Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam: 12-Nights

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Upon arrival, you are greeted by your guide and driver for your transfer to your hotel in the town center of Luang Prabang. The rest of the day is at leisure, enjoy some recovering time by the swimming pool of the hotel or go for a first immersion in Luang Prabang’s so special atmosphere. Overnight in Luang Prabang

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Accommodation: Sada Hotel (Deluxe Room)

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Meals Provided: Dinner

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At about 8.30am, we hop on a gleaming vintage Tuk-tuk to venture in style around the old Luang Prabang town. First stop of this original sightseeing tour will be the Morning Market, where guide will help you immerse in this joyful atmosphere and learn more about local products.  We then stop at the magnificent Wat Xiengthong  temple with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. We end our morning with the visit the former Royal Palace, now a National Museum (close Tuesday) where you will find ornate, gilded and brocaded reception rooms, as well as Buddha and Spectacular artefacts including the Prabang, a large holy image, which was given in the 14th century by the Khmers to King Fa Ngum. Lunch is served in town. In the afternoon we continue our excursion toward Kuang Si Waterfalls, en route, we visit local villages to discover more about the local ethnicity. We stop at the H’mong Village of Ban Ou, Laoloum Village and later on at the Khmu Village of Ban Thapene. Wander around these villages, meet with locals and let your guide introducing the cultures to you. We then drive to the beautiful falls where you can splash around in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest trails. We return to Luang Prabang by late afternoon, end of the day at leisure. Overnight in Luang Prabang

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Accommodation: Sada Hotel (Deluxe Room)

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Meals Provided: Breakast, Lunch

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An early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession. After attending it, we return to the hotel for breakfast. We then transfer to the pier and hop on a private boat for a nice cruise upstream the Mekong river. We stop by an ethnic village on the way, the opportunity to witness how life is going by on the shores of this mighty River before we reach Pak Ou caves.  Locally called Tam Ting, the caves are filled with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues. The caves are noted for their miniature Buddha sculptures. Hundreds of wooden Buddhist figures take many different positions, including meditation, teaching, peace, rain, and reclining (nirvana). A nice lunch is served onboard while we cruise back to Luang Prabang. We should be at the hotel in the mid-afternoon, time at leisure until this evening. In the early evening we go sip a cocktail while taking a glimpse into the Laotian past through the silent movie Chang – A Drama of the Wilderness. Premiered in 1927, this masterpiece was one of the blockbusters of the year before mysteriously disappearing for 60 years. Re-edited mid-90s, the film is shown with new composition score based on Lao traditional music. Evening at leisure. Overnight in Luang Prabang

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Accommodation: Sada Hotel (Deluxe Room)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch

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Depart the hotel and we head out to a local farm of Luang Prabang, where we will learn and experience the local way of rice cultivation. After having an overview by visiting a small rice museum, we learn how rice is farmed, using water buffalo for ploughing together with the traditional manual processes of ranking, transplanting, sowing, grinding, and pounding. We end with a hands-on cookery session at the farm and the resulting lunch before heading back to the hotel. We take a bit of time to refresh and in the afternoon we go visit the UXO Center to learn more about war History in Laos. We also stop by the Ock Pop Tock center for people into crafts and local products before returning to the hotel in the late afternoon. End of the day at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi

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Accommodation: Muong Than Ha Noi Centre Hotel (Superior Room)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch

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The guide meets you in the hotel’s lobby at 9am. We head to the southern edge of the ancient citadel (today, the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense) where our walk starts. We first cross a lively street, where every morning merchants display an impressive array of veggies and fruits being sold. We keep walking and enter Hanoi’s unique “food street”, the only place in town where food shops are allowed to stay opened 24/7. Our journey then takes us along the railway to view the impressive scenes of life by the rails, before ending at the Temple of Literature. After visiting this masterpiece of architecture, we go for a typical Hanoian lunch: a bun cha on the sidewalk. Bun Cha is an exclusive dish of Hanoi, with flavoured minced pork, flame grilled and served with sticky rice noodles and spring rolls. In the afternoon, we explore the garden of the Presidential Palace featuring giant mango trees, the one-pillar pagoda and the teak house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh spent his last years. We then transfer to the tree and plant street-market, located in the Northwest of the city. Here, we will start a gentle walk along a busy street on sidewalks which are covered in lush green vegetation. The urban trail takes you off the main avenue along smaller pathways to a very special district. It suddenly feels like stepping back in time, into the 1980’s when Hanoi was a quaint capital populated mostly by modest workers. Take some time to enjoy wandering around this fascinating district. The last stop for the day allows for you to relax on the terrace of a local coffee, where you can witness the daily life of the passing locals. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Overnight in Hanoi

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Accommodation: Muong Than Ha Noi Centre Hotel (Superior Room)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch

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We gather in the lobby at 8.00am for a departure to Halong. We drive across the Red River delta and reach the coast little before noon. We embark on a beautifully crafted wooden junk for an overnight cruise in the leagendary seascape of Halong. Once on board, we are served a delicious seafood-based buffet lunch, while the limestone rocks are setting up the décor. In the afternoon, we reach a less traveled area and will devote ourselves to relaxation, sunbathing, and visiting a cave. The program is not fixed and depends on the time of the year and weather. We end the day on the sundeck while the sun sets. It is time for an aperitif or to attend a cooking demonstration before dinner. Overnight in a comfortable private cabin with attached bathroom.  Overnight on Cruise

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Accommodation: Bhaya Cruise (Deluxe room)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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At dawn, an early Tai Chi session is proposed, coffee and tea are served early as well for the early birds wishing to see the beautiful lights of sunrise. Check out the cabin and we then hop on rowed sampan  to visit a secluded floating village, one of the last remaining communities living on the bay. We return to the boat and a brunch is served as we are cruising back to the dock. We disembark and drive to Hanoi’s airport to take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. You are greeted in Saigon and driven to the hotel. End of the day at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

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Accommodation: Edenstar Hotel & Spa (Deluxe Room)

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Meals Provided: Brunch

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We gather in the lobby at 8.00am and head straight to the district 10 and its genuine old Saigonese atmosphere. We visit a nice little flower market, take the time to walk past the colorful stalls and wander around the maze of narrow streets and back alleys that shape the character of the area. Next we go nearby to visit the museum of traditional medicine FITO. Walk up the 5 floors of the building, exploring this impressive collection of information and objects that explains history and philosophy of the traditional medicine. We continue to Tao Dan park and a traditional coffee break. Our morning ends at the Tan Dinh market, the oldest in town, re-built by the French in the early 1920. We then head for a street-food lunch in Tran Khac Chan street (your choice of dish among many available there). In the afternoon we depart Ho Chi Minh City, stop en route to visit one family making rice paper, and reach Cu Chi Tunnels. After an introductory video, viewing various mantraps, the remains of an American tank and numerous bomb craters, you will spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels to see how the Viet Cong survived in this underground network. We return to the city in the late afternoon, evening at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

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Accommodation: Edenstar Hotel & Spa (Deluxe Room)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch

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From Ho Chi Minh City head south to Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta, famous for coconut production. Upon arrival, set out on a boat trip on narrow channels winding through coconut forest. Stop at brick and coconut processing workshops to see how locals make bricks by hand and learn how to make different products from coconuts as well. Then jump on your bike, cycle on village roads through local hamlets, rice fields and coconut groves. Stop at any places which interest you, to have a close look at local life and culture. You'll then arrive at Mr. Sau Khanh’s house, whose ambition is to collect antiques. His collection varies from ancient & valuable ceramics, pottery pieces like bowls, dishes and vases, to ceiling lights, sculptures and Buddha statues. Chat with him and try out the local skill of climbing coconut trees. Return to the pier and drive to Ho Chi Minh city, evening at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

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Accommodation: Edenstar Hotel & Spa (Deluxe Room)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast

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We depart from the hotel after breakfast and transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, we drive to our hotel in the city center. Rooms might be available from early afternoon only, so we drop the luggage and head out for lunch.  We take you to a special place, a very nice restaurant that supports the disadvantaged youths of the region by offering them vocational training and career development opportunities. In the afternoon, we go visit Angkor National Museum - an archaeological museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and presentation of Angkorian artifacts. It also provides information and education about art and culture of Khmer civilization, with collections mainly dating from Khmer Empire's Angkor period circa 9th to 14th-century. Most of the artifacts were discovered in and around the Angkor archaeological sites. Before coming back to the hotel, we indulge a last visit heading to the workshops of the Artisans d’Angkor. This is a very interesting place where some ancestral craftsmanshifts techniques are demonstrated and preserved. Overnight in Siem Reap

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Accommodation: Saem Siep Reap Hotel (Deluxe Pool View)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch

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After breakfast, we ignite the day at dawn with the visit of Angkor Wat, easily the most famous and best-preserved of all temples within the Angkor complex. It is a massive three-tiered structure crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. The centerpiece of any visit to the temples around Siem Reap, Angkor offers many iconic sights for amazing pictures. We continue to the ancient city of Angkor Thom, surrounded by an 8m high wall. Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. We continue to Bayon Temple in the exact centre of the city. This 12th century masterpiece is a study in grandeur, its exterior gallery walls featuring extensive, superb bas-reliefs, particularly the East and South Galleries. At the end of the day, we explore at Ta Prohm Temple. Unlike most other Angkor temples, Ta Prohm has been left just as it was when rediscovered: a photogenic and atmospheric maze of trees growing out of temple ruins amidst jungle surroundings, making it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. We return to the hotel after a day filled with amazing sights and cultural insights. Remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight in Phnom Penh

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Accommodation: Saem Siep Reap Hotel (Deluxe Pool View)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast

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In the morning we drive to Banteay Srei temple. It is a one-hour drive to the so-called citadel of women. It is made of red sandstone and magnificently carved, also known as the jewel of Khmer art. We then travel to a little piece of nice countryside, where is established a community-based project called Bong Thom. Here we start a cookery session, joining hands in the preparation of the lunch. We prepare for ourselves a true Khmer feast. In the afternoon we travel South to the Tonle Sap Lake and the Kompong Kleang floating village. It is, in fact, a settlement of over 20,000 people where houses tower up to ten meters above the water, Greeted by the waves of the friendly locals, here we can glimpse Cambodia’s countryside culture and traditional family lifestyle. We return to Siem Reap in the late afternoon, end of the day at leisure. Overnight in Siem Reap

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Accommodation: Saem Siep Reap Hotel (Deluxe Pool View)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch

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Breakfast and then day at leisure until we transfer you to the airport for your outbound flight. Overnight in Siem Reap

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Accommodation: Saem Siep Reap Hotel (Deluxe Pool View)

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Meals Provided: Breakfast

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