Cu Chi Tunnels - Ho Chi Minh City

Drive to Cu Chi and visit the amazing complex of underground tunnels. There are more than 200 km of underground tunnels, comprising a main axis system with many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters and other tunnels. Proceed to Tay Ninh, center of the Cao-Dai religion founded in 1926, a combination of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Confucianism. You will have the opportunity to watch the worshippers in their white long tunics during noon mass. Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight at Windsor Plaza hotel 5 star in Ho Chi Minh City  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 16: Ho Chi Minh City - Ben Tre - Can Tho

Starting the morning tour to My Tho. Visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda en route and stop by the bank of Tien Giang river. Take a boat trip on Mekong River to Phoenix Island, where local handicrafts and sweets from coconut are being produced. Enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and traditional live music and song performance. Take a short ride on a horse carriage to a typical local house to taste some homemade honey-tea. Proceed by small sampan boats through the small canals and side arms of the river to observe the daily life along the river banks with a stop and short leisurely walk around Turtle Island. Drive to Can Tho and transfer to hotel for check-in.

Overnight at Victoria in Can Tho  "Guaranteed Hotel"

 (Breakfast inclusive)

Day 17: Can Tho - Soc Trang - Chau Doc

Boat trip on Mekong river to visit Cai Rang floating market. There will be opportunity to watch local villagers producing rice paper, pop-rice, and rice husking. Continue by car to Soc Trang to visit Clay Pagoda and Khmer Museum. In the afternoon, drive to Chau Doc, with an en route visit by boat to the Bang Lang stork sanctuary in Thot Not.

Overnight at Victoria Chau Doc in Chau Doc  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 18: Chau Doc - Ho Chi Minh City

Visit Lady Xu Temple, Thoai Ngoc Hau Temple, Tay An Pagoda and take a boat trip to the Islamic Champa village. Depart Chau Doc, drive back Ho Chi Minh City and transfer to hotel.

TEMPLE OF LADY XU

Founded in the 1820s, the Temple of Lady Xu (Mieu Ba Chua Xu) faces Sam Mountain, not far from Tay An Pagoda. The first building here was made of bamboo and leaves; the last reconstruction took place in 1972.

According to legend, the statue of Lady Xu used to stand at the summit of Sam Mountain. In the early 19th century Siamese troops invaded the area and, impressed with the statue, decided to take it back to Thailand. But as they carried the statue down the hill, it became heavier and heavier, and they were forced to abandon it by the side of thepath.

TAY AN PAGODA

This pagoda is renowned for the fine carving of its hundreds of religious figures, most of which are made of wood. Aspects of the building's architecture reflect Hindu and Islamic influences. The first chief monk of Tay An Pagoda (founded in 1847) came from Giac Lam Pagoda in Saigon. Tay An was last rebuilt in 1958.
The main gate is of traditional Vietnamese design. Above the roof are figures of lions and two dragons fighting for possession of pearls, chrysanthemums, apricot trees and lotus blossoms. Nearby is a statue of Quan Am Thi Kinh, the Guardian Spirit of Mother and Child.

In front of the pagoda are statues of a black elephant with two tusks and a while elephant with six tusks. Around the pagoda are monks' tombs. Inside are Buddha statues adorned with psychedelic disco lights.

Overnight at Windsor Plaza hotel 5 star in Ho Chi Minh City   "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 19: Ho Chi Minh City – Siem Reap

Arrive at Siem Reap International Airport and transfer to the hotel. 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 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.

Overnight at Angkor Century Hotel 4 star in Siem Reap  "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 20: Angkor- the City of Temples

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.

Visit 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.

Overnight at Angkor Century Hotel 4 star in Siem Reap   "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 21: An early bird special

Transfer to the archaeological site for sunrise from Phnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat.

Return to the hotel for breakfast.

Morning, transfer to Banteay Srei temple (10th century), regarded as the jewel in the crown of Classical Khmer Art. Continue to 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.

In the afternoon, you continue your temple visits to Preah Khan. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som and Banteay Samre, built in the third quarter of the 12th century. It consists of a central temple with four wings preceded by a hall and accompanied by two libraries, the southern example remarkably well preserved. Two concentric walls enclose the ensemble.

Overnight at Angkor Century Hotel 4 star in Siem Reap   "Guaranteed Hotel"
(Breakfast inclusive)

Day 22: Siem Reap – Departure

Morning, visit to “Les Artisans d’Angkor - Chantiers Ecoles” of Siem Reap and time at leisure at a local market
Our private car picks you up & transfers to Siem Reap International Airport for departure. End of services.
(Breakfast inclusive)

Trip inclusive:
+ Accommodation at 4 or 5 star hotel
+ Boat cruise in Mekong Delta
+ English Speaking guide
+ Meals as indicated in the itinerary
+ All tours & transfers in private Air-Con car
+ Admission fees and permits where applicable
+ Vietnam visa processing fees
+ Flight tickets: Danang – Nha Trang; Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh & Ho Chi Minh – Siem Reap;

Trip exclusive:
. Pre/post trip arrangement
. Travel insurance
. Meals not indicated
. Other personal expenses
. Tips and gratuities
. Other flights
. Visa stamping fee (required at airport upon arrival)