The Best of Vietnam and Laos 13 Days

07:45 - 08.:45 Pick up from your hotel in Hanoi. Drive to Halong Bay. Enjoy the peaceful scenery as we travel through the countryside, farmlands and Red River delta.
10:30 Stopover on the way for short break
12:30 Arrive at Hon Gai wharf - Meet the captain, crews and join us for a welcome drink, cruise briefing, safety instructions and check-in cabins.
13:00 Lunch with fresh seafood is served while cruising towards Vong Vieng floating village, passing through extraordinary shaped-islands.
15:30 Drop anchor at Vong Vieng: visit local houses, fish farm, schools and have a chat with the friendly fish men. (You also swim here if you like) The other option is to travel by kayak (passenger row kayaks for themselves). The kayaking option is $10.00 per person unless pre-booked.
17:00 Back on board, enjoy the sunset and continue cruising to Luom Bo for anchoring.
19:00 Dinner is served.
21:00 Enjoy the comfort in your cabin or night fishing… Stay Overnight on boat.

06:30 Enjoy the bay’s morning landscape with a cup of tea or coffee.
07:30 Lightly breakfast is served.
08:30 Explore the mystery of Sung Sot cave, one of the most beautiful caves in Halong Bay.
09:30 Back on board, continue cruising, enjoy the stunning views of the Bay and relax.
10:30 Lunch is served on board while cruising back through Halong Bay to the pier.
11:30 Check-out
12:00 Arrive Hon Gai wharf. Farewell.
12:30 Return from Halong to Hanoi.
14:30 Stop-over in Dong Trieu town to visit a ceramics workshop.
16:30 Arrive in Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

You have a full day of sightseeing ahead, including a visit to One Pillar Pagoda, which was built by Ly Thai Tong and the Temple of Literature, founded by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong. Stop in the heart of Hanoi at Hoan Kiem Lake, which contains an islet with a tiny Tortoise Pagoda. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Opera House and St. Joseph Cathedral. Conclude with a visit to Bao Tang Lich, once the museum of l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient, which includes artifacts from Vietnam's turbulent history. Water Puppet Show, Cyclo visiting Old Quarter. Transfer to Airport for Ho Chi Minh City departure. Arrive Ho Chi Minh City in the evening. Pick up from airport then transfer to hotel for check in. Stay Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Today you will visit the largest Vietnamese city. There are street markets, sidewalk cafes and sleek new bars. This teeming metropolis offers 300 years of timeless traditions and the beauty of an ancient culture. To the west of the city is the huge Chinese neighborhood called Cho lon, which means "Big Market." Notre Dame Cathedral, in the heart of Saigon's government quarter, is of neo- Romanesque architecture with two high square tower and iron spires. The Central Post Office is French-style and City Hall, known as "Hotel de Ville," is typical of the French architecture that would be seen in any village in France. Visit the War Remnants Museum, featuring collections of weapons and photographs from the two Indochina wars. Leave Ho Chi Minh City for Cu Chi Tunnels to learn about Vietnam history & Vietnam War. Return to hotel for free. Stay Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Today takes you to My Tho, the capital of Tien Giang Province. Situated on the Mekong River, 75 kilometers southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, the city is surrounded by orchards and rice fields, which produce grain for the entire country. Visit one or two of the islands that produce traditional handcrafts, coconut candy and bee farms. Visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, the oldest one in the delta on your boat trip on the Mekong River. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Today you are free for leisure & shopping until transfer to Airport for departure to Pakse. On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred directly onto a traditional boat for a 2-hour cruise to Champassak. Disembark at this accient town, known as Champa Kingdom; continue by car to Wat Phou, another World Heritage Site in Laos, which became recognized by UNESCO in 2002. Vat Phou is the site of ruins which were once part of a temple built some time before Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. It contains some of the most ancient Khmer architectures which date back to between the 7-11th centuries. In the afternoon you will drive to Don Khone, an area of 4000 islands which is the widest point of the Mekong River during the rainy season, although during the dry months the river recedes, leaving behind thousands of islands and islets. This area of the river is also famous for being the home to the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. En route, we stop to visit the ruins of the Khmer temple of Oup Mong at Ban Houei Tomo and continue driving to Don Khone Island at Ban Nakasung pier to board a long tailed motor boat to the peaceful Don Khone Island. Stay Overnight on Don Khone Island.

After an early morning breakfast, we begin by re-tracing the French colonial-past at Ban Khone, where some old colonial houses still stand and glimpse the first Lao railway with its own locomotive. We continue our exploration of the area of the 4000 islands leisurely by boat and visit the most beautiful Liphi waterfall, also known as the Samphamith, which forms a natural border between Lao and Cambodia. If we have luck, we may catch a glimpse of the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin at Ban Hang Khone. We return to Ban Nakasang and drive to the famous waterfall of Khone Phapeng - the largest waterfall in South East Asia, also known as the 'Niagara of the east'. In the afternoon we drive to Pakse and on the way stop in Phou Asa to visit the vestiges of the temple dating back to the 18th century for elephant riding for 1h30hrs through forest paths. We reach Pakse before sunset; there you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Pakse.

After breakfast we make an excursion to Tadlo via the plateau of Boloven, where tea and coffee plantations produce the infamous Lao coffee. You wil have the chance to observe the traditional coffee and tea makers. En route we visit the ethnic villages of Ban Tateng to experience the traditional lifestyles of the Alack, Katu and Nge tribes. We continue to visit the charming village of Tadlo where you will be transferred to the Tadlo resort. You will enjoy swimming in the pool of the Tadlo waterfall which is situated close to the resort. Stay  Overnight in Tadlo.

In the early morning we drive to Pakse to board a flight to Vientiane. Upon arrival, you are met and transferred to our centrally located hotel. A city tour acquaints us with the major sights of the capital. We visit the sacred Wat Sisaket the oldest 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 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. We enjoy a sunset by the Mekong Riverside. Stay Overnight in Vientiane.

After breakfast you will have free time until your transfer to the airport for a short flight to Luang Prabang. Upon landing we check into our hotel and visit Wat Visoun, the site of the impressive Thad Makmo stupa. The rounded dome is more Sinhalese in style than Lao. Phou Sii hill stands right in the center of this small city. We climb its 350 steps to enjoy impressive views of the surrounding area, for many miles in each direction. Wat Phu Sii sits atop the mountain, alongside the skeletons of Indochina war anti-aircraft guns! We then continue to visit Wat Mai. Built in 1796, this five-tiered roof of the wooden Sim (chapel) emphasizes the graceful Luang Prabang architectural style. We explore Street Night Market, where you will find a lovely collection of local handmade textiles of the hill tribes surrounding Luang Prabang. Stay Overnight in Luang Prabang.