OVERVIEW

Indochina Odyssey

15 Days Indochina Odyssey feature the significant highlights of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos including Hanoi, Halong bay, Hoian, Ho Chi Minh, Cu Chi tunnel, Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, Tonle Sap lake, Luang Prabang. This trip is privately organized and customizable

ITINERARY

Hanoi / Halong / Hoian / Ho Chi Minh / Mekong Delta / Siem Reap / Luang Prabang

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Day 01

Hanoi Arrival - Street Food Tour

Hanoi street food night tour

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Meals: Street food

Xin chao! Welcome to Vietnam. Upon arriving at Noi Bai airport, our tour guide and driver will personally meet and transfer you to the hotel in downtown for check in (check in time is from 14.00pm). 

6:00 Pm You begin a Hanoi street food tour. Your expert local guide will give you an insight into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture including details on ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular northern dishes. We eat as we go, trying seasonal fruits and sampling a tasty French-inspired snack from a street cart. We try Hanoi Bia Hoi - Hanoi Draught Beer at a fascinating corner of the old quarter
 
Walking through the maze of bustling streets that make up Hanoi’s Old Quarter, you tempt your taste buds with the famed Hanoi dish Banh Cuon at a local eatery. Watch in awe as the skilled chefs demonstrate for you how this tasty dish is put together. Continuing into the atmospheric heart of the Old Quarter, we wander pass street stalls and quiet residential lanes where you can observe local life that has changed little since Hanoi was founded over 1000 years ago. 

Your next snack stop on our Hanoi street food tour is at a good-to-the-last-drop Pho Bo (Noodle Soup with beef). Then, it's time for dessert as we venture down a small alley to join in the local tradition of feasting on fresh fruit served in a cup and smothered with crushed iced and condensed milk. This specialty is one not to be missed!

Your local guide will then take you to one of Hanoi’s best kept secrets, a hidden café with stunning views over the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake. This hard-to-find café is one of the few left in the city that still serves egg coffee, a scrumptious local delicacy that we will sample whilst admiring the hustle and bustle of the city centre below. Or, if coffee is not your style, a cold beer awaits! 
 
At the end of your Hanoi street food tour, you can be free to continue discovering the old quarter on your own or your tour guide will walk you back to your hotel.
 
Day 02

Hanoi Full Day City Tour

Hanoi city tour's highlights

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

8.30am, you meet your tour guide and driver at your hotel lobby. This day, you will visit Ho Chi Minh Complex that includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, House-on-Stilts, and One Pillar Pagoda. After that you visit the Temple of Literature that was originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam’s first University dating back to 1070. The temple highlights the importance that Vietnamese society place then and now on education.

Have a lunch break at a nice local restaurant where you sample a set menu lunch of typical Hanoi cuisines. Then get back on the car for half an hour driving to Museum of Ethnology. This museum is widely acknowledged as the best museum in Vietnam. It has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic minority peoples. As well as the comprehensive array of exhibits inside, there are also traditional tribal houses reconstructed within the ground.
Then, drive back to the center of Hanoi to visit Ngoc Son Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake. Ngoc Son temple is set on a tiny island on the Hoan Kiem Lake, its history dating back to the 13th century. The temple is reached by crossing the The Huc Bridge which literally means the ‘Place Touched by Morning Sunbeams’. The Hoan Kiem Lake is the local point of the city and the source of many legends.

Continue the afternoon tour with a 45 minute Cyclo Tour through the Old Quarter: Also known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Originally each of the 36s names’ was related to the products being sold there. It’s a great place to explore on foot with numerous photo opportunities.

Before heading back to hotel, you top off enjoying a 45 minute Water Puppet Show at the indoor Thang Long Water Puppet Theartre. The city tour finishes at around 5:30 Pm at the hotel.
Day 03

Hanoi - Ha Long Bay (a sample cruise itinerary)

Overnight Halong Bay cruise

Accommodation: Overnight on boat

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

09:00am: After breakfast, you leave Hanoi for a drive to Halong Bay via new highway by a private transportation. Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1994. Halong is truly one of the most beautiful lanscape of Vietnam that should not be missed. The scenery of Halong Bay where thousands of limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea, sculpted into bizarre shapes is truly an iconic image for Vietnam. An overnight boat trip is the best way to enjoy this Vietnamese must-see. 

Arrive at the port in Halong City towards noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After a welcome onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. 
 
In the afternoon, enjoy some visits or activities (depending on each cruise’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on your cruise.
 
Towards the end of the day, the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.

After dinner, you may choose to enjoy drinks from the bar or top deck (payments on your own expense) or experience squid fishing before retiring. Overnight on cruise in Halong Bay.
 
Day 04

Halong Bay - Hanoi (a sample cruise itinerary)

Morning visiting Halong bay. Have a brunch on board, then return to Hanoi

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Brunch

We will wake up in the early morning to the calming sound of the waves crashing on the nearby islands. Enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning and relax. Sitting on the upper deck, you can enjoy the breath-taking beauty of the rocky islands rising from the crystal-clear water of the bay.

6:30: You might like to head to the upper deck to participate in a Tai Chi sessions.
 
07:00: A light breakfast of pastries, tea and coffee will be served in the restaurant.
 
7:30 - 9:15: The final stage of your trip is to be taken through the mysterious caves and amongst the remote islets via local rowing boats. The breath-taking beauty of this World Heritage region will certainly impress you. Following this, you will journey back to the main ship.

09:30: It’s time to check out of your cabin as we draw closer to the mainland. After a final early brunch and a last farewell from the crew at 11:30, you will board a transfer boat and head back to the wharf where you will be met by our guide, driver and being transferred back to Hanoi.
 
3:00pm: Arrive to hotel in Hanoi. Check-in the hotel and enjoy your free time. Dinner is on your own arrangment.

Remark:
 Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather, tide levels and operating conditions. Swimming or kayaking excursions may be canceled due to poor weather. Unused services are not subject to a refund.
 Meals onboard are fusion: Vietnamese, seafood & international. Guests should provide us with any special food preferences, allergies or dietary requirements at least 3 days prior to the departure date.
 Advance registration is required with full name, date of birth, nationality, gender, passport number and visa expiry date for all passengers. A valid passport is required upon check-in. Otherwise, boarding may be denied by the port authority.
 Elderly people, people with physical health problem or kids who cannot use kayaking and they can use a bamboo boat.
 WIFI connection is available on board but has limited internet connectivity throughout the itinerary due to the sea and Karst Limestone and Mountains blocking the signal from the satellites. Please take this into your consideration.
 
Day 05

Hanoi - Danang - Hoian - Tour in Hoi An

Walking tour exploring Hoian Old Quarter

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Morning: You check out and meet our tour guide and driver at hotel lobby to depart to Noi Bai airport for boarding a short flight from Hanoi to Danang.

Upon arrival, our local guide and driver in Danang will welcome you at the airport and transfer you to Hoi An town. Have a lunch of typical Hoian cuisines at a local restaurant and check-in hotel.

Afternoon: Continue with a walking tour dicovering the old quarter of Hoi An. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site for its well-preserved ancient houses. Set out to explore the quaint cobblestone streets of the town with more than two-century-old Chinese houses. Sites include Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200 years old Tan Ky ancestral house and the Japanese Bridge.
Day 06

Hoian Rural Villages

Basket boat ride in Cam Thanh Water Coconut Village. Cooking Class in Tra Que Herb Village

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

8:00 Meet your local guide at the hotel lobby to begin an exciting halfday tour discovering rural Hoian. A short bicycle competency test will be given. For those uncomfortable with a pushbike, then other methods of transport can be arranged. The tour starts by cycling along level ground to the Thu Bon River to visit a local fishing village. Ride along country lanes at a peaceful pace viewing local life and pause to see farmers toiling in their rice fields using centuries of farming practices. Peddle your way through palm forests, across bridges, fields of water buffalo.... Biking along country lanes at a peaceful pace viewing local life and pause to see farmers.

9:00 Take a short break in a local family at Cam Thanh Village before enjoying 1.5 hours ride on traditional Basket Boat (round boat) in the Water Coconut Palm Forest. Learn how to sail the basket boat and spend your time to catch fishes and “purple crabs” in the Canal. 10:30 Continue to drive to Tra Que Organic Vegetable Village where a large variety of vegetable are produced for the local community. At the village, you will be shown the environmentally sustainable practices which the local villagers have used for centuries and is still being used extensively today.

11:30 Visit a local family and after a short, informative and fun cooking lesson, you enjoy a delicious lunch. After the lunch, you cycle back to your hotel.

2:00 Arrive to hotel. The rest of day is your free time at leisure.
Day 07

Hoi An - Danang Airport - Fly To Ho Chi Minh City - a half day city tour

Optional Saigon Jeep Tour By Night

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Have breakfast then check out your hotel. Our driver will transfer you to Danang airport for boarding a morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City. 
 
Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, our local guide and driver will personally welcome you at the airport and transfer you to hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Have lunch at a nice local restaurant.
 
After lunch, start by looking at the Notre Dame Cathedral built between 1877 and 1883. This is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture. Nearby is the Old Post Office, another example of French colonial architecture and is also the country’s largest post office. Then, move on to see the Reunification Palace. This is one of the most important buildings in the city. Here on April 30, 1975 the ‘American War’ officially ended when tank number 843 of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of what was, at the time the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam. After that, continue to visit of the War Remnants Museum (Museum of American War Crimes), this is a poignant display of the futility of war. Have time for shopping at Ben Thanh market before returning to hotel. You are free at leisure for the rest of the day.
 

Optional Saigon Jeep Tour By Night

If you are active travellers, why not adding a Jeep Tour Saigon By Night to fullfill the evening? This tour gives you the opportunity to live a real Vietnamese experience exactly as the inhabitants of Saigon. It’ll take you to different places to show you unusual faces of the city. Of course you will see the main avenues and monuments nicely lighted at night, but it will take you as well to other vibrant areas, animated streets, secrets places or up to date addresses of the night life.

Remark: Feel free to ask our travel consultant to add this optional tour into the quotation for you.
Day 08

Ho Chi Minh - Ben Tre - Ho Chi Minh

Day trip to Ben Tre - formerly known as "Coconut Capital" in Mekong Delta

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

08:00am: Your driver will transfer you to to Ben Tre – a coconut capital. On arrival in Hung vương Pier. Boating on Ben Tre River – one of tributaries of Mekong river- is along mangrove tree from town to country.
Witness lively activities in morning as fishing, coconut cargo boats carrying on river. Stop at a traditional brickwork to see how to make bricks by hand. Turn on Cai Son canal winding through coconut jungle, visit coconut workshop, have a look stages of coconut processing from husk off, prize out to peel out by hand. Go on small waterway and stop at local house to see feeding bee, enjoy honey tea. Walking along canal to a coconut candy workshop, have a look them making candy by hand, try some sweet, enjoy some fruits and listen to local music as well. Go on by boat, and walk to a farmer house where making sleep mats.

Take a tuk tuk or cycle
on shady paths, pass by coconut grove and vegetable plains to be able to touch on really life and find out about tropical culture from Peasants. Lunch is at local restaurant with typical cuisines of the Mekong delta. Back to Hung Vuong pier by motorboat.

Transfer back to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City Dinner is on your own arrangement.
Day 09

Ho Chi Minh - Cu Chi Tunnels - Fly to Siem Reap

Explore famous Cu Chi Tunnels which were constructed during the Vietnam War

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Have breakfast then check out your hotel
08:00am: Meet Asia Top Travel tour guide and driver at your hotel lobby, travel to Cu Chi by private transportation. Then you spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels where the Vietnamese could escape bombings, hide from enemy, and mount surprise attacks. Also on display are various mantraps and the remains of an American tank as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500 pound bombs dropped by B52 bombers.
After lunch in Cu Chi, transfer straight to the airport for an afternoon flight to Siem Reap.

Upon arrival Siem Reap, our local guide and driver will personally welcome you then travel to hotel for checking in. Dinner is on your own arrangement.
Day 10

Angkor Temples Tour

Visit Angkor Temples

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast

8:00am: Start your sightseeing tour of Angkor complex where you spend a full day exploring the wondrous ancient ruins.

South Gate of Angkor Thom is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone, the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the largest as well as the most complete temple of Angkor Wat.
This architectural masterpiece was constructed in the 12th century and covers an area of about 210 hectares.

You stroll around this massive edifice. Seeing many galleries with columns, libraries, pavilions, courtyards and ponds full of water reflecting the towering temple and the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm is an incredible sight.

There are enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers which embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man's creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature. Transfer back to your hotel around 5:00pm
Day 11

Siem Reap - Kulen Mountain - Banteay Srei Temple

Visit Kulen Mountain and Banteay Srei Temple

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast

8:30am: Your local guide and driver will meet you at hotel lobby, travel to the countryside on road to Phnom Kulen Mountain. Climb uphill 12km to the waterfalls. This is a nice trail on Kulen mountain which take us to a special stream with thousands Lingas in the water. Enjoy swim or relax at the waterfalls. Enjoy lunch break own your own arrangment at the waterfalls.

Return from the top of the mountain and then stop at Bansrei Temple - the Citadel of the woman. It was built in year 967. You can see laterite walls and beautiful sculptures on red sand stone. Come back and overnight at your hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 12

Siem Reap - Tonle Sap Lake – Les Artisans d'Angkor - Luang Prabang

Visit Tonle Sap Lake and fly to Luang Prabang

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast

Have breakfast then check out your hotel
8:00am: Our driver and tour guide will take you to visit the floating village of Kompong Pluk where you will take the wood boat to explore the Cambodian houses on stilt and the flooded forest before reaching to Tonle Sap Lake - the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. Take a glimpse of Fishermen and other activities.

Continue to visit the "Chantiers Ecoles - Les Artisans d'Angkor" which provides training to young Cambodians in an effort to revive the ancient Khmer traditions of stone carving and wood sculpting. Then transfer to the airport for boarding a flight to Luang Prabang. 

Upon arrival Luang Prabang, our local guide and driver will personally welcome you then travel to hotel for checking in. Dinner is on your own arrangement.
 
Day 13

Luang Prabang City Tour - Pak Ou Caves

Visit the highlights of Luang Prabang and Pak Ou Cave

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast

08:30 AM: Meet your local guide and driver at your hotel lobby. Set off your exploration with a visit to the Royal Palace also known as the National Museum to learn more about the long-lasting history and culture of the region.

Afterwards, transfer to the pier and take a long-tailed boat for an upstream cruise. During the cruise, you will be treated a stunning of nature along the river. From the distance you can see limestone cliffs where the hidden Pak Ou Caves are located. The cave is home to thousands of Buddha statues which make the region a revered one. Take your time to explore numerous images hidden in the cave.

Then, make travel back to Luang Prabang city. Stop en-route to visit Ban Xang Hai village to learn more about the making process of the traditional Lao rice whisky. It is a great chance to taste its unique flavor. Move to Ban Xang Khong village - famous for its wood paper and Lao silk weaving. Afterwards, you travel back to hotel around 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Dinner is on your own.
Day 14

Luang Prabang - Kuang Si Fall - City Tour

Visit Kuang Sii Waterfall and highlight of the old city Luang Prabang

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast

09:00am: Meet your local guide and driver at your hotel lobby. You visit the morning Phousi Market which is the biggest market in Luang Prabang. Three quarters of it is covered, there are several hundred merchants of all kinds proposing a large variety of products. You can find over there with vegetable gardeners as well as small stalls selling clothes, merchants for health products, dried buffalo skin, local tea, school materials, hardware, etc. 
 
Then we drive to Kuang Si waterfall on a return journey of around 30km. The road is bordered by villages and rice fields. You will stop in some of these villages and relax at the waterfall. You can swim in the waterfall which scatters into many basins if the weather permits. Return to Luang Prabang and continue exploring the old city on the left bank of the Mekong River. Previously a religious capital, Luang Prabang showcases more than 100 temples, considered amongst the most beautiful in Laos. Highlights include: Wat Xieng Thong or Temple of the Royal City- one of the most important of Lao monasteries and remains a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional art. Wat Sen - literally means "Temple of a 100 000 treasures" also one of the most beautiful temples of Luang Prabang.
 
In the late afternoon, if the weather permits and you have enough time, it’s time for sunset moment on the Phousi Mountain where you also can have a nice panorama of the city. Leaving here, on the way back to hotel, we will stop to visit the H’mong Night Market where you can find a lot of souvenirs in traditional style of Laos.

Transfer back to hotel around 1730-1800pm. Dinner on your own arrangement. Overnight at the hotel.
 
Day 15

Luang Prabang Departure

Fly back home

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast is at the hotel. This day you enjoy last minutes in the city to go shopping or try a cup of Lao coffee. Hotel room is at your disposal until 12:00 noon only. Our driver and tour guide will take you to the airport for boarding your onward flight. Trip ends.

Price

Start price bases on standard hotels, subject to change. We'd like to give you a rough quote for your preference. Feel free to send us an enquiry. We commit to give you the best price.


Price Per Person In USD:
Valid from January to December 2024 
 
Category 2 People 4 People 6 People Others
3 Star $1809 $1461 $1317 On Request
4 Star $2105 $1666 $1522 On Request
5 Star $2602 $2162 $2018 On Request


Remark: 
We can customize this itinerary to meet your specific needs. Chat with us now!

TOUR INCLUSIONS

For your peace of mind, our tours are designed to include as much as possible in the price, but also to give you the freedom to find a special place to eat or to seek out an independent adventure that especially appeals to you.
Trip Inclusions
  • All private transportation as tour indicated
  • Meals as stated in the daily itinerary
  • Entrance fee as tour indicated
  • Accommodation base on Twin/Double sharing room with daily buffet breakfast
  • 1 night on cruise in Halong Bay
  • Local English speaking guide in each region
Trip Exclusions
  • Domestic flights and international flights will be booked by Asia Top Travel on request: Hanoi - Da Nang: US$76/ticket; Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh: US$76/ticket; Ho Chi Minh - Siem Reap: US$197/ticket base on economy class by Vietnam Airlines; Siem Reap - Luang Prabang by Laos Airlines: US$218/ticket (Airfares are subject to change at the time of booking and issuing the ticket)
  • Arrival/departure flights (we highly recommend you arrange on your own to save your cost as Airlines policy)
  • Visa fees (we can help you arrange a visa approval letter subject on request and it is subject to your nationality)
  • Travel insurance (highly recommended)
  • Tips, beverages and personal expenses
  • Early check-in and late check-out
  • Surcharge for Peak Season, Holidays, Special Occasion
  • Others not mentioned in inclusions

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