BRIEF ITINERARY
Day 1: Bangkok Arrival (-)
Day 2: Bangkok – City Tour (B)
Day 3: Bangkok – Ayutthaya Full Day Group Tour (B, L)
Day 4: Bangkok – Fly to Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake (B)
Day 5: Siem Reap – Angkor Temple Tour
Day 6: Siem Reap – Phnom Kulen & Banteay Srey (B)
Day 7: Siem Reap – Fly to Ho Chi Minh City – ½ Day City Tour (B)
Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City – Deep Into Mekong Delta (B, L)
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels – Fly to Danang, Hoi An (B, L)
Day 10: Hoi An – Cooking Class GROUP TOUR with Walking Tour around the town (B, L)
Day 11: Hoi An Free Time – Fly to Hanoi – Walking Tour around with Street Foods (B, D)
Day 12: Hanoi City Tour with Cyclo & Water Puppet Show (B, L)
Day 13: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise (B, L, D)
Day 14: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B)
Day 15: Hanoi Departure (B)
FULL ITINERARY
Day 1: Bangkok Arrival (-)
Once arrival in Bangkok, picked up and transferred to your hotel for relaxing and free time.
Overnight in Bangkok
Meals: None
Day 2: Bangkok – City Tour (B)
After breakfast, we visit the Grand Royal Palace dedicated to the ceremony of the royal family of Thailand. In the same compound is the magnificent Wat Phra Kaew which is known for the Statue of the Emerald Buddha. After visiting this complex, we continue to visit Wat Pho, a giant house of the lying Buddha. Then, we visit the Wat Traimit which is well known as the Golden Buddha.
Afternoon, boarding on a long tail boat for an excursion along the Chao Phraya River and many bustling interior canals that offer fantastic views of local life close by. Along the way, we stop at Wat Arun, the temple of the Aube.
Return to the hotel and free time for relaxation.
Overnight in Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Bangkok – Ayutthaya Full Day Group Tour (B, L)
06:00 – 07:15 hrs.
Pick up from hotel and transfer to the river city shopping complex, Siphraya
Morning By Bus
07:30 hrs.
Departure from Bangkok by Grand Pearl luxury air–conditioned coach with English speaking guide.
09:00 hrs.
Arrival at Bang Pa-In, visit the Summer Palace of King Rama V with its mixture of Thai, Chinese and Gothic architecture such as Aisawan Thiphya-At, Warophat Phiman, Wehart Chamrun, etc.
10:30 hrs.
Arrival at Ayutthaya, a World Heritage City and historic capital of Thailand. Visit Wat Mahatad, the royal monastery, served as the residence of supreme monk. Wat Phrasrisanphet, the largest and most important temple. Its was used as a residential palace. and Wihan Phramongkhon Bophit, the large bronze Buddha image was originally enshrined in the open area outside the grand palace and later covered by a building called Wihan.
Afternoon By Cruise
13:15 hrs.
Welcome aboard the Grand Pearl Cruise Liner at Wat Chong-lom Pier (Nonthaburi). Sumptuous buffet lunch with a choice of a variety of oriental and western cuisines will be served, while you may relax and enjoy the fascinating scenery on the River of Kings. The cruise will then head towards Nontaburi, past Koh Kred, The monn community before reaching Bangkok city.
15:00 hrs.
Coffee will be served while you enjoy the enchanting sights along the River banks such as the colorful Royal Barges House, Thammasart University, Siriraj hospital, The Royal Grand Palace and the graceful Temple Of Dawn, with its magnificent 79 M. spire, Wat Kallayanamitr, one of the most renowed temples.
16:00 hrs.
Arrival and disembark at the River City Shopping Complex Pier. Transfer back to hotel by air-conditioned van.
Overnight in Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Bangkok – Fly to Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake (B)
Free time until brought to the airport for your departure flight.
Upon arrival at Siem Reap airport, meets and transfers to hotel for check in. Then, we will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake at KAMPONG PHLUK VILLAGE. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in South East Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen's "floating village" with floating schools, floating police station, etc. It is same as a big village floating on the lake, and the "village" move from place to place following water levels and current.
Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5: Siem Reap – Angkor Temple Tour (B)
This morning, we 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, the Terrace of the Leper King, and 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.
Afternoon, we visit to 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. Enjoy wonderful sunset from the top of Pre Rup temple.
Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6: Siem Reap – Phnom Kulen & Banteay Srey (B)
We will drive up Kulen Mountains for the visit to a Grand Buddha Statue, the River of Thousand Lingas and the Great Waterfall.
On the way back, we will visit to Banteay Srey, known as Citadel of Women or a Pink Temple, and Banteay Samre Temples. Dinner not included and night at hotel
Overnight in Siem Reap
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7: Siem Reap – Fly to Ho Chi Minh City – ½ Day City Tour (B)
After enjoy breakfast at the hotel, we transfer to the airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City
On arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, welcomed upon arrival by a local tour guide and driver then we transferred to the hotel. After check-in, we visited all the highlights in Ho Chi Minh City such as the Reunification Palace, the palace of the old President in South Vietnam during the American war; Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, the two sites that we can’t ignore when we visit the city. We then head to the center to do shopping at the famous Ben Thanh market, this bustling and well-organized market is very popular with tourists, primarily due to its central location. It has a wide selection of goods ranging from fake Nike shoes to beautiful silk Ao Dai. Our free evening activities should be: walking around at the night market in the Ben Thanh market area; and exploring the highest building in Ho Chi Minh City, Bitexco….
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City – Deep Into Mekong Delta (B, L)
We pick you up at the hotel after breakfast and transfer you to Cai Be. The rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals to enjoy a peaceful time. This is the perfect time for you to take your unique photos. After that, we get back to our boat to go across one of the longest rivers in the world, the Mekong River, to come to An Bình Island. Then, we travel on a handmade canal to local home.
Next, we can walk around the orchard & enjoy some cups of tea while listening to the traditional music in the ancient house. You also can walk into the local village to visit the local workshop to see how to make rice paper, coconut candy, and pop-rice..., optional biking can be made for leisure! It will be so amazing to bike on village paths to see the local daily life: orchard, school, church, pagoda, traditional houses... It’s also interesting to visit the brick kilns where you can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay. The cruise transfers us back to Vinhlong city where we take our own vehicle back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels – Fly to Danang, Hoi An (B, L)
At 8.00 AM, we will be met by local tour guide and driver at the lobby of hotel then depart to Cu Chi Tunnel for our half day visit. Cu Chi Tunnels is 50 km far from the city center. It’s located in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh city. These are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels that were the location of military campaigns during American wars. This area is now a “should-not-be-missed” site for all visitors traveling to Vietnam. We will watch a short introduction video showing the foundation, activities… of Cu Chi tunnels and people lived here in the past then we will crawl all the safe parts of the tunnel system; enjoy some special cassava and tea that served free in the tour. Later, we can go to the shooting range where we can try to fire real bullets: (costs US$3/bullet) or free for shopping at the souvenir shops. Back to Ho Chi Minh City at noontime and depart the flight to Danang.
On your arrival in Danang, our car and English Speaking tour guide will wait at Danang International airport to transfer you to Hoi An Ancient Town for accommodation.
Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 10: Hoi An – Cooking Class GROUP TOUR with Walking Tour around the town (B, L)
This morning, we start the cooking class tour by a welcome drink at Hai Café. Then, we visit Hoi An’s colourful main market, and experience its amazing sights, sounds and aromas. We will have an opportunity to interact with the local sellers, to see and taste the wonderful variety of foods on display.
After that, we arrive at Cooking School and have a chance to freshen up before beginning our class. Working together with our Chef we learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food from scratch. On arrival, we explore the cooking school’s herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of Hoi An’s and Vietnam’s best-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – each dish is first demonstrated by our chef, before we prepare the same dish ourselves. The class will include a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat exactly what we have cooked. We will finish at approximately 12.30pm – transfer back to central Hoi An arriving approximately 1.00pm
Recipes (our food contains no MSG):
*Vegetarians are provided with replacement ingredients.
- Making fresh Rice paper
- Fresh Rice Paper Rolls of Shrimp
- Crispy Hoi An Pancakes with Shrimp, Herbs & a Peanut Sauce
- Seafood Salad with Tra Que Herbs
- Mi Quang Chicken Noodles
- Food Decoration – Tomato Rose & Vietnamese Cucumber Hand Fan
* Lunch includes the above meals as well as:
- BBQ Lemongrass Beef (not included in the demonstration)
This afternoon, we will be free to enjoy this town on our own. In the afternoon, our guide will pick you up from the hotel and we will start the walking tour in Hoi An. With our tickets, we will be allowed to visit 5 highlight places in the old town.
- Japanese Covered Bridge – an iconic symbol of Hoi An Ancient Town which was built in the 17th century with Japanese businessmen’s assistance. As a result, the bridge has been associated with a monster legend called Namazu. Specifically, Namazu is a Japanese mythological monster whose movements cause earthquakes and floods. Its head is located in India, while its body is in Vietnam and its tail in Japan
- The Museum of Trade Ceramics – one of several ancient houses that can be visited in Hoi An, with over 400 pieces and fragments in its interior.
- Tấn Ký Old House – One of the rare ancient houses in Hội An that still preserves the traditional architecture from the mid-18th century
- The Cantonese Congregation – a historically significant relic of Hoi An Ancient Town. With its Chinese architectural style, this is a popular destination for travelers to visit and explore.
- The Silk Street of Hoi An – On this street, you will find many products made from silk. This is one of the most prominent crafts in Hội An from the 17th to 18th centuries, alongside incense making. If you wish to purchase something, you can contact the tour guide for more specific instructions
Finally, we will take some time to walk around the ancient town and feel time slow down, transporting us back to the old days when the bustling atmosphere of the largest trading port in central Vietnam is brought to life through the sight of small, closely packed 2-3 story houses, with architecture blending Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese influences.
Overnight in Hoi An
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 11: Hoi An Free Time – Fly to Hanoi – Walking Tour around with Street Foods (B, D)
After breakfast, we will be free until your driver arrives to take you to Danang International airport for your flight to Hanoi.
On your arrival, our guide and car will wait you in the arrival lobby before we transfer to hotel for check-in. Around 6 pm, we will start walking around the Old Quarter along different streets, trying to taste many kinds of local food such as beef/chicken noodle soup, oil-fried pastry, tofu, rice pancake, pillow cake, sweet soup, stuffed pancakes with pork, draught beer… and one of our best surprised is a stop at Dong Xuan whole sales market where we know many kinds of ingredients being sold.
Last but not least is our happy ending at a hidden coffee in the Old Quarters enjoy its famous ‘egg coffee’ in the pleasant surroundings overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake. It would be a great chance to immerse in the local life at the local at weekend here. After the tour, we return back to the hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi.
These are the famous street foods that you can try in Hanoi:
o Bánh Cuốn - Steamed rice paper rolls
o Bún Ốc - Vietnamese freshwater Snails Noodle
o Bún Riêu Cua - The Hearty Crab Soup Noodle (Not suitable for people allergic to crustacean shells)
o Bún Cá - Noodle soup with fish
o Bánh Xèo & Nem Lụi - Crispy pancakes and lemongrass pork skewers
o Miến Xào Lươn - Glass noodles with eel
o Bánh Đa Trộn - Mixed flat rice noodles
o Bánh Tôm - Hanoi shrimp cakes
o Chả Rươi - Fried Worm (Based on season)
o Bánh Gối - Crispy 'empanadas'
o Mỳ Gà Tần - Chicken noodles in herbal broth
o Chè - Colourful Sweet Dessert Soup
o Lẩu - Vietnamese Hot-pot (Such as Thai Hot Pot, Hearty Crab Hot Pot, Beef Hotpot, Mixed Hot Pot, ...)
o Steaky Rices - Corn Sticky Rices, Green Sticky Rice Sticks, sticky rice with caramelized pork and eggs, etc)d
o Egg Coffee or Green Bean Egg Café
Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Street Foods
Day 12: Hanoi City Tour with Cyclo & Water Puppet Show (B, L)
Today, at 8:30 am, our guide pick you up at the hotel in Hanoi where we will venture out to explore Hanoi the first stop will be a coffee shop on Phung Hung Street. The train will run through this area while we enjoy our coffee here. After spending around 1 hour here, we continue to visit the Temple of Literature, which was originally built as a temple to Confucius. Let's continue the tour by visiting Quan Thanh Temple represents the Taoist religion dating from Ly Dynasty.
Then, we go to the Ho Chi Minh Complex as the first attraction. With a fixed route, you will see Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (visit outside) which houses his corpse everlasting so that Vietnamese people and friend countries can come to pay expectation to him as the greatest president ever in Vietnam; his stilt-house described as Ho Chi Minh's final resting accommodation since his death in 1969, and One Pillar pagoda with a long history back to 1049 during Ly dynasty in Vietnam- the period that Buddhist was most magnifically prosperous. The architecture followed special meanings as well. You absolutely find out how special this city means to Vietnamese people.
After the tour here, we will spend time in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Hoa Lo is also known as the ‘’Hanoi Hilton’’ and was where former US presidential candidate John McCain was incarcerated for over 5 years.
Later this afternoon, we enjoy 1-hour cyclo tour of the French-inspired "Old Quarter". We will be free to shop in the old Quarter ranges from markets through to designer boutique stores to amazing contemporary art galleries. Then, we sit down to enjoy a performance of the city’s famous Water Puppets and return back to the hotel in Hanoi.
Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 13: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we pick you up at the hotel in Hanoi by shuttle bus to start our journey. When we arrive at Tuan Chau Marina, you will get checked in at Paradise Suites Hotel and transferred to the Paradise Cruise via Electric Cart. Once arrived, you will be given a short briefing about your cruise itinerary and safety regulations while you enjoy some complimentary welcoming drinks. Shortly after, enjoy your lunch at the Restaurant while viewing the beautiful islets of Ha Long Bay.
In the afternoon, you will visit Titop Island, an island named after the Russian Cosmonaut “Gherman Stepanovich Titov”. You can choose to either hike the island’s mountain to get a majestic view of Ha Long Bay or swim at the beach.
After that, we return to the cruise and enjoy the Bay sunset while enjoying the "Happy Hour" special. You may also join our chef in the kitchen to learn how to make a Vietnamese Dish. After a Western Set Dinner, enjoy some night activities on the boat like: squid fishing, drinks, or movies. The rest of night will be relaxing on the cruise.
Overnight on board
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B)
Start your day with a Tai Chi Session at the Sundeck. Then, we enjoy a light meal with some fresh pastries, coffee, and tea at the restaurant. Next destination will be the Sung Sot Cave, the largest and most magnificent cave in the bay where ySE22:15 - ou can see the stalactites in different forms. Afterward come to enjoy breakfast while the cruise passes by Thien Cung, Dau Go Cave, and the Fighting Cock Islet. After breakfast, you will check out and are free to enjoy the rest of your trip at the Lounge or on the sundeck looking at the astonishing view of Halong Bay. At 10:15 AM, Paradise Cruise returns to Tuan Chau Marina. Finally, we disembark and farewell the crew then get back to Hanoi by our shuttle bus/D-car in 2.5 to 3 hours driving.
Overnight in Hanoi
Meals: Breakfast
Day 15: Hanoi Departure (B)
After breakfast, we will be free until your driver arrives to take you to Noi Bai airport for your departure flight. Tour ends!
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