Indochina Seat in Coach Tour (#2308)

Day 1: Hanoi/Arrival (no meals)

Upon arrival you will be welcome by our car driver then transfer to your hotel in Hanoi. Early check in excluded. Free time at leisure for discovery Hanoi
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L, D)

Breakfast at hotel.
08:00am: transfer by shuttle bus (no guide) to Halong Bay.
The Gulf of Tonkin was once the haunt of Vietnamese and Chinese pirates. With 3 limestone and dolomite islets sprinkled over an area of 1,500 square kilometers, Halong Bay offers a wonderland of karst topography. Arrive at Halong Bay port and board the traditional wooden cruiser for your exciting tour of Halong Bay. Sea food lunch on bord.
Dinner and overnight on board.

PROGRAM WITH GLORY CRUISE
10.00: Stopover on the way for a refreshment break
12.00: Arrive at Tuan Chau wharf – Break and photography time
12.30: Board Glory Cruises for departure. Welcome drink will be served
13.00: Lunch is served while cruising through the bay
15.30: Visit exciting Cua Van fishing village. The village is free of busy roads and streets, electric lights, houses and high rise buildings. Instead, there are only herds of little boats and rafts. You will have the chance to discover the traditional culture and customs of the fishermen.
16.30: Enjoy kayaking or swimming (if the weather permits).
17.00: Back on board and continue cruising to Drum Cave (Hang Trong) to dock.
19.00: Dinner is served.
21.00: Take some leisure time to enjoy chatting at the bar or enjoy some night fishing.
Relax and spend a romantic night on Glory Cruise.

Day 3: Halong Bay- Hanoi

PROGRAM WITH GLORY CRUISE (Brunch)
07.00: Coffee and tea will be served
08.00: Continue cruising
08.15: Visit splendid Sung Sot Cave
09.00: Check out and enjoy a fantastic cruise on the bay, passing Dinh Huong Island, fishing villages, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island and Sail Island.
09.30: Buffet brunch while cruising back through Halong Bay to the pier
11.30: Arrive at the pier. Time to say goodbye to the crew.
12.00: Return from Halong to Hanoi on shuttle bus
14.00: Stop over in Dong Trieu town to visit a ceramics workshop.
16.00: Arrive in Hanoi and drop off at your hotel.

Day 4: Hanoi – Full day tour – fly to Hue (B/L)

Breakfast at hotel.
Enjoy a stroll through Uncle Ho’s former residence & his museum (Fridays closed), one pillar pagoda, a historic Buddhist temple in Hanoi, reflects the architectural splendour that the country has grown. The Temple of Literature to have more in-depth Vietnamese culture and history. Your sightseeing will also include the visit of the Museum of Ethnology (but closed on Mondays) to enhance your understanding of Vietnam’s diverse culture through its unique presentation of objects & dress from daily life.
Our car driver will transfer to the airport for flight to Hue (no guide escort). Pick up & transfer your group to hotel in Hue. Check in hotel
Overnight at hotel in Hue.

Day 5: Hue full day visits (B/L)

Today you will spend a full day in Hue, the former capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty of emperors from 1802 till 1945. After breakfast start a scenic boat trip upstream the Perfume River on board a dragon boat to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda , Hue’s most preserved religious monument standing on the riverbank with its seven-floor tower. Then visit to the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen emperors once ruled Vietnam. You will further visit King Tu Duc’s tomb and King Minh Mang tomb (typical formal oriental style designed).
Overnight at hotel in Hue.

Day 6: Hue – My Son – Hoi An (B) – private package today

Early morning, after breakfast your journey will bring you to Hoi An via Danang. You first visit the Cham Museum in Danang. Built in 1915 this museum displays an intensive and diverse collection of Champa sculptures dating from the 7th to the 15th centuries. It now has nearly 2000 large and small sculptures. Of these, 288 are on display inside the museum, 187 objects in the garden and more than 1.200 objects are reserved in the storehouse. Most of the sculptures in the museum are original and mainly of three kinds of materials, including sandstone, terracotta and bronze. It is a good introduction before you visit the site of My Son – one of the most stunning sights in the Hoi An area, Vietnam’s most important Cham site, and as of 2000 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk a short distance for a short jeep ride up the mountain to the site. Then walk again, using several bamboo bridges (they call them monkey bridges, BUT EASY TO WALK ON – ALSO FOR SENIORS OK!) to get into the Cham site itself. Today, the temples and their towers are in ruin, vegetation is growing unimpeded, Sanskrit stelae are all about, and numerous lingam are visible. During the centuries when Tra Kieu (the known as Simhapura) served as the political capital of Champa, My Son was the site of the most important Cham intellectual and religious centre, and also may has served as burial place for Cham monarchs. My Son is considered to be Champa’s counterpart to the grand city of South-East Asia’s other Indian-influence civilisation: Angkor ( Cambodia), Bagan (Myanmar), Ayuthaya (Thailand) and Borobudur (Java).You continue your journey to Hoi An and have a late lunch snack. Enjoy a walking tour of the ancient town center and take in the former merchants’ houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful market with its stalls brimming with tropical specialties. Whoever is still fit can explore this charming small town on their own or with the guide. Just let the guide know! You can also order tailor made cloths which will be ready later at night (around 9 pm) for fitting and then will be ready next morning!
Overnight at hotel in Hoian.

Day 7: Hoian – Leisure time – Fly to Saigon (B)

Relax in Hoi An and wait for your transfer (no guide) to Danang airport for the evening flight to Saigon where your guide form South Vietnam will pick you up and bring you to the hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Saigon

Day 8: Saigon – half day city – half day Cu Chi tunnels(B)

08:00AM to noon time: morning sightseeing for exploring the great atmosphere around of lively China town. Get into the rythm of this busiest and colourful scenes of Binh Tay market and Thien Hau Temple in the morning. We then visit the War Remnants Museum.

In the afternoon, visit Cu Chi. It  is a tranquil place of rice paddy fields with ducks and water buffalos bathing in the rivers alongside the road. But this peaceful rural scene belies the terrible destruction and defoliation caused by bombing and mines when Cu Chi was a “Free Target Zone”. Cu Chi still contains plenty of evidence of the fierce battle that took place here and all over this area you will find the remnants of war.
Overnight at hotel in Saigon.

Day 9: Saigon – Siem Reap (B)

Transfer (no guide) to Tan Son Nhat Airport for morning fly to Siem Reap.
Pick up from airport for the tour to
Visit the antique capital of Angkor Thom (12 century) : the South Gate with its huge statues depicting
the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200
smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and
the Terrace of the Leper King.
Lunch not included 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.
Dinner not included.
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 10: Siem Reap tours (B)

Visit 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. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som, built in late 12th century C.E. the most distant temple on the grand circuit, small but classic. Preah Khan temple, 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.
Lunch not included
Visit to the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (“The Royal Baths” was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Ta Keo, constructed in late 10th early 11th century C.E, the first temple to be constructed wholly of sandstone.
Dinner not included
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 11: Siem Reap – Fly to Vientiane (B)

Breakfast at hotel
Transfer to Siem Reap International airport for flight to Vientiane.
On arrival at the airport, you are transferred to your centrally located hotel. Vientiane is friendly sleepy town resting on the shores of the mighty Mekong River. In the afternoon we include a sightseeing around the city. We’ll explore some of the best sights including the Victory Gate ( Arc de Triumph ), the Vat Sisaket and the impressive That Luang Stupa, the country’s most important monument. Also visit the Morning Market you can wander around and buy silver, silk or other items you like to take back home. In the evening you can stroll along the bank of the Mekong River.
Overnight at hotel in Vientiane.

Day 12: Vientiane – Vang Vieng (B)

We will travel this morning from Vientiane to Vang Vieng (3 – 4 hours). Vang Vieng is a small village settled between a spectacular spread of limestone karsts and is surrounded by green lush paddy fields and dwellings of ethnic minorities. Upon arrival we will check in our hotel and visit the caves, free at leisure time in the evening.
The terrace of your hotel offers splendid sunsets amidst these magnificent natural settings.
Overnight at hotel in Vang Vieng.

Day 13: Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang (B)

After breakfast you will travel by private vehicle (6 – 7 hours ) to Luang Prabang. The former Royal capital, is best known for it’s ancient temples and romantic setting at the confluence of the Mekong and Kane Rivers. Because of the compact size of the peninsula, Luang Prabang is best explored on foot. Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, the afternoon we will climb the Phousi Hill to enjoy excellent view of the lush World Heritage city and the Kane and Mekong Rivers.
Overnight at hotel in Luang Prabang.

Day 14: Luang Prabang (B)

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. 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 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 potent local rice wine. On return, we take a short drive to Ban Xang Khong and Ban Xienglek, well known for its hand made of Jute Sar paper.
Overnight at hotel in Luang Prabang.

Day 15: Luang Prabang – Departure (B)

This early morning you may want to wake up early and participate in a daily Lao morning ritual. Monks carrying their bowls, wander through town, blessing local people who give them offers ( mostly sticky rice ). After breakfast you’ll be transferred to the airport for the flight out of Laos
(ends)

Prices until 31.12.2o24

Price is nett per person in US$, twin shared basis, tax, service charge included in the party of

**Interested in other class of hotels or customizing this tour as per your wish? Please email us for details

Price inclusive

• Hotel accommodation as specific or similar, base on twin sharing
• Private car/mini van with A/C with mineral water
• Shuttle bus transfer to/from Halong Bay
• Private en-suite cabin in joint junk/boat in Ha Long
• All entrance fees, boat fee
• Boat trip to Pac Ou caves (Laos) as mentioned in the itinerary
• English speaking local stationed guide
• Meals as mentioned
• Kayak fee Halong Bay (2 persons per kayak)
• Vietnam visa on arrival approval letter arrangement (promotion)

Price exclusive

• Siem Reap airport departure taxes
• Visas
• Domestic flight (Hanoi-Hue; Danang-Saigon)
• International flight ticket from Saigon to Siem Reap: US$185,– ticket/way
• International flight ticket from Siem Reap to Vientiane: US$170,– ticket/way
  Flight price subject to be changed without notice
• Dinners, except as specified above.
• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.
• Camera fees (if any)
• Diving fees
• Insurance.